GET FREE SAMPLES

sign up for our newsletter to get free sample alerts

We Tried 10 Weird Hangover Cures. Here's What Happened

We tested the weirdest hangover cures to see what works -- and which hangover remedies will make you more miserable
Photo 16/21
Hangover Cure No. 8: Greasy Breakfast
Dragging yourself to the nearest diner after a night of drinking is one of the most popular hangover cures (and one of our personal favorites), but do we really cling to it because it's a legitimate hangover cure?

"While you may crave greasy or fatty foods after you drink alcohol, this can actually backfire," says Lyssie Lakatos and Tammy Lakatos Shames, registered dietitians more commonly known as the Nutrition Twins. "The liver is already working in overdrive to get rid of the alcohol from last night, and you're taxing your liver more by adding fat, salt and carbohydrates from greasy food -- which will ultimately make you feel worse."

Either way, breakfast is still the most important meal of the day and we needed to fill our stomachs with something. So we sent senior editor Rose to belly up to the bar, and then, the next morning, the nearest greasy spoon.

Photo 17/21
Greasy Breakfast: The Sober Truth
A seasoned girl-about-town, Rose says she's been a fan of the greasy breakfast hangover remedy since college. So after a night of ordering vodka tonics from the open bar at a magazine launch party and waking up to a hangover that made her feel beyond sluggish, she was all too eager to hit her usual Sunday brunch spot.

While there were plenty of nutritious breakfast options available at Los Feliz's Messhall, Rose traded in her usual oatmeal and fruit for a burger made with eggs, sausage and cheddar cheese, and chased it with a side of house fries. "There's just something comforting about a decadent meal when you're not feeling well," she says.

But even after downing the good-but-greasy food, Rose's hangover symptoms -- nausea and headache, primarily -- returned a couple hours later. "I think a greasy breakfast helps me feel immediately better because I'm putting food in my system at the start of the day," Rose says. "However, a few hours after brunch I went back to feeling just as tired as I did pre-breakfast burger and fries."

Grade: 6/10

Photo 18/21
Hangover Cure No. 9: Hair of the Dog
The hair of the dog is my grandpa's favorite hangover cure -- no surprise, since it's one of the oldest hangover cures in the book, and he's old as dirt, too. Sorry, grandpa! For those who aren't familiar with the Norwegian phrase (You really ought to get out more), this hangover cure has nothing to do with hair, and everything to do with drinking the next day when you're hungover to make all the pain go away.

"Although drinking could numb the hangover pain, the truth is that drinking more will only postpone an inevitable hangover," say the Nutrition Twins. "It's simply adding more load for the liver to detoxify when it's already working to combat the toxins left over from last night's alcohol. Adding more toxins to a taxed system won't do the body any good -- or minimize a hangover." But the cure is still around for a reason, right?

I decided to do my grandpa proud and spend the weekend drinking -- all in the name of journalism, of course.

Photo 19/21
Hair of the Dog: The Sober Truth
After throwing back vodka tonics all night with very little water, I woke up, unsurprisingly, with a throbbing headache. Mission accomplished!

I usually rely on an ibuprofen, hot shower and greasy breakfast to bring me back from the dead, but not this morning. Instead, I dragged myself out of bed and to my liquor closet (and by closet I mean my freezer where my half-downed vodka was waiting for me). My equally hungover roommate about died when he saw me start to pour another vodka tonic instead of my usual glass of water right away in the morning -- commenting that I was "crazy." Desperate to cure my throbbing temples, I closed my eyes, held my breath and tried to drink my way out of the haze.

Here's what I'll say about it. I've had far worse hangovers -- I'm talking lose the entire contents of your stomach all day hangovers (sorry for the visual). Had I been experiencing one of those, there is no way I could've put back that vodka tonic. However, in the nine circles of hangover hell, this was about a five, which meant I could hold my alcohol -- though the smell had me hovering by the bathroom just in case. Once I forced the first drink down, my head felt slightly better. The second drink was easier to stomach, and soon my pain was just a fuzzy memory. Though at no point in this experiment did I enjoy putting back another cocktail, it did get easier as I went.

OK, so maybe it's not so much a hangover cure as it is a procrastination method. Because, boy, did I feel it later in the afternoon. Still, it's a strategy that's totally dependent on the severity of your hangover. I'm just grateful I didn't have to puke and rally.

Grade: 6 /10

Photo 20/21
Hangover Cure No. 10: Pickle Juice
Some say drinking pickle juice is a Polish holistic remedy for hangover symptoms; I say it sounds damn delicious.

"This is a helpful hangover cure because pickle juice contains vinegar, water and sodium," says Pace. "The sodium acts as an electrolyte, which helps with dehydration. Pickle juice may not help with other hangover symptoms, such as upset stomach, but it will definitely help replenish your body."

BY KATIE MCCARTHY, JESSICA AMARIS | MAR 17, 2016 | SHARES
VIEW COMMENTS
Full Site | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy
TotalBeauty is a property of Evolve Media Holdings, LLC. © 2024 All Rights Reserved. | Affiliate Disclosure: Evolve Media Holdings, LLC, and its owned and operated subsidiaries may receive a small commission from the proceeds of any product(s) sold through affiliate and direct partner links.