How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Gorgeous, Shiny Hair
Using apple cider vinegar (ACV) for your hair is about as simple as you can get. Really! If your hair is as dull and dreary as the gray winter skies, this apple cider vinegar hair rinse may be just the super shine treatment you need.
As a conscious consumer, you’re probably an old pro at eating a clean diet filled with unprocessed and organic foods. Unfortunately, choosing chemical-free beauty products isn’t quite as easy, as a lack of federal regulation makes finding clean beauty products a challenge. But here’s the deal: just as simpler food is often better for you, the same is also true of your beauty regimen.
Why Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Hair?
1. It’s a natural conditioner
Apple cider vinegar can function as a hair conditioner, in the same way as baking soda works as a natural shampoo! Clean and shiny hair, all from ingredients in your kitchen! Who knew?
2. It improves porosity
Porosity is your hair’s ability to absorb and maintain moisture. Apple cider vinegar’s acidity can improve porosity by sealing the hair cuticle. As a result, hair will maintain more moisture.
3. It combats tangles
Apple cider vinegar flattens the hair surface, allowing a comb or brush to glide easily through the hair.
Read Also: 13 Surprising Uses and Benefits Of Jojoba Oil For Beautiful Skin, Hair & Health
4. It treats hair loss
Truly a hair cure-all, ACV has even been known to stimulate hair growth in some hair loss cases.
5. It can cleanse, too
When added to the baking soda mentioned in the first tip, apple cider vinegar creates a super-powered hair cleanser.
6. It’s a clarifying treatment …
Apple cider vinegar is perfect for removing product build-up, without stripping hair of its natural oils.
7. … and a pH balancer!
Hair is on the mildly acidic side of the pH scale, and has an ideal pH of 4.5 to 5.5, which is close to that of an apple cider vinegar rinse (pH 2.9). This rinse is great for bringing the pH back to where it’s supposed to be after shampooing.
Read Also: Best Home Remedies For Oily Hair
8. It reduces frizz
According to Huffington Post, when used as a follow-up to baking soda, this do-it-yourself treatment makes strands shinier, reduces frizz, and seals cuticles.
9. It treats dry, itchy scalps
Apple cider vinegar has antibacterial and antifungal properties that will calm and heal an itchy, dry scalp.
10. It prevents split ends
ACV has the ability to smooth the hair’s cuticle, which helps prevent split ends and breakage. Want to get in on the apple cider vinegar action?
Read Also: Habits that causes your hair split ends – How to avoid split ends
Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse Recipe
This simple ACV rinse recipe can be used one to two times weekly. While some say you can use it as a conditioner, I use it in addition to conditioner because my hair gets tangled. If you have dry hair you may want to use a little less ACV and if you have oily hair, then you may want to use a bit more.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. raw organic apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
Directions
1.Combine ingredients in a cup or bowl.
- Shampoo and condition as you normally would. Once you’ve rinsed both the shampoo and conditioner, cover your hair with the raw apple cider vinegar rinse. (Be sure to close your eyes tightly.)
- Rinse your hair thoroughly.
Tips:
- Don’t be so concerned about the smell of ACV because once it dries, your hair will no longer smell like vinegar.
- You may also want to try using a squeeze bottle to more evenly apply ACV, rather than a bowl or cup which provides less even application. (I used a bowl but may use a squeeze next time.)
- You can experiment with using the ACV instead of hair conditioner, rather than in addition to it. You may not need both.
Find the Best Apple Cider Vinegar for Hair
Apple cider vinegar is made from fermenting apples. The yeast ferments the apple’s sugars into alcohol and then the acetic bacteria converts the alcohol to acetic acid. Apple cider vinegar should be in it’s most unprocessed form. That means it should be raw, organic, and unfiltered. It should also still contain “the mother”, which is formed naturally in unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. The slimy substance that’s known as the mother is formed from yeast and acetic acid bacteria when the fermentation process goes on for a long enough time period.
