ACV Rinse for Healthy Hair: Benefits and How to Use
In this post, I’m diving into one of my best-kept hair secrets: Apple Cider Vinegar. It’s really no secret anymore since the rest of the Internet seems to be raving about this too! We’ll go over the benefits of using ACV in your hair, the details on how to use it to achieve healthy hair, and how to make your own rinse at home.
Many of us grow up believing that the number of products you use are what determine the way your hair looks and feels. I’ve discovered over the years that that is certainly not the case, and that the quality of your water can actually play an even bigger role. I grew up with softened, private well water. When I moved to a city during college, I was shocked when my hair became a dry, tangled mess. No matter what product I tried, nothing could fix it! It was then that I realized how big of an impact your water can have on your hair health.
When I got more into my sustainability journey in college, I started to research more natural ways for me to get my old hair back without buying a bunch of products. That’s when I came across a few hacks that are low waste and cost-effective. Fast forward to today, I have my soft, shiny hair and I use very minimal products on it, thanks to apple cider vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar is made using fermented apples, yeast, and sugar. The result is a beautiful slightly fruity vinegar that can be used in salad dressings, and also in your beauty routine. There are many researched and anecdotal health benefits to consuming this vinegar, such as lowering blood sugar. Today, we’re looking at why people are putting this stuff on their head.
ACV Rinse Benefits
• Rebalances Your Scalp: Apple cider vinegar can be a great natural remedy for those who suffer from dandruff and scalp irritation. The different acids in here act as anti-bacterial agents that break down oils and dead skin cells. A benefit of having a healthy scalp is hair growth!
• Detangles: This benefit was huge for me. Having long, fine, and straight hair, it can get tangled easily. Doing an ACV rinse can aid in removing build-up, helping to leave your hair softer and tangle free.
• Counteracts Hard Minerals in Water: This was one of the major reasons why I started to use ACV in my hair! If you live in an area with harder water, you know how tough it can be on your hair and skin. Many shampoos and conditioners on the market aren’t exactly formulated with hard water in mind, so using ACV can help those products work better by removing those minerals and also changing the pH of the water.
• Removes Product Build-up: The higher acetic acid content in the vinegar is what helps with breaking up product build-up. When diluted, apple cider vinegar can act as a gentle yet effective way to strip your hair and scalp of product residue.
•Adds Shine: Apple cider vinegar can add so much shine to your hair. Product build-up can cause your hair to look dull sometimes, so since ACV combats that, it leaves you with shinier locks! On top of all of the other benefits, the results of using it can sometimes be shocking.
When to Use ACV in Hair Care
It’s pretty common to see people doing apple cider vinegar rinses once a month. This seems to be enough if you’re someone who just wants a good hair reset to remove product build-up and balance the scalp. An excellent time to do an ACV rinse is after a vacation! After a few days of using hotel water, swimming in an overly chlorinated pool, and then having those chemicals baked in the sun, your hair can feel very dry and damaged. A vinegar rinse usually does the trick to help detangle the mess and rebalance the scalp.
From other methods I have seen for doing ACV rinses, I do mine a little differently. The key for me is doing it more consistently and frequently. For my hair type and preferences. I actually use apple cider vinegar every time I wash my hair. Yes, you read that right! I prefer using it pretty often, and my hair loves me for it. Like I mentioned, there are other methods to using it in your routine, but I’m here to share my personal secret and what works for me, since so many people are always asking me for advice on hair care.
Read More on Low Waste Hair Care
How to Make ACV Rinse
The recipe for ACV hair rinse can vary depending on HOW you are using it. If you’re using it 1x/month to give your hair and scalp a reset, you can use a little more ACV in the mixture. Whether you’re doing a rinse monthly or daily, I recommend ALWAYS diluting the vinegar with water. Putting any kind of vinegar straight onto your scalp could do more harm than good, and while there are benefits, this stuff is strong! Like most things, a little goes a long way.
Hair Rinse For Monthly Use:
Mix 4 parts water to 1 part apple cider vinegar. This can be used in a spray bottle or directly poured onto your head in the shower.
- For Use: After shampooing your hair, and before you rinse out your shampoo, pour the mixture all over your head, making sure to focus on your scalp and roots. You can let this sit for a minute and give yourself a quick scalp massage, or wash it out right away. Then follow up with conditioner or other products as usual.
Hair Rinse For Every Wash Day:
Mix 6 parts water to 1 part apple cider vinegar. I recommend keeping it in a spray bottle in the shower.
- For Use: After shampooing your hair, and before you rinse out your shampoo, spray a few sections of your hair with the mixture, making sure to focus on your scalp and roots (about 6-8 sprays should be good). You can let this sit for a minute, or wash it out right away. Then follow up with conditioner or other products as usual.
Here’s a quick video of me making it. It’s pretty simple and can last quite awhile!
You don’t have to necessarily store this in an amber glass bottle, but that happened to be what I had on hand. You can always reuse a plastic bottle you have laying around in your bathroom too.
ACV rinse is a game changer for hair with how many benefits there are. It’s a cost-effective hair treatment that you can make and do at home. Try adding this to your monthly self-care day, or if you have hard water like me, maybe it’s something you can try doing on a more frequent basis.
I hope you enjoyed this quick post! Let me know what you think in the comments. I wanna know your results after you try this out (:
