Why You Should Wash Your Hair With Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a well-known folk remedy to treat many health conditions. I’ve already written in the past onhow to use ACV to lose weight, reduce cholesterol and control blood sugar levels. You can also use it to remove skin tags and warts, as an effective cleansing face wash and in detox drinks.

Many times harsh soaps and shampoos can strip hair and skin of their natural oils, leaving them dry. But rinsing your hair with ACV is a great treatment for your hair and scalp and has a long list of benefits:

Benefits of ACV for hair

Balancing hair and scalp pH – There are many commercial hair-care products that have a negative effect on the hair, leaving it dry and brittle. Our hair has an ideal pH of 4 to 5. The acidity of the ACV rinse means that it can help maintain the pH balance of your hair and remove buildup at the same time without stripping the hair of its natural oils.

Sealing the hair cuticle – As a result, light is reflected off the hair, making it smoother, softer and shinier. This also enables the hair maintain more moisture and helping prevent split ends.

Treating dandruff, itchy and dry scalp – ACV has antibacterial and antifungal properties that help treat itchy, dry scalp.

works as a natural detangler – so can replace conditioner.

Encouraging hair growth – ACV can treat clogged hair follicles due to bacterial infection that creates crusty flakes on the scalp (which can result in hair loss). Livestrong website also mentions an article published in 2002 stating that ACV stimulates better circulation to the hair follicles, which strengthens the hair roots and promotes a healthy hair growth.

How to use ACV for hair rinse

First of all, you need to use the right kind of ACV. Choose raw, organic, unfiltered, and unpasteurized kind of ACV. Not the refined kind you find in most stores. Buy a good quality kind of ACV that contains the “mother” of vinegar, which is the cloudy stuff that sinks to the bottom of the bottle. This substance contains the beneficial enzymes, bacteria, pectin and trace minerals that makes ACV so good for you. It’s also a good idea to shake the bottle each time before using ACV to distribute the elements. You can even easily make your own natural ACV.

Ingredients

1 cup water
2 tablespoons ACV

Preparation

In a spray bottle mix two tablespoons ACV with one cup water (use the same ratio if you prepare a larger quantity, something like 1/3 cup of ACV mixed with one liter of water).

Some references use higher concentration of ACV because oily hair likes more ACV than dry hair. Start from the lower dilution and experiment to find the dilution that works best for your hair type.

After shampooing apply the ACV rinse, massaging into your hair and scalp. Leave for a couple of minutes. Then rinse your hair thoroughly. You don’t need to use a conditioner.

Don’t get the rinse into your eyes as it will sting. As your hair is drying, you may smell vinegar, but once your hair dries, the smell is gone.

Do this treatment once or twice a week.

You can even include herbs in the rinse (previously infusing them in the water). Thus you can add lavender for great scent or rosemary to encourage hair growth. You can also add a few drops of essential oil (refer to my previous articleHow to Use Essential Oils for Healthy Hair. Also find useful information in my e-book Magical Aromatherapy which will help you to discover the power of essential oils and the most effective ways to use them).

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