Apple Cider Vinegar
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Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has long been used as a natural hair care product to promote healthy hair in both men and woman. Its acidity is close to that of natural hair, it's a good conditioner and cleaning agent and it's also an effective germ killer.
As a result, apple cider vinegar uses and benefits for the hair include:
- Vinegar hair rinse
- Hair Herbal rinse
- Essential oil vinegar hair rinse
- Dandruff and itchy scalp relief
- Natural hair loss treatment
- Home Remedy for head Lice
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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).
On the other hand, many of the hair care products we use, such as soap-based shampoos, bleaches, hair colors, and permanents are strongly alkaline.
Rinsing with apple cider vinegar will help balance the pH of your hair and remove the buildup that can result from the use of these styling products and inexpensive shampoos.
Rinsing will also close the numerous cuticle scales which cover and protect the surface of each hair shaft. This imparts a smoother surface which reflects more light and as a result leaves your hair shinier, smoother and easier to manage.
Don't worry about the slight vinegar smell you will notice after rinsing. It will disappear completely as your hair dries.
Make your own healthy after-shampoo hair rinse by mixing 1/3 of a cup (75 ml) of ACV into a quart (1 liter) of water. You can then store this mixture in a plastic bottle and keep it in the shower for ready use.
If you would like to prepare a smaller batch of this vinegar hair rinse recipe to experiment with, try mixing 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar into 1 cup (250 ml) of warm filtered tap water.
Apply the vinegar rinse after shampooing and then rinse it all out, or for extra conditioning, you can leave the rinse on your hair. This natural hair care product can be used once or twice a week or more often as needed.
By infusing various herbs into the vinegar rinse, you can enhance different hair colors and condition hair at the same time.
Here are some recommended herbs to use with apple cider vinegar:
- For dark hair:......Parsley, Rosemary, Sage
- For light hair:.....Chamomile, Flannel Mullein, Marigold
- For red hair:.......Henna
- For oily hair:......Lavender, Thyme, Witch Hazel, Yarrow
- For dry hair:.......Marigold
- For brittle hair:...Horsetail
- Place 2 tablespoons of the dried herb (or herb mixture) into a muslin bag or tea ball and put in a warmed tea pot.
- Pour 1 pint (500 ml) of boiling water over the herbs and infuse for 2 hours.
- Allow the liquid to cool then pour it into a quart (1 liter) jar.
- Add 1 pint (500 ml) of apple cider vinegar and mix well.
If preparing a vinegar/herb infusion is not your cup of tea, then a faster way to enhance the hair conditioning effect of apple cider vinegar is to add a small amount of certain types of essential oils.
To make a batch, just add 5 drops of the essential oil to 1 cup (250 ml) of apple cider vinegar. When you are ready to rinse your hair, take 1 tablespoon of this mixture and add it to 1 cup (250 ml) of warm water.
Types of essential oils that go well in a vinegar hair rinse include:
- Lavender
- Lemon
- Rose
- Rosemary
- Sage
The acids and enzymes in ACV kill the "bottle bacillus", a bacteria that is one of the causes for many scalp and hair conditions such as dandruff, itchy scalp, hair loss and often baldness.The bacteria clogs hair follicles allowing dry crusts to form that itch and flake.
For a simple home treatment for dandruff and itchy scalp, apply full strength ACV to the scalp, rub in, and leave on for a half hour to an hour before washing your hair.
For an extra strength natural hair care product, apple cider vinegar can be infused with herbs such as stinging nettle, southernwood, goosegrass, plantain and burdock root all of which help prevent dandruff on their own. Tea tree oil is another excellent natural anti-dandruff ingredient, which can be added.
In her book Apple Cider Vinegar- Miracle Health System, Patricia Bragg recommends trying the following natural hair loss treatment:
For bald and thinning areas apply to scalp an hour before shampooing- 2 Tbsp ACV mixed with a tiny pinch cayenne powder.
Then before going to bed, mix a royal jelly capsule with one tsp ACV, pat on bald areas and leave overnight.
The following herbs have also been used to prevent hair loss and stimulate hair growth:
- Burdock
- Catnip
- Chamomile
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Saw Palmetto
- Thyme
- Yucca
Apple cider vinegar is just one of many natural products that can be used to treat hair loss.
You can find more holistic tips on how to regrow lost hair as well as a natural hair loss treatment procedure that helps you address and eliminate the causes of hair loss, in an e-book called "How To Naturally Regrow Lost Hair in 15 Minutes a Day".
The author, Todd Davis, is so confident in his natural method for reviving thinning hair and regrowing lost hair that he states if you don't stop hair loss within 8 days and start sprouting up new hairs within a few weeks then you can have the e-book and all related bonus books for free.
Lice infestations are very contagious and are characterized by intense itching caused by an allergic reaction to a toxin in the saliva of the lice.
If you find that commercial lice preparations are too toxic (many contain pesticides) for you or your child's skin, try the following herbal head louse treatment described in the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine that uses all natural hair care products:
- Carefully brush the child's head with a mixture of 3 parts olive oil and 1 part lavender essential oil.
- First apply to a small area to test for allergic sensitivity or skin reaction.
- The hair should be saturated with the olive oil mixture and a shower cap put on for 5 hours.
- The olive oil clogs the breathing pores of the lice and they can't hold their breath for more than 4 hours.
- Follow this by an apple cider vinegar rinse, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ACV added to 1 cup (250 ml) water, to unglue the nits from the hair.
- Nits or lice eggs are fairly small and can be pearly to grey in color.
- Then, using a fine-tooth comb, parents should comb the child's hair meticulously to remove the lice eggs from the hair shaft.
- And finally, wash the child's hair with a natural shampoo.
Do You Have
a Vinegar Hair Care Experience
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Your Vinegar Hair Care Stories
Click on the links below to see some great contributions about the use of vinegar as a natural hair care product from other visitors to this page...
ACV is cheaper than Shampoo
A few years ago I became homeless and was unable to afford shampoo.
But ACV can be bought with food stamps and it works just as good (if not ...
Horrid Dandruff :(
I've had horrible dandruff problems for almost a year now.
I tried everything at the pharmacies, which only seemed to dry out my curly hair ...
ACV for hair cleaning
I have been using ACV to clean my hair. I do this either by taking 5 teaspoons worth and mixing it with 3/4 liter of water and adding 3 to 5 drops ...
Apple Cider Vinegar for Oily Hair
When I was younger my hair got very oily. I tried everything on the shelves, and NOTHING seemed to work.
Naturally I was devastated. I thought ...
Help wanted!!! Long HAIR Remedy
I have just started using acv as a rinse...leaving it in.
I love it but I have a big problem too...my hair is falling out everywhere...I know ...
ACV as a Natural Hair Color Enhancer
I am a 55 yr. old male.
I was interested in reading about the A.C.V. rinse, so much so that I thought I'd try it.
For the past 10 yrs. my hair ...
How ACV gave me Thick Hair
I read your website about using ACV as a hair rinse, so I rinsed my hair with ACV and started using olive oil.
And now my hair is thick and long ...
I have used ACV to make my hair feel soft and shiny.
My older sister introduced me to Apple Cider Vinegar and the many uses of it..particularly with hair.
She instructed me to wash my hair with it ...
I was ready to pull out my $1800.00 extensions, but ACV saved the life in my hair!!
I am a light blonde woman with very fine hair.
Since I felt like I can't get the thickness and fullness or length of the hair I would love, I ...
It's a great detangler!!!
Hello! I've got extremely thick and kinky curly hair.
I am African American with natural hair and many have told me they don't know how I keep ...
ACV got my Seborrhea Dermatitis under control
Not rated yet
I've dealt with dandruff all my life and developed it in my eyebrows in high school. (33 yrs ago)
I learned that it is actually Seborrhea Dermatitis ...
No more nappy curls thanks to ACV !!!
Not rated yet
I have really thick, dry hair. Very difficult to manage and prone to dandruff.
I prefer long hair to short hair but could never figure out what ...
ACV got rid of oily hair
Not rated yet
I use ACV as a rinse before shampooing...and it cured my hair from being so oily!
I love it!!!
And it still shines without the oily feeling....
Vinegar Hair Rinse
Not rated yet
A few weeks ago I read information on washing your hair with Bicarbonate and after with cider vinegar.
All a bit weird and so I tried it and ...
ACV Treated my Dandruff
Not rated yet
I used ACV at full strength, left it on for only 30 seconds or so (strong smell, and it was slightly burning my scalp, fingers and back) and then ...
ACV stopped my drastic hairfall in 2 weeks
Not rated yet
My hair had been falling for the last 4 years.
I started taking ACV, 2 tablespoons 3 times a day (before each meal) and my hair fall was arrested ...
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