Vinegar / Cold Rinse

[MeowScat]

I've been rinsing my hair with diluted White Vinegar (1 teaspoon diluted in 1 1/2 cups water) and cold shower water for a few weeks now after washing and conditioning.

At the end of my shower, I turn the temperature down (brrrr) and I let the vinegar rinse out for about 1 - 2 minutes.

How long did it take you to notice a change in your hair after starting these rinsing methods? (Vinegar, cold rinsing, or both?)

I'd love to hear what you do and how it helps (or hurts) your hair.

[Ambystoma]

I do the same as you and I noticed it was shinier from the first use - I sometimes use herbal tea in place of the water though. I mix the vinegar with ice cold herb rinse/water so I'm doing doth steps at once. I started using it since I'm mostly on the good old baking soda wash vinegar rinse train but I use it after doing SMT's too (which I find so cleansing I can skip BS when I use them)

[Guenever]

Well, I was hooked after my very first cold water ACV rinse.. The change was instant, and now I can't imagine not doing a final acidic rinse..
It's become my favorite leave-in.. (I tried skipping it once and my hair got REALLY angry.. ugh.)

[MeowScat]

That's really interesting! I read about herb rinses here and I'm curious if you steep the herbs yourself or if you buy them in "tea bags" and then steep them in hot water?

I've always wondered about using herbs and how to do it. Thank you for your answer!

[MeowScat]

Well, I was hooked after my very first cold water ACV rinse.. The change was instant, and now I can't imagine not doing a final acidic rinse..
It's become my favorite leave-in.. (I tried skipping it once and my hair got REALLY angry.. ugh.)

Maybe I should keep doing it for awhile and then NOT do it one time just to see what happens. So you consider it a leave-in even though you rinse it out. I've never thought of it that way! Thank you!

[MinderMutsig]

I don't really see the point of doing a vinegar rinse is you are going to rinse it out again. The vinegar removes minerals that are in the water from your hair and closes the cuticle. By rinsing the vinegar rinse out with regular tap water you are putting those minerals back on the hair and since the acidity is lower you're opening the cuticle a little again.

I do vinegar rinses as a final rinse but I've noticed no difference between doing them with warm or cold water.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I don't rinse again after my vinegar rinse, wouldn't that negate the purpose of it? Or am I supposed to rinse the vinegar out? I just use about a tablespoon full in 1.5 litres of water.

[Guenever]

Maybe I should keep doing it for awhile and then NOT do it one time just to see what happens. So you consider it a leave-in even though you rinse it out. I've never thought of it that way! Thank you!

Oh. no, I meant an actual leave-in :) as in, I don't rinse it out..
I experimented with rinsing a few times, but it just doesn't work for me.. I only get the result I want by leaving it in..

[Ambystoma]

That's really interesting! I read about herb rinses here and I'm curious if you steep the herbs yourself or if you buy them in "tea bags" and then steep them in hot water?

I've always wondered about using herbs and how to do it. Thank you for your answer!

I just brew up tea for me to drink and save the tea bags then brew them up again and use that for my rinse water since I'm cheap :p I use either chamomile or a rosehip/hibiscus one and since the vinegar is so dilute I use it as my final rinse and don't use tap water afterwards since I don't want to negate either the effects of the vinegar or any mild colour boost I might be getting from the herbs.

[bayleafwish]

Does the smell go away if you leave it in? I have yet to resist doing just a water rinse after the ACV for fear of it smelling. I know it makes no sense :S

[MinderMutsig]

Does the smell go away if you leave it in? I have yet to resist doing just a water rinse after the ACV for fear of it smelling. I know it makes no sense :SYup, once your hair is dry the vinegar smell is gone.

[CurlyCurves]

I don't really see the point of doing a vinegar rinse is you are going to rinse it out again. The vinegar removes minerals that are in the water from your hair and closes the cuticle. By rinsing the vinegar rinse out with regular tap water you are putting those minerals back on the hair and since the acidity is lower you're opening the cuticle a little again.

I do vinegar rinses as a final rinse but I've noticed no difference between doing them with warm or cold water.

Vinegar does not remove minerals, as far as I know. Only a chelating shampoo can do that.

[Teazel]

I rinse my white vinegar out well - it's a vinegar rinse, after all :wink: - and still get the benefit of very noticeable softening. For me, it works like a conditioner. I use about one tablespoon to a cup and a half of water.

Whether I rinse with cold or warm water doesn't really seem to make any difference to my hair, but I use cold if I'm in the mood anyway, hoping it will enhance shine and stimulate my follicles. :)

[MinderMutsig]

Vinegar does not remove minerals, as far as I know. Only a chelating shampoo can do that.It does. Not as completely as a chelating shampoo would but it works for regular maintenance and to prevent mineral buildup from happening in the first place.

[PetuniaBlossom]

Up to now, I've always rinsed out the vinegar rinse with cool tap water afterwards. I'm thinking I might try leaving it in and seeing if that makes a difference. I'll report back after trying it a time or two.
I'm guessing if the vinegar smell lingers a bit I could try putting in a drop of lavender EO. Does anyone do that? Does it hamper the ability of the vinegar to remove build-up?

[HairySherry]

Up to now, I've always rinsed out the vinegar rinse with cool tap water afterwards. I'm thinking I might try leaving it in and seeing if that makes a difference. I'll report back after trying it a time or two.
I'm guessing if the vinegar smell lingers a bit I could try putting in a drop of lavender EO. Does anyone do that? Does it hamper the ability of the vinegar to remove build-up?

I've always rinsed as well, and even then I can still smell a faint vinegar smell on my hair. And I am using a pretty diluted mixture, I think (1 tbsp vinegar to 1 cup cool water, I usually make about 4 cups of rinse). I'm a little worried about how much more it might smell like vinegar without rinsing at all, but I'll try it to see. Good idea about the EO, I might try that as well. I've got some ginger EO in the mail now... although, ginger + vinegar... I might end up smelling like an asian pickle!

[yurikome]

My first vinegar rinse showed tremendous difference! Even when I do just a cold rinse without the vinegar beforehand, I feel my hair going... wow, I'm missing an English word for it. The opposite of clumpy. So, like after conditioner but not as slippery, I suppose.
Although when I do use vinegar I use much more than a teaspoon. I just allow a generous gush into the glass of water, maybe 2-3 tablespoons? It doesn't seem to be too strong so far... (started vinegar rinseing maybe 3 months ago, before I just did water only or soda washes).

[Macaroni]

I did my first ACV rinse the other day and I'm impressed.

I used 2 tablespoons in 2 cups of warm water; I shampooed, rinsed and poured the ACV over my roots and massaged my scalp. Then I rinsed it with warm water and applied a rinse out conditioner.

My hair is so unbelievably soft that I can't imagine not doing an ACV rinse at every shampoo.

[Dovetail]

So uh... You guys just put vinegar in a bottle with some water and dump it on your head and it makes your hair lovely and shiny and soft? I also see that some rinse it out with more water from the shower and some don't?

I feel like I've been living a lie!

Does anyone use it as like a spray mist to tame staticy hair? (I ask because in winter my hair freaks out and fuzzes all over the place) or is this a shower time only activity?

I see that when your hair dries the smell goes away, does that mean you can smell your pretty shampoo again (cause I LOVE how the conditioner I have smells)

Also, does this work with conditioner only ( or cwc)? What if you do a leave in type conditioner thing would you put in your leave in product (oil, conditioner whatever) then use vinegar or the other way around?

Also (x2) would something like this help keep my fringe from getting all oily before the rest of my hair? Hm.

*-* I even have some vinegar to try it out with, but my wash day is still a ways away. Sorry for all the questions, I just haven't ever tried a lot of things yet so I don't know much about it all.

[HairySherry]

So uh... You guys just put vinegar in a bottle with some water and dump it on your head and it makes your hair lovely and shiny and soft? I also see that some rinse it out with more water from the shower and some don't?

I feel like I've been living a lie!

Does anyone use it as like a spray mist to tame staticy hair? (I ask because in winter my hair freaks out and fuzzes all over the place) or is this a shower time only activity?

I see that when your hair dries the smell goes away, does that mean you can smell your pretty shampoo again (cause I LOVE how the conditioner I have smells)

Also, does this work with conditioner only ( or cwc)? What if you do a leave in type conditioner thing would you put in your leave in product (oil, conditioner whatever) then use vinegar or the other way around?

Also (x2) would something like this help keep my fringe from getting all oily before the rest of my hair? Hm.

*-* I even have some vinegar to try it out with, but my wash day is still a ways away. Sorry for all the questions, I just haven't ever tried a lot of things yet so I don't know much about it all.

I can't answer all of your questions (sorry) but I also CWC so I'll share my routine with you. I do the first condition, let it set, rinse, shampoo my scalp, rinse, do the second condition, rinse, then dip my length in my vinegar rinse and let it hang out in there for a minute. Then I dump the rest of the vinegar rinse over my head and down my hair and rinse briefly. Once I get out of the shower, I apply some oil to my ends (I'd imagine you could do the same with whatever leave-in products you use). Just as a word of caution, you might want to use DWV instead of ACV as ACV can give light-colored hair a reddish tint after prolonged use.

I can't believe I waited so long to do a vinegar rinse - my hair looks and feels amazing when I do it!

[MeowScat]

I'm glad I started this thread, I kept chickening out.

I love all the responses and it seems that most find the Vinegar rinse makes your hair smoother than the cold water rinse. Very interesting.

Now I want to try it as a leave in and see what happens. I hope its not going to damage my fine hair. We shall see.

I should get some essential oils to try out one of these days. I've read about them here many times and I'm curious if they're for scent only or if they have other hair benefits?

[jacqueline101]

I miss my vinegar rinses but I had to quit them. My hair was too dry and shedding from them. My new shampoo and conditioner isn't as moisturizing as my old one. Make sure you have really well moisturized hair.

[HairySherry]

I should get some essential oils to try out one of these days. I've read about them here many times and I'm curious if they're for scent only or if they have other hair benefits?
I'm certainly no expert, but I know some EOs do have added benefits. Rosemary, for example, is stimulating and good for encouraging hair growth. I believe Tea Tree is as well. I wish I had a good reference to recommend... I have a book at home I use, but I can't remember the name right now. What I can recommend is checking out the NOW brand of EOs. They tend to be less expensive that other brands but, from what I've seen in reviews and from my own experience, they're good quality. I order mine from luckyvitamin.com, where they're marked down even further.

[MeowScat]

I'm certainly no expert, but I know some EOs do have added benefits. Rosemary, for example, is stimulating and good for encouraging hair growth. I believe Tea Tree is as well. I wish I had a good reference to recommend... I have a book at home I use, but I can't remember the name right now. What I can recommend is checking out the NOW brand of EOs. They tend to be less expensive that other brands but, from what I've seen in reviews and from my own experience, they're good quality. I order mine from luckyvitamin.com, where they're marked down even further.

Thank you HairySherry! Sorry to sound like such a newb but what is NOW? What does NOW stand for so I can look it up? I tried and typing in NOW in a search and came up with nothing helpful for hair.

I'm so curious about Essentail Oils! Thank you so much! :)

[SoulOfTheSea]

Doing ACV rinses makes my hair so shiny and soft, in fact I did one this morning after S&Cing. I dilute one tablespoon of ACV in one cup of cold filtered water and then I do not rinse it out.

LOVE ACV rinses. :)

[gthlvrmx]

Thank you HairySherry! Sorry to sound like such a newb but what is NOW? What does NOW stand for so I can look it up? I tried and typing in NOW in a search and came up with nothing helpful for hair.

I'm so curious about Essentail Oils! Thank you so much! :)

i heard EO's were seen by a few people to dry out their hair over time. im guessing it builds up on the hair and doesnt allow moisture in but im not sure why that happened, but it happeend mainly to people using EO's. they do smell nice though!! :D:D and i heard its best not to disrupt the pH levels with oils on the scalp, since theyre different. thats why you do a ACV rinse to help balance things out.


and for the thread, i do ACV rinses every wash and leave it in. things looked and felt better after i left it in, before i used to rinse it out but i had frizzier hair. the moment i left it in it was better. it just smells a tiny bit when i sweat so im hoping no one smells it in yoga class :p can it be drying to the hair though? i wonder if anyone knows! ill look it up i have heard some people have bad luck with ACV rinses.

[SoulOfTheSea]

i heard EO's were seen by a few people to dry out their hair over time. im guessing it builds up on the hair and doesnt allow moisture in but im not sure why that happened, but it happeend mainly to people using EO's. they do smell nice though!! :D:D and i heard its best not to disrupt the pH levels with oils on the scalp, since theyre different. thats why you do a ACV rinse to help balance things out.


and for the thread, i do ACV rinses every wash and leave it in. things looked and felt better after i left it in, before i used to rinse it out but i had frizzier hair. the moment i left it in it was better. it just smells a tiny bit when i sweat so im hoping no one smells it in yoga class :p can it be drying to the hair though? i wonder if anyone knows! ill look it up i have heard some people have bad luck with ACV rinses.

I think it's only drying if your concentration of ACV is too high in the rinse.

[CurlyCap]

It does. Not as completely as a chelating shampoo would but it works for regular maintenance and to prevent mineral buildup from happening in the first place.

Yep. This is what I've found. Regular ACV rinses prevent me from ever needing to chelate. Learned that lesson the hard way. ;)

Another tip, OP, is that I gradually reduce the temperature of the water towards the end of the shower. Right before I get out, I'm already in tepid water. So when the cold ACV rinse comes, it doesn't seem like much of a shock.

ETA: Hunh. I thought I'd already responded to this thread. Oh well.

So ACV does 2 things for me: It prevents mineral build-up (but won't remove it if I skip for too long and want it gone) and it smoothes the hair shaft (which is big for me because my curly hair will take any reason to tangle).

To do my ACV rinses, I keep a plastic liter bottle in the shower and a small plastic bottle full of undilated ACV.

When I started doing ACV rinses, I started by just getting used to dumping a liter of cold water on my head. I gradually decreased the temperature of the rinse so that I had time to acclimate to cold water. I combined this with learning to gradually lower the temperature of my shower as I worked towards the rinse. As I had gotten used to the cold water, I started adding in increasing amounts of ACV. Now I just splosh the right amount of ACV into my plastic liter bottle, fill the rest up with cold water, and dump over my head. I don't rinse the ACV out, and the smell is gone as soon as my hair dries.

I ACV rinse every night because I co-wash every night and ACV is amazing for preventing tangles (on me). With my hair, the city's hard water, and the cheap cost of ACV, I just don't see the reason to quit doing such a good and easy thing.

[Bookloverlori]

Does it matter which kind of ACV? I've been using white vinegar and rinsing it out. I'd like to try ACV and leaving it in. I have regular ACV but was planning on buying a more natural version at the health food store for colds and allergies. Are you using regular ACV or the natural versions?

[Kelikea]

Thank you HairySherry! Sorry to sound like such a newb but what is NOW? What does NOW stand for so I can look it up? I tried and typing in NOW in a search and came up with nothing helpful for hair.

I'm so curious about Essentail Oils! Thank you so much! :)


NOW Foods is a brand. They sell NOW products at Swansons. Here is a link to their tea tree oil :
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/now-foods-tea-tree-oil-4-fl-oz-liquid
They have others. I have their jojoba oil, also.

[Kelikea]

Does it matter which kind of ACV? I've been using white vinegar and rinsing it out. I'd like to try ACV and leaving it in. I have regular ACV but was planning on buying a more natural version at the health food store for colds and allergies. Are you using regular ACV or the natural versions?

I don't think it matters which kind of ACV, as long as it doesn't have anything else added. Sometimes you have to check the super market brands, because they sometimes add flavors or colors. I prefer white vinegar to ACV because ACV can leave a film. After a few months, my clear dispenser bottle had a brown film that I had to scrape off, so I kind of figured that it was doing the same to my hair. White vinegar leaves no film and can brighten lighter hair, whereas ACV can make it appear darker or have a orange/brown tint.

[Dovetail]

Okie everyone! Today is bath day! I'll take before and after shots :3 I have white vinegar already so I'm just going to be using that. I'm kind of excited!

[EndlessSunshine]

I might do a vinegar rinse today, been slacking off for a awhile on that.

[Guenever]

I hope its not going to damage my fine hair. We shall see.
My fine hair has survived so far ;)

[Bookloverlori]

Oh, great! Thanks for answering that. I also think I've been using a bit too much vinegar. I've been doing about 1/4 vinegar to 3/4 water. Based on what you are all saying, that might be a bit too much. I also am going to stop rinsing it out for a while and see if I notice a difference. :)

[HairySherry]

MeowScat NOW Foods is the name of the brand, I'm not sure what NOW stands for but you should be able to find them easily. :) I think it's a popular brand. Like I said, I get mine from luckyvitamin because they're pretty inexpensive there, but they're sold all over the place. I'd definitely recommend checking out some EO threads or getting an aromatherapy book or something before you do too much experimentation. If they cause buildup, which they probably do after repeated usage, clarifying should be able to fix that. Make sure you dilute EOs quite a bit before using them, some EOs can cause serious reactions if used in large quantities.

ETA: Here is an EO thread I've gotten some good info from: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=84880

[kme81]

Vinegar rinses got rid of my dandruff after the first use! I rinse it out and got the same result as when I did not rinse it out. I usually try to do cold rinses.

[spirals]

All I can do is tell you what I did today. (I had fabulous hair today, so much so that I wore it down.) I washed with soap and rinsed well. I poured a citric acid rinse on my scalp. It was the equivalent of 2 tablespoons of vinegar in 3 cups of water. I left that on and put conditioner on the lengths. I let it all sit for a few minutes. I rinsed all that out upside-down and then scrunched my leave-in into sopping-wet hair before toweling. I don't see a problem with washing the rinse out, as my reason for using it is to prevent soap scum, which it does, even if I rinse it out.

[Kaylala]

All this talk has inspired me to revisit ACV rinses! Keeping a bottle of it, and an empty bottle in the shower is genius!

[MeowScat]

I miss my vinegar rinses but I had to quit them. My hair was too dry and shedding from them. My new shampoo and conditioner isn't as moisturizing as my old one. Make sure you have really well moisturized hair.

I'm curious, Jacqueline, if it made your hair dry and shed, what do you miss about vinegar rinsing? The softness, shine, or something else?


i heard EO's were seen by a few people to dry out their hair over time. im guessing it builds up on the hair and doesnt allow moisture in but im not sure why that happened, but it happeend mainly to people using EO's. they do smell nice though!! :D:D and i heard its best not to disrupt the pH levels with oils on the scalp, since theyre different. thats why you do a ACV rinse to help balance things out.


and for the thread, i do ACV rinses every wash and leave it in. things looked and felt better after i left it in, before i used to rinse it out but i had frizzier hair. the moment i left it in it was better. it just smells a tiny bit when i sweat so im hoping no one smells it in yoga class :p can it be drying to the hair though? i wonder if anyone knows! ill look it up i have heard some people have bad luck with ACV rinses.

I don't know why I've never even considered them to build up. They're an OIL! Duh, I just assumed they were lighter, but even so, they're still oil. Thank you for pointing that out.


Yep. This is what I've found. Regular ACV rinses prevent me from ever needing to chelate. Learned that lesson the hard way. ;)

Another tip, OP, is that I gradually reduce the temperature of the water towards the end of the shower. Right before I get out, I'm already in tepid water. So when the cold ACV rinse comes, it doesn't seem like much of a shock.

ETA: Hunh. I thought I'd already responded to this thread. Oh well.

So ACV does 2 things for me: It prevents mineral build-up (but won't remove it if I skip for too long and want it gone) and it smoothes the hair shaft (which is big for me because my curly hair will take any reason to tangle).

To do my ACV rinses, I keep a plastic liter bottle in the shower and a small plastic bottle full of undilated ACV.

When I started doing ACV rinses, I started by just getting used to dumping a liter of cold water on my head. I gradually decreased the temperature of the rinse so that I had time to acclimate to cold water. I combined this with learning to gradually lower the temperature of my shower as I worked towards the rinse. As I had gotten used to the cold water, I started adding in increasing amounts of ACV. Now I just splosh the right amount of ACV into my plastic liter bottle, fill the rest up with cold water, and dump over my head. I don't rinse the ACV out, and the smell is gone as soon as my hair dries.

I ACV rinse every night because I co-wash every night and ACV is amazing for preventing tangles (on me). With my hair, the city's hard water, and the cheap cost of ACV, I just don't see the reason to quit doing such a good and easy thing.

I've tried to gradually lower the temperature of my shower water and it does help, but its still sooo cold! How long did it take you to get used to the cold temperature? Days, weeks or months?


NOW Foods is a brand. They sell NOW products at Swansons. Here is a link to their tea tree oil :
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/now-foods-tea-tree-oil-4-fl-oz-liquid
They have others. I have their jojoba oil, also.

Thank you, I couldn't figure out what NOW stood for, knowing it's a brand name makes sense now. Thank you, also, for the link!


My fine hair has survived so far ;)

You inspired me to finally give it a shot, thank you for letting me know that yours is doing good from it. I was really worried about it.


MeowScat NOW Foods is the name of the brand, I'm not sure what NOW stands for but you should be able to find them easily. :) I think it's a popular brand. Like I said, I get mine from luckyvitamin because they're pretty inexpensive there, but they're sold all over the place. I'd definitely recommend checking out some EO threads or getting an aromatherapy book or something before you do too much experimentation. If they cause buildup, which they probably do after repeated usage, clarifying should be able to fix that. Make sure you dilute EOs quite a bit before using them, some EOs can cause serious reactions if used in large quantities.

ETA: Here is an EO thread I've gotten some good info from: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=84880

Thank you, again, HairySherry for your answers. I have never read about the NOW brand here which surprises me since I've spent thousands of hours reading LHC threads. Thank you, for the link, too!

[MeowScat]

I took a shower two hours ago and at the end of it,I poured the Vinegar dilution over my scalp, then tucked my length into the big plastic cup for about 30 seconds, then dumped the rest over the top of my head again.

Here's where I'm confused:

I, of course, had to squeeze the excess water from my hair before putting it in a Turbie Twist towel. Doesn't squeezing my hair out AND putting it in a towel get rid of most of the diluted vinegar I just poured over my hair?

I usually put a leave in on DAMP hair and let it air dry. My hair is still wet and will be for several more hours but i don't smell ANY vinegar on it.

Should I have left it sopping wet after the rinse and not squeezed it out and then not used the Turbie Twist? It would would take forever to dry if I didn't squeeze the water out.

How do you leave it in?!

[Dovetail]

Ok! So I tried it :3 it wasn't soo bad, but I have to work on application since a bunch went down over my face @.@ at least it didn't get in my eyes. Anyhow, I mixed 3 TBS of vinegar with 3 cups of water in a Tupperware bowl. Then I showed like normal, but, before putting in my leave in conditioner/oil I poured some of the vinegar over my head, then I put my length in the bowl and swished it around a bit then I dumped the rest over my hair and kinda finger combed it. Without squeezing any out I put in my conditioner and oil. Now I'm just gonna let it air dry and see what it does.

Here is the before shot
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/LostDove/hair/f8c6f5c0b97e22dbe587aa43d18019f1_zpsda83f447.jpg http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/LostDove/599ed50b676177ff7ab5ec1c14b1a819_zpsda113c85.jpg

Hopefully it's clear enough to see how my hair looks.

After the rinse it's sooo soft and bouncy. Even my husband thought it looked "much nicer and all fluffy" at which point he rubbed it all over his face... Anyhow he didn't say anything about the smell of vinegar (he HATES it) so I guess it's good!

eta: I just realised I looked nekkid in the first pic XD I do have PJ bottoms & a bra on, they're just really dork so I was hiding them

[10000days]

I use A LOT of vinegar. I use a 250ml measuring cup and pour 50ml of white vinegar into the cup then top the rest up with cold water. I turn the hot water back on and stand under it while I systematically pour the mixture into my hair.

And I don't towel dry- I just let my wet hair hang over a towel for a while. Untangling gently with fingers (lightly coated with coconut oil) then with a wide-tooth comb.

This method seems to work best for me (for hair health). I used to dilute a lot but I found there was hardly any change in the condition of my hair.

[10000days]

I use A LOT of vinegar. I use a 250ml measuring cup and pour 50ml of white vinegar into the cup then top the rest up with cold water. I turn the hot water back on and stand under it while I systematically pour the mixture into my hair.

And I don't towel dry- I just let my wet hair hang over a towel for a while. Untangling gently with fingers (lightly coated with coconut oil) then with a wide-tooth comb.

This method seems to work best for me (for hair health). I used to dilute a lot but I found there was hardly any change in the condition of my hair.

[akilina]

I love cold rinses! I feel like they help seal my hair up a bit in the ends from past bleach damage underneath the last year of coloring.

I have never tried a vinegar rinse yet! I take a half a shot of ACV every morning though so I actually would rather drink it. Its Braggs acv too so I don't want to dump it down the drain as it is a little spendy.
For cold water rinses though I found that its much easier to handle if I do it in my sink because I have a spray nozzle thingy. I don't have to risk being doused in freezing water.

[MeowScat]

I did the Vinegar rinses for a few washes and I noticed my hair got greasier faster. Has anyone else had that happen?

Maybe I should just dunk the length in the cup and not dump it over my entire head.

[redsonjared]

First time I used ACV, loved it had fabulous soft hair. After that it turned to straw so had to stop. It maybe because my hair was very dry then before I had started CO washing, I'm now CWC as I shed slightly less and use red bush tea as a rinse.

[Indigo Girl]

Hmm, I could have sworn I replied to this thread already! I adore my cold water vinegar rinses. They make my hair shiny and soft. I've been doing them for years and they are an integral part of my hair care routine.

[itdontmatter48]

I am sooo stupid! I did not dilute the acv, i used it straight, lol. No wonder it was not working consistently.

[MrsGuther]

I've been rinsing my hair with diluted White Vinegar (1 teaspoon diluted in 1 1/2 cups water) and cold shower water for a few weeks now after washing and conditioning.

At the end of my shower, I turn the temperature down (brrrr) and I let the vinegar rinse out for about 1 - 2 minutes.

How long did it take you to notice a change in your hair after starting these rinsing methods? (Vinegar, cold rinsing, or both?)

I'd love to hear what you do and how it helps (or hurts) your hair.

I just recently discovered that my mom used to do white vinegar and baking soda rinses and she said it made her hair super soft. She really liked the results. I have never tried it, but I plan to sometime in the near future! :)

[biogirl87]

Back when I was using baking soda and apple cider vinegar I liked the results I was getting after ACV until my scalp started getting dry. Then I stopped the baking soda/apple cider vinegar routine and would do cold water rinses a few times after I washed my hair with moisturizing shampoo. Haven't noticed any difference after cold water rinse but this might be the time to go back to ACV rinses or ACV leave ins.

[jessa]

I did a White Vinegar rinse (1tbs vinegar per cup of water) for about 9 months at the end of each wash. I recently stopped and now I just do a cold rinse at the end and have found that my hair likes just the cold rinse better. i found the vinegar caused more shedding than normal and left it a little bit dry and my hair is just as shiny, if not more than when i did the vinegar rinse also.

[biogirl87]

Jessa, that's interesting how your experience with cold rinse varies from mine. Each to her own in this case. Sure points out why we all need to experiment with our hair care routine to find the best one for our hair.

[DinaAG]

i shampoo-condition then rinse my hair with 1/4 white vinegar and 3/4 water makes my hair softer and what is more important it helps me balancing my scalp's oils which always help with my dandruff problem

[AutumnLocks]

I don't rinse it out. I keep a bottle of ACV and water mix in the shower and I make that the last thing I do before I get out of the shower. I saw a difference in shine and softness after the first use.

[sun-kissed]

The last time my hair seriously acted up on me (sometimes it's not perfect, but it hated me that day) I realized that I had forgotten my cold water rinse that morning. I hadn't even known what it was doing for me before then, but it makes a huge difference with the shine and texture.

[Wahinee]

I don't know why I waited so long to try this, but I just did my first apple cider vinegar rinse and it was amazing! My hair air dried so much quicker than it usually does and was so much softer and shinier. I did it after my shampoo, then 2 days later I cowashed without a vinegar rinse and I still can see the effects. I think I will make this a weekly thing.

[UP Lisa]

I'm trying to figure out if there is any reason for me to do this. My hair is already very soft, so I don't really care about that. I do have hard water, though, and a lot of trouble with my hair sticking together and being hard to separate into sections for braiding, etc. My hair is VERY tangly, in general.

As far as rinsing with cold water, I don't think it has ever been proven to do anything, and I hate to freeze.

[barnet_fair]

With a vinegar rinse and a rosemary tea rinse, which would you use first?

[clairenewcastle]

From the age of 15 I have always ended my shampoo/conditioner routine with a blast of cold water. It makes all the difference to how my hair looks in terms of shine and general health.

[mochichichi]

I never noticed a difference when I was testing out ACV rinses but my hair is a lot smoother and less tangly when I rinse my conditioner out with cold water. I usually go as cold as I can stand, until the warm water has run out of my hair.

[tuanyiji]

I have weekly warm water rinse and end it with an acv rinse, I mix about 10ml of acv into a 500ml cup and fill it with mildly warm water, I bend my head over a basin/big container, pour the acv rinse from my nape, and recollect the acv water to do it 5 times in a row. Then I just squeeze most the water out, wrap my hair in a microfiber towel and go about my day. The whole thing takes about 5 minutes. I only shampoo every 4-6 weeks.
This minimalist hair care routine is all I need to get my hair shiny and tamed.
I’m interested in the cold water rinse but it’s still winter here and I don’t want to risk catching a cold post-covid, I might be bolder in summer.