Final acidic rinses - coffee in place of vinegar?

[school of fish]

So... for the last 4 months or so I've been using a very diluted acv rinse every day after washing (I'm a daily washer, alternating between s&c and co). It's been as close to a holy grail practice as I've found for my routine, really cutting down on piecey ends, helping enormously with dry detangling and giving great shine :)

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the scent. I had been putting a few drops of rosemary essential oil in with the vinegar to impart a more herbal scent but even so the effect has been more 'astringent' than I like, even after my hair dries. So the last 10 days or so I've been replacing the acv with coffee (yes I know about citric acid/miracle water but I drink coffee every morning before hopping in the shower so, you know... it's just easy ;) ).

So far the coffee is having almost the same effect as the acv rinse - perhaps a touch less slip when combing out damp but otherwise similar good effects. The main downside is that I'll get dried coffee marks on my tub if I don't rinse that off after my shower, but there are worse fates I suppose, haha! There's a trace of coffee scent left in my hair after drying that I love, it's warm and to my nose nicer than the traces of acv/rosemary I had before. I've been misting my hair with rosewater throughout the day and the blend of coffee and roses is beautiful!

Just wanted to know if anyone else rinses with coffee instead of another acid like vinegar/lemon/citric acid, and if so has it worked for you over time? Any issues arise? I've searched the forum and found most coffee rinse threads were more about caffeine for growth (and no, I haven't noticed any accelerated growth from the caffeine, haha!). Would love to hear your experiences :)

Thanks all!

[LoneStarfruit]

So... for the last 4 months or so I've been using a very diluted acv rinse every day after washing (I'm a daily washer, alternating between s&c and co). It's been as close to a holy grail practice as I've found for my routine, really cutting down on piecey ends, helping enormously with dry detangling and giving great shine :)

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the scent. I had been putting a few drops of rosemary essential oil in with the vinegar to impart a more herbal scent but even so the effect has been more 'astringent' than I like, even after my hair dries. So the last 10 days or so I've been replacing the acv with coffee (yes I know about citric acid/miracle water but I drink coffee every morning before hopping in the shower so, you know... it's just easy ;) ).

So far the coffee is having almost the same effect as the acv rinse - perhaps a touch less slip when combing out damp but otherwise similar good effects. The main downside is that I'll get dried coffee marks on my tub if I don't rinse that off after my shower, but there are worse fates I suppose, haha! There's a trace of coffee scent left in my hair after drying that I love, it's warm and to my nose nicer than the traces of acv/rosemary I had before. I've been misting my hair with rosewater throughout the day and the blend of coffee and roses is beautiful!

Just wanted to know if anyone else rinses with coffee instead of another acid like vinegar/lemon/citric acid, and if so has it worked for you over time? Any issues arise? I've searched the forum and found most coffee rinse threads were more about caffeine for growth (and no, I haven't noticed any accelerated growth from the caffeine, haha!). Would love to hear your experiences :)

Thanks all!

I too hated ACV... maybe I could have put up with it but GF absolutely hates it lol, and even on dry hair I noticed a scent. Regular distilled/white vinegar was no better, but I now use a really strong citric acid rinse instead (hard water = the more acidic, the better in my case...) and have noticed no issues. I'd use coffee but I worry that over time it'd stain my hair (dark blonde with a few highlights growing out), though I love the idea! Must smell amazing. I can say I've never gotten decent enough slip with any acidic rinse (ACV, distilled vinegar, or citric acid), no matter how strong, as compared to conditioner, but perhaps it's not really fair to compare...

[bunneh.]

I guess coffee should be okay if you dilute it and/or rinse it out with water afterwards. I have read that caffeine in coffee can inhibit hair growth in large quantities, so I would personally not leave coffee on my head especially if it's strong.

[school of fish]

I guess coffee should be okay if you dilute it and/or rinse it out with water afterwards. I have read that caffeine in coffee can inhibit hair growth in large quantities, so I would personally not leave coffee on my head especially if it's strong.

It is indeed very diluted - I do leave it on as the final rinse just as I used to do with the acv rinse (also used that super-diluted - we're talking maybe a 1/2tsp in 8oz of cold water), because my hair really seems to like that tiny bit of acid left on. No idea if it's a ph thing or a cuticle-closing thing or what - all I know is it makes my hair look and behave better once dry :)

I've always been fortunate in that my scalp is a happy and hardy beast, pretty much regardless of what I put on it. I've put ginger in my henna for YEARS with no ill effect, CO right up to my scalp with no problem, have never suffered any SD or dandruff issues, have no trouble with sls and cones (in fact my hair seems to do better with both)... even my pregnancies didn't produce the classic thickness/shed cycle!

Of course I'm watching both hair and scalp carefully for any signs of upset, but truth told I do that anyway even when I don't change my routine, haha!

I had also read about the potential for growth stall in the caffeine & growth experiment threads, so of course I'm keeping an eye out but quite honestly my hair seems to grow consistently 1/2 an inch a month regardless of season, topical treatment, care or neglect - I'm grateful for that and try not to take it for granted :)

[school of fish]

I too hated ACV... maybe I could have put up with it but GF absolutely hates it lol, and even on dry hair I noticed a scent. Regular distilled/white vinegar was no better, but I now use a really strong citric acid rinse instead (hard water = the more acidic, the better in my case...) and have noticed no issues. I'd use coffee but I worry that over time it'd stain my hair (dark blonde with a few highlights growing out), though I love the idea! Must smell amazing. I can say I've never gotten decent enough slip with any acidic rinse (ACV, distilled vinegar, or citric acid), no matter how strong, as compared to conditioner, but perhaps it's not really fair to compare...

I can understand about you not wanting to risk changing your colour over time - since I'm already pretty dark I doubt it would make much difference on mine. That colour you see on my signature pic actually isn't accurate - I'm actually VERY close in colour to bunneh who's also replied to this thread :D

The scent is indeed gorgeous, which really the reason I'm trying this little experiment :) I'm at the point in my hair journey where I really know what my hair likes and any adjustments I'm making are just to make my routine more aesthetic or to streamline my methods for the sake of efficiency :)

To be clear, I use the acidic rinse in *addition* to conditioner, I condition every single day - I too need that slip :) The coffee is my final rinse, and it doesn't get rinsed off with water.

I do think I want to give the citric acid a try, probably once the crush of the holidays is over. Wondering if I'm going to miss the coffee smell though.... ;)

[lapushka]

Why not try a citric acid rinse (lemon juice)? One teaspoon in a liter of water should do the trick.

[school of fish]

Why not try a citric acid rinse (lemon juice)? One teaspoon in a liter of water should do the trick.

Yes lapushka I think maybe I'll give lemon juice a go as well - the dilution you're suggesting isn't likely to be drying or lightening I think :) Thanks!

[lapushka]

Yes lapushka I think maybe I'll give lemon juice a go as well - the dilution you're suggesting isn't likely to be drying or lightening I think :) Thanks!

You can even try more water if you think it's going to be too heavy. 2 liters or more of water to the one teaspoon might not be too bad to first try it.

[chen bao jun]

I had heard that coffee oil made your hair grow faster. I've been using that. Now I hear that it causes stalls (which I definitely don't need, I'm a slow grower?)

wow.

[school of fish]

I had heard that coffee oil made your hair grow faster. I've been using that. Now I hear that it causes stalls (which I definitely don't need, I'm a slow grower?)

wow.

We've read the same threads ;) And yes, I've noted the same - cases for accelerated growth and stall alike...

In my case I'm not too fussed about the coffee interfering with growth because my own growth rate is so doggedly consistent no matter what I do, but I'm certainly keeping track just in case. If your growth is naturally slow and/or affected by ingredients then I definitely think it's wise to be taking a more cautious approach :)

It does seem that for every study that reports success of a given theory, there's another one that refutes it, doesn't it? With regards to non-mainstream hair care we end up having to rely on a fair share of anecdotal evidence and being judicious of the sources of info... :)

[chen bao jun]

I think I will give it up.
Fortunately I haven't used it consistently, I had allergy problems first and I'm one of the few people who can't stand the coffee smell.
I just finished doing coffee oil massages for a whole month though. Literally today.

[school of fish]

I think I will give it up.
Fortunately I haven't used it consistently, I had allergy problems first and I'm one of the few people who can't stand the coffee smell.
I just finished doing coffee oil massages for a whole month though. Literally today.

An entire month... yes I'd say you've given it more than an honest shot! I think you can very fairly file it under 'no thank you' ;)

[bunneh.]

About coffe it's pretty much about dosage like with every other thing. A little is good, too much is... well bad lol. I believe caffeine dosage used for research was around 0,005% solution. Now that's very little coffee mixed in water. You also have to know how much caffeine the coffee you have contains before you brew it so you can calculate what % solution you will get. I wanted to try coffee rinses but all these numbers and research you have to do beforehand... So I just gave up lol... I might try it one day by mixing a lower % solution just to be safe or a stronger one and rinsing it off after a couple of minutes before washing my hair as usual.

[school of fish]

About coffe it's pretty much about dosage like with every other thing. A little is good, too much is... well bad lol. I believe caffeine dosage used for research was around 0,005% solution. Now that's very little coffee mixed in water. You also have to know how much caffeine the coffee you have contains before you brew it so you can calculate what % solution you will get. I wanted to try coffee rinses but all these numbers and research you have to do beforehand... So I just gave up lol... I might try it one day by mixing a lower % solution just to be safe or a stronger one and rinsing it off after a couple of minutes before washing my hair as usual.

Yes that very low percentage sounds familiar from my research. I will admit that when searching for info on replacing coffee for acv I was intrigued by the potential growth boost the caffeine might provide, but like you once I read the minutae involved in calculating percentages and sticking to precise amounts I too lost interest. While additional growth would be a welcome side effect, it's not my main motivation here :) And a lifetime of living inside this body has proven to me time and again that slapping various *reasonable* substances on this particular scalp will likely neither help nor hinder what my follicles are determined to produce, lol!

As committed as I am to 'caring' my hair into its best possible state, there's only so much fussing I'm willing to put into it. I measure my daily conditioner in 'marshmallows' (1 reg marshmallow over everything, 1 mini marshmallow for the ends if needed), I splash a 'sip' of coffee into my applicator bottle before filling it with cold water, I know my henna mix has enough liquid when I could use it to paint a wall... everything is eyeballed and while there's reasonable consistency by no means does it approach lab conditions ;) To have to be tied to weights, measures and precise percentages would just suck the fun out of it for me, and guarantee that I wouldn't keep up with any of it :)

I'll be interested to know your results if you ever do decide to give it a shot though! And incidentally your hair in your signature pic is exactly what I was hoping mine would be when I had my ill-fated layers cut in a few years ago - on you it looks glorious but alas, my texture and thickness is not like yours so the effect on me was... underwhelming shall we say..... haha!!

[bunneh.]

I don't know when and if I'll ever get to it, but if I ever do I'll make sure to keep it consistent for at least a month to get acceptable results (if any) and keep you posted. Also, thank you for the compliment, I like the way layers look on me, but I'm craving for the blunter hemline xD So I'm growing them out and hopefully get some nice fairytale ends that won't go too much out of control.

[chen bao jun]

An entire month... yes I'd say you've given it more than an honest shot! I think you can very fairly file it under 'no thank you' ;)


About coffe it's pretty much about dosage like with every other thing. A little is good, too much is... well bad lol. I believe caffeine dosage used for research was around 0,005% solution. Now that's very little coffee mixed in water. You also have to know how much caffeine the coffee you have contains before you brew it so you can calculate what % solution you will get. I wanted to try coffee rinses but all these numbers and research you have to do beforehand... So I just gave up lol... I might try it one day by mixing a lower % solution just to be safe or a stronger one and rinsing it off after a couple of minutes before washing my hair as usual.

Oh, I get it.
I don't know if it did me any good or not because I have had a bunch of breakage this month. At the ends, so I know its not related. I stopped the breakage last week finally by starting to wash my hair more often.

So I could have had more growth (which would obviously be from the roots) and not known it because my hair broke so much. Though it doesn't look significantly shorter. But it s really hard to tell if my hair length changes in short periods like a month, I'm very curly and can't get a consistent measurement not matter what I do.

I did make sure I had only a small percentage caffeine so maybe sometime will try it again. Not right now. I want to concentrate on the more frequent washing--see if my ends keep being better.

[Deborah]

If you are just not liking the smell of vinegar, try a teaspoon or so of citric acid powder dissolved in a quart of cold water. It works just as well as vinegar and has no smell at all. I switched to it years ago, and like it very much. I pour it over all my hair as my final rinse, and don't rinse it out.

[school of fish]

*update*

This last week or so I've been using lemon juice in my final rinse instead of either the coffee I've been using recently or the acv I was using previously. Works brilliantly. Same very very low dilution, no scent remaining at all on the mane, same great combability and shine.

I think I've determined that my hair doesn't particularly care what kind of acid goes into the rinse, just so long as it gets an acidic rinse :) At some point I'll give the citric acid powder a try as well and ultimately I'll go with whatever gives me the right blend of convenience and scentlessness that I'm after :)

Thanks all for chiming in with your suggestions!

[bunneh.]

I wish my hair smelled like lemons though... XD I guess I'll try lemon rinse next time. :)