Difference between AVC and plain white vinegar?

[Lisa-K]

I've been using plain white vinegar rinses since I was a child. Now, because I kept reading about everyone using apple cider vinegar instead, I decided to give it a shot since everyone seems to swear by it. I've used AVC twice now, and I hate the smell of it. I guess I'm more used to the white vinegar smell, which also seems to fade much more quickly.

So, I was wondering, is there any point in continuing with AVC? I hardly ever see anyone mentioning white vinegar, so I have no idea if one is better than the other, or if it basically makes no difference at all. I personally haven't noticed anything better about the AVC, but I've only used it twice so far ...

[Arctic]

All types of vinegars work. I also personally prefer white vinegar. We actually don't even have apple cider vinegar here, only apple wine vinegar.

The difference between white and AC vinegar is, that white vinegar is more acidic, so needs more dilution. And I think the real reason many recommend ACV is that it contains something called "the mother", people think it's healthier because of that. Note that on most contemporary, commercial ACVs the mother has been removed.

[LadyCelestina]

ACV has been reported to stain hair reddish or brassy.



Now, for some, especially brunettes or people with reddish tones to their hair, this might be a good thing, as it might be perceived as making the hair appear more "vivid".

But if you have blonde or silver or ashy hair that you'd like to keep, it's better to use white vinegar.

[Hairkay]

I mostly use white vinegar because it's easier to get and I'd heard about it years before noticing the trend of using ACV. I have only ever bought one bottle of ACV out of curiousity. Both do the same job as does any acid rinse. It's your choice what you choose.

[pailin]

Some people swear by acv, but for me, they did the same thing, and I couldn't stand the smell acv left on my hair, even the next day. Do whatever you prefer and don't worry about it.

[JennGalt]

I've only ever used white vinegar. It works just fine for me. I've read online somewhere that they have very similar effects on hair, except ACV can cause some blondes to darken a bit. Which isn't a concern for me, as my hair is black; I just never have ACV on hand, whereas I almost always have white vinegar available.

[Ligeia Noire]

I prefer acv. I am a brunette though but yeah it is less intense and I do buy it with the mother and I think it makes a difderence with my auburn undertone. But for hard minerals buildup or frizz I believe any kind would work.

[lapushka]

I've been using plain white vinegar rinses since I was a child. Now, because I kept reading about everyone using apple cider vinegar instead, I decided to give it a shot since everyone seems to swear by it. I've used AVC twice now, and I hate the smell of it. I guess I'm more used to the white vinegar smell, which also seems to fade much more quickly.

So, I was wondering, is there any point in continuing with AVC? I hardly ever see anyone mentioning white vinegar, so I have no idea if one is better than the other, or if it basically makes no difference at all. I personally haven't noticed anything better about the AVC, but I've only used it twice so far ...

There's nothing different about it, to my (limited) knowledge. If you have light colored hair, you may be better off using plain white vinegar because ACV can discolor light hair.

[GalaMoon]

I used white vinegar on my hair for years when I was a teenager, it gave my hair shine and slip but it also lightened it in time (went from light brown/dark ashy blonde to medium blonde...think chamomile tea shade). I've only recently tried ACV (it says on the bottle it's made from fermented apple juice) and I enjoyed the shine it gave my hair, but it also gave an auburn shade to it. So I guess it depends on your hair color and what you prefer.

[Lisa-K]

ACV has been reported to stain hair reddish or brassy.



Now, for some, especially brunettes or people with reddish tones to their hair, this might be a good thing, as it might be perceived as making the hair appear more "vivid".

But if you have blonde or silver or ashy hair that you'd like to keep, it's better to use white vinegar.

Very interesting! I had never heard about that. I only bought a very small bottle to try (it's organic and quite expensive lol), so I guess it won't really alter my color after just a few rinses. I'll go back to white vinegar then, since I'm quite happy about the natural shade I have, now that I've completely stopped dyeing my hair about a year ago.

Honestly, I'm quite relieved to read that white vinegar works just as well, because the smell of ACV is too much for me to handle, even when diluted as much as possible :lol:

[Shorty89]

I find that ACV works a bit better although I couldn't tell you why it does.

[Arctic]

When i was still hennaing, I liked to use red wine vinegar, I felt like it added a bit of red to my hair - but I might have imagined. In reality my hair was likely too dark to show any possible colour from it.

[Mafmi]

For those interested, apparently distilled white vinegar has a pH of about 2.5-2.7, while ACV's pH can range from 3.3-3.5, which is close to 10x weaker.

[AutobotsAttack]

For those interested, apparently distilled white vinegar has a pH of about 2.5-2.7, while ACV's pH can range from 3.3-3.5, which is close to 10x weaker.

Very interesting. I didn’t know that.

[Lisa-K]

For those interested, apparently distilled white vinegar has a pH of about 2.5-2.7, while ACV's pH can range from 3.3-3.5, which is close to 10x weaker.

Interesting! I never even wondered about that. Thanks for sharing!