Vinegar rinses: how often?

[Treecrown]

I finally tried a vinegar rinse and my hair loved it! So shiny, almost as if I had henna'd. So of course I now want it to always look that way, but I'm wondering if it's good for hair to have vinegar rinses frequently? Part of my brain says that acids can't be that good for hair, but perhaps it's weak enough that it doesn't hurt? Thanks for any advice or opinions, and I hope our resident chemists will chip in.

N.b.--I have a growing percentage of gray hair, which I understand is somewhat more fragile than non-gray...

[Sissy]

I'm not sure... some people do them every time they wash (people who use shampoo bars). I guess it's less harsh than a lot of other things you could put on your hair. I have also been told that diluted vinegar rinse is not drying... it just balances the PH of the hair. I would say if you are going to do it all the time maybe spend a bit extra to get organic apple cider vinegar (if you don't already have). Also, I mix a little conditioner in with my acv rinse.

[Ranee]

I,ve been wondering about this too. Did you rinse it out or just leave it in? I think that rinsing it out would be less "damaging".

[RavennaNight]

I'm new to ACV rinses too. I will be following this thread. I just started poobars too. I used ACV rinse after my hennindigo and it wad great. So far I have used it after each poobar wash too. But alas my poobar is waning... It was just a sample size.

[Bene]

i rinse with diluted regular supermarket brand ACV every wash (2-3 times a week) and then rinse it out. i don't find it to be drying at all.

[spidermom]

It is not damaging at all -- hair and scalp prefer an acid pH. I don't like vinegar rinses personally because they make my hair wildly fly-away, but on the occasions that I did it, I always poured the vinegar solution through slowly and then rinsed-rinsed-rinsed. My hair would hold onto that vinegar smell anyway, which wasn't terribly pleasant.

[Treecrown]

Thanks for the responses so far...so the idea is that a vinegar rinse actually restores the correct pH, rather than making the hair "acidic"?

[Wavelength]

I do a vinegar rinse everytime I wash my hair. I use red wine vinegar because the smell isn't quite as harsh as ACV. My scalp has no problems with it -- in fact, since I started regular vinegar rinses, my mild dandruff problem cleared up entirely.

[LHGypsyRose]

I also prefer ACV. I use it everytime I wash which is about once a week and my hair loves it. I do however dilute it alot with really warm water. Then I leave it in for a minute or so and do my final rinse with cold water.

[jojo]

Surrane if my memory serves me right, uses ACV everytime she washes as a conditioner.

[dearladydisdain]

I used to do them every wash, which was every 3-4 days.

[cobblersmaid]

When I lived in a hard water area, I did it every wash and didn't wash it out. I washed once a week. I have also done it more often, and rinsed it out.

[Elphie]

I use ACV once a week and I don't find it to be drying at all.

[Celticfreefall]

How does everyone deal with the smell? For whatever reason, no matter how much I rinse, I seem to go around smelling like a chip shop afterwards.

[Delilah]

I use a very diluted vinegar rinse every time I wash. Sometimes even between washes, while I am in the shower.
I rinse it after a minute or two.
I think they are good for hair and my hair has only improved in the year and a half I have used them. Hair and scalp like to be acidic, it closes the cuticle. Washing methods are often basic. It makes sense to me.

[twilight]

i too use diluted ACV every time i wash (with a shampoo bar).

for the smell, try putting some of a complementary essential oil in there and it will really help. also you can dilute it pretty heavily and still get the vinegar effect--i probably use 1/2 c ACV to 4c water in mine.

i like citrus essential oils or rosemary, or even lavender goes well with it. i rinse afterwards and never smell like vinegar.

hope that helps...

[susiemw]

I use vinegar everytime I wash my hair... but just a small
"glug" in a gallon of warm water. At times I've used more but I didn't notice a difference with using more.

I rinse with regular water after, and the smell vanishes on it's own.

Susan

[AutumnSky]

I use a very dilute ACV rinse every time I wash. CWC, then ACV, then a cold rinse. Not drying at all, more shine, and less greasies.

[jewelotn]

How does everyone deal with the smell? For whatever reason, no matter how much I rinse, I seem to go around smelling like a chip shop afterwards.


I'm only in my 4th week of using ACV but I use 1.5 TBS in about 1 cup of warm water. You can go 1 TBS in 1 cup of water too. And I make sure I rinse really well. I do find that there is a slight vinegar smell while I air-dry my hair. But for me, the smell goes away after the hair dries.

Do you use the regular vinegar or ACV or red wine? the regular vinegar has a harsher/stronger smell to me so I use ACV.

What's the ratio that you use?

[Deemeeuh]

How does everyone deal with the smell? For whatever reason, no matter how much I rinse, I seem to go around smelling like a chip shop afterwards.
Is your hair smelling when completely dry?
What's your vinegar to water ratio? The ratios are surprisingly small and even smaller for people who test with pH strips (I don't but want to get some.) When I first did a vinegar rinse, I used waaay too big a ratio of vinegar and my hair smelled, too.
Also, do you use any products afterwards on your damp hair? (they should overpower any faint lingering vinegar smell.)
I hope you find a way to make it work for you!

How often: I do vinegar rinses every time I wash (about 4 times a week). I've been doing them for about 2 or 3 weeks now and I have been wondering the whole time - how has this rinse not been marketed and patented?
How I use: Shampoo scalp, rinse veeerrry thoroughly. Condition well, leave on 2 min, rinse very thoroughly. Vinegar rinse with cool shower water (.125 vinegar to 1.75 cups water). Leave on 2 min, rinse gently 2 min under cold shower water. I LOVE how silky and sleek my hair is afterwards. I really do think there is truth to the vinegar binding the cuticle thing. I can feel and see the difference in my hair.

[Flynn]

The only answer I can give to that question is: experiment! XD

See how your hair likes it. If you're paying attention to your hair, vinegar rinsing too frequently is not going to do anything that a good slathering of conditioner (or an SMT or other deep treatment) can't fix.

[CindyLea1]

I use regular white vinegar and water. I have it diluted in a spray bottle, and spritz it on my hair.

TMI follows....

My daughter had a couple of lice eggs in her hair. She is only 2 and a half so I didn't want to use the regular treatments on her. I used half a spray bottle of vinegar to half the bottle of water. I figured I ought to put it in my hair just in case.....We left it on till the next washing...about 2-3 days.

I almost didn't want to wash it out, as both of our hairs were soft, smooth, and silky. We do have very hard water tap water.

[Raven2448]

I do vinegar rinses every wash day - about twice a week. I swap between white and ACV -- which ever is in the house at the time. I find them very softening and not drying at all.

In fact, vinegar rinses enabled me to forego the conditioner entirely!

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

I use an ACV rinse every time I use a shampoo bar, I do not rinse it out after, and I have never noticed any drying effects.

[Melisande]

I'm also a fan of vinegar rinses or citric acid rinses. I taste them before I pour them over my hair. When they're mildly sour, they are wonderful for the hair and not a bit drying.

[Lemur_Catta]

I do a vinegar rinse (with ACV) about once a week. I use about 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar in 1 liter of water, I don't rinse,but I don't find it drying.

I also use hibiscus rinses (in fact, I only uses ACV if I have forgotten to make hibiscus tea) and they are both very good. I also think that ACV brings out the red in my hair better than hibiscus!

[Eden Iris]

I use a white vinegar and filtered water solution (1:10) every time I wash. I add EOs and perfume oils to the mix (rosemary, sandalwood, rose, sometimes BPAL) so that may help the smell vanish. I do not rinse out because that would be putting the minerals in my hard water right back in my hair. I definitely see an improvement in shine and condition and no more dryness than usual.

[Tinose]

I wash my hair about once or twice a week, and always use a vinegar rinse which I do not rinse out. My vinegar rinse is honey and ACV infused with whatever herbs I happen to have handy until I run out of it. It works great for me, though I do need to follow it with coconut oil before I feel comfortable with the state of my hair. But that's not because it's drying so much as it's not moisturizing.

[Fiferstone]

I use a very diluted ACV solution as my final rinse with every shampoo (1 teaspoon of ACV in 8 oz/1 cup of water). I don't rinse it with plain water afterward, because part of the reason I'm doing the ACV rinse is to prevent mineral buildup from my ridiculously hard water. I also use LUSH Trichomania as my shampoo, alternated with LUSH Karma Komba (which is too harsh for winter).

[Gulbahar]

I travel a lot and carrying vinegar with me is not an option. That's why I usually prefer citric acid. This would also be a good alternative for people who hate the smell of vinegar.

[lazy]

I add a dollop to my conditioner bottle. A dollop being about 4 tablespoons of conditioner to one tablespoon of vinegar (white or ACV) I then shake it up well and leave it until I am ready to use it. By this time the vinegar smell has disappeared. I leave it on my hair for approx 1 or 2 minutes and rinse with tepid water. The silkiness and shine is amazing.

[kittensoupnrice]

I also use ACV rinses every time I wash. I fill the bottom of a water bottle with ACV and fill the rest with warm water in the shower. I let it sit in my hair for a bit before rinsing out.

I do get a bit of a vinegary scent to my hair, but it usually disappears by the time my hair is completely dry. My best luck so far, actually, was with this one time where I tried adding a small dollop of honey. Hair was nice'n'soft. Haven't repeated this yet, keep meaning to, but I keep forgetting to add honey when I refill my bottle.

[ladycatpurrs]

Can anyone help me to find out how much citric acid powder I would use for 8 oz. of water? I poked around the site and can't find the info. I am using ACV but would like to try this. Thanks!

[Raederle]

Can anyone help me to find out how much citric acid powder I would use for 8 oz. of water? I poked around the site and can't find the info. I am using ACV but would like to try this. Thanks!

On the archived board, which is, unfortunately, unavailable to you, Desdemona says

I make my water in a gallon water jug right before I get in the shower, I use warm water and add 1/32 of a teaspoon of vitamin c and 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid. I think the key to this is less is more, I didn't want a strongly acidic solution like the standard after-shampoo citric acid rinse (1/4 teaspoon to 2 cups of water). I just wanted enough to chelate the minerals and through trial and error found that 1/4 teaspoon was plenty. I was also worried that if it was too acidic, shampoo and conditioner wouldn't work correctly and that it would dry out my hair.

I take the gallon jug into the shower and it's the only water that touches my hair. I just love it, my hair is much softer and uncoated, no more velcro ends. I get so much slip that I don't even need to condition it to untangle it. And my hair color is much brighter without the minerals discoloring it (I have calcium, magnesium and iron in my water). Oh, and it gets rid of the scalp gunk caused by hard water too! :cloud9: I have tried using citric acid and ACV rinses (after S/C) in the past but they were disappointing, this works so much better, I think because the minerals never get a chance to get shampooed and conditioned into my hair in the first place.

I hope some of you with hard water will give this a try, I'd love to hear if it works for you! It should work for WO and CO as well. And I have to give credit to ACEerCP for her thread on using citric acid in her CO conditioner (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=49287), it gave me the idea to make this miracle water.

Don't bother clicking the links; they won't work for you.

[ladycatpurrs]

Thank you very much for the information. I would have used too much.

[Raederle]

You're welcome; I hope it works well for you.

The first bit, with the lower concentration, is the water Desdemona used to wash and rinse her hair with. She references the higher concentration as a final rinse.

[hmmm]

I use a cap full of ACV in a medium sized mug of cold water every time I wash my hair... but I don't rinse it out. I've been doing this for a very long time, is not washing it out a bad thing?

[fawn]

I use a cap full of ACV in a medium sized mug of cold water every time I wash my hair... but I don't rinse it out. I've been doing this for a very long time, is not washing it out a bad thing?

I never rinse mine, I make sure to condition and rinse first, then the vingerar rince. It does amazing things to my hair!

[Tovah]

I used to make an infusion of chamomile, nettles and linden flowers and mix it with white vinegar as a rinse. It worked quite well. That was back in the day of the dinosaur, maybe I should start doing that again.

Hmmm.....why did I stop?

[longhairedfairy]

As long as it's well-diluted it will probably be fine to use it as often as you like. I always rinse it out really well afterward. It still makes my hair really soft, but then I don't smell like pickles.:)

[Flynn]

Thank you very much for the information. I would have used too much.

When you're doing this sort of thing, going by taste is often a good way of figuring it out. Your tongue is a pretty decent pH meter! XD I dilute my white vinegar to "tastes kind of weird, but just slightly sour", and that seems to be perfect.

[835]

Great thread! Just what I needed to know. Bought my first vinegar bottle today and I'm really looking forward to try it out! :cheer:

[Hair]

i wash mine once per month with vinegar i think it does it good :)