Rinse recipes

[lynnala]

There may be a thread for this already, but I haven't found it. What recipes do you have for rinses, and what benefits do they have? I have used the ACV rinse and like the results very much, but I'd like to try others too.

[mellie]

I've done a rosemary rinse sometimes, it gives great shine. Sometimes also I rinse with lavender EO diluted in a spritzer with water, to cover up henna smell. :-)

[elissam]

Thanks for starting this thread lynnala. I don't have a recipe to share yet, but I'd like to experiment with a molasses rinse. Does anyone have a tried-and-true recipe/technique for this?

[Anlbe]

I don't actually use rinses at the moment as i don't need it with the water in my area, but here are two that I used to use

To brighten hair

2 cups water
2 handfuls of chamomile flowers, or 2 tbps dried or 2 teabags
2 handfuls of marrigold flowers or 2 tbps dried
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Juice of 1/2 lemon or 3 tbps of apple cider vinegar (lemon is supposed to be more 'brightening' haven't noticed much difference myself)

boil water, add flowers and herbs allow to steep overnight. Strain and add the orange blossom water and lemon juice or vinegar.


For General hair care

Take a wide mouthed jar, fill to three quarter with apple cider vinegar. Pour the vinegar into a pan and put sprigs of fresh rosemary, sage and chamomile in the jar. Gently bring the cider vinegar to a simmer then pour into the jar. Once it has cooled put the lid on (if the lid is metal put cling film between it and the mixture) and let it stand in a warm place for four or five days, shaking it once a day. Then strain the mixture using cheesecloth or muslin and use as a rinse diluting between one to six or one to ten parts with water depending on how hard/alkaline your water is.

[lynnala]

Thanks for those, anibe. I'll try both of them. I love the way ACV leaves my hair, but I also love using great smelling things when I wash it (meaning I am never aroma-satiated when I use ACV!)

[DrkAngel]

Apart from the ACV which I like a lot, I have tried pouring distilled water on my hair... it makes it so soft! (mind you I have hard water here, if you don't you may not notice that much of a diference...) And whenever my scalp starts getting itchy, dandruff-y or more oily than usual, I do a rinse of a few drops of tea tree oil in about a cup of water. It works wonders for me and I love the herbal smell.

I'll be checking this thread to see what other rinses people use.

[Anlbe]

Hi lynnala, I'll be really interested in hearing how the the rinses work for you.

[physicschick]

I've done rinses with nettle tea and elderflower tea. The elderflower seemed to give me extra slip. I don't remember what the nettle did, but I've always meant to try it again because I vaguely recall it being positive.

I've also rinsed with a whole lot of other stuff with the intent of darkening my gray hairs, but none of that worked.

[lynnala]

I've also been reading on the web about using citric acid in water as a rinse, which interests me, because I am nothing if not lazy and it sounds really easy....

[Delilah]

I laughed when I read this. I rinse with diluted vinegar.

I was thinking of how the other day I leaned over my boyfriend's desk with hair I'd washed a few hours previous.
He leans his head into my hair and inhales and says:

"Mmmmm. You smell like chips."

Oh well, at least I have a guy who thinks chips are a good thing for his girlfriend to smell like, right?

[Aisha25]

I was wondering,what rinses would be good for an itchy scalp?My head is going nuts over here.

[Lavendula]

I've also been reading on the web about using citric acid in water as a rinse, which interests me, because I am nothing if not lazy and it sounds really easy....

I'd strongly suggest to not do this if you have dry hair. It's a clarifying method. I did it once, I even made a mix with conditioner and rinsed it all out. Once dry, my hair was like straw and frizzy as hell... It took me quite a while to get it back to normal... I have quite dry hair, by the way.

[FoxFire]

I was wondering,what rinses would be good for an itchy scalp?My head is going nuts over here.

I just did an ACV rinse and it helped a lot. I did a scalp massage before I CWC'ed then did the ACV rinse. It has been about 3 hours and I haven't seen hide nor hair of a flake, and no itchies either.
HTH

[Nynaeve]

Apart from the ACV which I like a lot, I have tried pouring distilled water on my hair... it makes it so soft! (mind you I have hard water here, if you don't you may not notice that much of a diference...) And whenever my scalp starts getting itchy, dandruff-y or more oily than usual, I do a rinse of a few drops of tea tree oil in about a cup of water. It works wonders for me and I love the herbal smell.

I'll be checking this thread to see what other rinses people use.


This is interesting, the Tea Tree oil part sounds helpful for me. Do you do this only after washing? Or randomly between washings as well? I ask because I do an infrequent CO.


I laughed when I read this. I rinse with diluted vinegar.

I was thinking of how the other day I leaned over my boyfriend's desk with hair I'd washed a few hours previous.
He leans his head into my hair and inhales and says:

"Mmmmm. You smell like chips."

Oh well, at least I have a guy who thinks chips are a good thing for his girlfriend to smell like, right?

Haha. that's awesome! Glad he likes the smell. :)


I was wondering,what rinses would be good for an itchy scalp?My head is going nuts over here.

I have been wondering this too, my scalp hasn't been quite as itchy here lately, but it is sometimes.

[lynnala]

Apart from the ACV which I like a lot, I have tried pouring distilled water on my hair... it makes it so soft! (mind you I have hard water here, if you don't you may not notice that much of a diference...) And whenever my scalp starts getting itchy, dandruff-y or more oily than usual, I do a rinse of a few drops of tea tree oil in about a cup of water. It works wonders for me and I love the herbal smell.

I'll be checking this thread to see what other rinses people use.Which reminds me: how do you know if you have hard or soft water? I have no idea what kind of water I have.

[lynnala]

I'd strongly suggest to not do this if you have dry hair. It's a clarifying method. I did it once, I even made a mix with conditioner and rinsed it all out. Once dry, my hair was like straw and frizzy as hell... It took me quite a while to get it back to normal... I have quite dry hair, by the way.Thanks for the heads up regarding citric acid. Here's a question: do EO's have the same effect as say, the plant? Like chamomile, I'd like to use it because I have light hair, but I don't want to have to boil a brew every time I want to rinse (like I said, I'm lazy!). Would a rinse of distilled water with chamomile oil and lemon oil in it have the same effect as a brew from the flowers and lemons?

[LifeisAdventure]

I have to say that while my hair is nice and shiny and soft after ACV rinses, I've discovered that doing them too often actually makes my scalp drier and flakier. I have soft water (thankfully!) so ACV rinses aren't totally necessary, but they do a great job making my head feel nice and clean. I'd love to find a different rinse (or more than one!) that gives my hair a great texture and shine but also hydrates. Tea rinses seem especially ideal for me since I love the stuff -- any suggestions? Great thread! :)

[Tapioca]

I've been using citric acid rinses for months, (couldn't stand the vinegar smell) and it only makes my hair soft and manageable. Maybe whoever had a bad experience had it too strong? I use 1 tsp in a gallon of water.
And for the itchies, when I wash my hair, I'll gloop whatever amount of shampoo I'm using into my hand, add two drops of tea tree oil, mix them together, then lather up. The herbal smell goes away when I rinse, and it's definitely gone by the time I step out of the shower.

[girlcat36]

I'd strongly suggest to not do this if you have dry hair. It's a clarifying method. I did it once, I even made a mix with conditioner and rinsed it all out. Once dry, my hair was like straw and frizzy as hell... It took me quite a while to get it back to normal... I have quite dry hair, by the way.
I got really excited about citric acid rinses. Then reality hit. After a few rinses my hair was horrible, putting me on the verge of tears. I will never put citric acid in my hair again! I have dry hair and did not know citric acid was bad for that.
My fave rinse: distilled water, honey, aloe, rosemary EO.

[lynnala]

I've been using citric acid rinses for months, (couldn't stand the vinegar smell) and it only makes my hair soft and manageable. Maybe whoever had a bad experience had it too strong? I use 1 tsp in a gallon of water.
And for the itchies, when I wash my hair, I'll gloop whatever amount of shampoo I'm using into my hand, add two drops of tea tree oil, mix them together, then lather up. The herbal smell goes away when I rinse, and it's definitely gone by the time I step out of the shower.I still would like to give it a shot. My hair is not very dry, so maybe I'll have the same results. Do you rinse out the rinse? Or leave in?

[lynnala]

I got really excited about citric acid rinses. Then reality hit. After a few rinses my hair was horrible, putting me on the verge of tears. I will never put citric acid in my hair again! I have dry hair and did not know citric acid was bad for that.
My fave rinse: distilled water, honey, aloe, rosemary EO.This sounds great (and easy:D)! I keep reading about using honey but haven't tried it. Same question as above, do you rinse out the rinse or leave it in after rinsing?

[Nynaeve]

This sounds great (and easy:D)! I keep reading about using honey but haven't tried it. Same question as above, do you rinse out the rinse or leave it in after rinsing?

I agree. I would love to try it, but we never have honey. :(

[Deborah]

I switched from vinegar to citric acid months ago. I leaves my hair soft and shiny, about like vinegar, but without the smell.

I mix 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of citric acid powder into a 40 ounce bottle of cold water, and pour it over my hair last thing. I don't rinse it out. Works great for me.

[lynnala]

I switched from vinegar to citric acid months ago. I leaves my hair soft and shiny, about like vinegar, but without the smell.

I mix 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of citric acid powder into a 40 ounce bottle of cold water, and pour it over my hair last thing. I don't rinse it out. Works great for me.Wouldn't have thought of using cold water, is that to smooth the hair cuticle? And darn! I was at the drug store and forgot to buy citric acid! I did try a honey rinse for the first time though, about a tablespoon to a quart of water, didn't rinse it out, I like that a lot too.

[DrkAngel]

This is interesting, the Tea Tree oil part sounds helpful for me. Do you do this only after washing? Or randomly between washings as well? I ask because I do an infrequent CO.

Actually you can use it in many different ways. I usually mix it in water (1-5 drops) and pour over my scalp during my shower (be it wash day or just wetting and conditioning). I rinse it off later (though part of the smell lingers... mmm love it). Some people leave it on, and some even apply it undiluted, directly to the scalp with a Qtip (for itchyness etc). You can also add it to your conditioner or shampoo to help with oily scalp and to prevent infections.



Which reminds me: how do you know if you have hard or soft water? I have no idea what kind of water I have.

Well, big cities usually have hard water (so... LA, definitely hard water). To be sure though, you can also get one of those test they sell at pet stores for monitoring the fishtank water. They test a whole lot of things but all you need to look at is the GH (total hardness) and the pH. Another way to find out you water hardness is to check one of those great water hardness maps you Americans have (it took me ages to find one of Spain!).

This is one of the first Google came up with: http://www.yourwaterneeds.com/AR_US_Hardness_Map.asp

And yes, lynnala, the cold water rinse helps in smoothing the cuticle.

Oh and sorry for replying so late... I know I said I'd keep an eye on this thread (i just didnt say when :o )

[Loviatar]

I have done rinses with tea (2 nettle teabags in 500ml water) and also with the same ratio of rosemary.

I've also rinsed with horsetail (3 tbsp to 500ml water) and the same with madder root. Horsetail felt great but was a bit drying if I was using a sulphate 'poo at the same time.

Rosemary is lovely for shine.

[Deborah]

"Wouldn't have thought of using cold water, is that to smooth the hair cuticle?"

Yes, that's why I use the citric acid dissolved in cold water.