ACV question

[alys]

Looking for opinions.
Acidic things like ACV, WV and LJ are said to remove minerals and other product/environmental build-up that accumulated during that washing session, as well as restore pH balance to the scalp. That being a fact, or least a wide-spread opinion here, than wouldn't using ACV as the final rinse, after conditioner, simply remove the layer of conditioner that I've just applied?
I've always used ACV after the shampoo but before the conditioner, since I wanted to keep the layer of conditioner on my hair. Recently after reading further here and elsewhere, I'm starting to wonder if I am even getting the benefits of the ACV, since I am putting conditioner on be hind it. Sooo....Does ACV applied after conditioner remove the conditioner? AND/OR does Conditioner apllied after the ACV rinse negate any of the rinse's benefits?
Thanks so much for any advice! :)

got lots of info here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=27157&highlight=RINSE

[piratejenny23]

from some recent research i've done, the scalp is healthier when the pH is low (acidic), and the acid also seals the hair cuticle making it smooth and shiny. most conditioners are high pH (alkaline).

i don't think the acv would "remove" the conditioner; if the conditioner is moisturizing and penetrating the hair shaft, mightn't the acv might actually help keep it in?

i too was shampooing, then doing vinegar rinse, then doing conditioner to remove vinegar smell. but i think it's best to do vinegar last. i'm experimenting with aspirin/vinegar combo right now and my hair was super nice for 3 days. i really have to go wash it right now though!

[Topaz]

Alys, I've wondered the same thing myself. I will be anxious to read the replies to your question.

Piratejenny23, can you explain a little more about the aspirin/ACV combination? I haven't heard of it before and it sounds intriguing!

[marikamt]

I have been ACVing after conditioner..... I guess I figured the conditioner had "sank in" and done it's work.... my hair has been pretty happy with it and does not seem to be negatively impacted by rinsing after conditioner.

[alys]

Topaz - Heidi W answered this question via PM, as I had sent her a PM about it earlier. Below is part of her answer directly - I found it helpful!

Conditioner penetrates the hair in a way that ACV does not. By penetrate I mean conditioner has hydrogen atoms that literally bonds with the cortex of the hair, thereby, conditioning the hair. There's a whole science to how conditioner actually works. Unlike oil, and ACV, and those kind of applications, conditioner, while a topical application literally penetrates the hair strands.

ACV only treats the surface of the hair strands, on top of the cuticle layer.

ACV helps to remove product not rinsed out. Any conditioner that is on the surface that didn't get rinsed out after all (a small glop somewhere, perhaps?) is removed.

[alys]

thanks all for the responses thus far - think I'll try ACV at the end and see if I like it any better, now that I know it's not eating away my conditioner...

[Heidi_234]

The sole benefit of the ACV rinse is to restore the acidic pH (removing build up that accrued during the wash is secondary, and weaker property of the rinse). Using conditioner after ACV rinse, makes more sense to me, as conditioner are designed to be acidic, so applying conditioner after an ACV rinse will not ruin the whole point of doing the ACV rinse.

As a curlie with dry hair, I prefer to have conditioner left in my hair. Until recently I used to only partially rinse it out, but now I just leave it in, scrunching it in right after washing when my hair is sopping wet. For me, ACV rinse after the conditioner - is just no good. But if it works/will work for you, then why not.

[Aer]

When I do condition, I always do it after I do the ACV rinse. I've done it the other way around before, and could tell a difference. Conditioning afterward seemed to make my hair feel healthier.