Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse: How-to and tips

[coffeeandtoast]

I have extremely hard water and I'm looking for rinsing alternatives. I've read about ACV and I was wondering how to do it and apply it? I did a forum search, but didn't find anything with specific steps. Are there any articles on LHC about this?

Also, if you wouldn't mind sharing your experiences with first trying ACV and any tips you may have :)

Thanks in advance!

[Wavelin]

I have always used about 1 part (ca 1 dl or 1/3 cup) AVC and 10 parts cold water and done it the last thing in the shower. Thus, washing (CO), conditioning (often not), and then the AVC-mix in hair and scalp (head "between my legs"). I then don't rinse with water, but just squeeze the hair and dry as usual.

Though, I think most people here rinse with water after the AVC-mix, but I have never gotten any problems (I have sensitive skin, but it loves acid). I have hair that is on the heavy side, and does it to lift it up a bit, and to ad acid to my scalp. It feels nice, but I don't have hard water so I have no experience there. :)

[CoconutLover]

Lots of us on LHC use an ACV rinse, or other alternatives, because Vinegar rinses are so wonderful! My hair is blonde, so I use the alternative - a White Vinegar/Distilled Malt Vinegar rinse. This is because ACV is known to bring out reddish tones in the hair.


ACV makes the hair shinier, conditions it, and therefore makes it easier to detangle. It also restores the acid pH of the scalp and hair, as our scalp is naturally acidic. However, vinegar has quite a stronger pH than the scalp, which is why it is important to dilute any vinegar rinses.

Here's (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=56) a link to a really helpful article on everything to do with Vinegar rinses!

[S-mansMommy]

I was wondering about this as well, thanks for posting. I have very hard water too (water spots build up on the taps after days) and have been wondering about buildup since I am currently trying out the WO hair cleaning method. Right now I'm in the transition stage where my hair is really greasy and a vinegar rinse (I'm using white simply because I'm out of ACV) seems to help with that too. I'll check out the link too!

Good luck!

[Anje]

Main tip is just to dilute it. Some people try it undiluted and then complain about how awful it is!

I'm cheap and tend to prefer white vinegar, myself. Blonds who don't want red tones tend to lean that way, too. White vinegar is also a nice way to deal with soap scum in the tub.

[Misti]

I have extremely hard water and I'm looking for rinsing alternatives. I've read about ACV and I was wondering how to do it and apply it? I did a forum search, but didn't find anything with specific steps. Are there any articles on LHC about this?

Also, if you wouldn't mind sharing your experiences with first trying ACV and any tips you may have :)

Thanks in advance!

You might try 3 tablespoon of ACV to 40 ounces of distilled water last thing before you leave the shower. The distilled water and ACV together should help lift most of the mineral depoaits off your hair.

If it's too drying, try less vinegar.

[gogirlanime]

I've heard it's supposed to be one tablespoon per quart of water. I always just kinda "eye" it and do a little plop or drop of apple cider vinegar and add a lot of water to a container. I don't really use measuring cups. One things is for sure you don't use it at a high dilution, like not even 1 part vinegar 3 parts water, that's too strong, less is more with apple cider vinegar.

[slz]

I'm cheap and lazy : I pour cold water in a big bowl, add plain old white vinegar - like that : *squirt squirt squirt - OK that'll do* - and then dip my length in the bowl, then pour over my head for the roots. Press out excess mixture, turban-towel dry.

[Emerald88]

I have a large plastic cup I keep in the shower & a jar of ACV with GSE and Grapefruit EO mixed in. I shake the ACV to mix it up & pour 1/4 of ACV into the cup and then fill with water and pour it on my hair. I let it sit for a minute or two & then rinse it out.

[Fireweed]

I use a quarter to half cup of acv to a quart of water when I do a apple cider vinegar rinse. I do rinse after leting it set on my head for about 20 min with cold water for shine.

[Joribear]

I'm a cheap person, so while at Wal-Mart one day, I spotted the plastic mustard/ketchup combo in the kitchen aisle for $1.00 and plopped them in my basket. I use the mustard one for my diluted conditioner for my CO and the ketchup one for my super diluted ACV rinse (I have to color code them so I don't get confused - I am blonde, ya know!).

I pour very, very, very little ACV in the ketchup bottle (it just barely covers the bottom of the container) and fill it the rest of the way up with cold water. I learned from previous (bad) experience that if the dilution isn't high enough, it is not a happy head of hair that is made! Around here, we just call that "newbie's remorse." :D

[Seharia]

I pour a cap full of acv (which is probably a bit less than a teaspoon) in a mug than fill it up with water the rest of the way. I pour the acv on my hair after I conditioned and let it sit for a while before rinsing it out just a little.
It makes a remarkable difference in whether I get frizz or not.

[cygus]

i use 1 tablespoon of ACV in a large plastic cup and fill it with cool/cold tap water (i also have hard water) then just pour over my scalp and hair after CO washing. i don't rinse it out after. the smell goes away when hair is dry. seems to be working well.

[ashamanjababu]

People seem pretty divided on whether to rinse out the vinegar with plain water or not. Any other thoughts on why you rinse, or why you don't?

[shikara]

My hair didn't respond very well to ACV. Instead, I use lemon juice (RealLemon). I mix about 1/3 cup into quite a large bowl. I swish my length around in it a bit, then gently pour over my head, leave it on about a minute then rinse out. Some people leave it in, and I think I might try that next time! Good luck!

[littlenvy]

I'm a cheap person, so while at Wal-Mart one day, I spotted the plastic mustard/ketchup combo in the kitchen aisle for $1.00 and plopped them in my basket. I use the mustard one for my diluted conditioner for my CO and the ketchup one for my super diluted ACV rinse (I have to color code them so I don't get confused - I am blonde, ya know!).

I pour very, very, very little ACV in the ketchup bottle (it just barely covers the bottom of the container) and fill it the rest of the way up with cold water. I learned from previous (bad) experience that if the dilution isn't high enough, it is not a happy head of hair that is made! Around here, we just call that "newbie's remorse." :D
OMG!! :) LOL I do the same thing! :p
And I agree, too much ACV gives me stringy hair.

[pepperminttea]

I use what I think of as quite a strong dilution; 3-4 tablespoons in 8 liquid ounces of water. It's a good idea to start off with 1 tablespoon and then experiment if you need to. :)

I mix it in a jug, and decant it into an old Giovanni bottle. At the very end of my shower, I turn the water off, tip my head back and squirt the entire bottle over the canopy starting at my temples, letting it run through the length, and work it through to the scalp with my fingers. It normally doesn't take long to do; about a minute, but be warned it does sting if you have hangnails. Then I turn the water back on for a final cold blast, give my hair a thorough 1-2 minute rinse, turn it off, and that's me done. :D

[Misti]

People seem pretty divided on whether to rinse out the vinegar with plain water or not. Any other thoughts on why you rinse, or why you don't?

I rinse in part to use ice cold water on my hair before I step out of the shower. I am considering buying distileld water to use at the end of washing my hair...inwhcih case I might use the vinegar (even milder than I have been) after the distilled water.

[QMacrocarpa]

Well this is timely, I just tried my first vinegar rinse today! I mixed up about a tablespoon of vinegar with 2 or so cups of water in an old squeeze bottle that honey came in. I didn't actually use that much of the dilute solution, just squirted it around a bit until my hair felt like it had a good dose. Maybe a quarter cup or so? I didn't rinse with plain water. We have quite hard water, so that seemed like it would defeat the purpose somewhat. I did notice the dilute solution smelling vinegar-y while I applied it, but didn't notice the smell on my hair once I was out of the shower.

[Panth]

I used to use 1 teaspoon vinegar to 1 pint cool water. Now I do half a cap full of vinegar to 1 drinking glass of cool water since I moved and don't have pint glasses any more ... it works out about the same dilution.

I leave it in, since the smell doesn't stay and I haven't seen any bad effects from leaving it in.

I use white wine vinegar instead of ACV as I fear for my blonde.

[Idun]

I wash my hair with shampoo bars only, so I have to use the ACV rinses afterwords to balance the PH and to prevent buildup. I use a large plastic soda bottle (about 1,5 litres) that I fill with about half a cm of ACV and take with me in the shower. There I fill it up with normal shower temperature water. After washing and conditioning I slowly pour it over my hair. I let it sit a little while and then rinse very lightly. This method works well for me.

[Djinmonet]

ACV didn't really work out for my hair, and citric acid works ok, so it's good for travel, but I mostly use herbed white vinegar. That would be vinegar, poured over a packed jar of herbs, and let to sit for a few weeks.

My water is really bad for getting things out, so I probably use a dilution stronger then would be good in normal hard water. I use about 1/2 cup, and then I add about a cup of the water I'm showering in (filtered). I've also used what appears to be a cup of the vinegar, to maybe 1.5 cups of water, and that worked about the same, so it really depends on your own hair, and your own water. What I actually do is pour some vinegar out of the jar, into a small bucket, then point the shower nozzle in there a few seconds..lol
I soak my hair in that and work in through my scalp too, rinsing it out at the end of my shower because leaving it in seemed to make a crunchy effect. Rinsing it out in my bad water works fine. You may find it works better with yours, and a less concentrated dilution, to leave it in.

From my experience, I found it works to apply more vinegar until your result, before getting out of the shower, is similar to a silicone feeling, if you ever used cones. Your hair has a silky slip, and doesn't feel "sticky".

[BroadwayBeauty]

Did I do this wrong? I thought I'd try an ACV rinse instead of clarifying with a sulfate-free shampoo just as an experiment, plus the idea of added shine sounded wonderful :p

So... I diluted a little less than 1/4 cup ACV in 2 cups of distilled water and rinsed my hair with it at the end of my shower. After I did this I rinsed really well because there was a fairly strong-ish smell. After I rinsed my hair felt unusually dry, so I conditioned the lengths again.

My hair felt normal until it was dry, and then it felt much less silky and smooth than usual. :confused: Has anyone else had this problem?

[littlenvy]

Did I do this wrong? I thought I'd try an ACV rinse instead of clarifying with a sulfate-free shampoo just as an experiment, plus the idea of added shine sounded wonderful :p

So... I diluted a little less than 1/4 cup ACV in 2 cups of distilled water and rinsed my hair with it at the end of my shower. After I did this I rinsed really well because there was a fairly strong-ish smell. After I rinsed my hair felt unusually dry, so I conditioned the lengths again.

My hair felt normal until it was dry, and then it felt much less silky and smooth than usual. :confused: Has anyone else had this problem?
I don't rinse out my ACV. And if I condition its usually before the ACV. The smell will go away as soon as your hair dries. :)

Though, 1/4 of a cup is quite a lot. I would try one tea spoon to one cup of distilled cold water.

[pepperminttea]

BroadwayBeauty: Start with a weak dilution and work up if you feel the need; I started with 1 tablespoon of ACV in 8 liquid ounces of water. You'd think such a weak dilution wouldn't do anything, but it does. :)

Use the rinse as the very last thing in your shower, after washing and conditioning; whether you rinse it out with water or not is up to you. The smell dissipates completely as the hair dries, but with stronger dilutions the smell can come back when the hair gets wet again.

[whitestiletto]

To be honest, when I first started using ACV I poured it straight 100% on my dry head and let it soak for over an hour... I did this several times over the course of a couple weeks before I started diluting it. No ill effects, just soft shiny hair and decreased seb dermatitis.

Now I dilute it 1 part ACV, 3 parts water, pour on at the end of my shower and rinse until I can't taste the acid coming off the bottom anymore (yeah i taste it... no big deal)

[skyblue]

I use it too, I love it, it helps keep my scalp from itching, and I love the shine
I use cold water with it and then run the shower on cold and give it a quick rinse
I might not use it every shampoo ( sometimes I just forget to make it up) but I try to
I only wash it once a week though
how do you determine if you have hard water? I have no idea

[PianoPlaye]

I'm very slow to try out new idas (glancing guiltily at the still sealed olive oil) but this is an inspiring thread! :)
I shall go see if there is any white vingear in the kitchen.

[princessp]

I remember being very unsure of the steps before I started ACVing. I also thought ACV had to be kept in the fridge so I was always forgetting it. Lol I did everything with such precision back then, but now it is just second nature I eyeball my amounts, leave everything I need in the shower, etc. It is really easy and nothing to be afraid of just use small amounts and you'll be fine. You have a lot of great feedback here in the thread but if you are still unsure/confused I posted a "how to" with pictures on my blog (link below) if anyone is interested in seeing what I do.

[torrilin]

Ever read a bottle of Dr. Bonner's soap?

The bit where it yells about "DILUTE! DILUTE! DILUTE!" pretty much sums up what you should do with an acid rinse or pretty much anything else in the kitchen chemistry vein. Our hair is fragile, and it needs gentle handling. Use the bare minimum you can get away with.

As far as routine... I scalp wash with diluted shampoo. I rinse it out thoroughly. I hit my hair with a diluted vinegar rinse, maybe as much as 15mL vinegar to 500mL water. Then I add a small dollop of Alba Botanica's leave in conditioner. Our water is really hard, and this way I don't have to worry that my conditioner is preventing the vinegar from getting at mineral deposits on my hair. Also, leaving the vinegar rinse in my hair means I can actually get the conditioner combed into my hair! Otherwise, my hair it just too sticky to cope with.

[Pirate Cat]

I'm trying to do WO with extremely hard water. Last night I tried soaking, head down, in a plastic bin of five or six inches of water with three capfuls of ACV, then scrubbing/scritching/massaging away (ie, WO "washing") right in the bucket. I did rinse it out briefly under the shower, cold. My hair felt greasy today (as it usually does after a WO wash) but I think it broke up the greasy block right at the roots, and helped it to move down a bit. My theory is that the ACV broke up the hardness of the water allowing the mechanical cleaning of a WO wash to do its thing. My roots were actually presentable when I let my hair down for a good part of the evening. ACV rinses in the shower after washing don't seem to do it for me. I think I'm onto something and am eager to try it again.

[Birch]

I use ACV in spray - it's mixed with water but I think It's 1:1. I use it every time after shampoo and after my hair was squeezed in towel, so not too wet. Than I massage it into my scalp and through my hair. After that I apply Lush R&B cream (contains Oat Milk, Glycerin, Avocado Butter, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil etc) and leave to dry on air. That's it. I dont rinse ACV out and never had problems. Our water here is extremely dry. I use home made ACV - organic local apples. I like to drink it too :).

[Kdc0180]

I've been using ACV for a while now. I let my conditioner sink in, rinse it out and then use 1/2 cup of vinegar and dilute it down with cold water and rinse it through my hair. I try to leave it in for a minute or two and then do a final rinse. I love ACV

[Lize]

My next wash I'm going to try a vinegar rinse for the first time since joining LHC. I'm trying to go exclusively CO and on top of that stretch my washes to every four days instead of every other day. I am doing okay actually, but scalp is a tiny bit itchy. That's why I will try this tomorrow. I doubt I will do this every wash but if scalp gets itchy it's nice to have a way to prevent that and a way that is not shampoo. I think it very well could be the PH balance causing the itchiness.

Since I am blonde I will try white vinegar.

[kaitmil]

Tried the acv rinse for the first time. will have to wait and see how hair looks after it is dry in the morning. I was amazed at how easily it combed out after my shower. I used to have a hard time detangling it when wet and would just wait till morning to brush it out. I have learned so much from yall. Thank you.

[Modarunner]

I've used acv for awhile now and after starting to use shampoo bars I'm glad I do. Acv totally gets rid if the waxy feeling after using the bars and makes my hair slick so I can actually run my fingers through it in the shower. I usually just pour it in a milk jug, covering the bottom with acv and cool water the rest of the way. I can't live without it.

[kaitmil]

Very pleased at the results of act rinse. Am going to keep a spray bottle in the shower for ease of use. My hair is very soft and almost tangle free.

[Bobette]

I really want to try this, but am afraid I'll smell like a salad or a bowl of chips! But my hair is incredibly porous and apparently this is really good for keeping damaged and porous hair in tact.

Honestly, this board knows more about hair than all the hairdressers I have been to combined!

[Shesta]

I use 1 part ACV to 9 parts tap water totaling to ~2 liters. After I've conditioned and rinsed my hair I just soak it in the bowl with the diluted ACV and then pour what's left on my head.
Haven't noticed decreased tangling or more shine but my hair's acquired nice brassy tint on the sun. And that I quite enjoy.

[Renate]

How often should I do the ACV rinses? Once a week?

[blondie9912]

I think I will try this again soon, my dilution probably wasn't high enough the first time around. Do you guys prefer rinsing or not rinsing after the vinegar? Can't decide what I should try :p

[Kelikea]

You don't have to rinse unless you get it on your face, as it will burn your eyes. The smell will go away as it dries.

[cooklaezo13]

If you don't like the smell, I've had success with using citric acid instead of the vinegar. It has absolutely no smell.

[coffinhert]

I do pretty strong dilution, like half ACV and half with water, then I rinse it completely out with cool water.

[trolleypup]

I do pretty strong dilution, like half ACV and half with water, then I rinse it completely out with cool water.Ditto on the strength, well, 1:4 for me. Rinse well but not completely with coolish water.

also, I use white vinegar as ACV is just too stinky for too long...and if my hair is dampened (rain or sweat) it gets stinky again.

[ClassicalBlonde]

Around once a month I use ACV. I put 1 tablespoon ACV with 1 cup of water and put it through my hair after I shampoo. I have to put conditioner on afterwards though as the vinegar is WAY too drying for me to just rinse it out.

[Renate]

I did the rinse with rice vinegar but saw no difference. Should I try with another vinegar? What is this citric acid exactly?

[BeautifulSoup]

It seems like many members use distilled water as opposed to normal tap water. Are there any benefits to this?

[Melisande]

We have very hard water. I use citric acid, just a pinch or two in a pitcher that lives in my shower, and if I want to have killer shine, I add a tiny bit of conditioner and honey. I usually rinse it out with cool water.

My hair has little other attractions so I really try to work up my shine.

[Nae]

I do a ACV rinse everytime I wash. So about three times a week on average. I wasn't as faithful with them when I used just shampoo and conditioner but since I am back on my beloved shampoo bars they are just part of the ritual.

I am lazy about the dilution. I had an old conditioner bottle I pour about a tablespoon in and fill the rest of the bottle up with shower water. I really love what they do for my hair. Better curls, softer hair and they make my scalp happy. It is a win/win.

I use the shampoo bar, then a cheapy non cone conditioner and then the ACV. Most of the time I hit it with water once I am done with the ACV, but sometimes I don't and I haven't noticed a difference either way.

[highlightedmess]

I am currently using ACV as my rinse every time I wash. I pour a little bit in the bottom of a large cup, fill up about halfway with water and pour that over my entire head.

My hair has been very tangled and difficult to detangle with the ACV. Am I just diluting it too much? I'm thinking about switching to white vinegar since my hair is (mostly) blonde.

Any suggestions to get my hair less tangled after washing would be much appreciated!

[coffinhert]

Try rinsing with cool water after you pour the vinegar on. Too much acid left on the hair might make it dry.

[LaceyNg]

If you don't like the smell, I've had success with using citric acid instead of the vinegar. It has absolutely no smell.

cooklaezo, where do you buy your citric acid? i usually shower with DH, and he cant stand the smell of ACV :(

also, like trolleypup said, any sweating or moisture just brings the smell right back :justy:

[heidi w.]

We just had a thread on ACV Rinsing appear on Mane Forum this week. This is such a common subject that LHC has "articles" on it, "recipes" on it, and plenty of Mane Forum posts about it.

Here's a link to what I responded to in the recent thread earlier this week.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=84802
This is the whole thread that you can read.


Now, if you have hard water, and don't have money to afford softening the water, which is really nice. I have softened water at my house, and I love it. Makes a huge difference. But you need to own the property usually to install this. Renters have to git r dun differently: might I recommend a trip to a hardware store and search for a "shower head filter". Buy extra filters. The harder the water, the more often you will likely need to change the filter. These units are as cheap as $20, and can make a difference to water quality, and solve the problem easily. They attach easily to the arm of the shower head, that stalk that comes out of the wall the bottom of which holds the shower head filter. A simple screwdriver is all that's needed most of the time.

ACV will not resolve hard water problems. Although it will remove hard water minerals left on in that hair wash only.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

cooklaezo, where do you buy your citric acid? i usually shower with DH, and he cant stand the smell of ACV :(

also, like trolleypup said, any sweating or moisture just brings the smell right back :justy:

IN the thread that I posted above I mention that you need anything acidic for this rinse. IF ACV is offensive to your for any reason, consider using lemon juice, and dilute it the same as ACV. White vinegar for blondes, too; constant use of Apple Cider Vinegar can tinge the hair a kind of reddish hue after prolonged use.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

I use ACV in spray - it's mixed with water but I think It's 1:1. I use it every time after shampoo and after my hair was squeezed in towel, so not too wet. Than I massage it into my scalp and through my hair. After that I apply Lush R&B cream (contains Oat Milk, Glycerin, Avocado Butter, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil etc) and leave to dry on air. That's it. I dont rinse ACV out and never had problems. Our water here is extremely dry. I use home made ACV - organic local apples. I like to drink it too :).

You're one of the very few that I've heard leaves it on and doesn't have weird-feeling hair as a result. Interesting. And your ratio: 1:1. WOW.

Drinking a tablespoon of ACV can be very good for you. It's a basic premise of Bragg's nutritional ideas.

People don't know this, but the reason we're told to eat our fruit and veggies in variety is because it pH balances our blood. And doctor's know this, but they don't say it that way. Doctors are aware of the problems that can occur when blood is too alkalai and mostly, in the western diet, too acidic. It's a real health problem, but hardly any doctors ever discuss it this way. Especially when one starts looking at heart health.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

I think I will try this again soon, my dilution probably wasn't high enough the first time around. Do you guys prefer rinsing or not rinsing after the vinegar? Can't decide what I should try :p

Any VINEGAR rinse is a RINSE. It generally needs to be washed out, rinsed out. Or your hair will usually become kind of weird feeling: tacky, tangly, just odd.

That is the majority experience when it's left in.

Your avatar shows you to be a blonde. Use white distilled vinegar instead.
The red hue of apple cider vinegar with prolonged use could tinge your hair a slight reddish tinge if used for a prolonged amount of time (applying over and over over a duration of years).

heidi w.

[Gizumo]

oh I just stumbled across this interesting topic as I was searching the site for more information about ACV rinse. This is very informational! I absolutely love this site!! btw...this is my first post! yay! I can't wait to actively bug all of you wonderful people about your hair!

[Keller1128]

I dilute ACV in a small spray bottle with purified water. I spray a generous amount on my hair after I rinse out my conditioner and let it sit for a minute or two before washing out. Do you think I still get the same results spraying as I would if I poured it over my head like other people do?

[planetqueenie]

ok let me answer this clearly and easily:)

take:
1 glass or plastic cup

add 1 tablespoon bragg's apple cider vinegar(I think it smells really good!)

then add 1 cup water( cold if you like, or warm)

place it on the side of your tub, shampoo, rinse out shampoo, then pour the apple cider vinegar mix through your hair. If your hair is really long, you can totally double or even triple this recipe. Comb it through your hair with a seamless comb and if you are really worried about smell(even though once dry you can't smell it) you can rinse once last time quickly with a cup of plain water.

apple cider vinegar is great for your hair and scalp, I have hard water where I live and so I really feel the need to do them! What has really reduced my need to do an acv rinse though, are morrocco method shampoos because they all contain raw, unfiltered acv already and they don't strip my hair's ph forcing an acidic rinse.

[mleung]

i'm going to try this tonight!

& quick question: for those of you who make up a solution to keep in the shower, does it matter if you use a glass or plastic bottle?

[finzi]

I tired this for the first time last night. I used the ratio suggested in this article (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=26643) - 1 tablespoon in 8 oz (approx 250ml) water. I mixed up twice that amount to make sure I had enough to really work it through to my scalp as I poured. I had so much more volume today! This was particularly noticeable at the roots, which usually lay flat and limp. I decided to conditioner after the ACV rinse, which seems to be the opposite of what is recommended, but I was a little nervous and wanted to make extra sure that I wouldn't get dry ends! As it happens, I think my hair does look ever so slightly drier for the first inch or so after the roots (i.e. the hair that doesn't get conditioner) but it may just be that I'm not used to seeing root lift! :D

[dwell_in_safety]

I pour a splash of ACV into a plastic drinking cup I keep in the shower for that purpose, fill the rest with hot water, and pour that over all my hair and my scalp. I rinse conditioner out of my hair first with lukewarm water and use the hot water so that it lifts the cuticle of my hair, helping the ACV to penetrate/work better, in theory. Give a fast freezing water rinse, and done.

[JadeTigress]

I keep a 2 cup measuring cup in the shower, put in 1/4 cup of ACV, and fill the rest of the way with water. If I make it more diluted than that, I might as well just not use it; it does nothing for me. I pour it slowly over my head, moving the hair so the ACV gets to my scalp, let it sit for a few minutes, and lightly rinse. I don't worry about making sure it all gets rinsed out. The result is amazing. I find that results tend to be cumulative, so after every wash the results just keep getting better. I get better slip and softer hair than I have from any conditioner I've used, plus shine and body. And the best part, my hair just doesn't tangle anymore, atleast when it's freshly washed, and when it does tangle it's nothing like what my hair normally does. My hair would dread up just from looking at it wrong. Even if I brushed my hair and immediately put it up, I'd take it down and it would be tangled to heck. And now, with the ACV, I could wear my hair down all day in a windstorm and it wouldn't tangle. :p

[AutumnLocks]

I mix about 6 tablespoons in a 1 liter bottlewith plain tap water and just keep it in the shower. It's the last thing I do before I step out of the shower when I am using ACV. I tend to alternate between Vo5 conditioner which has no "cones" and a Treseme' one that has them. If I am using cones I don't use the ACV....but that's just me. I find that at least for me ACV sort of takes away some of the slip that I like about cones.

[saffy2yrs]

I got tired of having to mix/pour ACV over my hair, and decided to add the diluted ACV into my Shampoo and Conditioner. It seems to work well for my hair, and it has been smoother after showers, plus it helps the shampoo and conditioner stretch.

[CurlyCap]

:D I use the method GRU taught me.

I keep a 1L plastic water bottle in the shower and a little plastic container of ACV. Rinse before I get out, I sploosh some ACV in the bottle (~3tbs?) and fill the rest up with cool water. I pour the whole lot over my head and then get out. No rinsing at all.

[MaryO]

Super helpful tips! I'm going to try it too!

[Ishje]

I only use ACV for my scalp, so first I shampoo, then I apply it to my scalp rub it in and rinse it out.
after that I use conditioner.
I apply it with a mister bottle. to me that is the most easy to distribute and it does not waste a lot,

[finzi]

I reported earlier that the first day after my ACV rinse was fine - lots more volume if perhaps a little more dry than usual. On the second day, my hair definitely felt and looked drier than it usually does. I washed my hair again tonight as usual, i.e. without an ACV rinse and will see how things look in the morning when it's dry.

On a side note, I'm not at all sure if the ACV rinse did anything to help with my itchy scalp. In fact it seemed a little itchier than usual... :(

[Luminaria]

Hmm I'm keeping an eye on this thread as I'm trying to use ACV only for washing. So far, 1-2 tbsp/1 cup water is too weak, and 1 part ACV to 4 parts water is too strong.

[finzi]

After washing last night my scalp feels much happier again. I think I'll try using a different shampoo specifically for my scalp (Philip Kingsley's shampoo for dry/itchy scalp is sitting waiting) and then try again with an ACV rinse in a couple of months. I need to let things settle into a routine first. The volume at my roots was AMAZING but will reserve judgement until I can really test things and see how my scalp reacts over a longer period.

[WilfredAllen]

I find it to be drying, so I sometimes use it as a substitute for shampoo. I keep it in a shampoo bottle with water (1:1) and squirt it on my scalp in the shower, let it sit for a minute then rinse it out. I've been trying to cut out shampoo lately, so I will be using it more in the future. Hopefully it's a good choice

[Carrieberry77]

I used a vinegar rinse for the first time and the results are great!
Lately my fine straight hair had been very limp and there was lots of product build up on the ends so I decided to use the vinegar rinse (diluted with water) instead of conditioner. The first time I just dipped my ends in a cup of the solution and then rinsed but this times i poured it over my whole hair and didn't rinse and the results are amazing, great shine and no tangles!
Whenever I'm outdoors and the wind is really strong I come back with terribly tangled hair, this time almost no tangles whatsoever. Yay :)

[lapushka]

I'm glad you had great results. :)

[milosmomma]

I've been using acv for many years now. Since moving in with Dbf we have very hard water and find it pretty necessary now, at least once a month or hair acts up and gets tangly. The way I do it is put a splash of acv in a big drinking cup, probably holds 20oz total. So a big splash, 2 tbsp maybe and then fill with water(regular hard water). This is after shampoo, roo and with second conditioner still on hair. I dump about 1/2- 2/3 of the mixture over my scalp and hair and then refill with water again to dilute the mixture further. Again pour 1/2- 2/3 or the mixture and again further dilute and dump the whole cup. This exposes my hair to a high concentration but also rinses more out than just using the one cupful. No further rinsing with plain water. There is that acv smell which I dont mind and it dried pretty quickly if left down and the smell dissipates quickly. Diluting the mixture more this way might be beneficial to those who find it too drying or finding an appropriate ratio because it slowly dilutes more and more.

[Liz_H]

I use it too, I love it, it helps keep my scalp from itching, and I love the shine
....
how do you determine if you have hard water? I have no idea

Hard water will leave mineral deposits around drains and faucets. It also makes a difference in how much laundry detergent you need. Soft water needs far less detergent.

[hinabelle]

I've been doing a 1:1 ACV:H2O spray on my scalp as a part of my deep conditioning routine.
I use a lot of ACV because I love bringing out the red undertones in my hair!

[Carrieberry77]

Really interesting to know that ACV brings out red tones!

[Lisa Long4Life]

I've been using about 100ml of ACV topped up to a pint with water. I originally started with 50ml ACV but I am still having residue from my shampoo bar. Last time with 100ml my ends felt a bit crispy so it might be a bit strong. I also just henndigo'd at the weekend.

[Dante]

I just did an ACV rinse following CWC, with about a quarter of a cup of ACV to 3L of water, and rinsed it out well with cold water afterwards. I love how how soft and shiny my hair is now! I used to use a clarifying shampoo for each wash (my hair just likes it) but when I last went to buy it, it was no longer available and the only alternative was quite pricey. I feel like I've got the 'clean' feeling hair from the ACV rinse that I used to get from my clarifying shampoo, but with additional softness - win win!

[SnowDancer]

Is an ACV or other vinegar rinse safe for color treated hair?

[Salice]

Today, I tried apple cider vinegar rinse first time because my hair felt a bit heavy and my scalp itchy. Normally I would use clarifying shampoo, but I haven't any at the moment. My dilution ratio was 25 ml vinegar/ 700 ml water, so the rinse was about 3,5 %.

Firstly I shampooed, used conditioner and then rinsed my hair with ACW. I let it sit for one minute and quickly rinsed the hair with cold water. My hair is still damp, but it feels lighter and very soft. I think this was a very successful experiment!