i'm an ACV newb!

[Clem_Dela]

hello!

So, for about 2 weeks I've been using a mixture of Dr Bronners, Lavender EO and water to 'poo my hair. I use some coconut oil on the ends.

I think it's been making my hair really healthy- this is my first time not using coney shampoos- but i've ended up with a weird, waxy, grainy residue; little white bits. and they're in my hairbrush too!

So I figured an ACV rinse might help.

i've never made one before now, though. My current mix is:

1 1/2 TBSP of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup of Purified Water
1/2 tsp of Cinnamon

(I am aware of the lightening effects of Cinnamon- i'm okay with this because i'm planning on henna-ing in a month or so, and lighter hair means brighter henna. :cheese:)

so what dilution do you guys use? should i change mine? because the bottle is only half full, so i could change the proportions if I need to.

[gossamer]

Sounds good to me!
I think I use about the same amount of vinegar, sometimes ACV, sometimes white. I just dilute it more because I'm not sure 1 cup of water would fully soak to my ends. My process is much less exact - I slosh about an inch of vinegar into the bottom of an old glass mason jar and then fill the rest with water.

Do the grains of cinnamon all rinse out for you, or do you still find them as you're brushing your hair out?

[Clem_Dela]

I have not tried this rinse yet, so I don't know.

I think i'm going to test it this evening.

I also think i'm going to add some drops of lavender;
I think in future mixes i'm going to use a mixer and blend some other ingredients; coconut oil, honey, and the cinnamon and ACV.

I love the way the cinnamon makes this smell, by the way! it's like apple pie :>

[YepLilly]

1 1/2 TBSP of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup of Purified Water


It makes sense to me too. I've heard of people using from 3 Tbs to 1 Tbs to 1 ts in 1 cup of water. I personally use 1/4 cup (4 Tbs) of ACV in 2 cups of water.

[Clem_Dela]

I just don't want to dry out my hair :) but I definitely want this waxy feel to go away.

[YepLilly]

I just don't want to dry out my hair :) but I definitely want this waxy feel to go away.

I don't think 1.5 Tbs of ACV in 1 cup of water will dry your hair, but you can try with even less if you want. As for the waxy feeling, washing with a clarifying shampoo might help too.

[Cainwen]

I have not tried this rinse yet, so I don't know.

I think i'm going to test it this evening.

I also think i'm going to add some drops of lavender;
I think in future mixes i'm going to use a mixer and blend some other ingredients; coconut oil, honey, and the cinnamon and ACV.

I love the way the cinnamon makes this smell, by the way! it's like apple pie :>

I'd just like to point out that since coconut oil is both a fat and solid at room temp, I'm not sure it will go into your ACV mix. It'll be like an oil and vinegar salad dressing if its warm, and otherwise you'll just have solid fat blobs floating in your ACV/honey water.

Otherwise, I think your recipe is good. And I wouldn't worry about the drying aspect. I soak (as in, put all my hair and as much head as possible in a large pot) of ~10-15% white vingear/water and I haven't noticed it getting dry at all. rather, very soft and shiny. Even my chronically dry scalp doesn't seem to be bothered by it (if any thing, its better for it)

[Clem_Dela]

thanks for the heads up Cainwen!

okay-- I just tried it out. Felt GREAT in the shower, the cinnamon thickened the mixture a little bit, making it easier to deal with. Also softened the vinegar scent, which I am not particularly fond of. Smells wonderful. I used a little more than half of the mix and then added more water to the rest of it and poured it into my hair. However...

When I rinsed, it burned my skin!! I'm thinking it was one of these factors:

1. I didn't dilute it enough?
2. I'm allergic to ACV?
3. I'm allergic to cinnamon?
4. My mixture had some kind of bad reaction with the hard water from my shower? (I used purified water in the mix)

has anybody else had this problem?
My red marks are not fading... any help would be appreciated :)

[BelleBot]

I imagine the red is from the cinnamon. Cinnamon can act as an irritant to the skin. I know I had problems with red streaks down my face when I used honey lightening mix with cinnamon in. Everywhere the mix went my skin turned red. Taking out the cinnamon from my mix and I had no red marks. Hope that helps. :)

[Clem_Dela]

thanks, Bellebot! I had similar reactions... wherever the cinnamon dripped on my body, there was a clear red mark. when I looked, my scalp was pink as well.

after talking to my mom we concluded that she and I are both mildly allergic to cinnamon; (TMI?) she tried a cinnamon toothpaste once and it gave her kanker sores. :S

I don't think I need to stop eating cinnamon, though. It's never given me problems before. And, that stuff is delicious!

I think I'll use honey instead for lightening and use something else as a thickener... Maybe cornstarch?

[Clem_Dela]

Oh, I should have mentioned- the results on my hair are great. It feels finer. I didn't know that was possible :o) And, my curls are more defined, but gentler at the same time.. does that make sense? They're more touchable, that's for sure. And I'm so glad. I just need my hair to be touchable :o)

My mom thinks it feels waxy, but she didn't feel how it was before... maybe a few more rinses will help.

[Cainwen]

I think I'll use honey instead for lightening and use something else as a thickener... Maybe cornstarch?

Having never used cornstarch on my hair, I can't say this for certain, but I think it might not work the way you want it to. In order to get it to 'thicken' you would either need to use a LOT of cornstarch or bring your cornstarch/water mixture to a boil to cause the starch molecules to rupture and thicken. The former would probably leave a slightly white, powdery residue (and possibly stiff hair. I use cornstarch/water to starch shirt collars). The latter might be sticky and hard to get out.

I'm not sure why you want it thicker in any event. If you want to do more precision applications, try a water bottle with a hole poked in the cap for application. Otherwise, its a rinse, why not just pour it over? or mix up a bigger batch and soak?


Oh, I should have mentioned- the results on my hair are great. It feels finer. I didn't know that was possible :o) And, my curls are more defined, but gentler at the same time.. does that make sense? They're more touchable, that's for sure. And I'm so glad. I just need my hair to be touchable :o)

My mom thinks it feels waxy, but she didn't feel how it was before... maybe a few more rinses will help.
Glad it worked! I know what you mean about defined but gentler curls.

As for the waxiness, if you haven't tried a clarifying shampoo yet, I'd do that to get whatever old product is in your hair out of your hair. Otherwise, it might just take a few rinses to get your hair 'used' to your particular rinse.

[Clem_Dela]

thanks Cainwen. I guess i'm just still accustomed to the thicker consistency of coney conditioners... oh well.

I keep the rinse in an old, rinsed-out shampoo bottle with a squirty top. while I'm in the shower I pour some into a coffee mug, add some water, and soak my hair for about 30 secs to a minute, then pour it on my head. It goes through all my hair and feels great. I pour any leftovers onto my head at the end then rinse with cool water.

This is only my second time using it so I'm still getting used to it :)


Do you think you can recommend a recipe for homemade clarifying shampoo? I'm trying to avoid buying new products :/ I have a limited budget..

also what can I use besides cinnamon to improve the smell? it smells awful funny... lol

[Cainwen]

thanks Cainwen. I guess i'm just still accustomed to the thicker consistency of coney conditioners... oh well.

I keep the rinse in an old, rinsed-out shampoo bottle with a squirty top. while I'm in the shower I pour some into a coffee mug, add some water, and soak my hair for about 30 secs to a minute, then pour it on my head. It goes through all my hair and feels great. I pour any leftovers onto my head at the end then rinse with cool water.

This is only my second time using it so I'm still getting used to it :)


Do you think you can recommend a recipe for homemade clarifying shampoo? I'm trying to avoid buying new products :/ I have a limited budget..

also what can I use besides cinnamon to improve the smell? it smells awful funny... lol

I'm afraid I can't recommend a homemade clarifying shampoo ( i think some people using baking soda, but I have never tried this), but VO5 clarifying shampoo is nice and around me I can get it for ~80 cents, which is probably cheaper than buying the stuff to make homemade shampoo anyway.

What scents do you like? You could pick up flavor extracts like vanilla, peppermint and almond for ~ $5 at the grocery store (or your pantry, probably). You could find more scents at a baking supply store, or even something like a hobby lobby. They are pretty potent. about a 1/4 tsp of almond can flavor a whole cake, or a drop of peppermint in hot cocoa is very strong, so I imagine they would mask the vinegar scent pretty well. I'd go easy on them, since they do contain (ethanol) alcohol, but probably not enough to damage your hair unless you dump the whole bottle in.

Alternatively, if there are herbal scents you like and you have access to either fresh or dried, you could make basically an herbal tea and use that instead of water.

Hope that helps!

[Clem_Dela]

I'll probably just experiment with my mom's collection of spices and extracts...

is VO5 "coney"?

[Cainwen]

is VO5 "coney"?

nope. I actually use their conditioner for CO because its cone free (and cheap)

[Clem_Dela]

oh wow! i'm going to have to pick up a bottle :-)