Lemon Juice as an alternative to vinegar?

[Cainwen]

So, here is the situation. We have very very hard water in our area, which was making my hair miserable until I learned about vinegar rinses here. The acidity also seemed to help with the scalp itchies. This was all well and good, until my hair became soft enough that DH wanted to touch it, and he started complaining that my hair smells like vinegar for days after I wash it. I can't really smell it, but I like the smell of vinegar in general, so I figure I'm just not as sensitive to it as he is.

I'd like to stop using vinegar rinses for DH's sake, but the acidity is so very useful. I thought about maybe using lemon juice instead, but I remember using it when I was a kid to lighten my hair. Not that I remember it working particularly well.

So, the question is, what do you ladies (and gents) think? Would lemon juice be an ok substitute for vinegar, or would it end up bleaching my hair? There is a LOT of sunshine around here, and I would hate to accidentally lighten my hair. Are there any other rinses good for mitigating the effects of hard water? (filters are not an option).

[Annibelle]

I've read that lemon juice will make the hair dry. :( I have the same issue with vinegar, though-- the first time I used it, DH said I smelled like an Easter egg! I don't really notice the smell. But I've started rinsing it out just a bit (not thoroughly) before getting out of the shower, and now he says he can't smell the vinegar once my hair dries. :)

[mora]

I think that there are some people here do use lemon rinses or citric acid rinses as alternatives to vinegar rinses, although I haven't used lemon myself.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=419
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53745
http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=40084

[Cainwen]

I've read that lemon juice will make the hair dry. :( I have the same issue with vinegar, though-- the first time I used it, DH said I smelled like an Easter egg! I don't really notice the smell. But I've started rinsing it out just a bit (not thoroughly) before getting out of the shower, and now he says he can't smell the vinegar once my hair dries. :)

The thing is, I *do* rinse it out. No matter how well I rinse, he can still smell it. He claims to be able to smell it two days after the fact.


I think that there are some people here do use lemon rinses or citric acid rinses as alternatives to vinegar rinses, although I haven't used lemon myself.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=419
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53745
http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=40084

Thanks for all the links. I can't imagine why I didn't find them when I tried to search for it. I guess I'll be trying lemon juice next wash day.

[pelicano]

Lime juice is much better than lemon, in my experience, and it smells lovely. :)

[MinderMutsig]

You could try adding some EO's to your rinse or maybe use a tea to dilute your vinegar with. Lemon juice would probably work to and it shouldn't lighten your hair if you are careful about rinsing it out.

I use a small shaker with citric acid for traveling and haven't had problems yet. I prefer my own vinegar rinse though. I make it with ACV, chamomile tea and some EO's and it smells really nice. Because it's already a bit diluted by the tea you do need a bit more in your rinse than you would with regular vinegar.

[mora]

Thanks for all the links. I can't imagine why I didn't find them when I tried to search for it. I guess I'll be trying lemon juice next wash day.

You're welcome. Google works much better for me than the LHC search (ex: type "lemon rinse site:longhaircommunity.com" without the quotes in to a google search box). I also went searching because I knew that I'd seen threads like that before because I hated the vinegar smell in my hair, even when it was well rinsed. White vinegar has a milder smell to me than ACV, though, and maybe I've just gotten used to it or something but I can't smell the vinegar anymore after I rinse with water although I did when I first started using white vinegar.

[Audhumla]

I've heard that lemon can wreak havoc on some people's hair. From what I understand the main issue is that it's drying.

[Heartwillfollow]

I'm using cometic grade citric acid in powder form that I had from mountainroseherbs.com Lemon juice and vinegar were just really drying for my hair :)

[Cainwen]

Lime juice is much better than lemon, in my experience, and it smells lovely. :)
But you see, I always have lemons on hand. So good for fresh lemon bread and general cooking. Also, limes make me think of gin and tonic so I would feel like I was walking around smelling like a summer cocktail.


You could try adding some EO's to your rinse or maybe use a tea to dilute your vinegar with. Lemon juice would probably work to and it shouldn't lighten your hair if you are careful about rinsing it out.

I use a small shaker with citric acid for traveling and haven't had problems yet. I prefer my own vinegar rinse though. I make it with ACV, chamomile tea and some EO's and it smells really nice. Because it's already a bit diluted by the tea you do need a bit more in your rinse than you would with regular vinegar.
I contemplated adding essential oils, but considering how strongly the shampoo/conditioners smell, I doubt a little essential oil would cover up the vinegar. I'd do tea, but my hair did *not* like the last tea rinse I tried to do.


You're welcome. Google works much better for me than the LHC search (ex: type "lemon rinse site:longhaircommunity.com" without the quotes in to a google search box). I also went searching because I knew that I'd seen threads like that before because I hated the vinegar smell in my hair, even when it was well rinsed. White vinegar has a milder smell to me than ACV, though, and maybe I've just gotten used to it or something but I can't smell the vinegar anymore after I rinse with water although I did when I first started using white vinegar.

I have had better luck with google in the past, but I guess I figured "lemon" wasn't that complicated a search. Oh well, live and learn.

I use[d] white vinegar since it's cheaper anyway. I don't know how he smells it, but he does.

[littlenvy]

Lime juice is much better than lemon, in my experience, and it smells lovely. :)
^ This! :)

I use a lime juice rinse only because lime has much less sugar than lemon. Less sugar, much better for your hair. ;)

[Cainwen]

I've heard that lemon can wreak havoc on some people's hair. From what I understand the main issue is that it's drying.
I don't remember it wreaking havoc when I used it (10 years ago?) Hopefully it doesn't now, but I will be careful to watch out for dryness :)


I'm using cometic grade citric acid in powder form that I had from mountainroseherbs.com Lemon juice and vinegar were just really drying for my hair :)

Thanks--I'll keep this in the back of my head in case lemon juice doesn't work as hoped.

[Cainwen]

^ This! :)

I use a lime juice rinse only because lime has much less sugar than lemon. Less sugar, much better for your hair. ;)

Wouldn't sugar have much the same effect as honey?

[littlenvy]

Wouldn't sugar have much the same effect as honey?

Nope. Because you don't use honey as a final rinse. You wash it out totally from your hair. Left over sugar (even diluted) is not that great for the hair in a long run.

[cmg]

I've heard that lemon can wreak havoc on some people's hair. From what I understand the main issue is that it's drying.
Anything acidic is drying. The dosage (i.e. the pH-level) does it. I personally use oak-bark extract. No smell, no hazzle, cheap. I dont like ACV at all. The clima here is moist so as soon as I get outdoors, I smell the vinegar. :mad: Lime smells heavenly, but I prefer not to use something that can bleach the hair in combination with UV-light from the sun. My hair is damaged enough.

[Cainwen]

Ah, thank you for the clarification. I still suspect it wouldn't be a huge problem, since I actually do it as an intermediate rinse (not whats recommended, I know, but my length seems to like a final conditioning after the acid rinse).

[Teazel]

Just throwing this idea out there.... you could try altering the smell with herbs. I make rosemary vinegar (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1420&pictureid=24242) and nobody has ever detected ACV in my hair. :twocents:

Actually, if you're conditioning after your vinegar rinse, I wonder how much of the scent is in your DH's head. Maybe you could not use it one time, without telling him, and ask if he can smell it. :eyebrows:

[cmg]

Rosemary vinegar ... thats is an idea :)

I condition my hair with some leave ins after the sour rinses. The ACV smell still sticks to the hair *uff*

Just thinking, has anyone compared the effect of rooibos tea with ACVs? *rushing off to check the pH-level of Rooibos tea* :D

OT:
Lovely hair, Teazel!

[VikingVampChick]

Maybe balsamic vinegar instead of ACV? The smell is nicer. Not sure if it will stain light hair, though. I have dark hair with henna on it, so I wouldn't notice.

[Babs1551]

I use lemon with no dryness or ill affects. I also do an oil rinse with O&Co lemon infused olive oil as a 2-for-1.

[ktani]

My mum used to rinse my sister's hair with diluted lemon juice and mine when we we young.

Neither of us had any issues with it. I never used it when I was older.

Just dilute it well and there should be no problems.

Dryness comes from not diluting it well enough, just like it can when one uses vinegar.

[Roscata]

I have used the lemon rinse (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53745&highlight=lemon+rinse) before and it did an amazing job to fight off frizz for me, it did NOT dry out my hair at all or lighten it or have any other side effects. The concentration I used was the one recommended in the thread I linked which is a half a tea spoon of lemon juice to an 8 oz cup of water. I left it on my hair for 5 minutes then rinsed it off with cold water. :D

[cmg]

Just speculating, but would the smell from ACV be stronger on a hair with lots of damage?

I will try limejuice next time. I just love the smell and taste of Lime. Just made a toothpaste with Lime in it :rolleyes:

[Cainwen]

Just throwing this idea out there.... you could try altering the smell with herbs. I make rosemary vinegar (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1420&pictureid=24242) and nobody has ever detected ACV in my hair. :twocents:

Actually, if you're conditioning after your vinegar rinse, I wonder how much of the scent is in your DH's head. Maybe you could not use it one time, without telling him, and ask if he can smell it. :eyebrows:
The funny thing is, I never told him I use vinegar until after he commented that my hair smelled like vinegar one day. At this point it might be in his head though, you're right.


Maybe balsamic vinegar instead of ACV? The smell is nicer. Not sure if it will stain light hair, though. I have dark hair with henna on it, so I wouldn't notice.
I use white vinegar, not ACV, actually. My hair is dark so I wouldn't worry about ti coloring it, but I wouldn't want to risk smelling like balsamic vinegar, besides the fact that it is MUCH more expensive than white vinegar. I have a 2 ounce bottle that cost $4, which is twice what it cost me to get a gallon of white vinegar.

Thanks to everyone who reported good results with lemon juice. I think I'll give it a shot for the next couple washes and see if it does what I need it to do without the pickle-y smell :)

[seamaiden]

I have blonde hair and I used to put lemon juice on it before I went into the sun... It had the desired affect and would bleach streaks into it. It would also be quite dry after.

Vinegar has the same effect as it does when cleaning your windows; makes it shiny!
I think it's less about moisturising and more about helping to flatten and smooth the hair shaft thus giving more shine.

I use cider vinegar and I dilute it alot before rinsing. There will be less smell this way. And as was mentioned earlier you could make a strong infusion from rosemary (for dark hair; camomile for blonde) and add some cider vinegar to that.

[Roscata]

I have blonde hair and I used to put lemon juice on it before I went into the sun... It had the desired affect and would bleach streaks into it. It would also be quite dry after.

Was your concentration the same as the one I posted (a half a tea spoon to a cup of water) and did you rinse it it out after? Because when I use it like that it never dries my hair out or lightens it.

[Ve]

I think I am needing a lemon rinse because the hard water here in Costa Rica is causing my cassia treatments to turn my hair more yellow than I want. Help me understand when to put a lemon rinse in (right after I shampoo and then rinse it out after 5 min or leave it in after conditioner) and what would be a good dilution be. I have never done rinses before.

Thank you and Merry Christmas everyone, here it doesn't feel like Christmas at all, sweating in the 35C degree heat

[Lemon*]

I always do rinses as my last thing in the shower, leave on for 2 minutes about, then rinse.
Also I have better results by making the solutions really dilute. About a teaspoon in a large bottle of water.
If you do stronger concentrations it may dry your hair out.

[Daydreamer.]

I think it would work since it is acidic, but it can lighten your hair. It also can be drying, so dilute it well.

[Platzhalter]

Since the acidic rinse is mainly because of the hard water we have (at least in my case), there doesn't seem to be a big difference in what exactly the acidic component is.

[Ve]

Thanks everyone I think I will start doing this

[Rhodugune]

Im glad I came across this thread and curious to try this as my hair really loved ACV rinses, but unfortunately it kept smelling of it very strongly even when it was dried so its nothing I am comfortable using if I plan being around people.
So I will do a rinse in the next few days, will let you know what my hair thought of it.

[Rhodugune]

An update, as I tried rinsing my hair with a lemon rinse last hair wash I had.
I co-washed my hair as usual and then filled my sink with a couple of liters of cold water an then squeezed a lemon into it and soaked mainly my length in it for a few mins.
And you could really sense the scent of lemon in my hair after when it was drying, I really liked that and when it had dried you could faintly sense it and it really made my hair feel a lot more smooth and and it had more slippage to the touch, so I will keep doing it.

[Starbunny]

I am very curious to try this as I have had VERY negative scent experiences with white vinegar (I'm a blonde) in the past. I love using shampoo bars, but b/c of the vinegar issue, I had abandoned using them. I tried citric acid in the past, but wasn't very pleased. I am going to try this when my next batch of shampoo bars arrives. I can't wait to see what it smells like. With the vinegar, it would work very well in my hair for what it was supposed to do, but b/c I am so active and sweat a LOT, I could ALWAYS smell the vinegar in my hair, no matter how many EOs I added or how well I rinsed it (and sometimes even conditioned it afterwards). I hope the lemon juice experiment is a success.

[cmg]

@Starbunny:
Shampoo bars are very harsh for the hair. Perhaps they are making your hair surface porous and that is why the smell from the vinegar sticks? I am sure that is why I feel it in my hair.

[Horrorpops]

oh this is really interesting and a lemon scent is so much nicer than vinegar! I might have to give this a try - my water is so hard where I am!

[lapushka]

I can't stand the smell of vinegar, so I tried the lemon rinse early on. I have hard water and it did nothing for my hair. So... I think if your shampoo has tetrasodium EDTA in it, same thing.

[Horrorpops]

I can't stand the smell of vinegar, so I tried the lemon rinse early on. I have hard water and it did nothing for my hair. So... I think if your shampoo has tetrasodium EDTA in it, same thing.

Oh thats interesting... I might still try it if I ever have spare lemons lying around! :o However I do have a clarifying and chelating shampoo - its just that it is so drying I don't like using it more than every few months. Really makes me miss the beautiful soft water from a rainwater tank!

[xZx]

Hello all, I don't think anyone's mentioned it, but I use cheap pH testing strips from amazon to make sure the pH of whatever rinse i'm using is around 5.0.

Cheap strips only cost a couple of pounds for a book of 160 (and you can cut them in half, so that's over 300 rinses!) They aren't mega accurate by lab standards, but you can easily use them to make a rinse in the 4.5 to 5.5 range that won't dry out hair. I find it's especially useful with lemons where the acidity can vary quite a bit and also different brands of vinegar / citric acid. :)

[Horrorpops]

Hello all, I don't think anyone's mentioned it, but I use cheap pH testing strips from amazon to make sure the pH of whatever rinse i'm using is around 5.0.

Cheap strips only cost a couple of pounds for a book of 160 (and you can cut them in half, so that's over 300 rinses!) They aren't mega accurate by lab standards, but you can easily use them to make a rinse in the 4.5 to 5.5 range that won't dry out hair. I find it's especially useful with lemons where the acidity can vary quite a bit and also different brands of vinegar / citric acid. :)

oh this is a really good idea!! Thanks for sharing :o