itchy scalp after ACV?

[barely.there]

Since I have switched over to using an ACV sub for shampoo, and actually using a conditioner (an all natural one), I have found my scalp a lil bit itchy. I don't have any dandruff or bugs, and its not a crazy itch either, just more than usual. I'm wondering if its just a bunch of new growth? I wash my hair on average, every 3 days.

[ChloeDharma]

Maybe you are making it too strong? I find an ACV rinse soothes an itchy scalp but people have different reactions. You could try diluting it more and adding a couple of drops of lavender essential oil and see if that helps.

[Kelikea]

Its also possible that the conditioner makes you itch, since it is a new one. Try skipping one or the other for a couple washes and see which one sets you off. You don't generally need both an acv rinse and conditioner, usually the acv is used to correct the pH from a basic shampoo, as most conditioners are already slightly acidic.

[heidi w.]

Since I have switched over to using an ACV sub for shampoo, and actually using a conditioner (an all natural one), I have found my scalp a lil bit itchy. I don't have any dandruff or bugs, and its not a crazy itch either, just more than usual. I'm wondering if its just a bunch of new growth? I wash my hair on average, every 3 days.

I would not recommend ACV Rinses for a hair washing product. It is a RINSE and intended to be well rinsed out of the hair fairly immediately. What do you mean by "ACV sub" ? Did you mean scrub instead? Is that me just misunderstanding a typo?

ACV Rinses or any vinegar or lemon juice rinse is not intended for washing the scalp skin and removal of actual dirt or sebum itself.

heidi w.

[Amber_Maiden]

You might be making it too strong.

[barely.there]

when I said ACV "sub", I meant that it is subbing in for shampoo. My hair needed some serious moisture so I also used the new conditioner. (I have noticed a big difference in my hair since doing this) Next time I will dilute the ACV mix more, and use conditioner only on the length and not my scalp. thanks ladies :)

EDIT: I find that ACV really helps get my hair squeaky clean, and yes, I do rinse it out before using conditioner.

[pelicano]

Vinegar is terrible for my scalp, despite supposedly being good for seborrheic dermatitis (which is what I have). We're all different.

[caadam]

I make my ACV rinses by putting a small capfull (maybe two) of ACV in a plastic condiment bottle, and then fill the rest with tepid water. That's all I need. Any more than that and my scalp and hair don't like it.

If you're doing more than that, you might want to consider diluting your rinse more. :D

[heidi w.]

Vinegar is terrible for my scalp, despite supposedly being good for seborrheic dermatitis (which is what I have). We're all different.

I too have Seborrheic Dermatitus, and I eventually gave up ACV Rinses. They helped for around 10 years, and then after a while, it just seemed to kind of not work as well anymore. I'd get out of the shower still itching. Have you tried lemon juice rinsing instead? I found that worked a bit better for me.

The unfortunate news is that there is no known cure for Seborrheic Dermatitus, so all one can hope for is to eventually learn to simply manage the symptoms. I finally found a shampoo that works well, but it's supplied from a vendor that LHC disallows mention of. But it does work. I wish I could share it, but alas. Rules are rules.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

I make my ACV rinses by putting a small capfull (maybe two) of ACV in a plastic condiment bottle, and then fill the rest with tepid water. That's all I need. Any more than that and my scalp and hair don't like it.

If you're doing more than that, you might want to consider diluting your rinse more. :D

I thought of the possibility of using too much vinegar and not diluting sufficiently, but this should be fine -- the ratio you've got. However, you might consider adding scritching to your menu of hair washing process as this may help to pre-lift detris, dry skin cells, sebum, and anything on the scalp and may result in a better hair wash. You are effectively doing pretty much a Conditioner Only hair wash. You might also consider upping the water temperature to better aide with the portion of your hair wash that kind of cleans your hair.

Most people who use shampoo find they have to perform two applications of shampoo, the first being to loosen the surface tension, the second is far more sudsy and actually cleans the scalp skin.

Hair washing, to me, is a misnomer. It's not so much the hair that needs washing; it's the scalp skin that needs washing as a matter of hygiene. The hair just happens to kind of be in the way.

I would finally recommend cleaning your detangling tool such as your wide tooth comb. I would recommend doing so as part of every kind of hair wash you conduct, each time you wash your hair. You want a very clean comb and to not re-introduce bacteria or other irritants from your comb.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

Vinegar is terrible for my scalp, despite supposedly being good for seborrheic dermatitis (which is what I have). We're all different.

I have had to learn that I MUST wash my hair detangling comb as part of the process of every hair wash I conduct, whether a full hair wash OR a scalp wash in some form. I recommend this to you, as well.

You might also like the results you get when scritching prior to every type of hair wash. I have found it helps me.

heidi w.

[caadam]

I agree with heidi w. that scritching could also help with itching. I always do a massage and scritching session every day, whether I wash or don't. :D

[barely.there]

I agree with heidi w. that scritching could also help with itching. I always do a massage and scritching session every day, whether I wash or don't. :D

Scritching sounds interesting. I'd never heard of it till Heidi mentioned it now. So I did my research.

I've never had a problem with flakes coming off my scalp. (Probably the worst condition that my scalp has ever been in, was when i had lice when i was 9.) But I suppose scritching and massaging would work for just stimulating the growth of hair. I was always afraid to scratch too much or too harshly because i might pull out hairs, but scritching seems like it would work.

The conditioner I have is Yes to Carrots....its got salts and minerals from the dead sea in it (supposedly) so that may be what is irritating me. I also thought that since I've changed up my routine for the better, that my hair was growing faster, and the itchiness was just new growth. ;)

[caadam]

Ingredients:


Spring Water, Dead Sea Water, Magnesium Chloride, Chamomila Recutita (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Olea Europa (Olive) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) Flower, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Juice, Ipomoera Batatas (Sweet Potato) Extract, Cucumis Melo (Melon) Fruit Extract, Dimethicone, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Honey (Mel) Extract, Fragrance (Parfum).

So there's your salt, which is the second ingredient on the list. You might want to consider that there's just too much of it to the point where it's irritating your scalp. It might not be, though.

As well, I also bolded dimethicone. Dimethicone is a silicone that is non-soluble, meaning water can't wash it away. There's not too much dimethicone in this conditioner, but considering that you're CO washing, you probably need to clarify.

Scritching and massaging are good for stimulating the scalp but are also relieving for itchy scalps in general. I do both in order to loosen dirt and flakes but also to relieve any itching I might have.

ETA: And I did some light research on magnesium chloride, which also has salt in it.

[heidi w.]

Scritching prior to a hair wash can improve the cleanliness and effectiveness of really cleaning the scalp skin. One does not need to have flakes or dropping sloughing bits to justify the use for scritching. I have nothing falling off of my scalp skin, and I scritch. I find it very helpful for managing the itchy scalp problem.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

I agree with heidi w. that scritching could also help with itching. I always do a massage and scritching session every day, whether I wash or don't. :D

I think I stated this already, but I scritch prior to a hair wash because I have Seborrheic Dermatitus which is a particularly nasty form of Dandruff, but doesn't have the flakes associated with it. The flaking may occur but it never falls out of the hair. I don't massage my scalp skin or scritch a whole lot my scalp skin, EXCEPT as part of preparing for a given hair wash, because I don't need more sebum production on my scalp. My condition provides way more sebum that I need in reality. That's part of what happens in Seborrheic Dermatitus. In baby's or children this condition is called "Cradle Cap".

Most who scalp massage or scritch do experience an uptick in scalp's sebum production.


heidi w.

[barely.there]

Ingredients:


Spring Water, Dead Sea Water, Magnesium Chloride, Chamomila Recutita (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Olea Europa (Olive) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) Flower, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Juice, Ipomoera Batatas (Sweet Potato) Extract, Cucumis Melo (Melon) Fruit Extract, Dimethicone, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Honey (Mel) Extract, Fragrance (Parfum).

So there's your salt, which is the second ingredient on the list. You might want to consider that there's just too much of it to the point where it's irritating your scalp. It might not be, though.

As well, I also bolded dimethicone. Dimethicone is a silicone that is non-soluble, meaning water can't wash it away. There's not too much dimethicone in this conditioner, but considering that you're CO washing, you probably need to clarify.

Scritching and massaging are good for stimulating the scalp but are also relieving for itchy scalps in general. I do both in order to loosen dirt and flakes but also to relieve any itching I might have.

ETA: And I did some light research on magnesium chloride, which also has salt in it.

There is actually no dimethicone in it. I think they have changed the recipe since it first came out some years back. My ingredients label is very different from what you posted:

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Esters, Daucus Carota, Sativa (Carrot) Juice*, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil*, Dead Sea Water, Dead Sea Silt, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Oil*, Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Calendula Officinalis Seed Oil, Pumpkin Extract, Sweet Potato Extract*, Melon Extract, Jojoba Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Orange Extract, Honey Extract, Pomegranate Extract, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Fragrance, Spdium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate.

*Certified Organic

[barely.there]

I talked to my husband about this, who is using the conditioner as well, and he said he only uses it on his length, not his scalp, and he has no itching. I figured as much.

[caadam]

Wow, and that was supposedly a recent list of ingredients I found. lol TRICKS AND LIES!

Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to not use it on your scalp for a while? See how your scalp responds? You can use something else. :)

[misspurdy06]

Sounds like you have altered the ph of your scalp. Things like that can make it itch. And you don't need shampoo or ACV to get your hair clean. You should try CO.

Things you will need:

*A wide toothed shower comb
*Patience

Brush your hair, half to each side.

when you get into the shower make sure your hair stays parted

apply conditioner liberally and gently to wet hair

comb through gently for 2 minutes or so for each side


leave the conditioner on for the rest of your shower and rinse right before you get out.

Your hair wont be as dry as you are used to. It will be more moisturized. This is something you get used to and will find it is actually easier to manage.

Good Luck!
I hope you try this (what have you got to lose?)

[barely.there]

Wow, and that was supposedly a recent list of ingredients I found. lol TRICKS AND LIES!

Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to not use it on your scalp for a while? See how your scalp responds? You can use something else. :)

haha. The only things I left out of the ingredients list was the latin because in the brackets it said what it was. I don't need to type out more than I have to. lol.

Yeah I will just put it on my length and see where it goes from there :) Other than the slight itching, my hair has been looking really great! (like amazing!) It used to be really velcro-y and it isnt anymore :D

MissPurdy, I hadn't been using conditioner till about a week ago. My hair needed some intense moisture so I picked up Yes to Carrots. I also picked up a wide toothed plastic shower comb and have been using that as I use the conditioner. I usually leave it in for a few minutes before I rinse out. It has been helping already :) thanks!

[Katsura]

I was about to make a post about the same subject. I've only just done vinegar rinses twice. The first time I used plain regular apple vinegar and it was just fine. I've made a mixture of one tablespoon of vinegar with one litre to one and a half litres of water. Second time I took remains of ACV I happened to have in my kitchen and made a rinse with that. From this I got an itchy scalp for some reason. The ACV I used was just your ordinary clarified stuff, not the best kind. So now I'm wondering should I still try to get non-processed kind of ACV and try with that, or should I ditch the ACV and try other vinegars?
I don't use cones, and I have not changed my washing routine in any other way.

I noticed some unusual shedding after the ACV rinse too. My hair is not very thick so I would like to hold on to my strands as much as I can.

[lapushka]

I was about to make a post about the same subject. I've only just done vinegar rinses twice. The first time I used plain regular apple vinegar and it was just fine. I've made a mixture of one tablespoon of vinegar with one litre to one and a half litres of water. Second time I took remains of ACV I happened to have in my kitchen and made a rinse with that. From this I got an itchy scalp for some reason. The ACV I used was just your ordinary clarified stuff, not the best kind. So now I'm wondering should I still try to get non-processed kind of ACV and try with that, or should I ditch the ACV and try other vinegars?
I don't use cones, and I have not changed my washing routine in any other way.

I noticed some unusual shedding after the ACV rinse too. My hair is not very thick so I would like to hold on to my strands as much as I can.

That doesn't sound too good, TBH. I would stop doing vinegar rinses altogether. :flower:

[Katsura]

That doesn't sound too good, TBH. I would stop doing vinegar rinses altogether. :flower:

I was a bit confused, there's so much praising about the ACV being so good for your hair and scalp. Maybe it's just different for some.

[lapushka]

I was a bit confused, there's so much praising about the ACV being so good for your hair and scalp. Maybe it's just different for some.

The same goes with oil or conditioner on the scalp, it's good for some and tragic (hair loss) for others.

If it itches, or otherwise gives you "issues", it's a sign to *stop*!