Do you HAVE to wash off again after ACV rinse?

[SheeJee]

Hi all

Just wondering, after doing an ACV rinse with a 1:3 dilution ratio, do you necessarily have to rinse your hair again with plain water? I have just been leaving my hair alone after this (applying some oils etc) but no rinsing and my hair seems to be responding well, just hoping that this isn't causing damage by not rinsing off the ACV from my hair?

[Aredhel77]

I think it's personal choice. Some people rinse, some don't. I tend to rinse it out after 10 mins or so because the vinegar smell really lingers in my hair, but it was fine when I didn't rinse apart from that. If your hair is responding well, and your rinse is not too strong then it may be OK for you. Just be aware that it might potentially be drying. Also, some people have reported that ACV rinses give their hair a slight reddish tint over time. Keep an eye on how your hair is feeling.

[Tota]

I rinse it off because I put a conditioner on after.

[MonaMayfair]

I don't rinse it out, and I don't find the smell stays in my hair.

[CurlyCurves]

I always do..

[Juliet's Silk]

I never rinse afterwards. When I first tried ACV rinses, I always did a final rinse with cold water to wash the ACV off and found it had absolutely no effect. Nowadays, I always leave the ACV in the hair - the smell does not linger, and it actually works. We have very hard water around here, so if I rinsed with tap water after the ACV rinse, I would simply undo any effect the rinse had. As always: YMMV.
But your hair won't melt away when you leave the ACV in (yes, I was afraid it would do that :lol: ), so it's safe to try.

[shutterpillar]

I think it varies from person to person. You should try a couple different things and see what works best for you. :)

[Ticky]

It's a matter of preference, it seems. I rinse it out, but I've left it in a few times and it was just as fine.

[Theobroma]

By 1:3 dilution ratio, do you mean one part vinegar to three parts water? That seems a very strong solution to me, so I'd probably want to rinse again with plain water after.

I aöways my vinegar rinse in, but I only use about three tablespoons of vinegar to a litre of water (I don't measure, but three tbsp or so is probably about right for the splash of vinegar I add to my rinse water).

[Cowgirl16]

I never rinse :shrug: But I am one of the lucky ones, the smell doesn't linger on my hair :)

[sarelis]

I don't rinse it out, I thought that would kinda defeat the object :confused: The smell really doesn't linger though.

[Deborah]

I like citric acid more, but I use vinegar sometimes, and I don't rinse either out. I have hard water, so leaving the acidic rinse in works better for my hair.

[bekstamonkey]

I do a very light rinse after leaving ACV mix (nowhere near your generous ratio lol) on for about 3 minutes...I find that my hair goes frizzy if I remove it all, and goes flat and limp if I leave it in with no rinse...so I rinse very quickly and lightly. But if your hair is not being adversely affected by how you're doing it, keep doing it LOL

[dandylioness]

Good question. I have been wondering the same thing, myself. Mostly about whether the smell lingers.
Lately I have been spritzing my dog with 50/50 acv and water as it is supposed to help heal itchy or allergic skin(.He goes to sleep immediately.) It seems to be working --so there, one more use for acv.

[4C4rly4]

I think you probably should rinse it since it is acid, so idk if it could damage your hair if it stays on for too long (?)
I always rinse it, but mostly because I don't want my hair to smell like vinegar.

[JLa23]

The ratio does seem a quite bit high. A little ACV goes a long way. Not sure what type of ACV you use; I buy braggs organic raw ACV with the mother, thus I wouldn't want to be wasting that much for naught. (You don't have to buy that brand, but I do recommend an ACV with the mother, as it is more beneficial). Here is what I have been doing:
I shake the ACV bottle up, or else the mother will sit on the bottom otherwise. Measure a tablespoon into a (16 ounce?) squirt bottle. Fill the rest up with warm water. "Shampoo" with whatever I happen to be using on scalp. Rinse. Another quick shake (out of habit, but may not be necessary if you just finished making solution. Haha.) and squirt about 1/2 of bottle of the ACV/water solution to scalp, length and tips. Massage scalp and comb with wide tooth comb starting from bottom. Rinse with cool water to close hair cuticle. Squeeze excess water. Squirt the rest of the bottle to scalp,length,tips. Squeeze excess. Use a cotton tshirt instead of traditional towel to put on top of my head, to combat frizz.
Here is why I divide the solution in half. The first ACV application is to help comb out tangles, as it pretty good at doing that. ACV also helps with build up on CURRENT wash, but it makes sense to me that I need to rinse with water to help bring down what the ACV is clarifying (not to say the shampoo has build up properties, but "shampoos" are meant for cleaning, not leave-in so I just want to make sure it's all out). The second ACV application is left in.
There was a comment made about it being an acid and to be careful. Yes, it is an acid, but with a ratio closer or similar to what I am using, the pH is brought up significantly. However, I don't know by how much. Our hair's natural pH is also acidic (pH 4.5-5,5). ACV pH is approximately 2.9. (fyi lemon juice, which some of use for our hair, comes in at 2.4)
My routine is just my opinion and what logically makes sense to me based on what I know. Sorry it is so detailed, :tmi: but I hope the information helped you out in some way or at least helped to encourage you to do some research.

[JLa23]

That was not a dig to 4c4rly4... I just wanted to provide some more info. I can't edit posts yet. :love:

[Kayleigh]

I used to have an issue with the smell like others described here, but now that I dilute it more the smell doesn't linger. At first I used a 1:3 ratio too, but I find it works better when I just use a teaspoon of vinegar with a glass of water.
Rinsing is more a personal choice I guess, just try it both ways and see what works best for you. I doubt it's really damaging to leave it in, but I found it can be a bit drying at times, especially if you don't dilute it enough.

[kitcatsmeow]

I rinse it off because I put a conditioner on after.

Interesting! It was always the last thing I did and I rinsed it off with cool water. That's what my HD used to do as well.

[Panth]

I don't.

But then I use 1 teaspoon to 1/2 pint water. 1:3 ratio seems VERY high to me. I would think that it would be very drying and possibly quite damaging at that concentration, particularly if used regularly.

Even for an emergency chelation treatment, I only used 3-4 tablespoons to 1/2 pint water. I rinsed that out, though.

[honeybunnie8]

I do. I tried not rinsing and my scalp hated it. I got a bunch of sore spots.

[GRU]

I agree that 1:3 is outrageously strong. I use about a tablespoon in a quart of water (30ml in a litre).

And sometimes I kinda rinse it out, sometimes I don't. Never noticed a difference either way.

[earthnut]

I would rinse after a 25% vinegar solution, because that's pretty strong. That's what I use on my face, and it tingles, and I rinse it. On my hair, I use 1 tsp vinegar in 1 cup water and I don't rinse after that.

Hair likes a pH of 4.5-5.5. Here's the pH's of various vinegar dilutions: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2099001&postcount=27

[Arden]

I look at it like this...

ACV is a "fabiric softener"
Some people like having a little bit of that fabric softener left behind
I personally do not

Applying it does the job it's intended to do... adjust the pH....
Leaving it behind doesnt really seem to have much proupose and it kind of smells funny... lol

[Guenever]

I don't rinse.. My hair's a sucker for ACV :)
But then again, I use 4 tbsp in 2 cups of water, so that's way more diluted..

[JLa23]

I would rinse after a 25% vinegar solution, because that's pretty strong. That's what I use on my face, and it tingles, and I rinse it. On my hair, I use 1 tsp vinegar in 1 cup water and I don't rinse after that.

Hair likes a pH of 4.5-5.5. Here's the pH's of various vinegar dilutions: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2099001&postcount=27
Earthnut, thanks for the link on differing vinegar solution pHs as I lacked that info in my earlier post. Do you happen to have a chart for that on apple cider vinegar, or would there be no difference? Definitely will use that to know how much I am working with.

[TheBoldLife]

What is the benefit of ACV over just regular vinegar? I feel like regular vinegar would not tint your hair as much. I also had the question about leaving it on. Glad to know it's drying for a while. Got to get that perfect balance in between oily and apple-y I guess! :shrug:

[Larki]

I use Apple Valley herbal apple cider vinegar rinse and just dump about half the bottle over my hair after showering and never rinse. The smell is gone by the time my hair is dry (although I do love the scent!). I do a rinse about once a month.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I rinse mine out. Thought about not rinsing and I haven't tried it yet.

[marvel-lover]

I do, but that's more because I can't stand the smell of vinegar. I usually leave it in for 10-15 minutes though before I rinse.

[trolleypup]

I use white vinegar, because I don't like the scent of ACV (and it lingers for me). It keeps my scalp happy, and that is all that matters.

What is the benefit of ACV over just regular vinegar? I feel like regular vinegar would not tint your hair as much. I also had the question about leaving it on. Glad to know it's drying for a while. Got to get that perfect balance in between oily and apple-y I guess! :shrug:
I dilute mine around 1:4, and then I do a quick rinse, after which I still have a bit of vinegar scent. If I diluted more, I might not rinse (as much).

I agree that 1:3 is outrageously strong. I use about a tablespoon in a quart of water (30ml in a litre).

And sometimes I kinda rinse it out, sometimes I don't. Never noticed a difference either way.

[Obsidian]

I don't rinse it off but I use a highly diluted ACV rinse.

[Ligeia Noire]

I do not rinse and the smell for me just vanishes in an hour or so....

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I don't rinse mine out but I dilute it 3 tablespoons white vinegar to 1 litre of water.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Maybe I should stop rinsing mine out, hmmm.

[GRU]

I use Apple Valley herbal apple cider vinegar rinse and just dump about half the bottle over my hair after showering and never rinse. The smell is gone by the time my hair is dry (although I do love the scent!). I do a rinse about once a month.

Whoa, that is WAY too much.... a splash of it in a big cup of water is PLENTY!!!!

[JadedByEntropy]

i don't dilute, but i do rinse. and i'm due for a ACV...hmmmm whens wash day? haha

[Larki]

Whoa, that is WAY too much.... a splash of it in a big cup of water is PLENTY!!!!

I've been using it about seven months and never had an issue with it!

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I've been using it about seven months and never had an issue with it!

You must have really really hard water then... when I had stronger mixes it made my hair feel stiff and gross. I use to do 1:3 dilution like the OP and man, did it smell and make my hair goopy.

[Natashap]

If ACV is my final rinse ,for sure.

I never had any smell issues.

[GRU]

I've been using it about seven months and never had an issue with it!

I'm not independently wealthy... if you can afford to waste it like that, more power to you!

But there's no REASON to use it full-strength like that, that's not how it's meant to be used. You're just literally pouring it (and your money) down the drain.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

So I decided to not rinse it out for today's wash, and my hair feels really nice! No frizz. It's bit tangle feeling but I didn't use my usual silicone leave in serum, so I assume that's why. I'm going to try it again in a few days when I wash again and see how it feels. I didn't want to play with it and run the risk of the ACV being left in AND then layering with a silicone serum and ending up with weighed down hair but I think it needs the serum :)

[Siveda]

When I rinse it out, my hair becomes dry. It has a cleaning effect if I rinse it out.

I usually keep it in, then it moisterizes/makes the hair soft.

[lapushka]

Whoa, that is WAY too much.... a splash of it in a big cup of water is PLENTY!!!!

Yes, I was shocked when I read that. Normally I'd say YMMV, but this seems like overkill.

[akurah]

I actually have a spritzer bottle with a 1 to 5 dilution of ACV to water. I use it after workouts to keep my hair less stinky and greasy between washes since I hate washing my hair (laziness). Never had problem with ACV odor persisting, though it does smell like ACV until it dries.

[truepeacenik]

I use Apple Valley herbal apple cider vinegar rinse and just dump about half the bottle over my hair after showering and never rinse. The smell is gone by the time my hair is dry (although I do love the scent!). I do a rinse about once a month.


Whoa, that is WAY too much.... a splash of it in a big cup of water is PLENTY!!!!

Isn't Apple Valkey's rinse already dilute?

I go a bit high with vinegar, let it sit while I do other things for 5-10 min, then condition, so it incidentally gets rinsed.

In a 16 oz bottle, I have roughly three oz vinegar.

[AndreaNOR]

My hair gets weird if I don't rinse it enough after ACV rinse

[Cherriezzzzz]

Oily hair likes a strong acv, dry hair less... it will not hurt your hair either way. It is acid not alkaline, so unless you're applying tons of heat, you're fine. I use a very strong mixture for years. Acv has conditioning effects so it doesn't matter how strong your rinse (or in your case leave in conditioner is.)

[ErinEM]

I have a spritzer bottle, too, and it's probably 1/10 or 2/10 ACV diluted with water. I spray it on the middle and ends of my hair after a shower, when my hair is still fairly wet, and then squeeze the excess water out of my hair. I figure it still leaves some of the ACV in, but not too much (in case the acidity is going to do any damage to my hair instead of balancing the pH).

[enting]

Sometimes I rinse it out, sometimes I don't. Mainly I try to soak my hair in it a bit and then comb my hair out with water running over my hair. It acts like conditioner/detangler for me.

Don't shoot me, but I also use about 1:3 ratio. Our water is very hard. If I leave water in the kettle for more than two days I see sediment settling on the metal inside and i have to scrub it out. I've tried using less but it just felt like plain water to me and my hair. I did take a break from using vinegar rinses for a while just in case it was drying up my hair, but I just started using them again because I missed the detangling properties.

[MidnightMoon]

I'm surprised at how many people don't get hair smelling like vinegar. I always rinse with plenty of water, and it ALWAYS stays. Maybe right after it dries I can't smell it, but at the slightest hint of sweat or being close to it, or brushing after it's been up it definitely smells xD
I usually warn people I friends with because I'm embarrassed they'll notice, and I think I end up washing sooner than needed if I have to meet with someone, so they don't smell it.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I'm surprised at how many people don't get hair smelling like vinegar. I always rinse with plenty of water, and it ALWAYS stays. Maybe right after it dries I can't smell it, but at the slightest hint of sweat or being close to it, or brushing after it's been up it definitely smells xD
I usually warn people I friends with because I'm embarrassed they'll notice, and I think I end up washing sooner than needed if I have to meet with someone, so they don't smell it.

I smell it when I work out, if I sweat I smell it again. Usually after the first sweat, it wont smell again for a few days. The smell does linger, but it doesnt bother me.
Most other people do not notice the smell. I think its an internal thing. We think it smells worse than it actually does because were so use to the scent of ourselves.

[yahirwaO.o]

I rinse because the smell kinda lingers, but I dont mind and it is definetly a personal thing!

[enting]

Dh tells me that my hair smells like sweet pickles while it's still wet. (I guess vinegar+vanilla oil=sweet pickles!) He hates the smell of vinegar in general but hasn't seemed to have any complaints about my dry hair.

[mermaid_pranu]

I used to keep it in my hair, but I observed that over time it started lightening my hair. so now I wash it out with water after 3-4mins. but when I did keep it in, the smell never lingered.

[hobbitlocks]

I keep mine in. I use probably a tablespoon in a short two cups of water and use it as a final rinse in the shower. I've never noticed the smell lingering (and no one has ever said anything!). I mostly bike everywhere, so my scalp gets a little sweaty frequently and even then I don't notice it.

I wonder why it sticks for some and not others. Is it porosity or dilution or maybe something to do with the water we're mixing it with? I almost wish this thread were a poll...

[spidermom]

When I stayed at my father's house where the water is hard, I had to use white vinegar to keep my hair from looking dull and feeling "tacky". I was using maybe 1 tablespoon in a pitcher of water, and it helped a lot, but the smell always, but ALWAYS, lingered even though I'd rinse-rinse-rinse after pouring the vinegar solution through my hair and follow that with rinse-out conditioner.

I don't use vinegar here where the water is soft. I've tried it, and it made my hair frizzy and fly-away to an insane degree.

[gthlvrmx]

I was watching one of Dr Pimple Poppers videos on youtube and she mentioned that a cyst she was working on had scar tissue and calcium or hardened a bit. Turns out it was because the patient tried using ACV on it and leaving it on overnight with a bandage.

Always dilute and might be best to rinse it off.