Final acidic rinses - coffee in place of vinegar?

[school of fish]

So... for the last 4 months or so I've been using a very diluted acv rinse every day after washing (I'm a daily washer, alternating between s&c and co). It's been as close to a holy grail practice as I've found for my routine, really cutting down on piecey ends, helping enormously with dry detangling and giving great shine

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the scent. I had been putting a few drops of rosemary essential oil in with the vinegar to impart a more herbal scent but even so the effect has been more 'astringent' than I like, even after my hair dries. So the last 10 days or so I've been replacing the acv with coffee (yes I know about citric acid/miracle water but I drink coffee every morning before hopping in the shower so, you know... it's just easy ).

So far the coffee is having almost the same effect as the acv rinse - perhaps a touch less slip when combing out damp but otherwise similar good effects. The main downside is that I'll get dried coffee marks on my tub if I don't rinse that off after my shower, but there are worse fates I suppose, haha! There's a trace of coffee scent left in my hair after drying that I love, it's warm and to my nose nicer than the traces of acv/rosemary I had before. I've been misting my hair with rosewater throughout the day and the blend of coffee and roses is beautiful!

Just wanted to know if anyone else rinses with coffee instead of another acid like vinegar/lemon/citric acid, and if so has it worked for you over time? Any issues arise? I've searched the forum and found most coffee rinse threads were more about caffeine for growth (and no, I haven't noticed any accelerated growth from the caffeine, haha!). Would love to hear your experiences

Thanks all!

[LoneStarfruit]

So... for the last 4 months or so I've been using a very diluted acv rinse every day after washing (I'm a daily washer, alternating between s&c and co). It's been as close to a holy grail practice as I've found for my routine, really cutting down on piecey ends, helping enormously with dry detangling and giving great shine

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the scent. I had been putting a few drops of rosemary essential oil in with the vinegar to impart a more herbal scent but even so the effect has been more 'astringent' than I like, even after my hair dries. So the last 10 days or so I've been replacing the acv with coffee (yes I know about citric acid/miracle water but I drink coffee every morning before hopping in the shower so, you know... it's just easy ).

So far the coffee is having almost the same effect as the acv rinse - perhaps a touch less slip when combing out damp but otherwise similar good effects. The main downside is that I'll get dried coffee marks on my tub if I don't rinse that off after my shower, but there are worse fates I suppose, haha! There's a trace of coffee scent left in my hair after drying that I love, it's warm and to my nose nicer than the traces of acv/rosemary I had before. I've been misting my hair with rosewater throughout the day and the blend of coffee and roses is beautiful!

Just wanted to know if anyone else rinses with coffee instead of another acid like vinegar/lemon/citric acid, and if so has it worked for you over time? Any issues arise? I've searched the forum and found most coffee rinse threads were more about caffeine for growth (and no, I haven't noticed any accelerated growth from the caffeine, haha!). Would love to hear your experiences

Thanks all!

I too hated ACV... maybe I could have put up with it but GF absolutely hates it lol, and even on dry hair I noticed a scent. Regular distilled/white vinegar was no better, but I now use a really strong citric acid rinse instead (hard water = the more acidic, the better in my case...) and have noticed no issues. I'd use coffee but I worry that over time it'd stain my hair (dark blonde with a few highlights growing out), though I love the idea! Must smell amazing. I can say I've never gotten decent enough slip with any acidic rinse (ACV, distilled vinegar, or citric acid), no matter how strong, as compared to conditioner, but perhaps it's not really fair to compare...

[bunneh.]

I guess coffee should be okay if you dilute it and/or rinse it out with water afterwards. I have read that caffeine in coffee can inhibit hair growth in large quantities, so I would personally not leave coffee on my head especially if it's strong.

[school of fish]

I guess coffee should be okay if you dilute it and/or rinse it out with water afterwards. I have read that caffeine in coffee can inhibit hair growth in large quantities, so I would personally not leave coffee on my head especially if it's strong.

It is indeed very diluted - I do leave it on as the final rinse just as I used to do with the acv rinse (also used that super-diluted - we're talking maybe a 1/2tsp in 8oz of cold water), because my hair really seems to like that tiny bit of acid left on. No idea if it's a ph thing or a cuticle-closing thing or what - all I know is it makes my hair look and behave better once dry

I've always been fortunate in that my scalp is a happy and hardy beast, pretty much regardless of what I put on it. I've put ginger in my henna for YEARS with no ill effect, CO right up to my scalp with no problem, have never suffered any SD or dandruff issues, have no trouble with sls and cones (in fact my hair seems to do better with both)... even my pregnancies didn't produce the classic thickness/shed cycle!

Of course I'm watching both hair and scalp carefully for any signs of upset, but truth told I do that anyway even when I don't change my routine, haha!

I had also read about the potential for growth stall in the caffeine & growth experiment threads, so of course I'm keeping an eye out but quite honestly my hair seems to grow consistently 1/2 an inch a month regardless of season, topical treatment, care or neglect - I'm grateful for that and try not to take it for granted

[school of fish]

I too hated ACV... maybe I could have put up with it but GF absolutely hates it lol, and even on dry hair I noticed a scent. Regular distilled/white vinegar was no better, but I now use a really strong citric acid rinse instead (hard water = the more acidic, the better in my case...) and have noticed no issues. I'd use coffee but I worry that over time it'd stain my hair (dark blonde with a few highlights growing out), though I love the idea! Must smell amazing. I can say I've never gotten decent enough slip with any acidic rinse (ACV, distilled vinegar, or citric acid), no matter how strong, as compared to conditioner, but perhaps it's not really fair to compare...

I can understand about you not wanting to risk changing your colour over time - since I'm already pretty dark I doubt it would make much difference on mine. That colour you see on my signature pic actually isn't accurate - I'm actually VERY close in colour to bunneh who's also replied to this thread

The scent is indeed gorgeous, which really the reason I'm trying this little experiment I'm at the point in my hair journey where I really know what my hair likes and any adjustments I'm making are just to make my routine more aesthetic or to streamline my methods for the sake of efficiency

To be clear, I use the acidic rinse in *addition* to conditioner, I condition every single day - I too need that slip The coffee is my final rinse, and it doesn't get rinsed off with water.

I do think I want to give the citric acid a try, probably once the crush of the holidays is over. Wondering if I'm going to miss the coffee smell though....

[lapushka]

Why not try a citric acid rinse (lemon juice)? One teaspoon in a liter of water should do the trick.

[school of fish]

Why not try a citric acid rinse (lemon juice)? One teaspoon in a liter of water should do the trick.

Yes lapushka I think maybe I'll give lemon juice a go as well - the dilution you're suggesting isn't likely to be drying or lightening I think Thanks!

[lapushka]

Yes lapushka I think maybe I'll give lemon juice a go as well - the dilution you're suggesting isn't likely to be drying or lightening I think Thanks!

You can even try more water if you think it's going to be too heavy. 2 liters or more of water to the one teaspoon might not be too bad to first try it.

[chen bao jun]

I had heard that coffee oil made your hair grow faster. I've been using that. Now I hear that it causes stalls (which I definitely don't need, I'm a slow grower?)

wow.

[school of fish]

I had heard that coffee oil made your hair grow faster. I've been using that. Now I hear that it causes stalls (which I definitely don't need, I'm a slow grower?)

wow.

We've read the same threads And yes, I've noted the same - cases for accelerated growth and stall alike...

In my case I'm not too fussed about the coffee interfering with growth because my own growth rate is so doggedly consistent no matter what I do, but I'm certainly keeping track just in case. If your growth is naturally slow and/or affected by ingredients then I definitely think it's wise to be taking a more cautious approach

It does seem that for every study that reports success of a given theory, there's another one that refutes it, doesn't it? With regards to non-mainstream hair care we end up having to rely on a fair share of anecdotal evidence and being judicious of the sources of info...