If you’re a hair care enthusiast, you know some powerhouse ingredients act like superheroes to our tresses.
Some are continuously touted by haircare enthusiasts and trichologists, while others do not get the love and attention they deserve.
However, these ingredients come to the rescue and restore life to your hair in a matter of seconds.
One of those formidable haircare ingredients is apple cider vinegar, or as the masses refer to it, ACV.
The popular opinion on this powerhouse ingredient is that it’s the go-to for busting love handles or making a healthy salad dressing.
Still, recent studies show that the buzzy ingredient resets your hair when your mane is whacky.
To find out more about this killer DIY hair rinse, keep reading as we bring you everything about apple cider vinegar for hair.
What is Apple Cider Vinegar?
Even though it’s not a fascinating formulation, apple cider vinegar is made from apple juice combined with yeast (fermented apple juice).
The addition of the yeast transforms natural sugars into alcohol, thus triggering the formation of apple cider vinegar. This is also what gives ACV its funky acidic scent and zesty flavor.
And while it might seem like the most credible haircare ingredient, the fermentation process leaves ACV with a chock-full of antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties that blast dandruff, tackle frizz, flakes, and itchiness, and help get rid of product buildup.
Why Use It On Your Hair?
While we are not suggesting you move all the vinegar into your bathroom, here’s why it needs to be part of your wash-day routine.
Gets Rid Of Product Build Up
Most people wash their hair at least once a week.
However, between washes, they may use dry shampoos, moose, oils, or even gel to keep the hair looking presentable.
The use of all these products, even with regular washes, causes product buildup on your scalp and hair shafts.
Using an ACV rinse regularly strips this product buildup allowing your scalp to breathe and giving you a lighter, healthier mane of hair.
Fights Frizz
The powerhouse ingredient helps smoothen hair and keep frizz at bay, making it the best treatment option for individuals with curly and textured hair.
Helps Rebalance Scalp ph
To have healthy hair, you need to take care of your scalp.
For your mane to flourish, your scalp needs to retain a ph of between four and five.
Anything higher or lower than that can be problematic as it allows various bacteria and fungi to flourish.
ACV is acidic, and using it in your shampoo or as a rinse, allows you to rebalance your scalp ph.
ACV Detangles
If your hair keeps entangling, anecdotal evidence shows that ACV and a wide-tooth comb can be helpful.
Antimicrobial and Antifungal Properties
Various conditions can make your scalp an ideal environment for various bacteria and fungi.
Some of these can cause chronic, and dare we say, embarrassing problems like dandruff.
As mentioned, ACV offers antimicrobial and antifungal properties, which as studies show, help manage scalp infections, dandruff, and itchiness.
Curl Definition
While some people are all for bone straight hair, most people learn to embrace and even flaunt their natural curl patterns.
Your hair can’t be weighed down with products to achieve this properly.
The clarifying effect brought upon when you use ACV makes it a lot easier to determine and naturally style your curls.
The alkaline nature of this vinegar is also crucial in tamping down frizzy hair.
Boosts Hair Volume
ACV isn’t a cure for hair loss and won’t magically make your lock grow overnight.
However, when your hair isn’t weighed down by product buildup and your natural curls are popping, it’ll look more voluminous.
How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is acidic. That being said, it isn’t advisable to take the bottle and dump it straight onto your hair.
To properly incorporate this ingredient into your routine, you can either:
• Dilute it using water (five parts water and one part ACV) and then spray it onto your hair. You can let this sit on your head for about 5 minutes and then proceed to rinse it off.
• You can opt to make a hair mask using ACV and Bentonite clay. Once in a paste, you apply this to your hair and let it sit for about 30 minutes. This will allow you to benefit from the clarifying effects of both the clay and the vinegar.
• You can mix a bit of the ACV with your shampoo and then proceed and wash your hair as usual.
• Purchase ready-made products containing ACV. There are currently several shampoos, conditioners, hair rinses, and hair masks that contain ACV and are available on the market.
Tips to Remember
Apple cider vinegar is perfectly safe to use on your hair and skin.
You need to keep in mind that you need less of the product if you have dry hair than someone with oily hair.
This will prevent it from overly stripping your hair of the natural oils.
Additionally, it’s advisable to use a more diluted version for the first-time use of the product on your skin.
That way, you can tell how your scalp reacts to the product.
If you have abrasions or wounds of any sort on your scalp, it’s best to stay away from ACV as it’ll more likely than not irritate your skin.
