Apple cider vinegar has been praised for its powerful abilities to enhance our health. Some health benefits of apple cider vinegar include:
- Lowers blood sugar levels and fights diabetes
- Increases feelings of fullness and in turn helps you lose weight
- Lowers cholesterol and reduces your risk of heart disease
- Can be protective against cancer by slowing the growth of cancer cells and shrinking tumors
- Its antibiotic properties treat heartburn and acid reflux
In addition to being consumed internally, apple cider vinegar can be used externally to treat various bodily conditions, such as skin tags, eczema, and warts. Moreover, ACV can be used as part of your beauty care regimen, especially for improving the health of your hair.
Choosing an Apple Cider Vinegar
Choosing a bottle of apple cider vinegar requires as much care as buying produce. Naturallivingideas.com shares their insight on choosing the right brand:
“You’ll find a large variety of apple cider vinegar brands in supermarkets and health stores. However, not all of these confer health and beauty benefits.
“When selecting an ACV brand, you may be drawn to the more attractive, clear vinegars over the cloudy ones. But these clear vinegars have been pasteurized, losing many of their health benefits.
“To make sure you’re getting the good stuff, purchase only those vinegars that are labeled organic, raw and unfiltered. These tend to be cloudy, and have a sediment in the bottom, known as ‘The Mother‘– which contains all the bacteria and enzymes that make this product so powerful.”
Here are 10 ways to use apple cider vinegar to add volume, shine, and strength to your locks.
1. Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse for Dandruff
The acetic acid in apple cider vinegar is a potent antimicrobial which can kill bacteria and fungus, common underlying causes of dandruff and hair loss, making it a fantastic natural cure.
An ACV rinse is also a good preventative regimen – by maintaining the natural pH of your scalp, you’ll be creating a hostile environment for the fungus and bacteria that cause these issues.
Rinsing even once a week with an apple cider vinegar mixture has brought relief to many dandruff sufferers and prevented further flaking.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of water
- 3 or 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Instructions:
- Blend one cup of water with the apple cider vinegar to make your rinse.
- After you have shampooed and thoroughly rinsed your hair, slowly pour the mixture over your entire scalp, allowing it to run down the length of your hair (being careful not to get it in your eyes).
- Massage the mixture into your scalp, which will also serve to stimulate circulation and hair growth.
- After one to two minutes, rinse out the vinegar.
Repeat this process anywhere from once a month to twice a week – although once weekly is recommended for most hair and scalp issues.
If you’re concerned that you’ll smell like a pickle after this rinse, don’t be! Once your hair dries, the vinegar smell will disappear.
2. Head Lice Treatment
Lice infestations are very contagious and are characterized by intense itching caused by an allergic reaction to a toxin in the saliva of the lice. Nits or lice eggs are fairly small and can be pearly to gray in color.Advertisement
Many commercial lice preparations aretoxic (many contain pesticides). In its place, try the following herbal head lice treatment described in the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine that uses all natural hair care products:
Ingredients:
- 3 parts olive oil
- 1 part lavender essential oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- natural shampoo
Materials:
- Shower cap
- Fine-tooth comb
Instructions:
- Carefully brush the child’s head with a mixture of 3 parts olive oil and 1 part lavender essential oil.
- First, apply to a small area to test for allergic sensitivity or skin reaction.
- The hair should be saturated with the olive oil mixture and a shower cap put on for 5 hours.
- The olive oil clogs the breathing pores of the lice and they can’t hold their breath for more than 4 hours.
- Follow this by an apple cider vinegar rinse, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ACV added to 1 cup (250 ml) water, to unglue the nits from the hair.
- Then, using a fine-tooth comb, parents should comb the child’s hair meticulously to remove the lice eggs from the hair shaft.
- And finally, wash the child’s hair with a natural shampoo.
- Once completed, check the child’s hair every other day for the next 10 days, and if needed repeat the treatment.
3. Shiny Hair
Apple cider vinegar can act as a clarifying step to remove any product buildup and get rid of the brassy look of damaged hair. Apply five drops of vinegar (mixed with cold water in a bowl) on hair and scalp after you’ve thoroughly rinsed out your conditioner. Then leave the ACV rinse in to help give your strands extra shine.
4. Hair Thickener
Not only is apple cider vinegar great for adding volume to your hair instantly, but with continued use it will also promote hair growth and decrease hair breakage due to its rich source of vitamins and nutrients.
After you wash your hair, take 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and pour it over your hair as a hair rinse. Do not rinse it out with water, leave it in your hair and dry as usual. The apple cider vinegar is full of nutrients and it helps balance the pH levels of your scalp. After you dry your hair you will see it will have instantly more volume. This is because the vinegar removes the build-up of residue on your hair.
5. Hair Detangler
No one likes a head full of tangled hair. Those pesky tangles are caused when the outer layer of your hair, aka the cuticle, becomes damaged and opens up. Unlike a smooth, closed cuticle that’s healthy, the open layers of the cuticle become snagged on each other, resulting in tangles and knots in your hair. The more damaged the cuticle is, the worse the tangles. To remedy this, hair detanglers have become a popular step in hair care.
According to expert chemist Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., “Although there are many possible ingredients in hair detangler, they all work by altering the surface of your hair. Hair detangler is a type of hair conditioner that smooths your hair by coating it with an oil or polymer and/or by acidifying it so that the hair’s surface tightens up, smoothing the scales on the hair’s outer surface or cuticle and imparting a positive electrical charge to prevent the static that can worsen tangles.”Advertisement
Unfortunately, this approach only makes the hair “look” healthy – in reality, it’s doing the exact opposite. Silicone blocks moisture from reaching the hair shaft, which can cause strands to become dry and brittle over time.” Other polymers such as dimethicone have similar effects.
This all-natural recipe offers an alternative to the synthetic polymers mentioned by Dr. Helmenstine.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup distilled water (or water that has been boiled and cooled)
- 1 teaspoon jojoba or olive oil
- Up to 30 drops essential oil (optional – see suggestions listed below)
Adding Essential Oils to Your Detangler
Here are some suggestions that are safe for both you and your kids:
- Lemon essential oils smell amazing and is helpful for balancing oily hair. Depending on how much you use and how often it may lighten your hair – some people use it to create natural-looking highlights.
- Patchouli and tea tree also have astringent properties which are beneficial for oily hair
- Chamomile and lavender are helpful for dry hair
Instructions:
- If you’re using essential oils, add them to the apple cider vinegar allow it to sit for a few minutes.
- Add the oil and stir vigorously, then add the water. I use 1/3 cup because we have hard water. Hard water is alkaline and therefore counteracts the acidity of the apple cider vinegar (ACV) – for that reason, I keep the concentration of ACV pretty high in my solution. You may find that a more diluted version works well for you – add water as needed.
How to Use
This recipe works best as a leave-in conditioner applied after shampoo. Shake well before using then spritz thoroughly onto hair. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes, then comb through using a wide-tooth comb.
Shelf life
I have never had a batch go bad, but because it doesn’t contain any preservatives I store mine in the fridge and use within four to six weeks.
6. Conditioner
This homemade conditioner recipe is awesome! It helps to restore the hair’s natural pH, thus re-hydrating the hair! The result is soft, luscious and healthy hair!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 10 drops of essential oils
- Customize Your Conditioner: [Rosemary or sage essential oils for all types of hair] [Lemon, bergamot, or tea tree essential oils for oily hair] [Lavender, sandalwood or geranium essential oils for dry hair or dandruff]
- BPA-free plastic bottles or Glass bottle with dispenser
Instructions:
- Mix ingredients together in 8oz spray bottle
- Shake bottle before using and then spray hair
- Leave in hair for 5 minutes then rinse
7. Oily Hair
Fungus is naturally found on the scalp and is called Malassezia. But even though it’s a naturally occurring fungus, when it grows out of control, it can cause your scalp to get oily and irritated.
Fortunately, apple cider vinegar has the ability to kill fungus and bacteria, it makes a great home remedy for oily hair. In fact, ACV is one of the most popular natural remedies out there, but you don’t need much as too much vinegar can be harsh on the scalp and hair.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions:
- Simply dilute the apple cider vinegar in a cup of water, and then put it on your hair.
- A spray bottle may make it easier, just make sure you get it into the roots and scalp.
- Rinse after two to three minutes.
- Apply two or three times a week.
8. Smooth, Soft Hair
Apple cider vinegar removes clumpy residue and gunk in your hair from product buildup. When used regularly in your natural hair care routine, apple cider vinegar can revitalize your hair, leaving it soft and smooth.
Ingredients:
- 1 part apple cider vinegar
- 1 part water
Instructions:
- To revive your hair to its days of smoothness, mix the apple cider vinegar and water together.
- After shampooing, pour the mixture into your hair.
- If you have a spray bottle, that works even better. That way you can spritz your hair with the mixture and massage it into your scalp.
- Let the apple cider vinegar concoction sit for a few minutes before rinsing fully with water. No need to use conditioner!
- The apple cider vinegar will leave hair feeling smooth and soft.
9. Itchy Scalp
There are many commercial hair-care products that have a negative effect on the hair, leaving it dry and brittle. This can result in itchiness. Our hair has an ideal pH of 4 to 5. The acidity of this ACV rinse can help maintain the pH balance of your hair and remove buildup at the same time without stripping the hair of its natural oils. ACV has antibacterial and antifungal properties that help treat itchy, dry scalp.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons ACV
Instructions:
- In a spray bottle mix two tablespoons ACV with one cup water (use the same ratio if you prepare a larger quantity, something like 1/3 cup of ACV mixed with one liter of water). Some references use higher concentration of ACV because oily hair likes more ACV than dry hair. Start from the lower dilution and experiment to find the dilution that works best for your hair type.
- After shampooing apply the ACV rinse, massaging into your hair and scalp. Leave for a couple of minutes.
- Then rinse your hair thoroughly. You don’t need to use a conditioner.
Don’t get the rinse into your eyes as it will sting. As your hair is drying, you may smell vinegar, but once your hair dries, the smell will disappear.
Do this treatment once or twice a week.
10. Hair Loss
Apple cider vinegar can treat clogged hair follicles due to a bacterial infection that creates crusty flakes on the scalp (which can result in hair loss). Livestrong.com also mentions an article published in 2002 stating that ACV stimulates better circulation to the hair follicles, which strengthens the hair roots and promotes healthy hair growth.
For an effective apple cider vinegar hair loss treatment, apply the same solution as the one above.