new thread
I've been reading a lot of posts lately about washing the scalp with apple cider vinegar to restore the pH levels. I think my hair needs this sort of treatment.
Does anyone know a good recipe for the vinegar solution? I'd hate to use too much vinegar or not dilute it enough and destroy my scalp.
Thanks a lot.
maybe google for apple cider vinegar dandruff?!
anyway, here goes:
Take one teaspoonful of apple cider vinegar mixed with a glassful of water - dip your comb into the solution and comb the hair thoroughly until saturated. This should be performed fifteen minutes or so before actually washing the hair. This treatment also helps with the elimination of dandruff.
good luck!
-vincent
I use vinegar in quite a different way than Vincent, and possible a different way than you are thinking of because I do not "wash" with it, I use it in conjunction with shampoo. I mix about a tablespoon of vinegar in about a quart of water and use it to rinse my hair after shampoo/rinse, but before using conditioner. I dip the ends of my clean, wet hair in the cup, then pour it over my head and work it through. Rinse well, then use conditioner and rinse as usual. I do this about every 2 weeks or so.
The vinegar restores pH to a more normal level from the alkalinity of the shampoo, and also clarifies the hair of any chemical build-up from conditioner and styling product.
Since most of the water in the US is hard water (high pH), and since hair prefers and requires low pH for optimum health, shine and strength, doing a vinegar rinse AFTER washing and conditioning your hair is the best way to restore low pH and have great-looking, healthy hair.
Notice I say it's a "rinse," not a wash. Shampoos raise pH, so do this after you shampoo and condition as usual. After you rinse out the conditioner, use 1/4 part apple cider vinegar (ACV) to 1 part water, and either carefully, slowly pour it over your hair, making sure to drench the scalp as well as the hair, or apply it using a spritzer bottle or old conditioner bottle that has the flip-type of dispenser (I like old Aubrey Organics bottles for this). Rinse after it sits in your hair for a minute or two, at most.
How long and thick your hair is makes a big difference in how much you require of the mixture, which is why I say "part" and not "cup" or "tablespoon." If your hair is long and thick, use the former, but if you're just starting growing short hair long, then of course you don't need to waste good ingredients down the drain. I like the idea of combing the mixture thru short hair.
ACV won't harm your scalp or hair even at full strength, but it can sting if you've scrubbed your scalp especially vigorously! Also, full strength is a waste, if you can get equal results mixing with water.
If you don't like the smell, which is quite strong, and fear people might take you for a salad, try adding a few drops of some essential oil that you can get from head shops. A little goes a long way.
What the ACV rinse does is close down the hair's cuticle (outer, shingle-like overlapping layer), so the "shingles" lay flat and neatly on each other, rather than being open (caused by shampoos - high pH), which is rough and causes all sorts of catching on other strands, which results in tangles and possible breakage. When the cuticle is closed, it also is able to hold in the healthful moisture and/or oils from conditioning, which increases hair strength. Plus, a smooth cuticle is shiny and smooth to look at. It can minimize frizziness, too.
Doing a post-wash ACV will not harm your hair unless you have naturally soft water or a water conditioner, in which cases you don't need to restore the low pH, as simple rinsing will close down the cuticle. Also, you can mechanically close down the cuticle (rather than using ACV, which is chemical) by doing your final rinse with cold water, but since lowering the actual pH is best for the hair, and doing this is quite inexpensive, it's worth it. You can even do both.
JE