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When it comes to cupboard remedies for scalp and hair issues, apple cider vinegar is a lifesaver for overly greasy hair. Drinking apple cider vinegar has a hole host of benefits for your health like helping manage blood sugar levels, killing harmful bacteria, and improving skin health, but its benefits for an oily scalp when applied to the scalp are popular and for good reason.
I’m a big proponent of the apple cider vinegar rinse, having done it myself regularly when I was trying to reduce my hair’s oiliness. At the time I was washing my hair everyday to keep my hair from looking greasy since I couldn’t go 24 hours without having to wash. An apple cider vinegar really transformed my scalp, allowing me to more than double the time I could go between washes, so it’s an incredible way to give your scalp a shake-up if you are battling with greasy hair.
Like any good at-home hair treatment though, you want to make sure you’re doing it correctly so you can reap the maximum benefits without causing any irritation or creating new hair issues.
Apple cider vinegar’s benefits for hair include making hair shinier, stronger, and less frizzy as well as exfoliating the scalp to reduce dandruff, and cleansing the scalp of excess oil and product buildup. It’s high acidity makes it a good deep cleanser for the scalp and hair while its pH-balancing effects close open cuticles and make hair smoother.
Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apples and is high in hair-healthy nutrients like B vitamins and vitamin C.
Apple cider vinegar is highly acidic and if not diluted can cause your scalp to become irritated or itchy. You’ll want to dilute in water before apply to your scalp or hair.
A good rule of thumb is 5 parts water for ever 1 part of apple cider vinegar. When preparing an apple cider vinegar rinse, use 4 tablespoons with 16 ounces of water.
Some like to put the mixture in a spray bottle so they can spray it all over their head, while others advocate simply pouring it all over your head. Either way is fine, just make sure your hair is evenly coated in the mixture.
When your hair is every coated in the mixture, let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Then rinse out thoroughly. Once you’ve rinsed out the mixture, you can condition your hair as normal.
It’s best to use shampoo BEFORE you use apple cider vinegar on your hair. Because apple cider vinegar closes the cuticle, it’s acting as a lightweight conditioner for your hair.
Also because apple cider vinegar works as a clarifying treatment, it helps remove any residue that might be left on your scalp from the shampoo.
Since apple cider vinegar is a fairly gentle treatment, it can be used frequently. If you have an oily scalp, two to three times a week should help to control your oil without leading to any dryness. You can also use a rinse along with a clarifying shampoo for an extra deep cleanse.
If you have dry hair, limit an apple cider vinegar rinse to just once a week as too frequent use can lead to dryer hair and the acidity can cause your hair to become brassier.
Apple cider vinegar is gentle enough for most people to use, but if you have very dry or damaged hair it can cause your hair to become even drier leading to hair that is brittle as well as breakage.
This is the apple cider vinegar I used (mixed with water) for an easy at-home rinse. You may have this already in your cupboard as I did, but another apple cider vinegar brand will work great as well.
I tried this popular dpHue product a year ago and loved this as a shampoo replacement that is also great for protecting hair color from fading. You can use daily if you feel you need it, and I loved that I could get the benefits of an apple cider vinegar rinse without battling the slight smell of apple cider vinegar that was sometimes left on my hair.
This R+Co cleansing rinse leaves hair incredibly soft and smelling amazing, which are two great reasons to upgrade your apple cider vinegar rinse to a specially formulated product like this. It can be used daily and is especially great for those with natural or curly hair.
This rinse with apple cider vinegar and micellar water (good for cleaning your scalp) comes in a convenient spray bottle for mess-free application. It also contains green tea extract to slow aging in the hair and inflammation.
An apple cider vinegar rinse is gentle enough to be used frequently but powerful enough to give your hair softness and shine, as well as reform your greasy scalp. I like to do a rinse whenever my hair is feeling heavier than usual and needs an extra deep cleanse. And the great thing is you can do this easily at home with products you might already have in your pantry!
