A vinegar rinse as the name suggests is simply rinsing your hair with vinegar. This is usually done after washing your hair, and is excellent for combating the unwanted effects of hard water.
Hard water is any water containing an appreciable quantity of dissolved minerals, compared to soft water which is treated water in which the only mineral is sodium. You can usually tell when water is hard because soap doesn’t lather very well in it, and it leaves streak marks and stains on the shower heads, taps, sink, etc. over time. Hard water is not necessarily bad for you, in fact, some natural mineral waters are highly sought for their flavor and the health benefits they may confer.
So why are we avoiding hard water?
Extremely hard water may shorten the life of plumbing and lessen the effectiveness of certain cleaning agents, and it has the same effect on our hair, just like many of the hair care products we use, such as bleaches, hair colors, and permanents which are strongly alkaline.
Vinegar is a well known acid that is used in cooking, body care and first aid. There are many different types of vinegar depending on its source, like Apple Cider or White Distilled Vinegar, the best and easiest to get here would be Apple Cider Vinegar which is organic and hence, at its best. Rinsing your hair with vinegar will help balance the pH of your hair and remove the buildup that can result from the use of hard water, styling products and low quality shampoos.
Rinsing will also close the numerous cuticle scales, which cover and protect the surface of each hair shaft. This imparts a smoother surface, which reflects more light and as a result leaves your hair shinier, smoother and easier to manage.
There is usually a slight vinegar smell you will notice after rinsing, but it will disappear completely as your hair dries.
Vinegar Rinse Recipe
Make your own healthy vinegar hair rinse by mixing 1/3 of a cup (75 ml) of vinegar into a quart (1 liter) of water. You can then store this mixture in a glass bottle and keep it in the shower, ready for use.
If you would like to prepare a smaller batch of this vinegar hair rinse recipe to experiment with, try mixing 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of vinegar into 1 cup (250 ml) of warm filtered tap water.
Apply the vinegar rinse after shampooing and then rinse it all out. Or for extra conditioning, you can leave the rinse in your hair. I would advise that you do this weekly or alternate weeks after your Deep Conditioning treatment.
Image Credits
- kifecoco.com