Washing Hair with Apple Cider Vinegar Side Effects

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By Amelia Varley

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We often found people worried about Washing Hair with Apple Cider Vinegar Side Effects. You may not know, but some of the best beauty products are sitting right in front of you. For increasing the beauty of hair, the solution can also be apple cider vinegar. Yup, you may have apple cider vinegar at home.

Apple cider vinegar is a famous condiment. It is made from fermented apples. ACV has many uses, and one of the uses is related to hair. ACV can strengthen hair in many ways and can improve scalp health.

What Happens if I wash my hair with apple cider vinegar?

If you wash your hair with ACV, you’ll see amazing results:

  • Just like everything else, the hair also has a pH range. When the pH range of hair goes higher than the normal range, or it becomes too alkaline, your hair will get frizzy, dull and lifeless. This may happen because of the shampoos that you use. Shampoos have high pH (above 7), and this means they will increase the pH of your scalp. This is where ACV enters the picture. Luckily, ACV contains a good amount of acetic acid. When you will wash your hair with apple cider vinegar, it will lower the pH- bringing hair back into balance.
  • Your scalp accompanies bacteria and fungi. Although, they are not harmful, sometimes, they do cause dandruff and itchiness, and this is something you would want to avoid.
  • Apple cider vinegar is a renowned home disinfectant that can effectively control bacteria and fungi on the scalp.
  • Compared to regular shampoos, apple cider vinegar is more acidic. This means, if you wash your hair with ACV, it will help in exfoliating dead skin cells. Besides this, ACV can handsomely lessen greasiness at the root, making it perfect for oily hair.
  • ACV can also help in stimulating hair growth as it can increase blood circulation to hair follicles.

How to wash hair with apple cider vinegar?

Pick a raw, unfiltered brand of apple cider vinegar. Before you begin, shake the bottle.

  • You can rinse your hair with ACV on unwashed hair or right after shampooing your hair.
  • Mix water with raw apple cedar vinegar (1 tablespoon of ACV and 3 tablespoons of water).
  • From roots to ends, apply the mixture all over the wet hair or damp. Start massaging your scalp for exfoliation purposes and to stimulate blood circulation.
  • Allow the ACV and water mixture to sit on your hair for about 3-4 minutes. After 3-4 minutes have passed, rinse your hair thoroughly.
  • We recommend that you go with ACV treatment after every two weeks.

Is it safe to wash hair with apple cider vinegar?

Rinsing hair with apple cider vinegar is all about bringing hair back into balance. Make sure you don’t rinse hair with an excessive amount of ACV, and this is because apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid (mild acid). An excessive quantity of ACV may irritate or burn the skin.

Before applying apple cider vinegar directly to the skin, dilute it with water. Apple cider vinegar is acidic, and that is why if you apply it to the scalp without diluting it, you might suffer mild burns. Even after diluting, if you still face burns, then dilute it even more.

Also, make sure ACV doesn’t come in contact with your eyes. If this happens, apply cold water to the eyes.

Washing hair with apple cider vinegar is completely safe if you follow the above guidelines.

What are the side effects of washing hair with apple cider vinegar?

So, you are thinking to wash your hair with apple cider vinegar, but you are also worried about side effects?

Don’t worry about side effects because there are no side effects of rinsing hair with ACV, unless if you don’t follow the safety guidelines that we have explained above. Yes, before applying apple cider vinegar to the scalp, if you have diluted it with water, there won’t be any side effects.

Make sure the ratio is 1:3 (1 tablespoon of ACV and 3 tablespoons of water). You can increase the water tablespoons from 3 to 4 if you are facing irritation with 3 tablespoons.

Can you leave apple cider vinegar on your hair?

You can let apple cider vinegar stay on your hair for about 3-4 minutes to soak in. Once 3-4 minutes have passed, thoroughly wash your hair.

Who should wash hair with apple cider vinegar?

If your hair is going through dehydration or frizz, you should rinse it with ACV.

Additionally, if you have lifeless hair with too much product buildup, rinse the hair ACV. Apple cider vinegar can effectively remove the heavy layers that are on the hair strands.

People who have dry hair can rinse their hair with apple cider vinegar, however, if dryness worsens, discontinue using ACV and go for a quality hair conditioner instead.

Apple cider vinegar is not suited for all types of scalps. It should be noted that if you have a sensitive scalp or there are wounds on your scalp, don’t apply ACV as it might increase sensitivity. Although, if you still want to apply ACV, then make sure you use a very little amount of it or double the water quantity to dilute it even further.

Final words

In this apple cider vinegar article, we tried to explain the connection of ACV with hair.

Besides being a remedy for multiple health problems, apple cider vinegar is beneficial for your hair as well. Make sure you notice the status of your hair after every time rinsing it with apple cider vinegar. If you notice fruitful results, continue using ACV once every two weeks or once a month.  If you feel like results aren’t satisfying, discontinue rinsing hair with ACV.

Just remember that ACV is not the only solution for dull hair. There are various other treatments for hair. For example, you can also go with dry shampoos, dry conditioners, etc.   

You can also read the followings:

Dry Shampoo Vs Dry Conditioner

About the author

Amelia Varley
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I am Amelia Varley, a blogger, and beautician. Here you can see my skills which give you small ideas on understanding all the concepts with different themes. I love to write blogs on different topics, like health, beauty, home décor, Automotive, Business, Food, Lifestyle, etc.

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