Transition 4: Conditioner vs. Vinegar Rinse

I mentioned last time that after I started using a shampoo bar I needed a conditioner that was lighter than a commercial conditioner. I ended up trying a vinegar hair rinse. I've wanted to try this out since I was in middle school and read about it. I was always wary of ruining my hair and never really got around to actually trying it.

First I used just plain apple cider vinegar diluted in water at about 1 tbsp of vinegar in a cup of water. I've got some rosemary vinegar getting ready to use now. I poured it over my hair after washing and left it in. You can put it in a spray bottle and spritz your hair or rinse it out for less conditioning. If you put it in a bottle be aware that it will go bad once you add water so don't let it sit around for too long before using it.

The first two weeks I tried this I used it every other day. It will take a little while to clarify your hair from the chemical buildup due to commercial products. After that though, I didn't even need that much so I use it maybe 3 times in 2 weeks now. It does smell like vinegar, however once it dries it's only the very faintest smell if you really get up in my hair. It makes my hair smooth and shiny and easy to brush through.

The chemistry behind it is that hair's ph is naturally slightly acidic, about a 5. Soap is a bit higher around 6-8. After being washed the ph of the hair is raised and the cuticle raises causing the hair to become dull, dry and brittle. Vinegar will balance out the ph and bring it back down to it's acidic level. This makes the cuticle stay down, making the hair smooth and shiny.

Different herbs are good for different types of hair so you can make an herbal rinse by filling a jar with herbs and pouring vinegar over them. Leave this in a dark place for a month or two shaking every couple days. Strain the herbs out and bottle the vinegar. Rosemary is good for overall hair health, and it's what was growing in our garden so I'm using that. The vinegar with rosemary smells a bit sweeter than straight ACV, a bit more like apple juice.

My family keeps complaining about my hair smelling sour after I shower, but once it's dry I rather like the results.