I’ve made it no secret in the past that I’m a huge fan of apple cider vinegar rinses for soft, shiny, and healthy natural hair care. But I’ve been cheating on my apple cider vinegar recently…and it’s time to come clean.
I’ve been using natural ingredients to wash and condition my hair for the past 3 years or so and have been loving it. Â Not only is it fun to experiment in the kitchen, but I’ve saved a whole boatload of money on hair care products over the years (I used to have a product-experimentation problem) and my hair looks better than it ever has. (And longer! I used to never be able to grow my hair much past my shoulders and it’s down to the top of my bra now.)
Throughout all my different hair washing experiments (from soapnuts to shampoo bars to–the crunchiest of them all–egg washes), apple cider vinegars were something I never, ever missed.  That’s because no matter how my hair reacted to another products, a well-proportioned ACV rinse would always make my hair look about 10 times better.
But with the winter cold front coming in at full force, I starting thinking what I could do to give my hair a touch of extra moisture…and consequently more shine and less breakage!
Since aloe vera plants dominate my house (not only because I use them for everything skin related, they are amazing at cleaning indoor air), it was a natural leap of logic that I try something aloe vera related.
After that, it only took me a couple tries before I was super happy with my brand-spankin’ new aloe vera rinse! And I’ve been pretty darn happy with how my hair has been drying…even without any product in it. (But for special occasions, I usually apply my Best DIY Hair Gel.)
Side note: aloe vera is a staple in my house because I use it in so many ways! Here’s a fun article on why drinking aloe vera juice can be beneficial too.
So let’s get to the recipe!
But just a heads up: everyone’s hair is different so be sure to play with the proportions so that they are right for you. Â You may need more or less aloe vera juice to get it working perfectly.
If you want more help with transitional to a more natural hair care regiment, read this huge post I wrote.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup Organic Aloe Vera Juice
- 6 cups warm water
- 8 drops essential oil of choice (my favorite combos are lavender-vanilla and grapefruit-bergamot)
Steps:
- Combine the ingredients in a large jar (I use glass but I obviously make sure it’s sturdy enough that it won’t break if I drop it! If in doubt, I’d use plastic.), adding in the essential oils last.
- After shampooing your hair whichever way you do it, slowly pour the aloe vera conditioning rinse over your entire head so that it saturates all of your hair.
- Play around with rinsing it out and leaving it to modulate how much conditioning you get from it. Nowadays, I like to lift the ends of my hair out of the way so that they stay saturated but I gently let the shower water rinse off some of the aloe vera goodness from the hair next to my scalp…this allows the ends to stay more conditioned but the roots don’t get greasy as quickly.
- Style your hair like you normally would and you’re done!
XOXO,
