Even though I don’t do the no ‘poo method, I’m still a huge fan of the apple cider vinegar rinse.  It’s really easy to do, dirty cheap,  and leaves your hair silky smooth and frizz free.

I often hear gripes and questions about the ACV hair rinse though.  “It makes my hair greasy faster.” “Won’t it smell bad?”  “I’m not sure how to dilute it.” So I figured I’d do a quick little post to describe how to do this super effective apple cider vinegar hair rinse properly.  Dilution is really the key to making this rinse work wonders for your hair.

The most favorable dilution for most people of the apple cider vinegar to distilled/boiled water is 1:7-1:9.  

That’s 1 part ACV to 7-9 parts water.  In the picture above, I mixed 2 tablespoons ACV with 16 tablespoons boiled water to make a 1 to 8 dilution.

Common problems:

1. My hair/scalp is getting too greasy.

This happens when you’re not diluting it enough for your hair type.  You can dilute it as much as works for you so even if you started with the 1:7 dilution, try adding more water next time.  As a general rule, people with fine hair tend to do better with more dilute rinses.

The other way to deal with this is to get less on your scalp which is where most people start to feel greasy from the ACV rinse. One option is to keep the rinse in a bottle with a spray top.  That way you can start by spraying the solution on your scalp with the spray top and then unscrew the top and just pour the rinse over the length of your hair until it’s all saturated.  This allows the scalp to stay grease-free and the ends to be soft and shiny.

2. Won’t this rinse smell bad?

At the proper dilutions, this rinse has a very mild smell that dissipates from the hair quickly after you’ve showered.  If, however, you’re still not a fan, you have a couple options.

One quick way to deal with the smell is to add a 8-10 drops of an essential oil you like.  I like bergamot, grapefruit, ylang ylang, or lavender but you can use any one you like.  Just add the drops and shake before use.

The other option is to dilute it with tea instead of water.  If you do this though, you’ll have to refrigerate it between uses because mold/bacteria are more likely to grow in this rinse.  I use chamomile when I don’t mind having my hair lighten a little bit (although the most I’ve ever gotten is a tiny increase in highlights in the summer…who knows if that was the tea or the sun).  Otherwise, I use a sage or nettle tea for my dark hair.   I’ve tried black tea rinses but they made my hair a little dry but I’ve heard of it working for other people so maybe try that one out for yourself.

What do you think about using apple cider vinegar hair rinses? Share you thoughts in the comments section below!