I feel lied to, deceived, and misguided. All my life, I thought that you have to spend a lot of money on shampoo and conditioner to have nice hair, but that's simply not true. Using a vinegar rinse works just as well as Pantene conditioner!
I know it sounds crazy and unbelievable, but excluding that fact that your hair might experience a tiny more static in winter, it's true. After using a vinegar rinse, my hair was shiny, soft, and knot-free. And after it dried there was absolutely no smell. Even my boyfriend didn't notice it when I tested him. How awesome!
My RecipeHere are the ingredients I used:
- Just under 1 liter of hot water (about 4 cups)
- 3/4 cup vinegar
- 1/4 sprig of rosemary, for fragrance
- 1 bag of chamomile apple tea, for fragrance
In the Shower
Before using my vinegar rinse, I shampooed my hair as usual, and then worked approximately 3/4 of a cup of the vinegar rinse into my hair. Afterwards, I rinsed well and let my hair air dry.
Boyfriend Smell Test
As I mentioned earlier, my boyfriend didn't notice any vinegar smell.
The test: I made sure to wash my hair while he wasn't home so that I could test it on him without him knowing what was going on. When he returned home and my hair was perfectly dry, I walked up to him and nonchalantly tossed my hair in his face (it was sort of funny at the time), and he didn't mention anything. Later, I told him why I did it, and asked him outright if he could smell the vinegar. His response: "No." Awesome! No vinegar smell!
I'm Not Scared Anymore
I'm not out of conditioner yet, but now I know that I no longer need to fear the day when I run out. I will have an effective conditioner to use that is plastic free, environmentally friendly, and healthy.
Additional Resources
- Experiences of a committed vinegar rinse user
- Interesting hair care info from the No' Poo Community
- Homemade beauty recipes from Eden Foods
- Additional natural hair care recipes from Styles 101
- Info on chemicals in shampoo and conditioner from the Green Guide
- More info on the harmful chemicals in shampoo from the Green Guide
Posts
37 comments:
What shiny lovely hair! I just may have to try this out.
Why, thank you, Ms. Emily! I highly recommend it. Weren't there some nice recipes for vinegar rinses in Neal's It All Vegan book?
I just discovered your site and love this concept. My friends and I have been talking about how ridiculous it is to spend so much money on products, especially once you try to get away from harmful ingredients and start buying organic. I recently discovered a great resource for homemade beauty care: The book called Aromatherapy Handbook for Beauty, Hair, and Skin Care by Erich Keller.
Good luck remaining plastic free in '08!
Awesome! I'll have to check that book out. I'm starting to run low on most of my beauty products so now is definitely the time when I need to research how to make stuff myself.
O.k., I'm going to try it. I'll give anything a try! I keep shopping around to find enviro friendly shampoo in a glass bottle or the like and it just doesn't seem to happen.
I asked my Mom what she used when she was growing up poor and without products like we have. Folks mostly used things like homemade recipes and it worked just fine. Shannon
Awesome! I'm so excited that you're going to try it. Report back and let us know how it went :)
Yay for plastic-free DIY conditioner! :)
I have done the vinegar rinse bit and it works well, I agree. I hadn't heard of the rosemary and tea for fragrance... sweet! I must try.
Also, I was mixing up a small portion of vinegar/water for each shower. Mixing ahead of time sounds like it would make the whole process much faster, which means I will actually do it. ;)
We use vinegar as a house cleaner and it works very well. The vinegar smell dissipates pretty quickly.
I've heard that it works as conditioner, but I've been bashful about trying it.
I'll definitely try your recipe - I am just about out of hair conditioner and I don't want to have to buy it anymore. I'll let you know how it goes!
I've tried vinegar as a conditioner and it really does work! smoother and shinier after drying it up. I was a bit skeptical at first but since I' m really up to organic stuff and saving mother earth (as a new year's resolution), i gave it a shot. You can also try citrus fruits.. cut it into thin slices and rub the juice and the pulp to your hair and scalp. It also has the same effect. :)
I am so going to try this! Thanks!
Love the idea! Do you have any other ideas for body care products that you can make at home? I have been staring at all the plastic bottles in my bathroom and trying to think of a way to do away with them for good...
Hey, thanks :). Been using apple cider vinegar for the past two washes, and the state of my hair has improved DRAMATICALLY.
Found your site while trying to convince boyfriend that white vinegar(which is way cheaper) will work equally well.
Blogrolling you, don't mind!
lovely post, great blog. Blogrolling you. You just confirmed that I CAN use vinegar. Thank you :)
hi! I tried it after reading your incredible info about vinegar rinse. It totally works! My hair is so shiny and soft! I have a question: should i use vinegar rinse everyday? thanks!
-anna
I'm glad you like the vinegar rinse!
As for how often to use it, I think general consensus would dictate that it's not necessary to use a vinegar rinse everyday, and using it everyday might actually dry your hair out. I would suggest a few times a week tops. I myself do a rinse once a week.
awesome! thank you very much for the excellent tip! I'll keep visiting your blog, I'd love to hear from you about natural beauty tips! Cheers! :)
-anna
I've been doing this since January with plain white vinegar each time I wash my hair, usually every other day. It works great. I just keep the vinegar in a bottle in the shower. My hair has never been so nice! Do make sure to not get it in your eyes!
Hey - great blog and I'm all for the vinegar solution - I use vinegar at home for cleaning and have weaned myself off the storebought cleaners but I'm curious... have you got caught in the rain yet? (Lots of damp days over here in the UK so interested to know if there is any residue smell when your hair gets wet?)
BTW - UK company Neals Yard do organic shampoos and conditioners in dark glass bottles (as they aren't ramped up with preservatives etc). They are super popular here but not sure if they have gone stateside yet...
Cheers
Margo
... and have you tried vinegar in the rinse cycle of your washing machine? Works great to reduce soap residue - and static electricity. As with hair, there's no vinegar smell.
I tried the vinegar rinse this weekend, totally doubtful it would work for me... was I wrong! It worked really well. No tangles in my super-fine, super-tangly hair! And no vinegar smell at all. Dang, I'm sold. Thanks!
Does the vinigar rinse work on dry damaged hair ?. As I am siting with avacado and mayo on my hair at this moment.
I also use cider vinegar and rosemary for my hair. But first, I boil the vinegar into the kettle to get rid of the limescale. Then I pour it boiling on the rosemary. I add a drop of teatree EO. You can keep that in a glass bottle for a month without problem.
wow...i'd love to try it..but before trying..can it be any tea?...i mean..
What do you mean by "1/4 sprig of rosemary?" Do you have a plant that you cut a leaf off of? Do you have a small jar of the dried rosemary herb? Did you mean 1/4 cup?
Thanks!
mark e, the rosemary, which I got from a plant out of my garden, is just for fragrance so you don't need to use it. If you'd still like something to scent the rinse, there are lots of essential oils that would probably work. I haven't used any myself, though, so I can't make any recommendations.
Does it matter what kind of vinegar? Usually I hear apple cider vinegar (therefore called an ACV rince) but I'm curious what you used?
Hi!
I have been reading about ACV on the net. It seems really good but i want to know whther vingar made from acetic acid has same effct as ACV?
Thanks
LITTLE KNOWN FACT:
Hair-dressers are taught this little tid bit in school as a product remover, but never let clientel in on it because it simply doesn't bring any revenue!!
YOU ROCK ON!!
I tried this, and I tell ya, I had the best hair day I have had in a LONG time! My hair was soft and felt conditioned right after doing it, and then after blowdrying it was shiny and full of body, which I love! I can't thank you enough for sharing this idea! I will be using it a lot, including on my daughter's hair that gets full of tangles so easily!
Hi, I came upon your blog because NPR did an article about shampoo and how harmful it is, and you're mentioned in it. Way to go on your publicity! I want to start the vinegar rinse right away, I was just wondering though, if I use a shampoo bar, like 3 times a week and use the vinegar rinse, should I be doing anything to my hair on the "off" days? I like to wash my hair more often because it gets so greasy in between...Does the vinegar help to keep hair non-greasy on the days you don't wash your hair? Thanks so much for the ideas!
this sound cool. i'll have to try it. i didn't realize there was plastic in conditioner! crazy.
I wash my hair with baking soda, and I use a drop of shampoo, because I like the scent, and I still have what I inherited. Regarding the last post, the plastic is the bottles. I'm hoping this hint will help get soap residue out of my hair.
I just came across your blog while searching for home made recipe for a hair conditioner and was excited to read your philosophy which is much after my own thinking! Thanks for the vinegar recipe and I am definitely working towards making my life less plastic!
Of course, I have a question: How do you apply it? I mean, it seems like it's just water... Or after shampooing, you pour some of the vinegar mix over your hair, and that's it?
Thanks for all your wisdom.
Just thought I'd throw in that I've been researching things for oily scalp/dandruff and using vinegar can also solve that problem.
I tried it for the dandruff (itchy oily scalp) tonight. We'll see how that goes. I've read a bunch of things that say it work.
But since I scratch at my head from it being so damn itchy it did burn somewhat. =x
thank you! my granny always used straight vinegar and always smelled like it afterward, i wanted to use it as well (along with castile soap) but didn't want to have her signature smell. can't wait to try it!
I'm all for reducing plastic use, but doesn't the vinegar still come in plastic bottles? This doesn't eliminate plastic entirely (though I don't know that in today's society there actually is a way to do that).
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