If you think you have lifeless and dull hair and you never tried the wateracid rinse, I'm sure you'll be surprised to see how shiny, soft and healthy your hair will look after following these little hair tips.
You have never heard about the Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse or Acid Lemon Rinse and you don't know what that is? Today you'll find everything you need to know about it because in this post I'm going to tell you what it is, how it's done and when you should do it, so you can immediately try it out!
Why do you have Dull and Lifeless Hair?
Why sometimes hair is brilliant, soft and glossy, and then sometimes it looks lifeless, dull and frizzy? It often depends due to a wrong washing procedure, other than from unhealthy eating. If hair isn't damaged by hair straighteners, chemical hair dyes and aggressive hair treatments, it only takes a wateracid rinse (combined with a natural and silicone-free hair care routine) to make it look glossy & shiny.
After being washed with shampoo, hair flakes absorb the negative charge deriving from the surfactants and they open, because they push each other apart. So, the outer layer is uneven, resulting in light reflected in a messy way, causing hair to seem dull.
Another reason that makes hair look dull, stringy and rough depends on how chalky water is. Unfortunately, limestone deposits on hair, preventing it to be naturally glossy and making it look dull.
After using a conditioner, that has a positive charge, hair flakes close themselves, and the flat hair becomes shiny. The water acid rinse helps if we have a not so chalky water: its acidity acts against the limestone residues that are melted because of their basicity.
But, what is exactly an acid and/or shine-enhancing rinse?
If you acidify water or a herbal infusion and you use this acid mix to rinse your hair, you’ll obtain a water acid rinse. This final rinse will help your hair become shinier, easier to comb, glossy, non-frizzy and softer.
As I mentioned before, hair dullness is caused by highly calcareous water, causing limestone to be deposited on the hair stem. Tap water usually has a neutral pH, or a basic one if it’s calcareous, so the acidification of the water for the final rinse helps reestablishing the natural hair PH and makes hair flakes close, resulting in shinier, disciplined, soft, glossy and voluminous hair.
What can we use to acidify water for an acid rinse?
We can use VINEGAR – that thanks to the acetic acid can make water acid.
Yes, you read well, the vinegar we use on a daily basis in our kitchens: you can use grape vinegar (white or red wine vinegar) or apple vinegar (also known as cider vinegar) derived from apple must. It contains mineral salts, vitamins and sugars naturally contained in grapes and apples.
Grape vinegar is mainly made of water, acetic acid (whose percentage is between 5% and 12%), alcohol, aldehydes and ethers, free amino acids and mineral salts.
Apple vinegar is made of acetic acid (its percentage is between 3 and 9%) and malic acid, organic compound found naturally in apples.
Wine vinegar is more acid, it has a pH between 2.8 and 3.2, while apple vinegar has a natural pH between 4.5-6. Thanks to its pH, more similar to our hair’s pH, apple vinegar is more delicate on it and has a less strong smell than wine vinegar.
So, between these two types of vinegar, I suggest you to choose apple vinegar, and remember that is very important to use the “right” amount of vinegar, meaning 2 tablespoons of vinegar diluted in 2 liters of cold water .
If you use too much vinegar, there’s the risk of making your hair drier and stringier, because of the too acid pH of the water.
In the market, many cosmetic lines sell cosmetic vinegar for hair and face.
What’s cosmetic vinegar? It’s a vinegar similar to the one we use in our salads: it’s processed and deodorized, it’s mixed with oils and perfumes and it’s used after being diluted in a couple of liters of water. So, if you don’t stand the smell of vinegar, cosmetic vinegar might be the right alternative for you.
We can use LEMON – that thanks to its citric acid can make water acid.
If you are intolerant or allergic to vinegar, don’t worry! Lemon comes in hand for our hair. It has a lower pH than vinegar (pH 2.4) so you need a lot less lemon to acidify water. In fact, lemon juice is one of the most powerful acidifying agents found in nature, even if it has a low pH.
If lemon juice gives you a sticky effect on your hair, you may prefer citric acid. Citric acid is responsible for the sour taste of lemon and lemons have a high concentration of the acid: it can constitute as much as 7% of the fruit (source Wikipedia).
At room temperature, it is a crystalline white powder, water-soluble. It can be easily found in supermarkets, so it’s is not hard to come by.
How can we prepare an acid rinse?
According to hair length, you should use:
One and a half or two liters of cold water that you can pour in a large jug, in a basin or simply in the sink. Or you can fill an empty bottle with cold water and then you can choose to add
one of these three elements:
1-2 tablespoons of apple vinegar
the juice of a lemon
a pinch of citric acid
Since it’s more acid than lemon juice, you should use a small amount of pure citric acid.
If you have a rosemary plant in your garden, I suggest you to rinse your hair not with simple water, but with a cold rosemary infusion, since rosemary is known for its sebum-equalizing properties on oily hair. Or you can buy sage or dried horsetail, because those plants are known for their strengthening and hair loss-preventing properties. You should take advantage of what nature gives us to make this last step of your hair care routine, more precious and effective.
How do I choose what to use to acidify water?
Since how hair responds to the treatment is subjective, you can decide which option is right for you only if by trying them.
If you notice that your hair becomes frizzy rather than soft and shiny, you will have either to lower the quantity of the acidifying ingredient you used or to change the acidifying ingredient. If the solution you obtain is too acid, it will not only make your hair drier, but it will become frizzier and more unmanageable.
If, instead, you use the right ingredient for you in the right dosage, your hair will be immediately untangled, very soft and glossy, as soon as you dry it.
Remember to subscribe to the Youtube channel for new tutorials -->> SUBSCRIBE
When and how can I do a water acid rinse?
After you washed shampoo and conditioner away, you can rinse your hair with a final jet of very cold water.
Why should you "torture" yourself? Because warm water damages hair and makes it drier and more fragile. This final rinse with cold water must be done on the scalp, too, because it stimulates the blood flow to the scalp, resulting in a stimulation of the hair growth and a strengthening effect on the capillary fiber.
After you rinsed your hair with cold water, take the basin or the jug in which you have your acid solution and immerse your hair in it for a few seconds. Then you can use the basin to pour water on your hair in a final acidifying jet, starting from the scalp and letting water drip to your lengths.
Then you can proceed to dry your hair and to apply the styling product you like on your hair.
I can’t stand vinegar’s smell? What can I do?
I must say that it’s a highly subjective thing: there’s who can’t even stand the smell of vinegar from the bottle and there’s who, like me, doesn’t care at all about its smell. So, don’t automatically exclude it before you tried it on your hair. Keep in mind that apple vinegar has a more delicate and less pungent smell than wine vinegar.
If you use a scented conditioner like L'Oréal Coconut “Splend’Or”, its strong perfume will cover vinegar’s smell.
The smell won’t last long: after you dry your hair, you won’t smell it anymore. But if you don’t want to try it, you should use one of the two alternatives I mentioned before: lemon juice or citric acid..
Or… you can use scented hair-styling products to cover that light smell that your nose might still feel.
Nowadays, almost every natural and ecological hair care product (like shampoo and conditioner) does its job as conditioning and untangling agent, thanks not only to their formulations, but also to their acid pH, and they help us making our hair look soft & glossy even if we don’t use this DIY acid rinse, because it would be unnecessary.
I must say that doing the wateracid rinse every time you wash your hair (twice or three times a week) can be aggressive on your hair, on the long run (both vinegar and citric acid are used to melt limestone). I recommend you to use it ONLY after henna and herbal hair colors hair masks (to fix the color) or after using washing herbs, or shampoos with a basic pH like rhassoul (pH 8-9) or clays.
SCENTED LEAVE-IN HAIR CARE PRODUCTS (that don’t need to be rinsed) that contain FRUIT ACIDS
- A family of substances deriving from the vegetable world.
Since they’re slightly acid substances (pH 5), they can effectively melt the limestone residues on hair without being aggressive.
Fruit acids are extracts from sugar cane (glycolic acid), from grapes (tartaric acid), from apples (malic acid), from citrus fruits (citric acid) and from milk (lactic acid).
They’re known for their exfoliating effect on skin. If they’re highly concentrated, they stimulate cellular turnover and dermal renewal, they reduce wrinkles and they promote the penetration of cosmetic active ingredients. In low concentrations, they can have a hydrating effect on the skin, while, on hair, they have a shine-enhancing and conditioning effect.
Specifically, I use the volumizing or the anti-frizz spray(depending on the season or on the need) made with aloe and, as I said, fruit acids.
//
In conclusion, I strongly suggest you to try to do a wateracid rinse if you want to have soft, glossy and voluminous hair, but also because it makes hair shinier and because it balances the scalp and hair pH levels.
Your hair will tell you if you should use apple vinegar or lemon juice for your wateracid rinse, and you’ll immediately understand if your hair loves this precious treatment (or not).
I love using Katam on my hair to naturally color my hair with henna a darker shade than what henna alone would provide. Indigo gives me headaches, so katam is a great alternative!
I am very happy with the henna and katam I bought. It was the first time I bought something here. I never used katam before - only henna, but became interested after watching the videos. I only have had one application yet, but I am already happy with the color. It was easy to apply and rinse out, so the quality is very good. Everything was well packaged and safely send.
I received my order in time and the products are of very good quality! Still working out problems regarding the mixing together 3 ingredients (lawsonia, indigo & Cassia), since I do not always get homogeneous results in my hair (spots of red or bluish dominance). I highly recommend the products to people who love natural beauty care.
I AM LOOKING FOR A DARK BROWN AND USED 50/50 INDIGO & RED HENNA. LEFT IT ON FOR 6 HRS. JUST A LITTLE LIGHT SO I THINK I NEED TO INCREASE THE INDIGO AND LEAVE ON A LITTLE LONGER. WAY EASY TO MIX AND USE. THE SHOWER CAP AND WOOL HAT HAD ME DRINKING LOTS OF ICE WATER AS I DID MY HOUSE WORK FOR I WAS A LITTLE WARM!! I DID'T MIND THE MILD GRASSY SMELL AT ALL BUT THE RINSE WAS COLLLDDD...LOL I WILL BE ORDERING AGAIN SOON
This is the stuff dreams are made of! I mix 2 tablespoons Sidr and 2 tablespoons hydrated Fenugreek powder (I keep a small jar of it in the fridge because I use it as a hair mask and facial mask). Add hot water to get a consistency you like, whisk it till frothy, let set 5 minutes or so and use as shampoo. I will never again subject my hair to chemically laden shampoos again! No more hair fall out, the Sidr preserves my henna color and the Fenugreek gives me great body.
I buy several of your products, the red henna being one of them. My hair is finally healthy looking and easier to take care of! The color your red henna gives me is unbelievable! thank you for the high quality of your products!!
These products are like putting gold in your hair. You have the satisfaction of knowing you are not harming your hair, as a matter of fact, you are totally nourishing your hair as well as making your hair as beautiful as possible without even one chemical. I am a customer for life. Rozalia has guided me through the entire process many times answering my silly questions and alleviating my fears. She is a great lady. I am so appreciative of her for being as honest as she is. Even if you don’t like her answer, she tells you how it is. You could not get more for your money than these products. I am not paid or compensated in any way for this review. This is all coming from the bottom of my heart!
Rozalia is super wonderful at getting back to me with any questions and concerns I had regarding coloring and what percentage of product to use. I purchased indigo and lawsonia which I have not used yet, but the products look great and they are 100 percent with no fillers as in some other henna powders. I would certainly recommend Beautilicious to anyone wanting to color their hair with natural non toxic products! Shipping was fairly quick and easy considering I am in Chicago Illinois.
I diluted henna with Cassia 45/55. I’m happy to have a nice even brown without using indigo. My hair was chemically treated before and after that I used a store bought henna I’m sure was cut with sand. Now my hair is even and grey roots are mostly covered. Next time I will increase the henna 75. Great product!
I am so absolutely thrilled with all products, especially the Katam, I have purchased from you. My hair has never been as healthy as it is now. After 20 plus years of using chemical color and shampoo, it took almost 5 months to correct all the damage-and your products helped me do it. You have a customer for life.
Having purchased the pack of 3 colour hennas I’ve been very happy with the outcome. With guidance from Rozalia I managed to cover my grey using two step applications. The final colour resulted in a lovely deep auburn/copper with much shine. Will be continuing to use these products.
Absolutely loved applying this henna. I applied a mix of katam, lawsonia and cassia and could not be more happy with my choice. IT REALLY COVERS GRAYS (i have less then 10%) and i applied it for less then 4 hours.
The colour is so beautiful, never could imagined i finally could have a warm brown tone that enhances my natural color.
So happy! Thank you Rosalia for being a champion on women's natural beauty.
Very high quality of the products. I colored my hair with red henna and katam (50/50) and got brown color. My grey hair were fully covered so I am satisfied. Also the product for hair care (Methi) was good. I used it in stead of a shampoo and it gave a good result. My hair were clean and it gave me a nice volume. I like how it smels too, it reminds me of chesetnuts=) Good job!
Very good handling of order with pront delivery. And the products are of quality as describe on the website i tried the products at didnt get the color i wanted, but second time i increase the amount of red henna to cover my grey and i was much happier than the first time and when i tied the 3rd time i will increase the amount of red henna and i will see what i get. So far i enjoy the product and happy to recomend this website.
I love your products as well as your follow up service and advice to help me get the color I want! Not to mention, my irritation on my scalp from chemical colors is completely resolved and my hair seems so much thicker: Thank you so much!
Dye your Gray Hair Chocolate Brown using Henna! Henna BEFORE & AFTER Pics
Does Brown Henna EXIST? How to mix henna to dye your grey hair brown without any hints of red!
Glossy Hair with Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse or Acid Lemon Rinse?
If you think you have lifeless and dull hair and you never tried the water acid rinse, I'm sure you'll be surprised to see how shiny, soft and healthy your hair will look after following these little hair tips.
You have never heard about the Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse or Acid Lemon Rinse and you don't know what that is? Today you'll find everything you need to know about it because in this post I'm going to tell you what it is, how it's done and when you should do it, so you can immediately try it out!
Why do you have Dull and Lifeless Hair?
Why sometimes hair is brilliant, soft and glossy, and then sometimes it looks lifeless, dull and frizzy? It often depends due to a wrong washing procedure, other than from unhealthy eating. If hair isn't damaged by hair straighteners, chemical hair dyes and aggressive hair treatments, it only takes a water acid rinse (combined with a natural and silicone-free hair care routine) to make it look glossy & shiny.
RECOMMENDED READING: How To Detox Hair from Silicones
The outer layer of the hair is made of flakes arranged like tiles on a roof. If you want to know more about the hair's structure, I talked about this topic in the article Fine, Thin Hair? 4 essential tips to get volume & strength in your hair!
After being washed with shampoo, hair flakes absorb the negative charge deriving from the surfactants and they open, because they push each other apart. So, the outer layer is uneven, resulting in light reflected in a messy way, causing hair to seem dull.
Another reason that makes hair look dull, stringy and rough depends on how chalky water is. Unfortunately, limestone deposits on hair, preventing it to be naturally glossy and making it look dull.
After using a conditioner, that has a positive charge, hair flakes close themselves, and the flat hair becomes shiny. The water acid rinse helps if we have a not so chalky water: its acidity acts against the limestone residues that are melted because of their basicity.
RECOMMENDED READING: Wash Your Hair Naturally with Flours: chickpea flour and...
Simply put, the messy look and the dullness of hair are a result of the non-application of a conditioner.
Which is the role of the water acid rinse?
When, in the past, women used soap to wash their hair, vinegar and lemon were the first conditioning substances used in cosmetic history, since 1800.
pH is a numeric scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution.
But, what is exactly an acid and/or shine-enhancing rinse?
If you acidify water or a herbal infusion and you use this acid mix to rinse your hair, you’ll obtain a water acid rinse. This final rinse will help your hair become shinier, easier to comb, glossy, non-frizzy and softer.
As I mentioned before, hair dullness is caused by highly calcareous water, causing limestone to be deposited on the hair stem. Tap water usually has a neutral pH, or a basic one if it’s calcareous, so the acidification of the water for the final rinse helps reestablishing the natural hair PH and makes hair flakes close, resulting in shinier, disciplined, soft, glossy and voluminous hair.
What can we use to acidify water for an acid rinse?
We can use VINEGAR – that thanks to the acetic acid can make water acid.
Yes, you read well, the vinegar we use on a daily basis in our kitchens: you can use grape vinegar (white or red wine vinegar) or apple vinegar (also known as cider vinegar) derived from apple must. It contains mineral salts, vitamins and sugars naturally contained in grapes and apples.
RECOMMENDED READING: Aloe Vera: 6 Original DIY Homemade Remedies to take advantage of its benefits & properties
Grape vinegar is mainly made of water, acetic acid (whose percentage is between 5% and 12%), alcohol, aldehydes and ethers, free amino acids and mineral salts.
Apple vinegar is made of acetic acid (its percentage is between 3 and 9%) and malic acid, organic compound found naturally in apples.
Wine vinegar is more acid, it has a pH between 2.8 and 3.2, while apple vinegar has a natural pH between 4.5-6. Thanks to its pH, more similar to our hair’s pH, apple vinegar is more delicate on it and has a less strong smell than wine vinegar.
So, between these two types of vinegar, I suggest you to choose apple vinegar, and remember that is very important to use the “right” amount of vinegar, meaning 2 tablespoons of vinegar diluted in 2 liters of cold water .
If you use too much vinegar, there’s the risk of making your hair drier and stringier, because of the too acid pH of the water.
In the market, many cosmetic lines sell cosmetic vinegar for hair and face.
What’s cosmetic vinegar? It’s a vinegar similar to the one we use in our salads: it’s processed and deodorized, it’s mixed with oils and perfumes and it’s used after being diluted in a couple of liters of water. So, if you don’t stand the smell of vinegar, cosmetic vinegar might be the right alternative for you.
We can use LEMON – that thanks to its citric acid can make water acid.
If you are intolerant or allergic to vinegar, don’t worry! Lemon comes in hand for our hair. It has a lower pH than vinegar (pH 2.4) so you need a lot less lemon to acidify water. In fact, lemon juice is one of the most powerful acidifying agents found in nature, even if it has a low pH.
If lemon juice gives you a sticky effect on your hair, you may prefer citric acid. Citric acid is responsible for the sour taste of lemon and lemons have a high concentration of the acid: it can constitute as much as 7% of the fruit (source Wikipedia).
At room temperature, it is a crystalline white powder, water-soluble. It can be easily found in supermarkets, so it’s is not hard to come by.
How can we prepare an acid rinse?
According to hair length, you should use:
one of these three elements:
Since it’s more acid than lemon juice, you should use a small amount of pure citric acid.
RECOMMENDED READING: Natural Hair Care Routine for Oily Hair
If you have a rosemary plant in your garden, I suggest you to rinse your hair not with simple water, but with a cold rosemary infusion, since rosemary is known for its sebum-equalizing properties on oily hair. Or you can buy sage or dried horsetail, because those plants are known for their strengthening and hair loss-preventing properties. You should take advantage of what nature gives us to make this last step of your hair care routine, more precious and effective.
How do I choose what to use to acidify water?
Since how hair responds to the treatment is subjective, you can decide which option is right for you only if by trying them.
If you notice that your hair becomes frizzy rather than soft and shiny, you will have either to lower the quantity of the acidifying ingredient you used or to change the acidifying ingredient. If the solution you obtain is too acid, it will not only make your hair drier, but it will become frizzier and more unmanageable.
If, instead, you use the right ingredient for you in the right dosage, your hair will be immediately untangled, very soft and glossy, as soon as you dry it.
Remember to subscribe to the Youtube channel for new tutorials -->> SUBSCRIBE
When and how can I do a water acid rinse?
After you washed shampoo and conditioner away, you can rinse your hair with a final jet of very cold water.
Why should you "torture" yourself? Because warm water damages hair and makes it drier and more fragile. This final rinse with cold water must be done on the scalp, too, because it stimulates the blood flow to the scalp, resulting in a stimulation of the hair growth and a strengthening effect on the capillary fiber.
After you rinsed your hair with cold water, take the basin or the jug in which you have your acid solution and immerse your hair in it for a few seconds. Then you can use the basin to pour water on your hair in a final acidifying jet, starting from the scalp and letting water drip to your lengths.
Then you can proceed to dry your hair and to apply the styling product you like on your hair.
I can’t stand vinegar’s smell? What can I do?
I must say that it’s a highly subjective thing: there’s who can’t even stand the smell of vinegar from the bottle and there’s who, like me, doesn’t care at all about its smell. So, don’t automatically exclude it before you tried it on your hair. Keep in mind that apple vinegar has a more delicate and less pungent smell than wine vinegar.
If you use a scented conditioner like L'Oréal Coconut “Splend’Or”, its strong perfume will cover vinegar’s smell.
The smell won’t last long: after you dry your hair, you won’t smell it anymore. But if you don’t want to try it, you should use one of the two alternatives I mentioned before: lemon juice or citric acid..
Or… you can use scented hair-styling products to cover that light smell that your nose might still feel.
RECOMMENDED READING: Fenugreek (Methi) Helps Preventing Hair Loss Naturally? Preparation, Tips and Properties!
How often should you do the water acid rinse?
Nowadays, almost every natural and ecological hair care product (like shampoo and conditioner) does its job as conditioning and untangling agent, thanks not only to their formulations, but also to their acid pH, and they help us making our hair look soft & glossy even if we don’t use this DIY acid rinse, because it would be unnecessary.
I must say that doing the water acid rinse every time you wash your hair (twice or three times a week) can be aggressive on your hair, on the long run (both vinegar and citric acid are used to melt limestone). I recommend you to use it ONLY after henna and herbal hair colors hair masks (to fix the color) or after using washing herbs, or shampoos with a basic pH like rhassoul (pH 8-9) or clays.
RECOMMENDED READING: Henna & Herbal Hair Colors: 20 F.A.Q. (frequently asked questions)!
The water acid rinse helps as well covering the “herbal smell” that herbal hair colors leave on hair.
Personally, in my weekly hair care routine I alternate the Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse (that I do after herbal hair colors and curative herbs masks) with
SCENTED LEAVE-IN HAIR CARE PRODUCTS (that don’t need to be rinsed) that contain FRUIT ACIDS
- A family of substances deriving from the vegetable world.
Since they’re slightly acid substances (pH 5), they can effectively melt the limestone residues on hair without being aggressive.
Fruit acids are extracts from sugar cane (glycolic acid), from grapes (tartaric acid), from apples (malic acid), from citrus fruits (citric acid) and from milk (lactic acid).
They’re known for their exfoliating effect on skin. If they’re highly concentrated, they stimulate cellular turnover and dermal renewal, they reduce wrinkles and they promote the penetration of cosmetic active ingredients. In low concentrations, they can have a hydrating effect on the skin, while, on hair, they have a shine-enhancing and conditioning effect.
//Specifically, I use the volumizing or the anti-frizz spray (depending on the season or on the need) made with aloe and, as I said, fruit acids.
In conclusion, I strongly suggest you to try to do a water acid rinse if you want to have soft, glossy and voluminous hair, but also because it makes hair shinier and because it balances the scalp and hair pH levels.
RECOMMENDED READING: Strengthening and Volumizing Hair Mask for Damaged and Thin Hair
Your hair will tell you if you should use apple vinegar or lemon juice for your water acid rinse, and you’ll immediately understand if your hair loves this precious treatment (or not).
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Take care of your skin and hair consciously. You'll find everything you need (even herbal hair colors) on our online shop. Click HERE to visit it!
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