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 was always interested in trying Henna but reluctant to do so from many horror stories out there. I started showing white/gray hair in my mid 20’s. I am now in my 40’s this have a lot of white/gray, that is really significant, especially on the most noticeable areas... on the frame of my face. I am pregnant and really struggled with having all the white hair. I researched quite a bit and fortunately came upon Rozalia and her videos on You Tube. I felt very confident in the product, as one concern has always been the purity of other Hennas. Also her descriptive video tutorials and blogs gave me the confidence to know how to use the products and how to mix and apply. I did two consecutive treatments using a mixture of Lawsonia and Katam to achieve a dark brown color; using less Lawsonia in second round. I feel I need more Lawsonia in the first try to cover the whites. It worked out so wonderfully!! I have more of a red tone that I am used to but it blends so well and actually looks more natural than the typical chemical dye. Hair color is supposed to have dimension. My hair also feels healthier and has more body and shine. I plan to do another treatment this weekend (4 weeks from my first try). I feel like the white regrow is not as noticeable due to the dimension of color from the Henna. At this rate I am so pleased that I feel it is safe to say, I will to be a Henna user for life!! Again I want to emphasize that Rozalia’s tutorials are so important to take the time to watch and read. So glad I found this product and teacher!
I want to thankyou from the bottom of my heart :)
For the delivery and the katam +lawsonia+cassia, I just finished the 2 steps process and it looks very good. No white hair.
Finally! ( I developed a severe allergy to ppd.. and thanks to you I can color my hair again)
Thankyou!
Have been using katam, indigo and Lawsonia for almost a year. Will never go back to chemicals. Hair fall has decreased and I'm very happy with hair health!
It has been more than a year since starting the beautilicious hair care program and I can say I am very pleased with everything and my hair is the healthiest it has ever been!
I was amased with how easily it is applied AND rinsed, even with just water!
I have been covering my grey hair for years with lawsonia and idigo, but of poor quality and by unknown origin,and the results were mediocre and the procedure really troubling! here in greece nobody knows how henna works or where it comes from!
First time i tried Rosalia's henna and i m going to be using it regurarly from now on! Also she's the most informed source about henna that i ever found online, she really knows what it is all about! Thank you, Rosalia and team!
I purchased here red henna, indigo and cassia. The powders are surprasingly fine milled. They were mixed to perfectly homogenic paste which was so easy to apply. The ratio was recomended me personally by Rozalia trouth the Messenger and due to her valueable assistanse the results are just great. My true ashy brown with golden highlights is back!
I purchased here red henna, indigo and cassia. The powders are surprasingly fine milled. They were mixed to perfectly homogenic paste which was so easy to apply. The ratio was recomended me personally by Rozalia trouth the Messenger and due to her valueable assistanse the results are just great. My true ashy brown with golden highlights is back!
I purchased here red henna, indigo and cassia. The powders are surprasingly fine milled. They were mixed to perfectly homogenic paste which was so easy to apply. The ratio was recomended me personally by Rozalia trouth the Messenger and due to her valueable assistanse the results are just great. My true ashy brown with golden highlights is back!
This review is for my 2nd application after 3 weeks of applying Lawson and Katam 50/50. This time I want to turn my 2% white hairs black by using Lawson on the first day and Katam on the following day. The Lawson dissolves quickly and easy to apply on my roots. It turned my black/dark brown hairs a shade of wine red and my white hairs almost a bright orange. Next day I applied the Katam, however, to my surprise I found the Katam very difficult to apply. The powder texture is thick and when added with warm water the powder bubbled up. Also, I kept having to add water to the mixture because it kept drying out and turns into chunks. This goes the same when applied on hair and it flicks to everywhere. Not happy! Reason it gets 5 stars is due to the end result. My black/dark brown hairs turned a dark walnut brown with hints of red wheni it catches the lights, and my white hairs a darker reddish brown (didn't turn black yet). I 'd really appreciate if you have some suggestions to make Katam easier to apply. Thank you!
Lawson and Katam shipped by DHL arrived a few days later to Boston, US. Nice! First time i applied Lawson and Katam 50/50 on my roots using three TSP each. Only use for some but increasing white hairs on my roots. Smooth mixture and easy to apply with no drips. I used a foil cap and wrapped a heated hair towel above it and then let it sit for four hours (reheating the towel every half hour). I did not wash my hair after with diluted shampoo (which I later regret) as you recommended, but did a final cold rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar. My hairs felt really smooth, look shinier, and a little darker than my natural black/dark brown hair. The white hairs turned a light reddish/brown orange that compliment some of my lighter brown hair. A day later, my head itch like crazy because I skipped the shampoo part, which I did do on my second henna three weeks later with no itch! Thank you!
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!
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).
©Beautilicious Delights
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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