Apple cider vinegar has become the virtual holy grail of holistic skincare.  Thought to have clarifying benefits for skin and hair, this pantry staple has become a fast favorite for people who want to give all natural skincare even a half-hearted try, and who can blame them?  You’ve already got it in your house, it’s cheap, and a simple internet search can return numerous beneficial claims.  

Before you get too excited and leave your house smelling like a salad bar, you should know what the benefits of apple cider vinegar skincare are, how to properly use apple cider vinegar for your skin and hair, and what products are best to try.  

What is Apple Cider Vinegar

Your grandma has been taking it by the tablespoonfuls for years, and your mom makes her famous “secret recipe” salad dressing with it, but to you it looks like dirty water and smells like Easter egg dye.  How can it possibly be beneficial for your skin?

Apple cider vinegar is made in a two step process.  The first step is to expose crushed apples to yeast.  The yeast ferments the sugar in the apples and turns it into alcohol.  In the second step, bacteria is added to the alcohol mixture, which ferments it even more and makes it acidic, like vinegar.  All that delightfully smelly goodness is then packaged and sold on the shelves of your local grocery store.  

If this has you second guessing whether you want to put this stuff on your skin, hang tight.  After all, using vinegar on our skin and hair is definitely not the craziest thing we’ve ever done in the name of beauty (we’re looking at you magic mayonnaise hair mask).  

Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar for Skin

What Can Apple Cider Vinegar Do For Your Hair

Even though ACV is incredibly beneficial for your skin, the benefits it has for your hair are even more impressive.  ACV has the ability to help clarify and thoroughly cleanse your hair without the use of harsh chemicals that can be dangerous and strip your hair of it’s natural moisture and shine.  In fact, even if you struggle with dandruff, apple cider vinegar shampoo can help.  

Hair that lacks shine, volume, and feels weighed down by product buildup is in need of a thorough, deep clean.  Unfortunately, many of the clarifying shampoos available on the market are full of harsh sulfates.  Sulfates are commonly used “detergents” that are effective at cleaning your hair…and stripping it of all moisture and good oil in the process.  

Sulfates can also be really irritating to your skin and eyes.  That means every time you shampoo your hair, you’re exposing your skin to something that is potentially harmful. 

Apple cider vinegar can get your hair the cleanest it’s ever been, without turning it into straw.  Here are some of the benefits of apple cider vinegar for your hair.  

While that overgrowth of bad bacteria may lead to acne and blackheads on your face, it can lead to other problems on your scalp.  Infections on the scalp and general issues like itchiness can result from improper bacteria growth.  ACV’s live cultures help restore the homeostasis of your scalp, by eliminating bad bacteria and helping levels of good bacteria remain.  

How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo

Sure, you can pour a bottle of pure ACV on your hair, but we wouldn’t recommend it unless you particularly enjoy smelling pretty terrible all day.  A better option is to invest in a high-quality apple cider vinegar shampoo.  These shampoos contain just enough ACV to perform miracles on your hair but without the heavy vinegar scent.  These formulas are tested and perfected for your hair, so you know you won’t be using too much or too little ACV.  

To properly use an apple cider vinegar shampoo, follow these simple instructions.

  1. Use a generous, quarter-sized amount of shampoo, and gently massage it into your scalp using your fingertips.  Allow the shampoo to coat the ends of your strands of hair as you work.  
  1. Leave the product on your hair for approximately 3-4 minutes.  If you have hair that is especially oily, plagued with dandruff, or has been extremely damaged, leave on for an additional 2 minutes.  
  1. Rinse thoroughly so that no residue of shampoo remains on your hair or scalp.  
  1. Follow up with your favorite conditioner.  
  1. Use this process to clean your hair once or twice a week.  Because apple cider vinegar shampoo is so effective and cleanses so deeply, you don’t need to use it any more frequently.  

Apple cider vinegar is a great, all-natural resource for keeping your skin and hair healthy and clean.  It has properties that allow it to regulate the natural pH of your skin and hair, and keep both free from overgrowth of bad bacteria.  It can help clarify, clean, restore, and repair hair and skin that have been exposed to environmental hazards and are in need of a detox.  Skip the harsh chemicals in many detox-formulated products and opt for a more gentle option that’s just as effective.