Apple Cider Vinegar
is a Versatile
Natural Hair Care Product

"A vinegar hair rinse is so simple to use, it's dirt cheap
and will make any hair smoother and easier to manage."



Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has long been used as a natural hair care product to promote healthy hair in both men and woman. Its acidity is close to that of natural hair, it's a good conditioner and cleaning agent and it's also an effective germ killer.

As a result, apple cider vinegar uses and benefits for the hair include:

  1. Vinegar hair rinse
  2. Hair Herbal rinse
  3. Essential oil vinegar hair rinse
  4. Dandruff and itchy scalp relief
  5. Natural hair loss treatment
  6. Home Remedy for head Lice


Do you use ACV as a natural hair care product?

Click here to share your vinegar hair care experiences and invite comments from other readers of this web site!



Vinegar Hair Rinse - Natural Hair Care Product


Hair is on the mildly acidic side of the pH scale and has an ideal pH of 4.5 to 5.5, which is close to that of an apple cider vinegar rinse (pH 2.9).

On the other hand, many of the hair care products we use, such as soap-based shampoos, bleaches, hair colors, and permanents are strongly alkaline.

Rinsing with apple cider vinegar will help balance the pH of your hair and remove the buildup that can result from the use of these styling products and inexpensive shampoos.

Rinsing will also close the numerous cuticle scales which cover and protect the surface of each hair shaft. This imparts a smoother surface which reflects more light and as a result leaves your hair shinier, smoother and easier to manage.

Hair Shaft Open Cuticles - rough

Hair Shaft Closed Cuticle - smooth



Rough hair shaft with open cuticles compared to smooth hair shaft with closed cuticles.



Don't worry about the slight vinegar smell you will notice after rinsing. It will disappear completely as your hair dries.

Make your own healthy after-shampoo hair rinse by mixing 1/3 of a cup (75 ml) of ACV into a quart (1 liter) of water. You can then store this mixture in a plastic bottle and keep it in the shower for ready use.

If you would like to prepare a smaller batch of this vinegar hair rinse recipe to experiment with, try mixing 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar into 1 cup (250 ml) of warm filtered tap water.

Apply the vinegar rinse after shampooing and then rinse it all out, or for extra conditioning, you can leave the rinse on your hair. This natural hair care product can be used once or twice a week or more often as needed.

(If you want to buy the apple cider vinegar hair care shampoo shown below, click on its Amazon picture. I will earn a small commission, at no cost to you.)



Hair Herbal Rinse - A Natural Hair Care Product

By infusing various herbs into the vinegar rinse, you can enhance different hair colors and condition hair at the same time.

Here are some recommended herbs to use with apple cider vinegar:

  • For dark hair:......Parsley, Rosemary, Sage
  • For light hair:.....Chamomile, Flannel Mullein, Marigold
  • For red hair:.......Henna
  • For oily hair:......Lavender, Thyme, Witch Hazel, Yarrow
  • For dry hair:.......Marigold
  • For brittle hair:...Horsetail
To make your own herbal hair rinse natural hair care product:
  1. Place 2 tablespoons of the dried herb (or herb mixture) into a muslin bag or tea ball and put in a warmed tea pot.
  2. Pour 1 pint (500 ml) of boiling water over the herbs and infuse for 2 hours.
  3. Allow the liquid to cool then pour it into a quart (1 liter) jar.
  4. Add 1 pint (500 ml) of apple cider vinegar and mix well.
To add extra fragrance to the herbal rinse, try adding a few drops of lavender or lemon or rose essential oils.

No time to make your own natural hair care product?
You can buy online, ready made apple cider vinegar herbal hair rinses,
such as the two from Amazon shown below:
(To purchase, click on the Amazon picture. I will earn a small commission, at no cost to you.)



Or check out this vinegar hair rinse page showing specific formulated
products for dry hair, dull hair, itchy scalp, dandruff or hair growth.


Essential oil vinegar hair rinse - A Natural Hair Care Product


If preparing a vinegar/herb infusion is not your cup of tea, then a faster way to enhance the hair conditioning effect of apple cider vinegar is to add a small amount of certain types of essential oils.

To make a batch, just add 5 drops of the essential oil to 1 cup (250 ml) of apple cider vinegar. When you are ready to rinse your hair, take 1 tablespoon of this mixture and add it to 1 cup (250 ml) of warm water.

Types of essential oils that go well in a vinegar hair rinse include:
  • Lavender
  • Lemon
  • Rose
  • Rosemary
  • Sage




Dandruff and Itchy Scalp Relief


The acids and enzymes in ACV kill the "bottle bacillus", a bacteria that is one of the causes for many scalp and hair conditions such as dandruff, itchy scalp, hair loss and often baldness. The bacteria clogs hair follicles allowing dry crusts to form that itch and flake.

For a simple home treatment for dandruff and itchy scalp, apply full strength ACV to the scalp, rub in, and leave on for a half hour to an hour before washing your hair.

For an extra strength natural hair care product, apple cider vinegar can be infused with herbs such as stinging nettle, southernwood, goosegrass, plantain and burdock root all of which help prevent dandruff on their own. Tea tree oil is another excellent natural anti-dandruff ingredient, which can be added .



Natural Hair Loss Treatment


In her book Apple Cider Vinegar- Miracle Health System, Patricia Bragg recommends trying the following natural hair loss treatment:

For bald and thinning areas apply to scalp an hour before shampooing- 2 Tbsp ACV mixed with a tiny pinch cayenne powder.
Then before going to bed, mix a royal jelly capsule with one tsp ACV, pat on bald areas and leave overnight.


The following herbs have also been used to prevent hair loss and stimulate hair growth:

  • Burdock
  • Catnip
  • Chamomile
  • Lavender
  • Rosemary
  • Saw Palmetto
  • Thyme
  • Yucca
Make your own vinegar mixture as per the herbal hair rinse recipe given above and apply it full strength to the scalp. Rub it in and leave it on for a half hour to an hour before washing your hair.

Apple cider vinegar is just one of many natural products that can be used to treat hair loss.

You can find more holistic tips on how to stop your hair loss now, as well as a male and female natural hair loss treatment procedure that helps you address and eliminate the causes of hair loss, in an e-book called "Hair Loss no More"

The author, Jonathon E Phillips, is an international hair health specialist and hair loss analyst who has also studied in the fields of physiology, toxicology and naturopathy.

He guarantees that if you follow the simple steps outlined in this e-book you will see results and feel the benefits within 8 weeks or he will refund the complete cost of the book, no questions asked.



Home Remedy for head Lice


Lice infestations are very contagious and are characterized by intense itching caused by an allergic reaction to a toxin in the saliva of the lice.

If you find that commercial lice preparations are too toxic (many contain pesticides) for you or your child's skin, try the following herbal head louse treatment described in the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine that uses all natural hair care products:

  1. Carefully brush the child's head with a mixture of 3 parts olive oil and 1 part lavender essential oil.
    • First apply to a small area to test for allergic sensitivity or skin reaction.
    • The hair should be saturated with the olive oil mixture and a shower cap put on for 5 hours.
    • The olive oil clogs the breathing pores of the lice and they can't hold their breath for more than 4 hours.

  2. Follow this by an apple cider vinegar rinse, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ACV added to 1 cup (250 ml) water, to unglue the nits from the hair.
    • Nits or lice eggs are fairly small and can be pearly to grey in color.

  3. Then, using a fine-tooth comb, parents should comb the child's hair meticulously to remove the lice eggs from the hair shaft.

  4. And finally, wash the child's hair with a natural shampoo.
Once completed, check the child's hair every other day for the next 10 days, and if needed repeat the treatment.

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Your Vinegar Hair Care Stories

Click on the links below to see some great contributions about the use of vinegar as a natural hair care product from other visitors to this page...

How ACV washes my worries away 
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ACV Really Works for African, American Hair! 
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How ACV Has Brought The Shine & Softness Back To My Hair 
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Apple Cider Vinegar for Severly Itchy Scalp 
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ACV helps my Borderline Hypothyroid condition so I lose much less hair 
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How ACV relieves my Rosacea and Dandruff! 
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ACV is an Excellent Conditioner  
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Thanks for these stories on ACV for tangled hair 
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Apple Cider Vinegar for Itchy Scalp 
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Smooth, soft shiny hair back again, thanks to ACV! 
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herbal vinegar tea for thin hair 
I've always straightened and dyed my hair, and over the years my thick, fine hair has begun coming out in the shower in huge quantities. I'm …

Great feel, look and shine with Vinegar Rinse 
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Apple Cider Vinegar for Dandruff - It Works! 
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Making My Hair Grow Fast? 
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ACV for Flaky Itchy Scalp-No more scratching like a dog! 
I have processed hair and my scalp was terribly, terribly itchy all the time. It was flaking too, but not heavily. I used Nizoral for about …

ACV for dry, brittle, dandruff damaged hair for men 
I'm 38 and on various medication which causes my hair to be very damaged but since using a plain ACV rinse, 1 part ACV 3 parts water, my itching …

ACV - Removes Wax From Dreadlocks 
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Too much static 
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Miraculous ACV! for Hair Care 
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It Works for My Fine and Brittle Hair! 
I heard that ACV is great for hair so I used your recipe of 1 Tablespoon to one cup of water and after I washed my hair I poured it on my hair. …

major buildup gone with ACV rinse 
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ACV hair rinse did it! :) 
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ACV helped me to fight the toughest dandruff 
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ACV for Curly Hair 
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Click here to write your own.

ACV healed my scalp! 
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No more itch- Eczema 
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How vinegar changed the way i care for my hair 
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ACV cleared razor bumps on my scalp 
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ACV Hair Rinse-How to improve the smell 
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ACV got my Seborrhea Dermatitis under control 
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ACV is cheaper than Shampoo 
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Horrid Dandruff :( 
I've had horrible dandruff problems for almost a year now. I tried everything at the pharmacies, which only seemed to dry out my curly hair …

Bicarbonate and Vinegar Hair Rinse 
A few weeks ago I read information on washing your hair with Bicarbonate and after with cider vinegar. All a bit weird and so I tried it and …

ACV instantly cleared flaky scalp 
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ACV stopped my drastic hairfall in 2 weeks 
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ACV for hair cleaning 
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Apple Cider Vinegar for Oily Hair 
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Help wanted!!! Long HAIR Remedy 
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How ACV gave me Thick Hair 
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I have used ACV to make my hair feel soft and shiny. 
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It's a great detangler!!! 
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Synthetic Hair Nightmare 
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ACV for African American Hair 
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ACV as a Natural Hair Color Enhancer 
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ACV stopped me from getting split ends 
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ACV and Shea Butter 
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ACV for Head Lice 
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ACV turns my naturally curly 'friz' into beautiful shiny wavy ringlets! Not rated yet
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ACV treated my dry/dandruff scalp and buildup and helps with cornrows Not rated yet
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Damaged Hair helped with Vinegar Wash Not rated yet
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ACV cleared the buildup from my families locs. Not rated yet
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ACV treatment for severe dandruff Not rated yet
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VINEGAR on hair REALLY WORKS!!!! Not rated yet
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ACV Cleaned my Flaky Scalp and Revitalised my Curly Hair Not rated yet
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ACV and Sulfate-Free Shampoo Ended 4 years of Misery for My Hair=( Not rated yet
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ACV Brought Back Shine & Softness In My Hair!! Not rated yet
After using apple cider vinegar for just a couple weeks, I see the shine come back into my hair once again! My hair is silky, shiny and soft. …

ACV and Head Lice Not rated yet
My kids ended up with head lice a couple of times. I did not like to use the harsh chemicals in the shampoos so I looked into alternatives. …

ACV for Red Itchy Scalp and Patches on Skin  Not rated yet
I noticed excessive dandruff and redness on my scalp. Also between my eyebrows, side of nose, face then chin. Upon googling it was determined …

ACV cured my daughters cradle cap Not rated yet
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ACV and Gelatin for 'Thyroid Hair' Sufferer Not rated yet
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Rinsing away my dandruff one day at a time with ACV! Not rated yet
I usually don't wash my hair often cause I have pretty bad dandruff. Then I made a mixture of 1 part ACV, 1 part hydrogen peroxide, and 10 parts …

ACV for Baby Fine Hair Not rated yet
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ACV Works against Dandruff!! Not rated yet
I have had dandruff for the longest time, I used almost every anti dandruff shampoo I could find with no results. Since I have tried ACV my scalp has …

Lice Prevention with ACV Not rated yet
When I was little, my family kept foster children. Sometimes, they would have lice when they came to us. My mom would rinse our hair with …

acv made my hair great Not rated yet
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Definitely feel a difference! (with the ACV Rinse) Not rated yet
I did try the ACV rinse. I used the Bragg's unfiltered Raw ACV. I used a glass quart bottle and used spring instead of distilled because that …

Detoxing for hair loss Not rated yet
At the age of 38, I went on birth control pills, had a huge amount of stress, and then moved from Europe to the US all within 6 months. My hair …

No more nappy curls thanks to ACV !!! Not rated yet
I have really thick, dry hair. Very difficult to manage and prone to dandruff. I prefer long hair to short hair but could never figure out what …

ACV got rid of oily hair Not rated yet
I use ACV as a rinse before shampooing...and it cured my hair from being so oily! I love it!!! And it still shines without the oily feeling. …

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ACV Treated my Dandruff Not rated yet
I used ACV at full strength, left it on for only 30 seconds or so (strong smell, and it was slightly burning my scalp, fingers and back) and then …

Click here to write your own.