Acid rinse, a natural hair conditioner
It just so happens that I dot in blog writing days every summer day now.
I think it's fantastic to be able to sit and write in the rain.
Today I have compiled a post about Acid rinse To you. We will take and go through what acid rinse is and why you use it as well as what benefits acid rinse gives your hair.
We start by going to the basics a bit with the structure of the hair and what happens to the hair when we wash it with soap.
When you wash your hair with a soap, the soap leaves an alkaline environment for your hair, with a PH above 7. This means that the hair itself has opened up, because on each hair there are scales, the scale should be closed and not open. Leaving the scale open makes the hair vulnerable, which can lead to frizzy and unmanageable hair. The hair also wears more and becomes dull in color.
The picture below shows a strand of hair under a microscope about how it looks when it is open and closed, so we want the hair to look like the one on the left in the picture.
So after washing with soap, we want to close the hair and go down to a normal PH value which is about 4.5-5.5. No viruses, harmful bacteria or microorganisms thrive in that environment.
What is an acid rinse?
You can say that acid rinse is a hair rinse, so you rinse through the hair with this product.
The acid rinse also helps to remove soap residue from the hair so you don't feel that your hair is flat and heavy. The acid rinse causes old product residues to come off the hair.
What ingredients are in an acid rinse?
You can easily make a pickle yourself in a minute. There are ready-made acid rinses to buy, but since I haven't tested any of them myself, I can't give my opinion and that they are quite expensive in my opinion.
Sour rinse therefore contains something acidic, eg water and apple cider vinegar, or cooled tea made from eg hibiscus flowers, chamomile or birch leaves. Here you can experiment and make your own plant or herb decoction of your choice.
Hibiscus flowers, chamomile and birch leaves are available for purchase in our webshop and some of the ones I like to use the most.
How to use acid rinse
Prepare your acid rinse before entering the shower
- Wash hair as usual with soap and rinse
- If you have long hair, it is best to dip the lengths of hair a few times in the acid rinse before alternatively turning your head up and down and spilling the entire acid rinse over the hair, we want to cover all the hair. Let it work for a little while
- Then rinse with cold or lukewarm water, cold water further increases the hair's closure and gives a nice shine to the hair. It is also good for the scalp because then the pores are closed.
Dipping the lengths of hair ensures that you got the acid rinse on every strand but nothing you have to do.
To rinse or not to rinse?
This is entirely up to you, whether you want to rinse or not. Some choose to leave the acid rinse in the hair and squeeze most of it out and then dry the hair as usual. In the case of an itchy scalp, it can be good to leave the acid rinse on so it can continue to work, and here you can simply try out what suits you and your hair best.
If you want to leave the acid rinse in your hair, I recommend rinsing out with the acid rinse twice so that you rinse out the soap residue the first time, which can later leave your hair feeling heavy, but try what suits you! Some may also find that the hair is left with an apple cider vinegar scent and therefore want to rinse off.
Recipe for acid rinse with water and apple cider vinegar
5 dl water (enough for medium-length hair)
50 ml (approx. 3.5 tbsp) apple cider vinegar, you can alternatively use a little less or more depending on what your hair needs
Do this:
- Measure apple cider vinegar in a pitcher/bowl, fill with water (cold or lukewarm doesn't matter)
- Take in the shower and use after soap
This acid rinse can be perceived to smell a little vinegary after you rinse it out, but the smell disappears quite quickly when the hair dries.
Is very appreciated for those who have seborrhea or fungus on the scalp. You can also add a drop of essential oil if you like, e.g. peppermint, lemon or lavender.
Pickle with hibiscus or other dry herbs
My favorite when it comes to pickling is to use herbs. Hibiscus suits everyone, however, if you have very blond hair, it can give a shade shift, so try it out, otherwise chamomile works especially well for blond hair because it is said to have a brightening effect.
Hibiscus smells good and gives darker hair colors a great shine.
Birch leaves are very strengthening and soothing and suitable for all hair types.
Chamomile suits you with light hair especially well, but works for anyone who wants a calming effect.
My favorite is a mixture of hibiscus and birch leaves and apple cider vinegar.
This is how you make a pickle with plants or herbs
5 dl hot water
About 2 tablespoons of herbs, hibiscus or mix your own herbs
(If necessary, also 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar)
Heat water, no need to boil, remember that boiling water can destroy very fine properties in plants/herbs and we don't want that, so heat the water to about 80°C. I myself use two tea balls/strainers, in one I put hibiscus and in the other birch leaves, let steep in a glass jug while I shower. If the pickle is still very hot when you are going to use it, you can put in some cold water, here I also usually add a small splash of apple cider vinegar
Dip / pour over hair, rinse or don't rinse depending on the result you are looking for.
It's very interesting to experiment with different plants and herbs when pickling, after you've tried your hand for a while you usually find your
Benefits of acid rinse
- Suitable for all hair types
- Get rid of unnecessary chemicals
- Excellent for tired hair, various hair/scalp problems
- Can prevent hair loss
- May increase hair growth
- Reduces frizzy hair
- Less broken hairs
- A smooth hair and scalp
If you dye your hair regularly with regular conventional hair dyes, it usually takes longer for the hair to get used to natural hair washing. If you have loops made with hydrogen peroxide, it usually takes longer for the hair to get used to it, it can often result in sticky and greasy hair because the hair is so low in moisture that it attracts all the beneficial oils and does not want to let go from the hair. But hold on, it usually gives in, as with normal shampoo, you also need to find the soap and acid rinse that suits your hair best.