Monday, April 19, 2010

Herbal Vinegar Rinse

A natural alternative to commercial conditioners is a herbal vinegar rinse- It eliminates residual shampoo, help restore the natural acid balance of the scalp, and leaves your hair looking clean, soft and incredibly shiny... plus it doesn't smell half as bad..trust me!!

How to Prepare;
Fill 3/4 of a clean Kilner jar with herbs or petals according to one's preference. Crush them slightly to help release their natural oils. Pour over cider or white wine vinegar to cover (DON'T USE MALT). Make sure all herbs are completely submerged.
Storage:
Seal and leave in a warm, sunny spot for 2 weeks, shaking the bottle every couple of days, and pushing down any uncovered plant. When ready strain and pour into a sterilized bottle.

Play around with the following herbs:
Chamomile or Calendula/Marigold; For fair and irritated scalp.
Sage and Rosemary; For dark hair.
Nettle; To Strengthen brittle hair.
Violet, Marigold or Parsley; For Dandruff
Rose Petals;For dry scalp.

For a scented rinse

Try use Rose petals, Lavender or Jasmin flowers.

By the way.... vinegar rinses also help reduce/eliminate dandruff problems!! Try it out!

3 comments:

  1. what's best for coloured hair?

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  2. Apparently, a white vinegar rinse after coloring hair, is said to lock in the the new shade and keep the dye in for a longer time.

    But there are mixed thoughts about it..some say it fades colour!!

    I have colored hair and it doesn't seems to fade my colour when i use vinegar rinses.

    Probably, being a natural product, it effect people differently. I would still suggest to give it a go though... i'm sure all of us tried far worse products!

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  3. Hi Char! I've stopped using commercial conditioner after having tried most of what's on the market and found out that they all leave my hair brittle and flat.

    I have a tendency to get psoriasis and that makes my scalp itchy and flaky if I put too many chemicals on it. I've been using a vinegar rinse (sage or chamomile mainly) for over a year and it's amazing how healthy my scalp feels.

    Moreover it doesn't smell of vinegar at all once it dries. It makes the hair feel thicker and strangely doesn't dry it up at all. I have dry, curly, fine hair that tends to do what it wants at best. I found that since using your shampoo bars and the vinegar rinse, the curls have a better shape (u know what I mean - no flyway, frizzy strands). Commercial conditioner tends to soften them too much and flattens the hair wt progressive use.

    A vinegar rinse after a good soap shampoo, cleanses and doesn't leave my hair brittle. Not sure how it works. Apparently the vinegar (diluted to about one teaspoon to 500ml of water of course!) smoothens the shaft of the hair. Hence no frizz and oodles of sheen.

    Thanks for the recipes. Look forward to trying some of them.

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