White Vinegar Vs Apple Cider Vinegar for Hair | Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Most of us know that vinegar is good for hair in many ways. The only confusion that lies is whether white vinegar is good or apple cider vinegar is better for hair. Considering all the discussions and debates on White vinegar vs. Apple cider vinegar, we would stick to Apple cider vinegar.
That’s what most people prefer and even your hair experts would suggest the same. That’s the conclusion, but we need to understand the reasons behind this decision that has led to Apple cider vinegar winning all the comparisons.
In this article, we shall discuss the differences between the two and also understand the various benefits earned from effectively using Apple cider vinegar on hair.
Although both are known as vinegar, they have a lot of differences between them. It is obvious without the knowledge of both of these; it would be unwise to perform DIYs. Let’s understand in short, the meaning and purpose of both kinds of vinegar.
Can You Use White Vinegar for Hair?
As the name depicts, white vinegar is transparent and is often referred to as the spirit or distilled vinegar. It is clear in its characteristics as it contains about 7 percent acetic acid and 93 percent water approximately.
White vinegar has a strong intense taste. It is majorly used in cooking, baking, and pickle making as well. The properties of white vinegar make it an effective cleaner and disinfectant for the home.
Thus, people use it for home cleaning and cooking purposes rather than on hair. Let’s understand the properties of apple cider vinegar.
Can You Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Hair?
Apple cider vinegar is brown and muddy in color. It consists of 5 to 6 percent acetic acid and the remaining contents of water.
The process involves crushing apples to extract the liquid and then fermenting it. Apple cider vinegar is also used for cooking as a dressing, for marinating, and for vinaigrettes.
Other than the health benefit, it is highly known to treat hair too. Many people use apple cider vinegar to treat dandruff and itchy scalp.
If you are looking for good Apple Cider Vinegar Products online, you can check our below recommendation:
Which type of vinegar is best for hair?
Apple cider vinegar is the best for hair. Most hair experts will also agree with what we say on this point.
The vinegar is rich in minerals, acids, and the right components to treat damaged hair. It is one of the best home remedies for scalp strength and to bring back the lost hair shine.
Top 5 Benefits of apple cider vinegar for hair
- The acidic and pH levels present in apple cider vinegar help to treat brittle, frizzy, and dull hair. As soon as you get your hair in contact with apple vinegar, the pH levels get balanced and help in making the hair alkaline.
- The antimicrobial properties act as a medication on the scalp for itchiness and other infections on the scalp skin. The bacteria growth of fungi on the scalp is also treated with the apple cider vinegar application.
- There are also positive claims of apple cider vinegar containing vitamins C and B. Some studies also claimed that the vinegar contains alpha-hydroxyl acid that helps to treat scalp skin and works as an anti-inflammatory to treat dandruff.
- Apple cider vinegar is also known to remove dead pores and skin from the scalp promoting hair re-growth. The acidic values in the vinegar clarify the scalp ad exfoliates it. As a result, the blood circulation of the hair follicles improves.
- Apple cider vinegar is the most cost-effective solution to treat your hair. It doesn’t cost you as much as your other chemical-based products or salon treatments.
How often should you use apple cider vinegar on your hair?
You can use it once a week or once every two weeks on the hair. People with natural hair can use it a couple of times a week. For oily hair we suggest once a week and for dry hair once in two weeks would be the best advice to follow.
Some hair experts would suggest limiting the multiple usages in a week as that can furthermore dry your hair if you have colored it.
Color-treated hair can continue to use apple cider vinegar once a week only. Using it often may affect the hair color resulting in even fading.
If you are unsure of your hair texture whether it is oily or dry, we suggest you get it checked by a hair expert before you start using apple cider vinegar. That way, you would get to know your hair tone to introduce any other hair products as well.
How long should you leave apple cider vinegar on your hair?
Not more than five minutes! Five minutes is the ideal time to leave the apple cider vinegar on your hair.
Let us help you with quick and easy steps on how to leave the apple cider vinegar on the hair. Follow these simple tips and you will get amazing hair quality with a well-treated scalp.
Process of rinsing apple cider vinegar on hair:
- Shampoo the hair like you normally do
- In a bowl or shower mug, mix two to three tbsp. of apple cider vinegar with five tbsp. water
- Massage gently for one to two minutes and let it be for 5 minutes
- Rinse your hair immediately with cold water or under the running shower
- Use a mild conditioner and rinse just like you do
This process will solve most of your problems with dandruff, itchy scalp, dull, brittle, and infectious scalp. Don’t worry about the smell; it will go after the rinse. Just don’t exceed more than 5 drops of vinegar for the rinse and you will be fine.
If you are unsure of how to make a hair mask using apple cider vinegar, there are ready products available in the market that contains apple vinegar as the main ingredient. We have some recommendations for you.
Recommended Apple Cider Vinegar Products:
White Vinegar vs Apple Cider Vinegar for hair
White vinegar as we discussed is mainly used for cleaning and cooking purposes whereas apple cider vinegar is highly preferred for hair treatments and of course cooking too.
There is a secret to why some people use white vinegar instead of apple cider. For people who have undergone color treatments, white or distilled vinegar is preferred as it helps to preserve the hair color.
You can make apple cider vinegar as an alternative to white vinegar, however; not vice versa for hair. Not many are aware that apple cider vinegar is also distributed with ‘Mother’.
If you read that term, it means the vinegar is in the purest form and it is more potent. You can use it with or without a mother for your hair. Those with ‘mother’ are mainly used for medicinal purposes.
If we have to only differentiate between the two to rate which is better, then we have reasons why people prefer ACV (apple cider vinegar) over distilled (white vinegar).
Both have almost the same properties; the only major difference is that distilled vinegar is not as effective as ACV as the latter has a higher ratio of vitamins and minerals essential for hair.
Thus, ACV is most preferred by people with hair issues and in air treatments. The other difference is ACV has a strong pungent smell than white vinegar. However, this can be balanced by adding any good hair oil.
Final Comments:
You are aware of both kinds of vinegar in detail but, if the confusion about whether it will suit your hair texture and tone, you must see a hair expert for the same. If you ask us as a conclusion, we would stick to apple cider vinegar as even the health experts and science favor the same as a perfect hair rinse.
The only reason opinions may differ would be due to different hair textures for different people and the color treatments done. Either reach out to us with specific comments about your hair or discuss the same with your hair expert.