Acid rinse: what is it and what effects does it have on hair?
The acid rinse for hair is useful whenever the hair is stressed, frizzy, difficult to comb, dull and rough to the touch. But how is it prepared and when is it applied? Before answering these and other questions, we have compiled a useful guide to learn more. Before reading the article, however, we recommend that you take a look at the video below to learn how to prepare a beauty elixir using apple cider vinegar.
The importance of acid rinse
If you have dull and dull hair you will be amazed by how the acid rinse can immediately make it shiny, soft and healthy. To understand why hair sometimes looks shiny and in shape and other times, however, it is dull, dull and dry, we need to analyze the way we wash it. If your hair isn't particularly damaged by straighteners, chemical dyes, or bleaches, then doing the acid rinse at home could make a real difference.
The hair is covered with scales that after washing with shampoo open making the hair appear not perfectly smooth and above all very dry. The hardness of the water also affects the final appearance of our hair: the limestone is inexorably deposited on the hair and eliminates their natural shine. The acid rinse helps in this sense, eliminating limescale and making the hair appear smooth and shiny.
Soap, vinegar and lemon were the first acid conditioning substances that were used in the past to have shiny and healthy hair, performing the acid rinse, and still play a fundamental role for those who want to take care of their hair avoiding products. aggressive people who would resolve the situation only in a very superficial way.
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Acid rinse: what does it consist of?
The acid rinse consists, specifically, of acidifying the water to be used as a final rinse after shampooing, to restore natural shine, manageability and softness to the hair. But what do you use and how do you proceed? To carry out this operation there are two different methods: the first involves the use of vinegar, while for the second the protagonist will be the lemon.
- Acid rinse with vinegar
In this first case it will be enough to use simple common kitchen vinegar, both apple and wine vinegar will be fine, but the first will be slightly more delicate and with a less strong smell than the second. The dose is about 2 tablespoons diluted in 2 liters of cold water. It is important to follow these rules and not to exceed the doses of vinegar in order not to regain stringy hair.
- Acid rinse with lemon
If you can't stand the strong and pungent smell of vinegar or are allergic to this ingredient, don't worry, we have the solution! In this case, our advice is to opt for lemon juice which, however, is very acidifying and therefore the doses will be reviewed. Alternatively, you can buy citric acid, which is also easily available at the supermarket.
Read on and find out the recipe to follow!
Acid rinse: the recipe to follow
Before you go to work and prepare your very own acid rinse, you will need to consider the length of the hair. Here are the ingredients and the procedure.
Ingrediants
- 1.5L / 2L of cold water
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
or
- the juice of 1 lemon
or
- 1 knife tip of citric acid
Method
Pour the cold water into a wide-mouthed pitcher or a basin (you can also simply fill the sink at home). At this point, add the acidifying substance of your choice and mix. After washing your hair, make a final rinse with the mixture. prepared and proceed to drying the hair.
Only by doing a series of tests will you be able to understand what is the substance of the 3 mentioned, which best matches your hair. If your hair feels too dry when styling, the substance you choose is probably not right for you and you should change it next time. When you find the right one, you will notice the extreme softness and manageability of the hair.
Another tip is to use instead of simple water, a cold rosemary infusion which, especially in the case of oily hair, can help thanks to its sebum-regulating properties.
Alternative acid rinse
There are also alternative recipes to the classic one that we left you in the previous paragraph: the ingredients to use are beer and chamomile. Find out how to use them.
- Acid rinse with beer
For the acid rinse with beer you will have to boil the beer for 15 minutes in a saucepan, in order to completely evaporate the alcohol. At this point mix the beer with a little white wine vinegar and shake well. solution on damp hair and the result will be a deeply nourished and really shiny hair.
- Acid rinse with chamomile
Chamomile is also a real marvel to create acidic hair rinse at home. Follow this process:
- boil some water
- infuse a sachet of chamomile and let it cool
- add the acid part to the chamomile, which can be a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- also add a teaspoon of honey, with softening and soothing properties
- mix well and apply the solution to your hair after washing it
When and how to do the acid rinse
The acid rinse is useful, but if done too often or every time we wash our hair it can be really aggressive. Our advice is to do it once a week, gradually observing how the hair reacts and eventually dilute the application to once every 2 weeks.
Proceed like this:
- wash your hair with your usual shampoo
- apply a conditioning balm
- do not use too hot water which could ruin the hair and dry it more
- rinse off the conditioner with a stream of cold water
- dip your hair into the basin or pitcher prepared for the acid rinse
- finally proceed with drying
Acid rinse for dyed hair
Many will be wondering if it is possible to do an acid rinse on colored hair without risking to ruin everything. Before answering this question we must make a necessary premise: if you have done the chemical dye at the hairdresser, then there will be no problem and you can proceed with the acid rinse that will not ruin the color, on the contrary, it will enhance it by fixing it and making it even brighter. .
If, on the other hand, you have dyed your hair using dyeing herbs, we advise you to avoid adding the acid substance to the color mixture, because in this case it can affect the final result.
Curly hair and acid rinse
Although we have repeatedly repeated that the acid rinse makes the hair smooth because it closes the scales, this does not mean that it cannot also be done by those with curly hair. Curly hair, much more than the others, can have dryness problems on the lengths and ends, with the consequent frizz effect, so after shampooing and with the hair still wet, proceed by spraying or dabbing the acid solution, made with one of the recipes seen previously, over the entire crown. Leave on for at least 30 minutes, massaging the hair and skin, without rubbing; Finally, proceed with styling and drying with a hairdryer or diffuser.
