Clarify Hair Naturally (Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse)

One of my favorite ways to treat my hair is by giving it an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse. Most people use an ACV rinse to remove product buildup in place of a clarifying shampoo. Clarifying shampoos strip hair of its natural oils and that can cause excessive drying and who wants that?  I initially used an ACV rinse only to help remove buildup.  I fell in love with it after seeing that it also made my curls more defined, bouncy, shiny and fluffy!  YAY ACV!  After that I had to find out what other benefits ACV rinses have besides removing buildup.


BENEFITS OF AN APPLE CIDER VINEGAR RINSE

• Closes the hair cuticle to protect the inside of the hair shaft from damage
• Removes buildup (cheaper and with less damage than clarifying shampoos)
• Can restore the pH balance of the scalp and hair
• Give hair a healthy sheen
• Promote blood circulation of the scalp
• and I am sure more that I don't know about

Please keep in mind that ACV is an acid and overuse can cause degradation to your hair shaft.  I have not seen any adverse side effects and will continue to use it 2-3 times a month.  I use it AFTER washing and conditioning since it is hard for conditioner to get through closed hair cuticles after using the rinse.

HERE IS HOW I MAKE MY APPLE CIDER VINEGAR RINSE:

Some people use plain water.  I had to be a little extra of course :)  I boil water and then let dried rosemary, black (English breakfast) tea and peppermint tea seep for a while.

I don't have a particular brand of apple cider vinegar I use, but for this batch I used Target's brand:

I use a 64 ounce container and filled it with 48 ounces of the rosemary/tea water and 16 ounces of ACV.  For me this is enough for 3 rinses and I keep it in the refrigerator.  I like to use it cold.  I don't know why, but it works for me.  When I first started using ACV, I used less and suggest anyone doing it for the first time to use less also to see how your hair reacts to it.

Once it is cool I add a1/2 tablespoon of an essential oil.  I usually use tea tree oil, but I used peppermint oil this time.

My Transition to Natural Living

***I would like to say that I am choosing to be as natural as possible in my living. What you want to do, if anything, is certainly up to you!  I always say, "Do what works for you!".***

Deciding to live a natural lifestyle isn't really that hard, but it takes work and effort.  Unless you are wealthy and can pay to have everything done for you. :)

The first thing I did was commit to losing weight.  In doing that I had to cut a lot of unhealthy ingredients from my diet.  That was pretty easy for me.  Even though I am overweight, I still always ate pretty healthy.  It was the snacking that got me.  I CAN cook, but didn't LIKE to cook.  The only way I knew how to regulate what I put in my body was to start learning to love cooking again.  So taking over my diet was my initial step.  Years ago I did a vegetarian diet.  It didn't last because I was anemic and was not committed to taking supplements to regulate it correctly.  Now I am back on my journey to vegetarianism and it is pretty much a breeze.  I hardly eat meat anyway.  My obstacle is going to be eliminate dairy.  Oh dairy, how I love you, but you gotta go!  I can't wait to start sharing recipes!

The second thing I did was change how I cared for my hair and body.  Getting relaxers had to be eliminated.  If you don't know what a relaxer is click here.  You can also Google to find a lot of info about the harmful side effects if a relaxer is not done correctly.  I want to put it out there that I DO NOT have an problems with chemical processes or anyone that chooses to get them.  I just figured I didn't need them anymore.  I never had them done regularly in the first place.  Plus I was interested to see what my natural, God-given hair looked like.  On 1/2/12, big chopped (BCed) my hair and it is the best thing I have done in a while.  I am so in love with my hair now and I feel more like myself.  It has been a learning experience trying to figure out what products work on my hair.  In the process of doing that I started making my own products from natural ingredients.  Now I make my own hair, face and body products. Everything I use isn't all 100% natural or handmade yet, but I am getting there.  I am still a product junkie (PJ) and enjoy trying new things.

My next step is going to be making sure the household cleaning items I use are natural.  When I was doing my vegetarian diet years ago I would BUY cleaners that are "green".  Now I would like to start making my own.  I am sure it is possible and can't wait to see how that goes.

I have a son and he is 5.  I am sure you will get to know him more later.  He is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, PPD-NOS.  One of his issues is food.  He has oral sensitivity issues and will not tolerate certain textures.  Getting him on my same diet will be difficult and I have decided to not stress him or myself by forcing it on him.  I am just grateful he is eating solids because  about 2 or 3 years ago that was not the case.

The Introduction...

So here is my mini intro:

I am a 30-something, Black (mostly), overweight, single mother looking to change my life.  I have decided that one of the ways I can improve myself and my health is to transition into natural and green living.  So far my transition to do this hasn’t been too bad.  The internet has been one of my greatest tools.  It has allowed me to do countless hours of research on those insomniac nights.

How far will I go with this?  I have no earthly idea, but I will strive to get as close to living 100% naturally as possible.

I started this blog because of the interest people have shown in things I have been changing about my life and what I have learned during my transition.  I hope you all will enjoy the info, recipes and anything else I decide to write about.  Let’s start this natural, healthy journey!