One of the best things you can do to your hair and scalp is to wash them, at least once in a week, with apple cider vinegar shampoo. Yes, it is acidic, and can damage your hair, but only when used wrongly. You do not have to use apple cider vinegar directly on your, especially in its raw state. It is better and most effective, when you dilute it with some water.
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Hair shampoo is meant to help improve the health of your scalp and hair by making your hair follicles remain closed, thereby preventing hair breakages. Also, a good shampoo should help you keep your hair moisturized and prevent tangling, no matter how kink your hair might be. Unfortunately, most shampoos do not help you get these results – we’ll see the reason for that in a bit.
In this article, you will understand what a shampoo should be in order to help you maintain good scalp and hair health. You will also find out how to use apple cider vinegar as a shampoo, as well as how to prepare it.
Understand Your Scalp and Hair
Generally, we believe the scalp to be layer on which hair grows, but that is wrong. The scalp has five layers, one of which is the skin – the portion on which hair grows – our focus area in this article. The first three layers are closely bound that they move as one structure. However, the other two are the parts of the scalp that contains blood vessels and nerves.
The skin of the head is the outer layer of the scalp that supports hair growth due to the presence of hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Keeping the skin of the head healthy means it will produce healthy hair. This skin needs some nutrients to remain healthy, and produce more full and shiny hair. Like the remaining skin of your body that needs to be pampered with different lotions, your head skin also deserves to be pampered to get the best out of it.
A good head skin usually has its follicles closed and has a pH of about 5, which is slightly acidic. These conditions have to be maintained for the best hair growth and health.
The hair that grows out of the hair follicles on the skin of your head is an announcer of the state of your scalp. A full, shiny hair that doesn’t break states that the skin of your head is in good condition and the follicles are closed.
How to Maintain the Health of Your Scalp?
While there are many unfounded tips on how to improve the health of your scalp, one of them being wash your hair regularly, which may be detrimental to the health of your scalp, here are few things that influence the health of your scalp.
Diet
Like every other body part, the hair and scalp need to be constantly fed with nutrients that promote their health. Foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish, aid in the production of sebum, which is essential in keeping the scalp moist and prevent the entry of microorganisms that may cause inflammation. Also, foods that are rich in antioxidants, such as fruits and vegetables, are also beneficial for the scalp.
Haircare Products
It is important to rub your scalp with products that help it maintain its healthy oil production and locks moisture in. however, there are some products that may render your scalp susceptible to damage and may outrightly damage it. such hair products contain alcohols and sulphates that dry out the hair and causes the scalp to be dry, causing irritation and consequently, hair breakage and hair loss, on continuous use.
Frequency of washing
Washing your hair with shampoo every day doesn’t guarantee a healthy scalp and hair. While you may be striving to make your hair appear less oily by shampooing every day, the sebaceous gland in the scalp will overcompensate for the oil the scalp is losing.
It is best to shampoo your hair about three or four days in the week.
These influencers of scalp and hair health are important, and for the purpose of this article, our focus is on the shampoo. A shampoo is made to help you get rid of excess sebum that your sebaceous gland produces. While this might be a good thing as the sebum can attract and hold-in some non-beneficial micro-fauna, it can also be detrimental to the health of your scalp if used too often, as it will dry out the scalp and cause it to scale.
Therefore, be cognisance of the ingredients used in making your shampoo, and the frequency of use, with respect to your hair type.
Why you Should Consider Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
As a substitute for shampoos that might be harmful to your scalp and hair, apple cider vinegar shampoo is known to have beneficial effect on the body. With its numerous properties, it will promote the health of your hair, making it fuller, shinier, and without breakages.
It contains vitamins B, C and Potassium
Apart from proteins and omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, such as vitamin C and Vitamin B, are essential for good scalp health and luxuriant hair growth. Apple cider vinegar contains these nutrients and when used as a shampoo, imparts them on the scalp. It also contains potassium, which is also essential for hair strength.
It increases blood flow in the hair follicle
Apple cider vinegar helps to increase the vascular activity of the layers of scalp beneath the skin of the head. This increased activity leads to more blood flow to the scalp, which also promotes the growth of hair.
Maintains scalp pH
The scalp has an acidic environment and most shampoo products are alkaline. When used on the scalp, they alter the natural pH of the scalp. Apple cider vinegar, on the other hand, is an acidic natural product that will aid in maintaining the pH of the scalp, thus helping to promote its health.
It has antioxidant properties
One of the many properties of apple cider vinegar is its ability to fight against infection-causing organisms. This is why it is used as a disinfectant in homes. It will effectively fight against scalp infections, such as psoriasis and dandruff, leaving the scalp healthy again.
Creates room for new skin cells
Apple cider vinegar shampoo will help to exfoliate the skin by removing dead cells, and allowing the growth of new, healthy cells that will foster the growth of new hair strands.
How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
There is the misconception that apple cider vinegar shampoo is too acidic, and it will burn the scalp when used. While there is some truth to this, it stems from a place of ignorance. Apple cider vinegar shampoo does not burn the scalp when used rightly. Here is how to prepare and use your own apple cider vinegar shampoo.
- Purchase a bottle of organic apple cider vinegar. To ascertain the authenticity, make sure the content of the bottle contains some sediments that form a part of a suspension when you shake it.
- Measure a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and mix it with three tablespoons of water. For a larger mixture volume, use the same ratio.
- Shampoo your hair with your preferred haircare product and rinse it out.
- Add your apple cider vinegar shampoo to you already damp hair, starting from the root to the tip of your hair.
- Massage the apple cider vinegar shampoo into your scalp to help with exfoliation and blood circulation.
- Leave it in for about five to seven minutes.
- Rinse out.
Conclusion
The attention you give to your hair should be extended to your scalp because it is the base on which your hair starts, you can call it the foundation of your hair. One of the ways to take good care of your hair is to shampoo regularly. However, some of the shampoos in the market may be detrimental to the health of your scalp.
Apple cider vinegar is a product of apples that helps to revitalise the scalp by helping it maintain its natural pH and supplying needed nutrients. It also increases blood flow to the scalp and rids it of dead skin cells. Apple cider vinegar shampoo is the way to go if you want to keep your hair full, shiny, and free of breakages.
However, it is important to note that apple cider vinegar shampoo should be used only a few times in a week, say twice in a week, and should be used the right way to avoid irritation to the scalp.