If you want to care for your hair and scalp naturally, the acid rinse is just the thing for you, because the acid rinse is a natural hair conditioner that gives your hair more shine without any synthetic ingredients.

It acts like a natural hair care product consisting of cold water and vinegar. The acidic rinse acts like a natural decalcifier for your hair and is suitable for all hair types, but especially for dry hair.

 
An acidic rinse can be made very easily yourself and the necessary utensils can be found in every household: You need 1 liter of cold water (you can also use distilled water here) and 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. It is therefore best to use apple cider vinegar for the acidic rinse, as it contains particularly many minerals and antioxidants that are good for your hair.

 

 

The mixing ratio is 1:2, which means that 100 ml of apple cider vinegar must be mixed with 200 ml of water. If that's too much vinegar for you, you can also start with a smaller amount - the acidic rinse also works with less vinegar. Make sure, especially at the beginning, that you don't use too much vinegar and slowly get your hair used to natural care by gradually increasing the amount of vinegar.

 

Sour Rinse – For What?

Your hair is exposed to a lot of stress, such as UV radiation, heat, chemicals and hard water. The result? The hair loses its natural protective coating, which causes the outer cuticle to be roughened and attacked, which makes the hair brittle, and hair appears dull and dry. You'll notice this when your hair becomes difficult to comb and your scalp possibly begins to itch.

 

 

The acidic rinse neutralizes the pH value of your care products, which allows the outer cuticle layer of the hair to form better again. Especially when using hair soaps regularly, the acidic rinse can help to rinse out soap residue that makes the hair appear dull and sticky. The hair immediately appears strong and shiny again.

 

Using the acidic rinse also cleanses your scalp: dandruff caused by product deposits is removed and your scalp appears soothed and clean. But that's not all: the vinegar forms a protective layer around your hair, giving it radiant shine and easy combing.

 

Rinses can also help you remove silicone residue from your hair. With regular use, all silicone residue will be removed from your hair after six months at the latest.

 

Acid rinse - this is how you use the natural shine booster

The acidic rinse is used like a leave-in conditioner: After washing your hair, slowly pour it over your head and massage it lightly into your hair and scalp. Acidic rinses are not rinsed out - but don't worry, as soon as your hair dries, the vinegar smell will disappear! You can use the acidic rinse as needed.

However, for more shine and suppleness in the long term, it is recommended to use the natural care booster at least once a week.

 

Sour rinse for colored hair

Be careful with colored hair! If you have colored your hair with commercially available hair dyes that have a high ammonia and silicone content, you need to be particularly careful: using the acidic rinse can strip your hair of the color pigments. This can result in unsightly stains and the color being washed out more quickly.

Conversely, the rinse can help you get your natural hair color back a little faster after an unfortunate hair coloring experiment - it gently and naturally removes the color from your hair little by little.

 

 

This is not the case with natural dyes, such as henna dyes: If the hair is cared for with silicone-free products, the acidic rinse can be used without any problems and does not strip the hair of the color.

When it comes to rinsing, it is important that it is always very cold. Rinses that are too warm have significantly less effect. Remember that the acidic rinse should always be freshly prepared before washing your hair!  

 

Sour Rinse – basic recipe and alternatives

The basic recipe for the sour rinse is: 1 liter of cold water and 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Other vinegars can also be used. However, you should make sure that these have a similarly low acid content as apple cider vinegar.  Vinegars that have an acid content of 5-8% are particularly recommended. 

 

 

Lemon juice, citric acid or teas can also be used instead of vinegar: It is best to use 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice for 1 liter of cold water. When using citric acid, make sure that you don't use too much - one teaspoon is enough for 1 liter of cold water. By the way: When combined with sunlight, both lemon rinds can have a bleaching effect. So avoid a long bath in the sun immediately after using a lemon rinse...

Tea rinses, so-called tar rinses, are particularly recommended for colored hair. For example, a rinse made from chamomile tea is particularly suitable for blonde hair, and a rinse made from black tea is particularly suitable for black hair. In order for the tannic acids to form, you should let the tea steep for around 4-5 hours beforehand. At the end you can put it in the fridge so that it is completely cool before use.

 

 

Don't have vinegar at home but desperately need a shine upgrade? If you don't have vinegar on hand and are in a hurry, you can try cold water. After washing your hair, simply rinse your hair with cold water. The cold water closes the outer cuticle and your hair appears shiny, strong and supple in no time.