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Apple cider vinegar is a popular natural remedy in beauty routines for many reasons, being celebrated for its versatility and effectiveness in enhancing skin and hair health. When you’re done making your favorite salad dressing, save some vinegar for a face or hair mask! Derived from fermented apples (you can actually make apple cider vinegar at home), ACV is rich in beneficial acids and nutrients that contribute to its wide-ranging beauty benefits. Apple cider vinegar is a natural and cost-effective addition to tons of beauty treatments, and we’re sharing some of our best recipes below.
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The Benefits of ACV for Beauty
Detoxifies: ACV helps detoxify and refresh the scalp by removing impurities that can lead to dandruff, hair fall, and oily hair.
Balances pH: It rebalances the scalp’s pH, reducing inflammation and inhibiting the growth of yeast or fungi associated with dandruff.
Detangles: When used as a post-shampoo rinse, ACV smooths the hair’s surface, making it easier to brush and detangle.
Soothes: Adding ACV to bathwater can help clean and soothe the skin due to its antibacterial properties.
Treats acne: Raw, unpasteurized ACV restores the skin’s pH balance by repairing the acid mantle and acts as an astringent, helping to clear acne.
Exfoliates: ACV face masks can remove dead skin cells, unclog pores, and reduce acne, restoring the skin’s natural glow.
How to Use ACV for Beauty with 9+ Recipes
1. Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp Scrub
When oil, dirt and product build up on your scalp, the entire length of your hair can suffer. It may look limp and lifeless and it may be in need of a good detox. Look no further than this ACV and salt scrub to clear your head.
This detoxifying apple cider vinegar scrub uses finely ground pink Himalayan salt to slough away dead skin and deep clean hair follicles.
Check out this recipe
2. Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse
While you could easily rinse your hair with just apple cider vinegar to get healthier, shinier locks, we recommend this infused version that brings you the benefits of herbal remedies on top. Rosemary, hibiscus, lavender, and marshmallow root are all important additions for hair health that make it feel stronger and thicker. Another version uses grapefruit for dandruff prevention and removal.
Herbs and vinegar come together to make the ultimate hair fixer upper.
Check out this recipe
3. ACV + Rice Water Hair Rinse
Amazing on its own or infused with hair-friendly herbs, an apple cider vinegar hair rinse works even better when combined with another miracle ingredient for hair health: rice water. Perfect for weak and fine hair, this rinse strengthens and nourishes your hair with some of the most easily-available kitchen ingredients.
Rice water and apple cider vinegar create a powerful concoction that nourishes, cleanses, and clarifies the hair.
Check out this recipe
4. Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
While ACV can easily be used as a hair rinse, to help detox hair and remove product buildup, it can bring you the same benefits in shampoo form. For this recipe, we paired ACV with soap nuts to create a gentle but effective shampoo that is rich in vitamins and minerals, helps exfoliate the scalp and restore its pH balance.
If your hair is weighed down by product build-up and oil, you’ll love this clarifying DIY apple cider vinegar shampoo. It’s super easy to make too!
Check out this recipe
5. Foot Soaks
Whether you’re trying to get rid of foot odors or Athlete’s foot, apple cider vinegar is an excellent option for a foot soak. Its antibacterial effects can be strengthened with those of tea tree oil.
6. Hands Age Spot Remover
The same power combo we use on our hair – rice and vinegar – works for removing dark spots on your hands, too. Simply combine with honey and use as a scrub to brighten the skin over time.
7. Keratosis Pilaris Scrub
While the causes of keratosis pilaris remain unknown, we do know how to help reduce its effects. A simple scrub made with ACV, baking soda and oils can be applied to the affected areas on the arms or legs in circular motions.
8. ACV Acne Treatments
From facial peels to spot treatments, ACV is a surprisingly effective tool against acne. It works by killing bacteria, removing excess oil, dirt and buildup, and removing toxins that would normally cause zits to appear.
9. ACV Face Mask for Every Skin Type
Excessive oil production, wrinkles and acne have nothing on ACV. This key ingredient can easily be mixed into DIY face masks for any skin type. Gently exfoliating and protecting the skin’s acid mantle, apple cider vinegar helps restore the skin’s pH and evens out the complexion.
