Healthy and shiny hair, do you know that there is a little natural remedy for the beauty of the hair? The secret is the final acid rinse. Let's see what it consists of, how it acts and how it may be carried out.
Acid rinse for bright hair, what it is
As a last step, after washing the hair with shampoo and applying the conditioner, you can perform the acid rinse, which consists in pouring a lotion on the hair, generally based on vinegar, in order to restore the hair's pH that, for what concerns the hair shaft, is around 3.6. In fact, most shampoos on the market have an alkaline pH higher than 5.5. Studies have shown that using alkaline products on the hair increases the negative charge of the hair, which takes on a frizzy appearance, thus increases the friction between the fibers that make up the hair and the consequences can be damages to the cuticles and breakage of the fibers (Gavazzoni Dias et al, Int J Trichology, 2014). In addition, calcareous water settles more easily on the hair leaving it even harder and frizzy. The final acid pH rinse helps to remove limescale deposits and to close the squames for a clean, soft and healthy hair. After the acid rinse, the hair should no longer be washed, but squeezed and dried.
Acid rinse, the benefits
As mentioned, the acid rinse helps to restore the pH of the hair leaving it clean, healthy, strong and bright. Not only that, the acid rinse also helps to fix the color by closing the squames of the hair, thus retaining the pigments. This step, therefore, is excellent after applying a tint, for example henna, which, among the natural hair dyes, is certainly the most effective also able to cover white hair.
Acid rinse, how to do it
One of the simplest acid rinses is the following, pour 1 liter of water into a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, and pour over the hair. Do not worry about the smell, once the hair is dry it will no longer be felt. Acid rinsing with vinegar also has the advantage of acting as an antiseptic, therefore useful in case of problems and itches on the scalp (Yagnik et al, Sci Rep, 2018). Alternatively, you can use a hibiscus infusion, thanks to the acid pH of this herbal tea (Takeda et al, Food Environ Virol, 2020). Bring a cup of water to a boil, then remove from the heat and infuse 1 tablespoon of hibiscus flowers for 20 minutes. Filter and pour on the hair. Another idea? Bring 1 liter of water to a boil, remove from the heat and add 1 handful of chamomile flowers for light or brown hair or a sprig of rosemary for dark hair. Then add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar or apples cider vinegar. Let it sit for a couple of hours, then filter. Use this lotion to rinse your hair and also give it bright highlights.
