ACV vs. white vinegar

[granolahead]

If I'm doing the baking soda & vinegar thing to replace shampoo, does it make any difference what kind of vinegar I use? Is there something special about ACV?

[sprouthead]

I think it's just a matter of what works best with your hair. I prefer white vinegar. Some people even use lemon or lime juice.

[Ruthla]

I used to use white vinegar, but then switched to ACV when I went gluten free, and I wasn't 100% positive the white vinegar was safe if I accidentally ingested some when I poured it over my hair (or if any seeps in through the skin.) I started with the white vinegar because we were on Feingold Stage 1 (no salicylates; a chemical found natually in many foods, including apples) and kept up with the habit since it worked well for me.

[His Own]

ACV is the traditional vinegar for hair rinsing, and I thought I had to use only it. More recently I did some reading and experimenting, and frankly, my hair simply does not notice a difference between the two. So I use plain white distilled vinegar because it it cheaper, and it does not smell as strong as the ACV. Happy hair!

[granolahead]

Thanks, that's encouraging. I have a big bottle of recently-expired ACV, so I think I'll use that up first, and then use the white vinegar. I can't seem to notice any difference between the two, either.

My grandma, who is now approaching 80 years, told me that she and her sisters used to rinse their hair with lemons from their own backyard after washing. She grew up in California, so there was no shortage of lemons. And my other grandma said she remembers at one point growing up (in the intermountain west), that blondes would rinse their hair with lemons, and brunettes with vinegar. I thought that was interesting. So maybe any gentle acidic liquid will work, once you adjust the amount. :-)

[Mercury_Girl]

Either works about the same. If your ACV is from a big brand like Heinz or store brand it's usually just white vinegar with caramel color, read the label to see. If you're getting ACV w/the mother that is different & has the bacteria & yeast that is the mother in it, most people it still doesn't make a difference for. I just don't want you spending more for "ACV" that's really white.

If you are blonde ACV can, over time, very slightly tint the hair darker, so if you're blonde I'd use the white.

[granolahead]

Thanks, I'm gonna go check my bottle of ACV right now, because yes, the stuff I use for hair is indeed the cheap grocery store junk. I have some Bragg's ACV in the fridge, but that's strictly for ingestion purposes. And I'll be good to stick with ACV, since my hair's pretty dark.


...

Okay, just checked the bottle. It's the cheapo Great Value stuff from Walmart. It doesn't even list ingredients anywhere...it's only labeled as Apple Cider Vinegar, and says "diluted with water, 5% acidity". I assume if there's caramel coloring, they have to say so on the label? Hopefully this is the real stuff.