The Beauty Benefits of Vinegar for Hair and Skin

Part of doing what I do here involves making myself into a guinea pig. I’m willing to try just about any hair or beauty treatment out there so I can review the best of the best for you. But sometimes it isn’t about the next new thing. Sometimes the best solution is the most back to basics option.

Take for example, vinegar.

You may already know that there are some amazing beauty-related uses for the liquid you also use to dress a salad or to mop a hardwood floor. I use vinegar internally, externally, and around the home in many ways. It’s one of those must-have home staples that’s a multiple use beauty essential – like coarse brown sugar, honey, and baking soda!

First things first: what is vinegar, anyway? Tell us, Wikipedia!

Vinegar is an acidic liquid produced from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid (ethanoic acid). It also may come in a diluted form. The pH of table vinegar ranges from 2.4 to 3.4 (higher if diluted). The acetic acid concentration typically ranges from 4% to 8% by volume for table vinegar and up to 18% for pickling vinegar. Natural vinegars also contain small amounts of tartaric acid, citric acid, and other acids. Vinegar has been used since ancient times and is an important element in European, Asian, and other cuisines.

The word “vinegar” derives from the Old French word “vinaigre” meaning “sour wine.”

Well hey now.

So how do I use vinegar to enhance my beauty? I’ll tell you now!

Vinegar for Acne

I’ve managed to figure it out when it comes to my face…but real talk, I continue to have a struggle with backne. I’ve tried all kinds of fancy washes and lotions. The ONE thing that’s truly worked to effectively kill the outbreaks of ginormous zits on my back and shoulders as they emerge? Apple cider vinegar. Now I’m not saying it’s completely cured my backne…but whenever I get a new breakout, I spray it with the ACV I keep in a spray bottle, and it dries out the zit within a day or so. I’m using tea tree oil to deal with the scars left behind.
Don’t believe me? Check out this thread devoted to vinegar as a topical acne treatment, and this one about vinegar for acne on your back (aka backne).

Vinegar for Hair

Most naturalistas are well versed in the benefits of ACV on natural hair, but if you’re not – allow me to fill you in. Vinegar is a great clarifier, and it makes for clean, shiny hair. This simple recipe from Natural Review lets you know what to do, and this vintage BGLH post breaks down exactly why. I usually just rinse my hair at the end with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (Braggs is a popular brand for that), and also using vinegar on my scalp once a month has helped me deal with flakes in the past.

Vinegar For The Bane of My Existence

I don’t know how I manage to do it…but whenever I detangle my hair or shave my legs or…just take a freakin shower, sometimes…I manage to clog the drain up. I guess it’s a hazard of being a product junkie. And clearly it’s me, because my husband shaves his head.

Chemical drain decloggers can be expensive, and it seems like I can go through a bottle of that stuff and barely make a difference in the draining power of my shower. Save yourself the $7 to $10 bucks, and make a vinegar bomb to declog your drain! All you need is baking soda, white vinegar, and boiling hot water. Baking soda + vinegar = crazy foam oozing out of your shower drain like a thing outta Ghostbusters, so click here for a step-by-step guide on doing it right. Repeat as necessary.

Those are some of the ways vinegar helps to make my life more beautiful (in an affordable way!). There’s always more to learn; how do you use vinegar for hair, for acne, or for your beauty regimen?