I 'dunked' my head in ACV

[Bublin]

I have Nonie to thank for this. She's always mentioning it in her posts but i finally got round to trying it.

I rinsed out my (cholesterol) deep conditioner as usual. I always rinse and rinse until my arms hurt as i don't want to leave any in; i have a sensitive scalp and very easily gets product build up even though i don't directly oil my scalp.

I decided to try The Dunk.

I put just a teaspoon of ACV in a sink full of cold water and dunk my whole head in until my scalp was submerged. I then stayed in that position for as long as could be bothered for. I agitated my hair and scalp some to make sure it got everywhere, especially the nape area that didn't get in the water.

When i lifted my head out, the water was very cloudy - all the conditioner i hadn't rinsed out. My scalp felt clean but not stripped, no usual itchy feeling and my curls hung downwards with definition and felt very soft.

I didn't rinse it out and carried on with my usual routine.

 

[Nonie]

LOL @ agitating your scalp. I hope you were kneading deeply to move the skin and not just sliding fingers over your scalp. That massage is the highlight of my wash!

 

[RarityFluttershy]

Bublin
So Apple Cider Vinegar Doesn't Need To Be Rinsed Out? What Brand Are You Using? Does It Leave Hair Detangled?

 

[Bublin]

@RarityFluttershy
@Nonie is the guru when it comes to acv rinses and she said that you don't need to rinse it out. I only put a teeny tiny bit in a whole sink full of water and it did the job of cleaning my scalp and getting rid of the excess conditioner AND closed my cuticles - i have very porous hair.

My hair was already well detangled but my hair was noticabley softer afterwards. Whilst i was doing my twists to set my hair it was very easy to comb through.

I used Braggs.

 

[Nonie]

@Bublin
So Apple Cider Vinegar Doesn't Need To Be Rinsed Out? What Brand Are You Using? Does It Leave Hair Detangled?

RarityFluttershy Actually the last thing ACV solution would do is leave your hair tangled. Its purpose is precisely to prevent tangles by smoothing out your strands by laying the hair cuticle down.

The cuticle on your strands looks like fish scales overlapping.

Some shampoos are very alkaline and their pH causes the cuticle to open up creating a situation where strands catch on each other causing tangles.

An acidic pH causes the cuticle to lie down and close so strands are smooth. It is precisely because of this that most conditioners are acidic. But sometimes we may use a good conditioner and then rinse with hard water undoing the "smoothing effect" of the conditioner. Using distilled water or a water filter/softener is a good idea. But finishing your wash with a DILUTE solution of ACV is also a good idea, because you ensure you finish the wash with something that leaves cuticles closed.

Besides making strands smooth so they don't catch on each other, closed cuticles make hair reflect light better than when they are open...so give hair a bit of natural sheen, and also help "lock" moisture in so hair stays soft.

 

[Nonie]

RarityFluttershy You missed a discussion on the very question you ask a day or so ago: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=565569

 

[silenttullip]

Yep thanks @Nonie acv has my scalp much better AND makes detangling NO ISSUE AT ALL!!!!
now explain to me about this kneading it into the scalp. I usually do a quick gentle massage but should I do a deep one massaging slowly?

 

[RarityFluttershy]

Nonie
Is The ACV Safe To Use Everyday? (I Shampoo Three Days Out Of The Week And Condition Wash Four Days Out Of The Week) And Does The Brand Matter?

 

[LilMissRed]

ooooo im sooooo trying this tonight!!!!!!

 

[lesedi]

Did it leave a vinegar-y smell?

 

[Nonie]

Yep thanks @Nonie acv has my scalp much better AND makes detangling NO ISSUE AT ALL!!!!
now explain to me about this kneading it into the scalp. I usually do a quick gentle massage but should I do a deep one massaging slowly?

silenttullip Isis, a former member, once shared how to do a proper scalp massage. It doesn't involve just sliding fingers over skin but you really should get the scalp moving the way this lady is doing when her fingers are spread out. Here is Isis' thread: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=15169

The links in her thread no longer work but here's the target of the one to Sterry's thread.

 

[Nonie]

Did it leave a vinegar-y smell?

lesedi, did you miss the discussion we just had on this? (Link above)

The smell is strong only when your hair is wet. Once your hair dries all you smell if you don't use anything else (like me) is the conditioner you last used in your hair.

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie
Is The ACV Safe To Use Everyday? (I Shampoo Three Days Out Of The Week And Condition Wash Four Days Out Of The Week) And Does The Brand Matter?

RarityFluttershy If you're diluting it well, you can use it every day. When I say diluting it well, I mean not more than 1 tablespoon ACV to 8 cups of water. That's the ratio I use. If you use a strong solution you'll break down the protein of your hair strands. So do err on the side of caution.

Since you're not drinking it, I don't think it really matters what ACV you get. If you were drinking it, then the raw organic ACV is better as it has a lot of nutritional benefits when taken internally. I personally just pick up any ol' ACV from the grocery store or CVS.

 

[RarityFluttershy]

@Nonie
Thanks For Answering My Questions. One More Question. Does The Concoction Need To Be Refrigerated?

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie
Thanks For Answering My Questions. One More Question. Does The Concoction Need To Be Refrigerated?

RarityFluttershy I usually mix mine when I'm about to use it. I have a small bottle that stays in the bathroom for my washes.

Otherwise I make my spritz with essential oils for the days when I don't dunk but just towel dry then spritz, I don't refrigerate. Not sure why you'd mix in advance though. You can use one of those water gallon containers if you want to get an idea of how much to mix and just add 2 tblsp of ACV and then top with a gallon of water. If you want to do a dunk, you can then pour this into a basin and do it. Otherwise, you can just pour it over your head. The idea is that your hair gets bathed in a dilute acidic solution.

Mixing right before use is good because you can use lukewarm water. I never use cold water on my head. Folks who think it closes cuticles have got the wrong end of the stick. All cold water does is not rinse off conditioner fully which for some is what they prefer, and that's fine. But if it's closed cuticles you're after, use an acidic solution and quit giving your head a chill.

 

[Bublin]

I only used a very small amount so there was no smell. I only smelt it when my whole head was in the sink!

Thanks to Nonie for answering all the questions - i just know dunking my whole head, rather than spraying worked wonders, especially for my scalp.

I used the cold water from the tap but it was cool not cold, if it was i would have added a little warm water.

 

[prettyinpurple]

I am so confused. Bear with me. How did you dunk your head in the water without submerging your face? Did you bend over backwards into the sink?

 

[silenttullip]

You could lean over forward into a basin or tub like back in the day when mom would have u kneal by the tub/sink and lean forward. Only stick your head in not ur face

I am so confused. Bear with me. How did you dunk your head in the water without submerging your face? Did you bend over backwards into the sink?

 

[prettyinpurple]

^^Yea but the sink wasn't full of water then. My face was usually in the sink iirc.

 

[Nonie]

I am so confused. Bear with me. How did you dunk your head in the water without submerging your face? Did you bend over backwards into the sink?

prettyinpurple, not sure how Bublin does it but this is how I do if standing outside the tub, and on my knees if inside the tub...but same thing.

Then I massage the back of my head and sides, raise my head out to massage the crown if standing outside the tub scooping and pouring the water over my head; or if on my knees just raise myself a bit and massage my scalp with head still in water.

 

[prettyinpurple]

Love the pic! Made me LOL.

 

[isawstars]

I meant to do it tonight, but I chickened out. Dunking my head just seems so messy. Maybe I will get the guts to actually DUNK my head on saturday.

 

[adamson]

This is the sme way I do the rinses It's been a while, though... maybe soon.

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

@prettyinpurple, not sure how @Bublin does it but this is how I do if standing outside the tub, and on my knees if inside the tub...but same thing.

Then I massage the back of my head and sides, raise my head out to massage the crown if standing outside the tub scooping and pouring the water over my head; or if on my knees just raise myself a bit and massage my scalp with head still in water.

 

[Bublin]

I think there is a 'lost in translation' issue here. I'm from England and we say sink as in, where you wash your hands after you visit the toilet (bathroom). Where you brush your teeth, where you wash your face.
I am standing up and i lean forward and put the top of my head into the solution so my scalp is submerged.

I am not leaning into or standing in the bath (tub).

Ok - so i am 5'11 so maybe i have more ability to do this - lol. Try one of those large plastic bowls, put it on the floor, kneel down beside it and facing it and submerge your scalp.

 

[Nonie]

@Bublin, nothing is lost in translation. I do it the tub (There was a thread asking where people wash their hair; I don't wash mine in the sink so my venue is the tub and have a basin in the tub that I mix my ACV in for dunking. Others posted they use the sink--so I was only explaining MY way). I guess people who are short like me couldn't figure out how one is able to get her head in the sink without drowning. Your height explains how YOU are able to do it though.

Incidentally, funny you mention communication breakdown w/r/t sink. While in the UK, I visited with a rather posh lady in South West England and to her that bowl in the bathroom that most people refer to as "sink" was called washbasin or wash-hand basin (<--image at this link). The term "sink" was only used for that found in the kitchen. You had to make sure you didn't get it twisted in her home or there'd be major communication breakdown. Of course she's the only person I ever met who made that distinction and never interchanged the words. Still, I have never forgotten it so I'm always ready to clarify if someone didn't know what I was talmbout if I used "sink" for that in the b/r. I'm always ready to say, you know, the wash-hand basin.

 

[Curlykale]

@Nonie, something tells me that the posh UK lady was the Yoga Supergran (edit: I though she was from the UK but she is actually from Australia, and at least 83):

I'm going to start today this exercise on my wash-hand basin as I want to be like her one day. sorry for the off topic but that child on the picture made me LOOOOL

My hair loves ACV and, on a serious note, I already know it's going to love this technique. I'd save water and ACV as well. Some people do use ACV when they take a bath...

(by the way, for the curious people, here's an article about the yoga supergran): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1172810/The-yoga-supergran-bend-backwards-age-83.html

 

[rainbowknots]

Nonie, Could you do this if your hair is in braids? You suggested the ACV rinse to me a while back, but I haven't tried it yet because my hair is in a bunch of individual braids.

 

[RossBoss]

I usually just put some ACV in a cup and add water and saturate my hair this way. I really have to make sure to do this in the days leading up to my touch-ups so that I don't get the itchies.My touch-up is tomorrow and I did it on Sunday.

 

[Curlykale]

another thing I like to do is add a little acv to my flax gel, since I apply it much more liberally than my leave in (I make sure I coat every strand and I use so much of it that it is like dunking my hair in water) and it does help with shine and tangles.

this was a godsend when my hair was texturized and very porous and damaged. (I sealed it everytime with an oil)

since the flax gel is refrigerated, I guess the cold temperature helps in closing the cuticles as well.

since I noticed that nettle tea has a similar effect (I wouldn't say it has mucilage but almost), I can't even imagine how luxurious it would be to dunk my hair in a room temperature nettle tea with some acv... thanks for giving me new ideas, I think I will love this (the nettle tea flax gel + acv offered me superior shine and lubrication, so it would be a success).