This was a total accident—I was just looking for a way to cover up some of the vinegar-y scent of my apple cider vinegar hair rinse. All I did was load it up with some pink grapefruit essential oil, using a bit of solubilizer to help things emulsify. After my hair dried, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was really, really shiny! Like glass! Awesome!
As a small caution; these is a chance this will cause your hair to lighten a bit, as grapefruit essential oil will increase the photo sensitivity of your hair, making it more susceptible to sun bleaching. If you’re concerned about it, be sure to give your hair a good, thorough rinse with water after using the Grapefruit/ACV rinse.
Super Shiny ACV Hair Rinse
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1½ cups water
1½ tsp solubilizer
1¼ tsp pink grapefruit essential oilSwish the grapefruit essential oil and solubilizer together in the bottom of a 500mL squeeze bottle.
Add a bit of water and swish/shake to mix.
Add the rest of the water and the vinegar, shake to combine.
To use, rinse the hair with about half a cup of the mixture after shampooing. Rinse out and you’re done! Enjoy the grapefruity scent and your super shiny hair!
Hi Marie!
I love reading about your many hobbies and adventures on your blog! I’ve been doing the baking soda/ACV hair wash and rinse for two months and recently experimented with adding green tea to the mix. I love the idea of adding in grapefruit EO for more shine. My question is, how necessary is the solubilizer?
I was also wondering what your current routine is for facial cleansing, toning and moisturizing. A nightly Diluted ACV toner and a mindful diet seems to make some difference, but my skin is still not completely clear. I usually have persistent pimples on my chin and forehead that get worse or better throughout the month but never completely disappear. I was trying the OCM without very noticeable results. I’ve read a bit about your twice weekly facial masks but was wondering if you do anything else on a daily (or nightly) basis.
Thanks for any words of advice! I’m so inspired by your lifestyle and love learning through your weekly posts : )
Best wishes,
Erin
Hi Erin!
Have you tried using a baking soda paste on your face in the shower? That’s helped me with blackheads & breakouts. Maybe don’t rub it around too much on your actual blemishes, though… you don’t want to break them open & spread them. Also, I’ve been using a mix of coconut oil + sweet almond oil + castor oil as my regular face wash & moisturizer (a tiny bit goes a really long way.) Oil attracts oil & also moisturizes (and coconut oil is a natural spf as well.)
Good luck!
Ps. Thanks for the ACV rinse recipe, Marie! I’m excited to try it!
Baking soda is great stuff for the face and the entire body, really. I find that I don’t need to use it too often as it is a pretty strong exfoliant for the sensitive face, but it’s a great thing to use once or twice a week. I’d definitely recommend doing it while you’re in the shower for the easiest rinsing 😉
Have you ever tried Argan oil for your face? It’s all I’ll put on my face these days (and I’ve tried several other oil) and I LOVE it!
HI, Erin: what are the proportions of your mix? thanks.
According to my research baking soda will destroy the lipid barrier that protects your skin and is a advised against by people who are professionally trained in skin care.
I love the smell of grapefruit oil. I have been using it with beetroot powder in my bath bombs.
Erin—Thanks for stopping by and reading! The solubilizer is the emulsifier here, and it sure is handy—it ensures you get a relatively even dose of EO every time you use the rinse. The non-solubilizer alternative is to give the bottle a really good shake before you pour it over your hair, but I’ve found EOs really don’t like to stay in suspension for longer than about half a second without the solubilizer, so you might find they just float away from the spout as you’re pouring. So, basically, it’s very handy, and I wouldn’t be without it, but you can definitely give it a go without it if you’d like. Let me know how it works for you!
My “routine” (if you can call it that, haha) mostly consists of weekly face masks and argan oil. If you’ve been doing the OCM somewhat regularly, you’re in the perfect position to evaluate the effectiveness of a mask on your skin since you’ll be really familiar with which parts of your face are the bumpiest (where your most clogged pores are). When I did this, it was my chin, and I’d spend ages massaging my chin while doing the OCM to little avail. Then, one day, I did a clay mask out of the blue. The next day I did the OCM and I couldn’t believe how smooth my chin was! I could actually feel how the mask had sucked all the schmag out of my chin pores, which is kind of gross, but also super cool 😛 So, yes—masks! They are amazing, do them! They also help speed up healing of preexisting blemishes (especially ones you’ve been, err, bothering, which is something I do far too often), which is a major plus for me.
Argan oil is probably the #1 thing I would always insist on having on hand for my skin. I’ve been using it for about two and half years, and I am in love with it. It instantly relieves that awful, dry tightness that follows me around all winter, and for part of the summer. I’ve got my mother, ex-boyfriends, and girlfriends hooked on it. It’s an incredible moisturizer that’s loaded with vitamins and fatty acids that are incredible for your skin. I once switched to a mixture of other oils for a few months, and when I went back to the Argan oil I immediately noticed that some small blemishes had healed up a large amount overnight, and my skin felt better than it had with the other oil mixture. So—ARGAN OIL! Get some! It really is wonderful for acne as well—even my mother, who is hardly adolescent, has commented that it has really helped with blackheads and other blemishes. Just don’t buy it at Sephora or any other cosmetics store, where they’ll sell it to you at $30/15mL. You can get it online for ~$12/100mL.
Other than that, I mostly just use toner, though I use it more in the summer than in the winter (mostly because it is so refreshing in the summer, and my skin is so dry in the winter that I generally apply argan oil rather than toner). The toner does a great job of gently cleansing your skin (you can tell when you check out your white cotton pad and see the brown tint on it) which closing your pores and refreshing your skin. Keep in mind—I don’t wear make-up most of the time, and when I do, it’s usually just eyeshadow and mascara, so my face is generally pretty clean. The toner does a great job of getting off light mineral make-ups, but I can’t speak for liquid foundations, which I have never worn regularly.
If I’ve just been to a party or been in a show that required me to put on lots of make-up, or I really feel like I need a deep, anti-acne cleansing, I love black soap. It has done amazing things for by acne—I credit it entirely for clearing up my back, which has always been a bit dodgy (especially in the summer) thanks to my very long hair. It’s amazing stuff, I can’t recommend it enough.
Hope that helps! Good luck, and feel free to get in touch if you’ve got anymore questions!
Hey Marie!
Is it possible to mix in some citric acid into the shampoo bar preparation, instead of using a rinse/buying bottled apple cider vinegar?
Best wishes!
If you’re making a syndet bar like this one, absolutely. If you’re making cold processed soap to use as shampoo, no—it is impossible to make acidic cold processed soap. You can learn more here.
Greetings from Prescott Valley Arizona Marie!
I was wondering if you could use an Emulsifier instead of solubilizer? I have never heard of it before. What is the difference?
Thanks!
ValerieAnn
Valerie—Solubilizer is an emulsifier, so yes, go for it! Just make sure it’s a non-thickening emulsifier (aka not emulsifying wax) or you’ll end up with a cream rather than a rinse!
do you think it’s the oil or the solubilizer (which seems to often be propylene glycol, so I don’t see me using it anytime soon.)?
Dawn—I believe it is the grapefruit oil—Live Strong says it’s good for hair shine, dandruff, and greasy hair.
The solubilizer I use isn’t Propylene Glycol, but Polysorbate-20. Oddly enough they both have a hazard rating of 3/10 on Skin Deep (which is pretty low), but Polysorbate-20 seems to be far less scary to me. The main risks with Polysorbate-20 don’t have anything to do with it, but with contamination, so if you are getting a high quality product from a reputable supplier, it’s really quite safe. Propylene Glycol, on the other hand, has inherent risks with irritation, allergies, and organ system toxicity.
Dear Marie,
Thank you so much for your response. I can see where the solubilizer could come in handy. When I mix EO for my hair or face spritzers I definitely notice all the oil wanting to stay separated from the water. I bought some argan oil a couple of years ago only to spill most of the contents on the floor by accident, so I’ll have to give it a second, more careful and thoughtful try. I did like using it in the past, but it was when I was wearing makeup daily and not giving my actual skin much thought. Masks sound like a good idea too! And a toner. Your recipe looks great. I did try a black soap this summer but I think using it once in a while instead of daily would be a good call.
Thanks for all of your encouragement and advice! Your blog is such a treasure!
Best,
Erin
Erin—As soon as I bought solubilizer I immediately dreamt up dozens of uses for it… which I pretty much always do with new ingredients, which is part of the reason they are so dangerous to have around for me 😛 I’ll spend all my time in the kitchen and forget to go to work, haha.
Where were you getting your argan oil? If you make sure you’re sourcing it from somewhere that isn’t trying to rip you off (I like New Directions Aromatics—~$12/100mL of argan oil vs. $30/15mL at Sephora), it’s way more affordable!
Enjoy your DIY adventures & thanks for reading 😀
Marie
Thanks Marie!
Hi Marie, just wanted to say thanks for introducing me to solubiliser, I read about it on here and am finding it very useful in my mixes. I love ACV rinses, I think they are one of the best things for keeping my hair looking and feeling healthy and strong. Have you tried incorporating any kind of herbal infusions or decoctions in to your rinse? Rosemary would work well for your dark hair. Horsetail is great for skin and hair. As someone who also has long hair I would also recommend Marshmallow Root, which makes for even easier hair detangling and great shine.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying your solubiliser! I haven’t tried any herbal infusions yet for my ACV rinses, but I am loving adding essential oils to them, and another reader recommended I try tea. I will definitely try Marshmallow Root, it sounds fantastic! Perhaps you’ll see a blog inspired by that sometime soon 🙂 Thanks for reading!
I am really new to this could you please tell me what solubiliser is and where can I get it? love your site btw
I get mine from New Directions Aromatics. Enjoy!
wow well your hair look super shiny and healty beautyful
Hi, I just wanted to ask is it necessary to use pink grapefruit essential oil or I can go ahead with only grapefruit essential oil? It’s really hard to find where I am! Will it have the same effect?
Thanks,
I’m guessing grapefruit oil = pink grapefruit oil (since white is more expensive), but either way, go for it!
I love your blog. I’m new to all this but have bought argan oil and a few essential oils. I have made bar shampoo from your recipes but find it makes my hair is very dry. Is there any thing I can add to moisture my hair.
Hi Ervena! Welcome to the wonderful world of DIY 🙂 If you’re finding your hair is dry you should try my hair balm, hair serum, and/or hair mist. It is worth noting that your hair is likely going through a transition period right now, though. If you have bleached/permed your hair, it may be that your hair is dry, and without constantly coating it in silicone you are finally getting a chance to experience your real hair. You may also want to ensure you are giving your hair a good, thorough wash as it can be easy to miss spots with a shampoo bar since they aren’t as strong. I’ve written a series on my journey with natural hair—do a search on my blog for “natural hair care” and you should find them. Have fun & thanks for DIYing with me 🙂
So I have at least 2 more weeks before my shampoo soap (thanks for your recipe) is ready, but have run out of patience. I too want shiny hair like glass.
Tonight I made this rinse and used it after my terrible and damaging SLS infused shampoo.
Wowie. My wet long hair is swinging around all slippery and tangle free. I never comb after washing so I can keep those cool S waves, but did tonight just to test my hair.
Thank you again for changing my life!
😀 Yay! You are just full of happy stories and I love it 🙂 Enjoy that super shiny hair of yours!
Oh Marie, what you’ve created here. I’m shaking my head….of super clean and shiny wet hair!
Since my first post, I’ve made 10 batches of your soap. I’m far from done, thanks for the addiction 🙂
My guys love the shampoo bars and this rinse.
Funny story, at least in my house of men, after my husbands second use of soap in the shower he proclaimed we had too much fake junk in there. So over a few days he eliminated the body wash and then the shampoo.
Would he separate himself from his beloved conditioner? Why yes he did. We have an empty shower now. Except for soap. I hang them from onion net bags on the curtain rod.
You’re now known as That Canadian Girl around here who is responsible for all these healthy new products I’m making. Someone’s got to, sigh.
Thank you. I love this site.
Yay for shiny hair! It sounds like your husband and I have something in common 😉 My shower is just soaps, razors, a shave brush, and the odd hair elastic haha. I find my soap-only habit makes packing for traveling brilliantly easy!
I don’t currently have a solubilizer but I have pectin — I am wondering how pectin may react/do in an apple cider vinegar rinse?
I’ve never worked with pectin as an emulsifier, but in my experience, things that have “emulsifying properties” are not great alternatives. It’s like using a peach instead of white sugar in a cake recipe because peaches taste sweet. You get some things you want, and some you don’t, and all in all, they’re never an equivalent. You could just leave out the solubilizer and shake the rinse vigorously directly before use.
I love this analogy! I think I will forego the pectin idea! Thanks!
Good luck and enjoy the rinse! Maybe make some jam with that pectin 😉
Hi Marie,
First of all, thank you for a great blog!
If i want to use a blend of Turkey red oil and guar gum (you mentioned this mix somewhere on your blog) as a solubilizer in the Super Shiny ACV Hair Rinse, how much so I use of each? And when do I mix it in?
I’d use the amounts and instructions from this 🙂
I know this is long after the original post, but if you’re still monitoring this one….
How does the ACV work with color treated hair? I don’t use all-over color, just touching up the roots at the hairline around my face, but that would be pretty noticeable if it suddenly turned Bozo orange or fell out!
As somebody who doesn’t colour-treat her hair I’m afraid I can’t offer much advice here. It shouldn’t cause your dye to wash out faster, but I can’t speak for how it might cause the colour to shift. Sorry!
Hi Marie,
If I don’t rinse out the ‘rinse’ afterwards, will I get lighter hair? I do want the blonde highlights.
thanks!
Kristi
I’m not sure about lighter hair, but your hair won’t smell all that awesome. Mmmmm, vinegar hair 😛 I’d probably look at something like this instead.