Baking Soda Rinse vs. Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

OK, so I'm a bit confused. I'm researching no-poo options. I tried an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse--AWESOME!

I was wondering what the difference is between ACV rinse and a baking soda wash. Should I be doing a baking soda wash if I'm doing ACV?

If I should be doing them both, should I do them in the same wash session? Any warnings?

Also, how exactly do you do a baking soda wash?? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I'm new at being natural but here's what I do. I put a pinch of baking soda in whatever shampoo I am using when I wash my hair which is about once every 2 weeks. Once I have washed all the shampoo out I pour acv/water combo over my head. I use 1 tablespoon of ACV to 1 cup of water. I use distilled water and usually make 2 cups.

From what I understand the baking soda opens the pores and helps with cleansing and build-up on the hair shaft and scalp. The ACV helps the pores close back. I have read where it is ok to use ACV alone as a rinse after shampooing however never use baking soda without rinsing with ACV. One other thing do not use too much baking soda cause it becomes messy. I usually pour the shampoo in a bowl then add a pinch of baking soda, stir and apply to my scalp first then hair. My hair is really clean afterwards. HTH

The baking soda rinse is used for clarification and I add about a teaspoon to my conditioner b4 cowashing. As a final rinse I use the ACV rinse, 1:1 and this helps relieve my itchy scalp. I clarify monthly and do the ACV rinse each time I cowash.

Ohhhh.... thanx ladies! I'm suppose to clarify next weekend. I might do it this weekend. I'll do an update here after I try!! :-)

I put some baking soda in an empty water bottle and filled it with water and saturated my hair with it, focusing on my scalp.

I rinsed that out.

In another container I diluted some ACV (I didn't measure - I never do, not even when cooking) in water in a water bottle and rinsed my hair with that.

Done.

HTH!

Hey, not to discredit what anewme said, but I've heard that it can be overly drying to use baking soda treatments with shampoo. There's one post on here where someone had a bad reaction to it. Anewme, have you experienced any issues thus far? In fact, one reason people do it is to replace shampoo as baking soda is supposed to be less harsh on the hair. From what I have heard, most people mix the baking soda with conditioner or water. HTH.

Juices-n-Berries wrote:Hey, not to discredit what anewme said, but I've heard that it can be overly drying to use baking soda treatments with shampoo. There's one post on here where someone had a bad reaction to it. Anewme, have you experienced any issues thus far? In fact, one reason people do it is to replace shampoo as baking soda is supposed to be less harsh on the hair. From what I have heard, most people mix the baking soda with conditioner or water. HTH.

No discredit here..We are all hear to share information. I never heard of using the baking soda with conditioner. However I could see how it could be drying. I will have to do some additional research on it. I have used baking soda with shampoo probably 3 times and ACV only probably 5 times. I have not had a reaction at all and I thought it was very cleansing and got rid of all the build-up. My hair is already dry and I don't think that the shampoo/baking soda made it any drier however I will look further into the combo before I use it again. Thanks for the info [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

All I know is my husband thinks its weird that my bathroom space is starting to look like the kitchen cabinet! ;-)

thanks for the baking soda in the conditioner idea!!! And just to be clear, after I shampoo I rinse with the acv and then what?

Thanks for all the info ladies!! I always ACV rinse, but have never tried the baking soda b/c I never knew just how to use it. You guys are all blessings!

This is what I've been doing with baking soda and acv:

Mix baking soda with condish
Apply to soaking wet scalp and squeeze through hair. Rinse thoroughly.
Very gently squeeze extra water, apply DC (garnier sleek n shine 3 minute mask, coconut oil, castor oil, hehh) and sit under heat cap for 20 mins.
Mix acv n 2 cups distilled water
Rinse DC out in hot shower very thoroughly. Follow with acv rinse.
Ready for styling.

My theory is that the baking soda will raise the cuticle, allowing the DC to penetrate better. The acv rinse will close the cuticle again, keeping the conditioning treatment close. I've done this 3 times and my hair feels great and my scalp stopped itching. I've done it 3 weeks in a row and I'm now experimenting on doing it every other week, because it is quite timeconsuming.

Hey all,

Natural Haven is my new favorite hair blog, so I thought I'd summarize some of JC's scientific research on pH, apple cider vinegar and baking soda, and provide the links if you want more detail.

SUMMARY
- pH is the measurement for how acidic or basic a solution is. The range is from 1 (acidic) to 12 (alkaline/basic), with 7 being neutral or the mid-way point.
- The structure of hair generally is not altered when within the pH range of 4-9, which means that generally hair tolerates more acid than base.
- Baking soda is alkaline and therefore has high pH (pH 7-8 if not pure, pH 9 if pure).
- Apple cider vinegar is acidic and therefore has low pH (around pH of 3).
- Although we only think of acids/low pH as dissolving things, high pH can also dissolve things, such as oil into water.
- The protein structure of hair can be altered or broken by bases/high pH (like lye or other relaxer chemicals which have pH 10-12).

So, the logic of using a little bit of baking soda or an ACV rinse is to clarify or dissolve the products that coat your hair. The logic of using baking soda and then ACV right after is to balance the pH to the more acidic side. Your hair's pH without these treatments varies depending on your diet, the pH of your water, etc., so it's difficult to know the impact on your hair without knowing the starting pH of your hair (which is definitely different if it has been chemically treated) and the other products you're putting into it. JC at Natural Haven did conclude that baking soda can significantly increase the pH of conditioner (went from pH 7 to 9), so for example, if your hair starts with a high pH and you add baking soda to a high pH conditioner, you'd definitely need to do an ACV rinse to try to balance it out. On the other hand, using diluted-ACV alone is less likely to be bad for your hair since hair is more comfortable being acidic.

For more info:
Investigation: Does pH affect your hair cuticle?
Apple Cider Vinegar : Good or Not?
Myth or Fact: Baking Soda Relaxer Remix!
Does hair really not react in the pH range 4-9?

HTH!