ACV Rinses, Cold Weather & My Scalp

I wash my hair once a week. I've found this to be best for my hair. When I don't have a lot of product build-up, I skip the KCCC shampoo and start with an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse (1 part ACV to 3 parts water), massaging it into my scalp and squeezing it down through my hair. I started with the ACV rinses I think at the end of the summer or the beginning of the fall, when it was still relatively warm out. But it has been cooler out and after wash day for the past two weeks I noticed that my scalp would get itchy. At first I applied jojoba oil, massaging it in with my fingertips (I never scratch with my nails, at least not on purpose!). But the relief was only temporary - I mean, very temporary. Then I tried olive oil (EVOO), which yielded slightly better results but I was soon itching again. My last-ditch effort was a spritz recipe I found that had water, EVOO, and lavender and tea tree oils. At first this worked great - better than my previous two attempts. But the next day I still found myself fighting the urge to rub my scalp.

By this point I'd been rubbing my scalp so much that, even though I was using my fingertips, my scalp was becoming sore and tender. I knew this wasn't good and that I needed to do something, but I didn't know what. I Googled about the causes of itchy scalp but still was not able to figure out what had caused this abrupt change in my scalp's condition.

But there was an idea tickling the back of my mind...could it be the ACV? No, I thought, my hair and scalp love those rinses. I researched ACV and the scalp anyway, and what I found surprised me: ACV is often used to cure itchy scalp. How could this be? I was really confused at this point, so I did the only thing I knew to do: I decided to skip my usual ACV rinse for my next wash. If my scalp wasn't itchy after that, then I would know for sure that the ACV, for whatever reason, was causing my scalp to itch.

So that's exactly what I did. I skipped the ACV rinse and only shampooed. But here's the funny part: my next wash day was going to be followed by my first straightening in 7 months! I'd been doing my own grow out challenge, and this wash day was going to be the culmination of months of no-heat discipline. I couldn't afford to mess this week up with an itchy scalp, so I hoped that foregoing the ACV rinse would be the answer.

Now it's 3 days post-wash and my scalp has itched a little but it hasn't been nearly as itchy as before. I can only conclude that the ACV rinses are no good for me in the winter.

Have you also found that ACV rinses cause your scalp to itch in the winter months? How does your regimen change in the winter?