A lot of us confuse dry scalp for dandruff, while dandruff is caused by too much oil, dry scalp is caused by product build up, cold weather, using poor quality shampoo which strips the scalp of its natural oils and sometimes our diet.
Symptoms of dry scalp
- itching
- whitish flakes that shed easily.
How to treat dry scalp
- apple cider vinegar rinse : doing this every other week would help restore ph balance and help clarify build up.
- oil massage : massaging the scalp with natural oils like extra olive virgin oil, jojoba oil and coconut oil is also a remedy for dry scalp.
- Natural hair mask : pampering your scalp often with healthy hair masks like yogurt hair masks can help hydrate and fight dry scalp.
- diet : changing your diet plan and eating healthy can change the condition of your scalp and hair for good.
- aloe Vera gel : aloe Vera gel is a natural soothing balm that can help with the itching and can also feed the scalp.
I hope you find this useful and I really hope you learnt a thing or two. Have a great week!
We love hearing from you
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Showing posts with label ACV rinse benefits. Show all posts
My First Bentonite Clay Hair Mask
Wednesday, 11 May 2016
Hey Naturalistas,
How has the week been?
I had my first bentonite clay mask couple of weeks ago and this was how it went down.
What I I used:
Bentonite Clay
Aloe vera gel
Apple cider vinegar
Peppermint oil
Water
Directions:
1. I put 3 tablespoons of bentonite clay into a bowl
2. Added 4 table spoons of Apple cider (You should see how the clay reacted to the vinegar) and mixed thoroughly
3. The, I added an ample amount of aloe vera gel and few drops of peppermint oil
4. Because I wasn’t satisfied with the consistency of the mix, I added about 50ml of water to it
5. I sectioned my hair and applied the clay
6. I left it to stay for 15mins before wash and a conditioning treatment.
Results
My curls were defined and my hair didn’t tangle. The clay didn't rinse off quickly from my hair. Guess I left it on for too long. However, it was easy for me to wash and condition afterwards.
Couple of days after the mask, I tried a wash and go. This was how it turned out.
I would be sharing a post on how I was able to achieve it in the coming week.
So have you ever tried a bentonite clay mask? How did it turn out?
Leave a comment below
Enjoy the rest of the week
Leeznijis
How has the week been?
I had my first bentonite clay mask couple of weeks ago and this was how it went down.
What I I used:
Bentonite Clay
Aloe vera gel
Apple cider vinegar
Peppermint oil
Water
Directions:
1. I put 3 tablespoons of bentonite clay into a bowl
2. Added 4 table spoons of Apple cider (You should see how the clay reacted to the vinegar) and mixed thoroughly
3. The, I added an ample amount of aloe vera gel and few drops of peppermint oil
4. Because I wasn’t satisfied with the consistency of the mix, I added about 50ml of water to it
5. I sectioned my hair and applied the clay
6. I left it to stay for 15mins before wash and a conditioning treatment.
Results
My curls were defined and my hair didn’t tangle. The clay didn't rinse off quickly from my hair. Guess I left it on for too long. However, it was easy for me to wash and condition afterwards.
Couple of days after the mask, I tried a wash and go. This was how it turned out.
I would be sharing a post on how I was able to achieve it in the coming week.
So have you ever tried a bentonite clay mask? How did it turn out?
Leave a comment below
Enjoy the rest of the week
Leeznijis
Ghana Hair Chick's Letters: Is it important to do an ACV rinse on your Natural Hair?
Friday, 24 January 2014
Hello gogeous readers! I believer we're all healthy and strong. In last week's post, I began answering the question on what an ACV rinse is and if its benefecial. Today's post is continuation of that post and will conclude on the benefits of an ACV rinse.
Question
What are the benefits of an ACV rinse and are these benefits supported by scientific research?
To answer this question, please be sure to read last week's post on what an ACV rinse is. Some form of vinegar has been used for centuries by women to rinse their hair. At the tme it was to remove limescale deposits on their scalp. Today, an ACV rinse is recommended by people for all manner of conditions, including,
As you can see from this far from exhaustive list, there are many supposed benefits of an ACV rinse. However, are these benefits unsupported by scientific fact? Let's look at some of the most popular claims and try to find out.
1.Making hair shiny, reducing hair porosity and closing the hair cuticle
ACV rinses are claimed to result in shiny hair and less porous hair. It is also supposed to assist in closing the hair cuticle because of the acidic pH. The shiny-ness of hair is result of the cuticle lying flatter, giving the hair a smoother shinier appearance overall. The hair's cuticle is a protein structure which can be examined microscopically. When its structure appears raised under the microscope, hair feels rough to the touch, it is not as shiny and loses moisture quickly (high porosity). When the cuticle structure appears flat microscopically, hair looks smoother and shinier with a higher ability to retain moisture.The structure of the cuticle is known to be affected by several things, including heat and alkaline chemicals like relaxers. These can change the structure of the hair cuticle/protein and make it look flatter.
The hair cuticle has been shown in experiments to stay unchanged in solutions in the pH range of 3-9.This means that the cuticle is unaffected by a pH between 3 and 9, but reacts in pH conditions below 3 or above 9. (Please note that the hair cuticle lying down or being raised is a figurative description, as the cuticle is a protein structure that simple changes in response to different conditions, not a door that opens or closes).
Since the pH of undiluted ACV is not below 3 and does not exceed 9, it cannot scientifically affect your hair cuticles. In fact, diluting it with water may raise the pH, since water is neutral to alkaline in pH. Rinsing your hair with cold water would probably have more of an effect on your cuticles than an ACV rinse, theoretically.
2.Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal,anti-dandruff action, anti scalp irritation
This is true to a certain extent , since acetic acid is a well studied anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agent. However, the effects vary with the strength of the acid in your vinegar. If you have dandruff caused by a fungus, then ACV may be able to help, but if the dandruff is of a different cause, then an ACV rinse may not be helpful. Please consult a dermatologist in this case in order to diagnose the real cause and find appropriate treatment for it.
3.Removing Build-up
Historically, women used vinegar to rinse their hair in order to remove limescale. This action is attributed to the acid in vinegar and not any other component. There is no research on modern chemical build-up in hair and scalp and how vinegar might remove that, so with this claim I cannot make a conclusion. Acids are generally known to help in removing lime-scale, but since most build-up is chemical, it is very difficult to determine if acids are effective in this case.
4.Providing nutrients to hair
The mother of ACV is supposed to contain some nutrients which are good for your hair and body. Unfortunately, this is simply not true. After fermentation most of the vitamins and minerals are broken down and are no longer present. Aside from this, hair is dead material. It is not living and therefore cannot absorb nutrients or process it. Any product that claims hair will absorb nutrition from it is simply incorrect. The only way to feed your hair is to eat the nutrients you want it to have.
5.Restore hair pH to acidic levels
The pH of hair is normally around 5 depending on the products you use in your hair. Since ACV has a low pH, it is possible that it might help to balance your hair's pH. Ideally we would want our hair to remain in its natural pH range, but it becomes necessary to adjust it ourselves only when we use a lot of alkaline products in our hair. Again, not much has been done scientifically here, so unfortunately we cannot conclude.
6.What does the mother in ACV do then? Can you use any type of vinegar?
So far, it would seem the mother of vinegar is not contributing anything to the hair. The yeast and bacteria present have not been investigated to see thier effect on hair. Most of the effects that can be supported scientifically are derived from the acid in ACV. Therefore, at this point we would have to conclude and and say it doesn't matter what vinegar you use in your hair. However, future research could reveal some role for the mother so it doesn't hurt to use the unfiltered version of ACV. Plus, the natural unrefined version of a natural product is usually the best. Scientifically though, it really shouldn't affect your hair whichever one you use.
Conclusion
You can use ACV, but do not expect to get some kind of miraculous solution to your hair issues with it. Its definitely not something I'd make a hard and fast rule about, but as with everything hair related, try it out and see how it affects your hair. Then you can make a decision on whether to keep using it, how often to rinse your hair with it or how much to use. Someone using it may be able to tell you its useful, but everyone's hair is different. Also remember to take any allergies or reactions you may have to acids into account when trying this out. Above all, take care of your body and see a doctor if some conditions are medical with your hair.
I hope this has been a helpful post. If you have any questions or comments, please post them below and they will be addressed. Till next time then, stay blessed and fabulous!
The Ghana Hair Chick
Question
What are the benefits of an ACV rinse and are these benefits supported by scientific research?
To answer this question, please be sure to read last week's post on what an ACV rinse is. Some form of vinegar has been used for centuries by women to rinse their hair. At the tme it was to remove limescale deposits on their scalp. Today, an ACV rinse is recommended by people for all manner of conditions, including,
 |
| Source |
- dry, dull looking hair
- damaged, limp hair
- dry or oily scalp
- acne or dandruff in scalp and hair
- highly porous hair
- to close the hair cuticle
- provide some nutrients to the hair
- anti-fungal and anti-bacterail
- restore hair pH to acidic levels
- remove buildup in hair and scalp
- give hair body and volume
- etc etc.
As you can see from this far from exhaustive list, there are many supposed benefits of an ACV rinse. However, are these benefits unsupported by scientific fact? Let's look at some of the most popular claims and try to find out.
1.Making hair shiny, reducing hair porosity and closing the hair cuticle
 |
| Source |
The hair cuticle has been shown in experiments to stay unchanged in solutions in the pH range of 3-9.This means that the cuticle is unaffected by a pH between 3 and 9, but reacts in pH conditions below 3 or above 9. (Please note that the hair cuticle lying down or being raised is a figurative description, as the cuticle is a protein structure that simple changes in response to different conditions, not a door that opens or closes).
Since the pH of undiluted ACV is not below 3 and does not exceed 9, it cannot scientifically affect your hair cuticles. In fact, diluting it with water may raise the pH, since water is neutral to alkaline in pH. Rinsing your hair with cold water would probably have more of an effect on your cuticles than an ACV rinse, theoretically.
2.Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal,anti-dandruff action, anti scalp irritation
 |
| Source |
3.Removing Build-up
Historically, women used vinegar to rinse their hair in order to remove limescale. This action is attributed to the acid in vinegar and not any other component. There is no research on modern chemical build-up in hair and scalp and how vinegar might remove that, so with this claim I cannot make a conclusion. Acids are generally known to help in removing lime-scale, but since most build-up is chemical, it is very difficult to determine if acids are effective in this case.
4.Providing nutrients to hair
The mother of ACV is supposed to contain some nutrients which are good for your hair and body. Unfortunately, this is simply not true. After fermentation most of the vitamins and minerals are broken down and are no longer present. Aside from this, hair is dead material. It is not living and therefore cannot absorb nutrients or process it. Any product that claims hair will absorb nutrition from it is simply incorrect. The only way to feed your hair is to eat the nutrients you want it to have.
5.Restore hair pH to acidic levels
The pH of hair is normally around 5 depending on the products you use in your hair. Since ACV has a low pH, it is possible that it might help to balance your hair's pH. Ideally we would want our hair to remain in its natural pH range, but it becomes necessary to adjust it ourselves only when we use a lot of alkaline products in our hair. Again, not much has been done scientifically here, so unfortunately we cannot conclude.
6.What does the mother in ACV do then? Can you use any type of vinegar?
 |
| Source |
So far, it would seem the mother of vinegar is not contributing anything to the hair. The yeast and bacteria present have not been investigated to see thier effect on hair. Most of the effects that can be supported scientifically are derived from the acid in ACV. Therefore, at this point we would have to conclude and and say it doesn't matter what vinegar you use in your hair. However, future research could reveal some role for the mother so it doesn't hurt to use the unfiltered version of ACV. Plus, the natural unrefined version of a natural product is usually the best. Scientifically though, it really shouldn't affect your hair whichever one you use.
Conclusion
You can use ACV, but do not expect to get some kind of miraculous solution to your hair issues with it. Its definitely not something I'd make a hard and fast rule about, but as with everything hair related, try it out and see how it affects your hair. Then you can make a decision on whether to keep using it, how often to rinse your hair with it or how much to use. Someone using it may be able to tell you its useful, but everyone's hair is different. Also remember to take any allergies or reactions you may have to acids into account when trying this out. Above all, take care of your body and see a doctor if some conditions are medical with your hair.
I hope this has been a helpful post. If you have any questions or comments, please post them below and they will be addressed. Till next time then, stay blessed and fabulous!
The Ghana Hair Chick
Ghana Hair Chick's Letters:The ACV Rinse on Natural Hair Part 1
Friday, 17 January 2014
Hello gorgeous naturalistas! Many greetings and well-wishes for your health and happiness. I hope you've all been enjoying the new year and everything it comes with.I also hope my previous posts on shedding and breakage were very helpful to you.If you still have questions, you can leave a comment and I will try my best to deal with it!
Today's letter deals with a very common question that has been asked over and over by almost every new natural haired lady.
Question
What is an ACV rinse ? Is there any scientific backing to the claims being made about its benefits on natural hair?
I will begin to answer this question this week, but in order to keep it short I will leave the concluding part till next week.
What is an ACV rinse?
ACV is an abbreviation for 'Apple Cider Vinegar'. This is a type of vinegar produced by fermenting the must or cider of apples. The must of a fruit is the juice of that fruit in addition to its seeds,skin and flesh as well. Even though cider usually refers to an alcoholic or fermented beverage, apple cider is used to refer to the unfiltered juice of apples and contains particles from the flesh of the fruit. When this cider is left out or specific yeasts and bacteria are added to it, a fermentation process converts glucose to alcohols and then acetic-acid forming bacteria convert this alcohol to acetic and malic acids. These acids generally give the vinegar its sour taste and reduces the pH that makes vinegar acidic. I hope we all remember some of our Chemistry, but just in case you forgot, a pH of 0-6.9 is considered acidic,7 is basic and 7.1-14 is alkaline. ACV has a pH of 4.25-5, well within the acidic range. Natural hair usually has a pH of around 5, depending on what products you're using and so on.
As you may have guessed by my answer above, there are different types of vinegar and cider vinegar. Vinegar is usually the pure acetic acid obtained from the process above mixed with water.Therefore, it can come from any source, fruit or glucose containing solution. Even though cider vinegar is usually ACV, it can sometimes refer to the cider vinegar produced from other fruits such as grapes.
There are also two main types of ACV: raw, organic and unfiltered or filtered apple cider vinegar. Raw ACV is unpasteurised or 'un-sterilised' ACV. Hence, it still contains living bacteria and some yeast. Organic simply means that no chemicals or artificial preservatives were used in growing the apples or making the ACV. Finally unfiltered ACV is not filtered to remove any particulate matter. Therefore, it is quite usual to see a layer of solid material at the bottom of the bottle of raw organic ACV. Filtered ACV is usually clear with no particles in it.
One important claim about the benefits of ACV involves the particles and microbes left in it, or the 'mother' as it is commonly referred to. The mother of ACV is a cobweb-like layer of particles, bacteria and yeast found in raw unfiltered or organic ACV. The mother is believed to help with a lot of conditions in the human body, and by extension, natural hair. Because of this, most ACV rinses recommend organic ACV and not any other type of ACV. Does it matter what type of ACV used? We will get to that in the benefits section.
An ACV rinse involves rinsing hair with a solution of ACV and water. The proportions vary, but usually ranges between a few tablespoons of ACV in one cup of water, to one part ACV and one part water. When practicing an ACV rinse, most people wash their hair and use the ACV solution last before their final rinse and styling.
In order to decide if an ACV rinse is for you, please check back for the final part of this article to find out the beneficial claims of an ACV rinse on your hair and if these claims are supported by science. If you have any questions before then, please feel free to drop a comment below. Till then, stay blessed and beautiful!
The Ghana Hair Chick
Today's letter deals with a very common question that has been asked over and over by almost every new natural haired lady.
Question
What is an ACV rinse ? Is there any scientific backing to the claims being made about its benefits on natural hair?
I will begin to answer this question this week, but in order to keep it short I will leave the concluding part till next week.
What is an ACV rinse?
 |
| Source |
As you may have guessed by my answer above, there are different types of vinegar and cider vinegar. Vinegar is usually the pure acetic acid obtained from the process above mixed with water.Therefore, it can come from any source, fruit or glucose containing solution. Even though cider vinegar is usually ACV, it can sometimes refer to the cider vinegar produced from other fruits such as grapes.
 |
| Source |
One important claim about the benefits of ACV involves the particles and microbes left in it, or the 'mother' as it is commonly referred to. The mother of ACV is a cobweb-like layer of particles, bacteria and yeast found in raw unfiltered or organic ACV. The mother is believed to help with a lot of conditions in the human body, and by extension, natural hair. Because of this, most ACV rinses recommend organic ACV and not any other type of ACV. Does it matter what type of ACV used? We will get to that in the benefits section.
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In order to decide if an ACV rinse is for you, please check back for the final part of this article to find out the beneficial claims of an ACV rinse on your hair and if these claims are supported by science. If you have any questions before then, please feel free to drop a comment below. Till then, stay blessed and beautiful!
The Ghana Hair Chick
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