apple cider vinegar rinse

I am right at two full months of Curly Girl method and still really happy I made the choice to pay attention to my hair. You are going to see big results with my apple cider vinegar rinse this month!

One thing that has happened since starting the Curly Girl Method is that I have grown to LOOK FORWARD to washing it. This is huge. I have always dreaded the tangles and frizz and prep work that has gone into taming my mop of hair.

In the past I’d do all kinds of different things really without thought and hope for a good hair day. I’d end up in a pony tail more often than not.

Now, at least I know that I am working towards hydrated, healthy, frizz free waves. Even on the days it doesn’t come out so great, I am having fun experimenting and I chalk it up to a learning day instead of blindly trying to make my hair work.

I won’t go into extreme detail on what exactly I’m doing with my hair because you can find that here and here.

This month I had intentions of doing a rice water rinse because I saw other curlfriends (yes, curlfriends! that’s not weird, right?) doing them. However, my hair ended up coming out super limp with few waves on day (see below) and it was recommended that I clarify.

Anyway, being frugal I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of spending more money on a clarifier on top all the conditioner I am going through, so I opted for a DIY kind of clarifier—apple cider vinegar.

The issue with my hair was most likely a build up of product since I have been using some heavy stuff like Cantu Curl defining gel and Miss Jessie’s Jelly Soft curls.

The ACV works by stripping product build up and allowing the hair the go back to being able to soak up product when used. So basically the product won’t sit on oversaturated hair and will instead be absorbed and effective on the hair. It also helps hair to look shiny instead of dull from the build up.

Here is my wash the day after the ACV rinse. The above picture was the previous wash before that. I saw a big difference! I used the same exact products and methods. I am planning to do the apple cidar vinegar rinse about once a month going forward.

The other thing I did differently this month is try out a new gel that everyone on Instagram seemed to rave about—Aussie Instant Freeze Gel. Here are the results of my first time trying it (this was a few washes after the ACV rinse):

Another great hair day trying something new. I am happy to keep on trucking with the curly girl method and learning what suites my hair best!