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Apple Cider Vinegar: Secret Beauty Potion?

Posted Fri, Jul 13, 2007, 9:39 am PDT
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For as long as there have been folk remedies, apple cider vinegar has been touted as a cure-all for all kinds of skin and hair problems. True, the mild acid is natural, preservative-free, anti-bacterial, and about as cheap as beauty treatments come. But does it live up to its rep? We asked RealAge's skin- and hair-care expert, dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD, about the four most common claims for apple cider vinegar and whether dousing yourself in its powerful (sour-ful!) scent is worth it.

True or False? To speed healing of sunburned skin, apply compresses dipped in cold apple cider vinegar.

False. "Rather than offering relief, this might really sting," says Dr. Wechsler. Basically, you're putting an acid on a burn. Ouch. "Instead," she suggests, "just soak the compresses in cold water or dip them in a mixture of cold water and whole milk -- the fat in milk is a good skin soother."

True or False? To restore shine to dull hair, rinse it in lukewarm water, douse with 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar mixed into a pint of water, then rinse it again with lukewarm water.

True. "The acid in vinegar washes away styling products that can cling to hair despite shampooing. Just be sure to dilute the vinegar in water for gentler action." Colorist Lana Gordon of the Cristophe salon in Beverly Hills seconds the doctor's opinion, but adds one caveat: Since the acid closes the cuticle of each hair strand, tresses are shinier but flatter. Inother words, you're trading a little less fullness for a little more gloss.

True or False? Dabbing on apple cider vinegar with a cotton ball is a good astringent for oily, acne-prone skin.

False. "Vinegar is much too drying to the skin's protective barrier. Plus it stinks!" says Wechsler. "If you want to go the do-it-yourself route, try making your own kinder, gentler toner of 1 part witch hazel to 3 parts water."

True or False? Apple cider vinegar helps control dandruff by killing off the fungus that causes it.

Maybe. "Some reports say cider vinegar zaps the microscopic critters, some say it doesn't. Until we know for sure, why give fungus more growing time when there are so many dandruff shampoos that will quickly solve this itchy, flaky problem? But if you want to try it anyway, use a concentrated rinse of 1 part apple cider vinegar to 3 parts warm water."

The payoff for doing things that really help your skin and hair? Far bigger than you'd think. Feeling good about how you look is essential to your self-esteem, and taking excellent care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge as much as 16 (!) years younger.

  • 1. Posted by bbmsloc212 on Mon, Jul 16, 2007, 11:33 am PDT

    Wow I realy did not know that vingar had that many uses.

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  • 2. Posted by katny05 on Mon, Jul 16, 2007, 11:37 am PDT

    Apple Cider Vinegar is also very helpful if you have heartburn. As you might know vinegar is good for your health. To help prevent heartburn combine some honey, a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with hot water. I try to drink this tea about three times a day.

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  • 3. Posted by susanleist5@verizon.net on Mon, Jul 16, 2007, 12:12 pm PDT

    How much are you suppose to take

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  • 4. Posted by Beverly P on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 9:03 am PDT

    My hubby uses apple cider vinegar in orange juice, he had his gall bladder removed and this helps his food digest and also keeps down the gas!!! yeah!

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  • 5. Posted by P Jo on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 11:14 am PDT

    My Aunt Enda swore that 1 tsp. a day of apple cider vinegar would ease the pain of arthiritis

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  • 6. Posted by candquietstorm on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 12:56 pm PDT

    I use apple cidar vinegar for dandruff and it cleared up after just a few treatments, now I use it about twice a week and I have not had anymore dandruff

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  • 7. Posted by polly on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 1:23 pm PDT

    My husband and I use a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar every day in our respective beverages. It could be old wifes' tales but we do it for the resoring of arthritic joints (not a problem righ now but could act s a preventive, buoying the immune system and melting the odd fat cell - it acts as a cleansing agent as well. Because it is held in such high regard by so many it certainly can't hurt to indulge in it.

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  • 8. Posted by polly on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 1:23 pm PDT

    My husband and I use a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar every day in our respective beverages. It could be old wifes' tales but we do it for the restoring of arthritic joints (not a problem righ now but could act s a preventive, buoying the immune system and melting the odd fat cell - it acts as a cleansing agent as well. Because it is held in such high regard by so many it certainly can't hurt to indulge in it.

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  • 9. Posted by Dani on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 1:29 pm PDT

    My mom uses apple cider vinegar for everything, aches and pains, sunburn, dandruff, ususally it is her first go to home remedy for most things. I have found that it works well for easing muscle pain, I have a bottle next to my bathtib for the occasionaly soak. Just be sure to rinse down really well in the shower after a soak or you'll stink

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  • 10. Posted by Elle on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 1:29 pm PDT

    according to "Natural Cures" raw apple cider vinegar with "the mother" about 2 tablespoons per day (which you may add to a glass of water, but, trust me, it's easier to just swallow it down plain) will help you lose weight due to fat burning qualities. I Just started using this a week ago, but I have friends and co-workers who swear by it.

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  • 11. Posted by lesleyagams on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 1:30 pm PDT

    that heartburn remedy is sure to give you heartburn i heard that indulging in a little of your urine everyday is also a great cure for arthritis and hedge against aging hmmm what did we learnt from reading all these posts?

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  • 12. Posted by dcdogg on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 1:43 pm PDT

    When I have bad heartburn at night, I take a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar straight (slowly, don't choke) and within minutes the heartburn is gone. Somewhere out there on www is a 100 uses for vinegar and it contains some very useful info.

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  • 13. Posted by Ann C on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 1:47 pm PDT

    The one about rinsing your hair with water and vinegar brought back memories!! I am 60 years old, and my mother always rinsed our hair with vinegar and water when we were kids!!! She used to keep a barrel with a screen over it to catch rain water because she said the rain water would soften our hair, too.

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  • 14. Posted by magsamil on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 1:49 pm PDT

    Ive heard that taking some apple cider vinegar daily will help digestive problems....

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  • 15. Posted by towerflower51@sbcglobal.net on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 2:02 pm PDT

    applle cider dosn not give u heartburn, u would think it would, it actally does burn going down, but within a few seconds NO heartbearn.... try it and if does give u heartburn by all means comment that, but I sincerely doubt we will be hearing that...Kat

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  • 16. Posted by Mila J on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 2:29 pm PDT

    I use ACV to do a deep cleansing on my hair. It really does remove any and all buildup due to product use. The really great thing about it is that it's cost effective as well.

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  • 17. Posted by lzg39cal on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 2:29 pm PDT

    this will be my 1st time to use apple cider as listed above, i want to lose wt that i gained due to some meds that i am taking.

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  • 18. Posted by lvyrd on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 3:26 pm PDT

    does this really work for weight lost.

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  • 19. Posted by Kathleen W on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 4:04 pm PDT

    i have actuall tried the apple cider, organic, with the "mother" for bloating, and indegestion, and it works within minutes. i add honey(a tiny bit) to hot water, then the cider. i drink it down easier than plain with the hot water.

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  • 20. Posted by Donna s on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 5:30 pm PDT

    RAW ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINIGAR IS ALSO GOOD FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE I GAVE IT TO MY MOM TO TAKE AND WHEN SHE WENT BACK FOR A DOCTORS VISIT THEY COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH HER BLOOD PRESSURE WENT DOWN

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  • 21. Posted by calell01 on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 1:03 pm PDT

    My brother had bad warts, tried everything on the market, went to Dermatologists and nothing worked. He tried apple cider vinegar and they were gone within a week. He said there is some mild pain at the area applied at first and you should wrap it well while you sleep so the smell does not bother you.

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  • 22. Posted by jakebuddy1 on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 1:09 pm PDT

    Good Stuff!!

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  • 23. Posted by schmere57 on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 1:13 pm PDT

    I got eaten up by bugs after doing some yard work and my Mum told me to apply apple cider vinegar to the bites and it would help relieve the itch and burn. (I think it just dries out the bite).

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  • 24. Posted by Candice on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 1:14 pm PDT

    whenever I have indigestion after a meal, I take a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and it goes away quickly. You can also drink a few swallows of pickle juice and acheive the same results.

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  • 25. Posted by BARB J on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 1:17 pm PDT

    Did you know that Colgate tooth paste is good for burns ? Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 2 tablespoons six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.

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  • 26. Posted by artemisvoice on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 1:24 pm PDT

    I have used apple cider vinegar for severe sunburns for over 30 years. Yes, Initially, it does sting incredibly. The net result, a deep rich TAN in two days instead of incessant stinging, blistering and peeling. Follow up with a generous dose of pure organic aloe vera gel and your skin will be supple and pain free in 24 hours. An equal combination of virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar over a sunburn will sting less, but will result in peeling after 48 - 72 hours. I have used these treatments on myself, family and friends alll with the same results...

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  • 27. Posted by pmbrkcorgi on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 1:28 pm PDT

    I have that ACV is also a good natural cure for ringworm

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  • 28. Posted by on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 1:31 pm PDT

    I've always used apple cider vinegar on bad sunburns, and I don't remember any stinging. I know it smells terrible, and the temperature difference is always a shock (even though we keep ours at room temperature), but I can't recall the vinegar stinging any worse than the burn itself. And the smell goes away after a few minutes and the burn feels better almost instantly. I've never had a tan result from it, but then I don't tan anyway so maybe that depends on your skin tone?

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  • 29. Posted by Tara on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 1:46 pm PDT

    a small cup of apple cider vinegar with a dab of liquid soap will get rid of fruit flies too. The flies are attrated to it and will die once they get into the vinegar.

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  • 30. Posted by lucyslaundry on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 1:49 pm PDT

    vinager mixed with water is the best moisturizer after using soap on face. Also mixed with water and alot of instant tea relieves sunburn pain.

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