James Baigrie/Getty
You may be stocking your fridge with apple cider and white vinegar for silly things like salad dressing, but you are missing the whole point. Yes, you can use vinegar in cooking but it also has a treasure trove of awesome beauty uses – so you may want to start buying the supersize bottles.
Clear up acne
Vinegar can help to clear skin issues and stop acne. The vinegar’s acidity will dry out pimples, allowing healthy and fresh skin to come in, says Lynda Torrey, Director of Education at Woodhouse Day Spa. Some additional benefits of vinegar to the skin include regulating pH levels, promoting blood circulation in capillaries that irritate the skin, and reducing scaly or peeling skin.
MORE: 50 Brilliant Beauty Uses for Common Household Items
Cold sore remedy
If you have a painful canker sore that is giving you grief, dab it with vinegar a few times a day. It’ll help to reduce the swelling and the pain, and also help to keep the area clean and non-infected!
Longer lasting manicures
Sometimes, it’s the base that creates the manicure. Before you even start, soak your fingers in a bowl of vinegar for a few minutes. This will help to remove any residual surface oils from your nails, creating a longer lasting manicure!
Mouthwash
Though gargling with vinegar doesn’t sound super appetizing, it is a great way to get rid of stinky garlic breath in a pinch. Mix a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and swish. You may not feel minty fresh, but you won’t stink!
For dull, lackluster hair
Harsh shampoos often strip hair of its natural moisture, leaving it feeling dry all over. The acidity of apple cider vinegar counteracts that process and helps revitalize your hair, leaving it soft and smooth, says Dr. Roshini Raj, a celebrity doctor and founder of TULA probiotic skin care line. The vinegar also works by closing the cuticle of the hair, which makes light reflect off of it, making your hair super shiny!
Help hair grow
Regulating pH factors of your scalp and promoting blood circulation (like on your skin to clear up your acne) has another benefit – it’ll help your hair grow faster!
MORE: The Best Ways to Deal With Bug Bites
Clean makeup brushes and supplies
Many people use vinegar to clean their floors, and they aren’t wrong. Vinegar and cleaning goes so well, says Jen Boulden, a green living blogger and TV personality. Just keep a spritzer of vinegar and water (equal parts) in your bathroom and use on all things from makeup brushes (dab into a towel after to remove residue), eyelash curlers, and any other beauty tools you wish to sanitize! Vinegar has a natural anti-microbial property, which makes it great for green cleaning.
Bug bite relief
If you have a mosquito bite that is giving you a lot of grief, moisten the area with an apple cider vinegar-soaked cotton ball. Regulating pH factors will reduce the itch, the anti-microbial properties will help to clean the bite out, and the anti-inflammatories will reduce swelling!
Sunburn
If you are suffering from a sunburn, dab the inflamed areas with vinegar – in very much the same way as your cold sores or your bug bites – this will also spell relief!
