Apple Cider Vinegar for Itchy Scalp: Also includes Essential Oils & More

How can you use apple cider vinegar to help your itchy scalp??  An extremely itchy scalp and neck cries out for treatment.  It can be SO embarrassing not to mention annoying.  We’re going to talk apple cider vinegar, essential oils to help fix your itching head!

I really could itch my scalp all day.  I don’t create oil there.  I could go WEEKS without washing my hair (except I’d have to cut it off since it’d be so snarled).  I had tried T-gel but nothing seemed to work, now a combination of things seems to have it under control.

Apple Cider Vinegar Itchy Scalp Treatment

Itchy Scalp at the nape of your neck

I tend to itch most at the bottom of my scalp and even down onto my neck (sometimes I get dry patches on my neck that looks like I have symmetrical hickies — and believe me, my OCD would want them symmetrical — but no, we didn’t make out that morning, it’s just itchy patches).  I have had a doctor check it out at work, they recommend hydro-cortisone and a thick lotion, which mostly works but I feel like that’s just putting something on top of it, not really fixing whatever my problem is.

Apple cider vinegar for your itchy scalp.

I put apple cider vinegar (also known as ACV) in a tiny spray bottle and keep it in my shower.  When I first rinse my hair I spray it onto my scalp/neck.  I use it not as a fine mist, but as a stream at that point.  The spray bottle I bought shoots it really well and it gets right onto my scalp.  I then rub it around a little, and move onto other showering tasks.

I figure the longer it can stay on the better, but I often have kids knocking on my door — you know how it is.  I then quickly rinse it and then move on to conditioning (I don’t shampoo).

Sometimes I dilute it 50/50 with water and also add a few drops of tea tree oil.  That really helps.  I think it’s probably the best for an itchy scalp.

Essential Oils for Itchy Scalp

I first used Doterra, but the MLM thing bugged me.  Now I use either Rocky Mountain Oils, or Jade Bloom.  I think Rocky Mountain is a bit superior, but JadeBloom is cheaper which is why I listed them here.

I have tried a few from Amazon and haven’t had great luck (including the Plant Therapy brand).  Just an FYI.  Oils are tricky, so be sure to use ones that are effective!  Ok, back to the spray:

Sometimes, It does burn a little, but I don’t mind that as I just hope it’s working.  It’s really helped.  I no longer feel like I could itchy my scalp for hours on end and I’m not constantly bugged by it.

I do it a couple of times each week, sometimes even when I don’t wash my hair I will spray my neck.

**Be careful of how you lean down afterward as it can run into your eyes, which I experienced and wouldn’t recommend.  Also be sure you don’t actually spray your eyes.  Sometimes some bounces off the wall into my poor eyeballs.  {sad face}

I’ve also started adding a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to my water daily because I hear it helps keep you healthy.  I have no idea, but if it keeps the doctor away, I’m all for it! 🙂

Related Post:  Soap home remedy for restless leg (RLS)

Essential Oil Recipe for Itchy Scalp

After my daughter had Lice, I started to look into using tea tree oil more on my hair.

I made a little concoction in a dropper bottle.

• 1/2 bottle of fractionated coconut oil
• 1/4 (of the bottle) tea tree oil (I usually put a bit more tea tree oil than I do lavender) — also known as melaleuca oil
• 1/4 (of the bottle) lavender

**Just eyeball the % of the bottle, this isn’t scientific. 🙂

I just take a full dropper and put drops on my scalp before I shower.  Sometimes I remember the night before, or sometimes just before I shower.

I massage it into the scalp as much as I can.

**Tea Tree Oil Stinks!  So, make sure you get it rinsed out well in the shower.

**Under NO circumstances should you put the oils directly on your scalp/neck.  I was super desperate last year and did this.  It burned my scalp and then I had flaking scalp for a while…. make sure you dilute it.

Related post: Using Vinegar as Fabric Softener

Sulfate-Free Conditioner helps with itchy scalp

I find that when I use a sulfate-free conditioner, it helps my scalp not itchy so much.

I am also very careful to make sure I rinse my neck well after I condition.  I think that perhaps some of my itchy nape was due to not rising my neck adequately.

I talk all about my current hair routine here.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Itchy Scalp FAQ’s

Does apple cider vinegar work for itchy scalp?

Yes, I find that it does.  I also find it helps with flaking and overall makes my hair healthier.

Can vinegar kill head fungus?

Yes, vinegar is a low pH which will kill head fungus and help balance out your own scalp’s ph.

Can I leave apple cider vinegar on my scalp overnight?

You can.  I am not a fan as it is SO smelly, and honestly, I’m not sure that overnight would be much better than a few minutes, but try it — tell me in the comments if it helps!

Can apple cider vinegar damage your hair?

I’m sure if you dipped it long enough and entirely in a vat of apple cider vinegar it might start to strip oils, but as I mentioned in this article shold be fine.

Does apple cider vinegar make your hair grow?

If you had a bad enough problem with head fungus, it may be impeding your hair from growing — so in that case, yes — but it’s not actually making your hair grow, it’s just keeping healthy conditions so hair can thrive!

Does apple cider vinegar help with hair loss?

Like I mentioned above — it can make your scalp healtheir, which can help make your hair less brittle, and seem like less hair loss.  BUT, if you’re actually losing hair (going bald) due to a genetic trait, I don’t think apple cider vinegar will help with that.

Does apple cider vinegar kill head lice?

Not REALLY, no — but in my home remedies for lice post I talk about how it weakens the “glue” that holds the lice to your hair, making it easier to comb them out.  Apple vinegar is one of the things we use to help lice!

How often should I use apple cider vinegar on my hair?

I use it every couple of weeks.

Does apple cider vinegar clean hair?

It can help clarify it and remove deposits from conditioners and other styling products.  I like it for that as well!

Like this type of post (using household items to make life better)?  Don’t miss my essential oil blend that has saved us a ton!

Also, be sure to check out my other weird things that work in this series.

This post was originally written 2015 but has been updated.