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 cry out for treatment. It can be SO embarrassing not to mention annoying to be scratching all the time. Today we’re going to talk about apple cider vinegar, and essential oils to help fix your itching head!

I really could itch my scalp all day. I don’t create oil there so I can get a dry scalp easily. 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 it didn’t seem to work, now thanks to a combination of things I seem to have it under control.

A healthy scalp shouldn’t itch. Product build-up, hair treatments, dead skin cells, etc can lead to unhealthy scalp conditions. Your hair health can be affected by your scalp issues, hair care products used, etc can all play a part.

In recent years the use of apple cider vinegar (also known as ACV) has been popping up often as a help for many things. A bottle of apple cider vinegar can be used in a lot of ways. From salad dressing to some health benefits and even as a household cleanser there are so many things you can do with ACV.

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 look like I have symmetrical hickies — but they’re itchy). 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.

I try to rinse my neck well in the shower so that the remaining conditioner isn’t left on there. It also seems to help with the itching.

ACV for your itchy scalp.

I put my own apple cider vinegar hair rinse of pure acv in a small 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 on to 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).

One of the benefits of apple cider vinegar is that you can use it just a few minutes before washing/conditioning your hair.

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 just get them from Plant Therapy or Eden’s garden on Amazon. I have tried Rocky Mountain Oils, but I got a batch that smelled stale (like the oil went bad)… and a few bottles where the oil was so thick I couldn’t get it to drip out. So, I switched.

Sometimes, It does burn a little, but I don’t mind that as I just hope it’s working. It really helped. I no longer feel like I could itch 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 after applying the ACV rinse 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 can bounce 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! 🙂

I also saw a great youtube video where she uses apple cider directly on her scalp.

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. This is a great way to help eliminate scalp itch.

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 a flaking scalp for a while…. make sure you dilute it (as it is in the recipe above)

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 itch 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 Rinse for Itchy Scalp FAQ’s

Can vinegar kill head fungus? 

Yes, vinegar is a low pH (has antifungal properties) 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? 

Just a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar should be fine for all hair types. I’m sure if you dipped it long enough and entirely in a vat of apple cider vinegar it might start to strip oils. Used as I mentioned here shouldn’t cause any damage or affect the appearance of your hair.

Does apple cider vinegar make your hair grow? 

If you had a bad enough problem with head fungus or a build up of hair products, 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 creating healthy conditions so hair can thrive! 

Does apple cider vinegar help with hair loss? 

As I mentioned above — it can make your scalp and hair follicles healthier, 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. I do not have oily hair or an oily scalp so every couple of weeks is enough for me. If you have sensitive skin start slow and dilute the acv with water.

Does apple cider vinegar clean hair? 

It can help clarify it and remove deposits from conditioners and other product buildup. I like it for that as well and have added it to my hair care routine! I do believe using it helps with overall scalp health.

Are there Medical Studies on how ACV works and what it helps?

There are some smaller studies on ACV and how it can help with weight loss etc. There are no medical studies I know of about how it helps with scalp itch.

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.