5 Amazing Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar

In this week's What's That?! Wednesday post, we are excited to talk about one of our favorite "food as medicine" ingredients...Raw Apple Cider Vinegar! This food comes from apple juice has been fermented into hard apple cider, then fermented a second time to get the final product we lovingly call apple cider vinegar (ACV).

In order to receive all the medicinal benefits this food has to offer, we suggest you choose an apple cider vinegar that is organic, raw, unfiltered, and unpasteurized  - our go to brand is Bragg's Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and it is sold in most grocery stores, health food stores, and online.

While there are probably 30 or more uses for this amazing product, today I'm only sharing the ones that I've personally experienced myself. 

5 Amazing Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar

1. Hair Care - One of my good friends introduced this use to me last year and I love it! I wash my hair in ACV at least a few days a week. You can do it following the use of shampoo and conditioner as an extra rinse or you can use it by itself instead of shampoo and conditioner. I generally only like to use shampoo and conditioner 1-2 times a week and use the ACV the other days I need to wash or rinse my hair. ACV can help improve your hair's shine, bounce and body.
   
   It is also a very effective way to get your hair allergy free if you or your loved one suffer from seasonal or environmental allergies. Washing your hair in ACV before bedtime will help kill/remove any spores or allergens that may have latched onto your hair that day so you don't breathe them in as you sleep. Combine 2 tablespoons AVC with 1 cup water in a small bottle and use about 1/4 cup of this solution each time you want to do an AVC rinse. Pour on your hair and rinse with cool or cold water. You can use this same solution on your pets as well to help keep heir coats shiny and allergen free. 
   
   
2. Skin Care - I like to use ACV as a skin toner because of it's abilities to balance the pH of skin. To do this, combine 1 tablespoon ACV with two tablespoons filtered water and use a cotton ball or facial cotton pad. Dip cotton in ACV solution and dab onto face evenly. You will want to do this after cleansing your face and before putting on your moisturizer. 
   
   PLUS - one of my favorite tricks that I learned just recently is that you can dab ACV by itself (a very small amount on a cotton swab) directly onto the darkening age spots on your face. Do this at night after you've cleansed and before you've moisturized. It took me about a week of doing this before I noticed one of my dark spots starting to fade - pretty cool stuff!!
   
   For Men - ACV makes a great aftershave. Just fill a small bottle with equal parts filtered water and ACV and apply to face after shaving to reduce skin irritation and even tone. 
   
   
3. Ward off Warts - ACV is a powerful anti-fungal and can be very effective in removing warts or fungal infections from hands or feet. All you have to do it take a cotton ball and soak it in straight ACV, then place it on your wart and cover with a band-aid overnight. Continue each night until the wart falls off or until you get symptom relief...you may notice some swelling the first night or two as the ACV reacts to the fungus but this is normal. Continue this treatment for 3 days following the day the wart falls off to make sure you really kill any remaining cells so that the wart doesn't return.  To learn more details about how to remove moles using ACV, check out this article from Best Skin Advisor. 
   
   
4. Detox Baths - Apple cider vinegar is a great ingredient for a relaxing detox bath. It can help to pull uric acid from your joints to reduce pain and swelling. Since it's an natural anti-viral, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal, it can also help to sooth dry or burned skin and reduce symptoms of UTI, yeast, or fungal skin infections. Read more about how to use ACV in your bath on our blog, Detox Baths: 4 Natural Recipes to Promote Healing and Relaxation. You will use 1 1/2 to 2 cups ACV in your bath water. I also suggest adding some essential oil like lavender to help mitigate the strong smell.
   
   
5. Assists in Liver & Lymphatic Detoxification - Apple cider vinegar can help to balance the pH in intestines and stimulate liver enzymes function that helps you digest and assimilate the ingredients from your food and to clear toxins, waste, and bacteria from your body. ACV can also help to cleanse the lymphatic system and reduce mucus build up that tends to slow down your lymphatic system and can decrease immune system function. You never want to consume ACV by itself because it will burn your throat and probably make you very nauseated, but you can dilute it with water or just use it in a salad dressing.
   
   To make a cleansing ACV drink, add 1-2 tablespoons of ACV to an 8 ounce glass of water, you can also add a pinch of ground cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and/or 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice to the ACV water drink as well for added benefits and taste. Drink about 20-30 minutes prior to food 1-2 times daily.
   
   Or try incorporating some ACV into your salad greens - there are a couple recipes linked below to get you started. 

There are many other published uses and benefits for ACV, but these are my personal favorites that I've discovered and use regularly. If you've never used this product before, you may want to consider all it has to offer. How else do you use apple cider vinegar? We'd love to hear your comments below!

~Billie & Jen

                           Apple Cider Vinegrette

Kale-Apple-Carrot Slaw with Apple
Cider Vinaigrette Dressing