Distilled vinegar is often used in the kitchen for the creation of dishes and sauces. It is also used as a household cleaner, deodorizer and disinfectant. However, distilled vinegar can also be used as a home remedy for skin and hair conditions. Since it can be found at the grocery store, it is an inexpensive and easily-accessible remedy.
Dull Hair and Dandruff
Vinegar clarifies hair by removing build-up from products such as conditioner, hair spray and styling gel. It also treats dandruff by reducing flakes and relieving an itchy scalp. Mix one cup of vinegar with two cups of warm water and use it as a hair rinse in the shower after using conditioner.
Swimmer’s Ear
Swimmer’s ear is an inflammation of the external ear canal, causing symptoms such as pain, itching and fuzzy or temporary loss of hearing. According to Health911, distilled vinegar reduces bacteria and fungus while evaporating water in the ear. Use an empty and clean eye dropper bottle to put two to three drops of water in your ear every two hours. You can also use equal parts distilled vinegar and warm water and put four drops in your ear three times a day. Pull on your earlobe to ensure the drops reach your ear canal.
Sunburn
The antiseptic properties of distilled vinegar can relieve a sunburn and prevent blistering and peeling. Add vinegar to a misting spray bottle and spray it on your skin at the beginning of a sunburn. The earlier you use the vinegar, the more it will be able to help prevent peeling.
Athlete’s Foot
Distilled vinegar weakens the fungus that causes athlete’s foot, an infection that causes feet to itch and flake. Soak your feet in a plastic basin filled with equal parts vinegar and water every day until the condition clears up. Going barefoot in public areas increases the risk of contracting athlete’s foot, so spray your feet with vinegar after using public showers.
Warts
Distilled vinegar kills the virus that causes warts. Soak the affected area in a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water for twenty minutes a day. If the area with the wart cannot be submerged and soaked, dip cotton balls in distilled vinegar and place them on the area every day. It will take approximately two weeks for the wart to clear up.
