Vinegar Rinse and Finer Hair

Q: I wanted to know what the cause of the following could possibly be. My hair texture seems to have become finer. It's not falling out or breaking, but the strands themselves have become finer. I'm wondering if this has something to do with scalp problems. I have had horrible dandruff/flaky scalp for as long as I can remember. I can't tell if my hair is becoming healthier and more manageable or weaker.

My brother had this thinning happen to him before when he started using dandruff shampoo and he used a thickening shampoo to fix it. I started doing vinegar rinses, and I'm wondering if maybe that can be the cause, although it does help my scalp.

A: Well, using a vinegar rinse frequently could definitely have that effect on the hair. Since vinegar is an acid, it lowers the pH of your hair and can result in a contracting of the cuticle layer. As the cuticle contracts and lays flat, the hair seems to shrink in diameter, appear smoother and shinier, and also seems finer in texture.

The fact that you have said that the hair hasn't been falling out or breaking leads me to believe that your hair isn't getting weaker, just more compact. Weakening of the hair would lead to more breakage and noticeable signs of damage. The tightening of the cuticle actually makes the hair more resistant to potential damage.

However, we also have to look at your scalp. Since you mentioned having a horrible flaky scalp for as long as you can remember, it is very possible that chronic scalp inflammation is playing a role. Persistent irritation can actually affect the hair follicles under the surface, causing them to slowly shrink and produce finer, thinner hair strands over time. Because your brother experienced a similar change in his hair, there might also be a shared genetic component to how your hair responds to scalp stress or aging.

If you aren't happy with the finer texture of your hair, you should consider reducing the frequency with which you use the vinegar rinses by half. To keep your scalp happy, you could add a targeted dandruff treatment shampoo to your hair care routine to address the underlying inflammation. Simply replace every third shampoo session or so with the dandruff shampoo.

You may need to play around with the schedule of uses, but by balancing the soothing scalp care with fewer vinegar rinses, you should be able to find a routine that manages your dandruff while keeping your hair feeling thicker and fuller.

©Hairfinder.com

See also:

Dandruff causes and treatments

How to see the difference between broken hair and new growth

How to make your hair look fuller and thicker