Looking for another all-natural wonder tool to add to your skincare arsenal? Apple cider vinegar (ACV) might just be your next pick. Let’s face it; our skin can be a bit of a diva sometimes – breaking out left right and center, giving you laughter lines one moment and frown lines the next – and the varied range of the benefits of apple cider vinegar for skin qualifies it to meet your skin’s many demands.
You can jump aboard the apple cider vinegar skin care train by using it as a topical treatment, or taking it internally – it’s really up to you. Both ways come with a shedload of benefits for your skin and beyond so it’s a win-win situation if there ever was one!
So, without further ado, let’s get the train rolling on what ACV can do for your skin. Strap yourself in, put the cat out, turn off (or on) all the lights and let’s get started!
Note: Apple cider vinegar is one of the most affordable multi-purpose beauty ingredients so don’t skimp on this stuff! Go for the organic ACV with mother (that weird, floaty sediment inside). Here’s our favorite brand!
5 Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits for Skin
1. Dispose of Dead Skin Cells
Most apple cider vinegar skin benefits come from the fact that it contains these little things called alpha hydroxyl acids, which- almost literally- eat dead skin cells for breakfast. And these all natural exfoliants can be used from your facial skin all the way down to the calluses on your feet.
Once you get rid of those old, rough skin cells using ACV, the new cells hiding underneath can flourish; not only does it get your skin looking like new again, but the new skin cells tend to be more soft, supple and hydrated since AHAs are great for both exfoliating and hydrating.
2. Balance pH
ACV is actually pretty close to the pH of our own skin thanks to something called malic acid. It might seem a little weird that an acid could actually bring things back to normal, rather than, I don’t know- melting us like the Wicked Witch of the West, steam and all? But truth be told, our skin is actually slightly acidic, so malic acid fits right at home here.
Why am I hammering on about pH? Well, our skin’s natural defensive layer- called the acid mantle, to get all official on you- is a little bit of a wuss when it comes to pH. It rests comfortably at 4.5 pH and does not like leaving that number. Anything higher than, say, 7 pH can damage it or even wash it away completely. 7 pH is the mark where something becomes alkaline, and guess what’s one of the most used alkalines today? Soap. Or at least the commercial stuff. Shampoo, as well. Long story short, your acid mantle is probably throwing a major hissy fit right now and you need some expert help. In steps apple cider vinegar!
3. Bust Acne
You might have noticed that most apple cider vinegar skin uses are almost medicinal – that’s ’cause this stuff is highly anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-septic, and anti-fungal (that’s a lot of anti’s). Which makes it an all-natural treatment for acne, especially perfect for skin that’s too sensitive for the likes of benzoyl peroxide as well as those of you that take allergic reactions to some of the more common ingredients found in mainstream treatments. Aside from killing the bacteria that tends to cause flare-ups in the first place, ACV also works directly to remove oil from your pores.
That makes it a great choice for those who often need acne treatment; my oily-skinned sisters (and brothers!) out there. Not to mention that when used over a long period of time, ACV can actually help your skin build up a defence against acne by repairing your acid mantle (mentioned above!) and making your skin more resistant to the kinds of bacteria that cause acne.
4. Balance Combination And Oily Skin
So much balancing. Apple cider vinegar is particularly beneficial to those with oily and even combination skin because of its ability to balance out the amount of sebum (oil) produced by our pores. It acts like a commander, figuring out where you need oil (or as little oil as possible!) and ordering your pores to focus on this area. This means that it can even out your complexion, oiling up your dry bits and drying up your oily bits, until you get balanced skin all around.
5. Improve Digestion to Boost Skin Health
Right from the offset, this might seem like a weird thing to include in a list of skin benefits. But your digestive system actually has more to do with your skin than you think; actually, your digestive system is a bit of a man around town.
When it’s stressing out, it pulls in favors from the other organs in your body to keep itself going – one of its favorite buddies to ask is your skin. So whilst your skin is busy pulling its weight for your out-of-whack digestive system, it can’t really tend to its own needs. Picture the last time you helped a friend unpack and only realised at 10pm that you hadn’t eaten anything all day. When your skin allows itself to slip up, it can’t manage its own oil production properly, or cleanse itself. Allow this to go on for too long and you’ve got yourself a one-stop journey to blackheads and oily skin.
So the fact that apple cider vinegar- taken internally- can give a much-needed boost to your probably already struggling digestive system means good things for your skin, too. Oh, and an extra perk? ACV helps boost gut flora, which is great for controlling skin conditions like candida.
Before you go flittering off to the grocery store, there’s something important we should mention. Hopefully, you’ve figured this out on your own, but just in case you weren’t sure- apple cider vinegar is still an acid. Especially if you’re using it as a face mask, the most important thing here is to dilute.
ACV can do all these things and more for your skin and your body, but if you don’t mix it in with a good deal of water it can cause your skin to break out in rashes, cause chemical burns- just about what you’d expect acid to do if you put it all over your face. Put those worries to rest by using a solution of 50% water and 50% ACV before you start applying it to the skin.
It’s not as much of a big deal if you’re drinking it, of course, but why would you even want to drink pure vinegar? Don’t, by the way – I once chugged half a glass of the stuff after reading about its acne-helping benefits and trust me when I say it resulted in a world of pain.
ACV doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you can discreetly add to smoothies and juices but when you’re adding like a tablespoon or two (which is all you need) – you can barely taste it. And even more strangely – your tastebuds will not only get used to, but addicted to the taste after awhile. Seriously, you just might find yourself craving this healthy habit! Bottoms up!
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