Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is a Magic Potion

Gurrrrrl or Duuuuude! Let me tell you about the new love of my life. Yea the hubby is swell, but apple cider vinegar (ACV) is my boo! Don't laugh at me, I'm seriously professing my love over here.
Ok all jokes aside I really do love ACV, simply because it is a literal cure-all that has been used since the B.C. era!!! This magic potion serves so many purposes; I started using it for a hair rinse and now use it for home and body care!

Unpasteurized organic ACV

When using ACV as a nutritional supplement use the unpasteurized organic version with "the mother." Bragg is the most common brand; co-founder Patricia Bragg has a published book on the many wonders of ACV. The mother is a clump of fibers that occur naturally during fermentation and contains crucial nutrients. I think using the pasteurized non-organic version is fine for household or for topical body care uses.

Here are just a few of the magical properties of ACV:


- Total body care
The solution that I drink twice a day is very popular as it supplies many nutrients and keeps my body's systems running smoothly. I like to call this the Magic Potion: 2-3 tablespoons ACV, 1 tablespoon unsulphered blackstrap molasses, 1 cup of water. The water should be at least room temperature so the molasses will mix, but I prefer to drink it as a hot tea. I drink this every morning and night, and my body has been feeling so much better for it!

- Household disinfectant
Mix a solution of 1 part ACV and 1 part water in a spray bottle. Apply the solution to shower and tub walls, kitchen counters, stove tops, windows, mirrors, etc. The smell will lessen as the solution dries. For tougher stains allow the solution to sit for a few minutes before wiping clean. This can also be done with white vinegar if you are concerned about the color staining.

- Facial astringent and toner
After using a facial cleanser, apply undiluted AVC as a toner using a cotton ball. The ACV will draw out any additional oil or dirt from your pores. The smell will subside as the vinegar dries, but if it it bothers you rinse again with cool water (to keep pores closed).

- Hair rinse
Mix 1 part ACV and 6 parts water for a clarifying and neutralizing hair rinse. The disinfectant properties help remove excess oil, dirt and product buildup (clarifying) and the mild acidity helps to balance your hair's pH (neutralizing).

- Rash and burn treatment
Undiluted ACV may be applied topically to soothe localized skin rashes and mild burns (whether from the sun or other heat sources). For larger affected areas, soak in a bathtub with 1 cup of ACV added to the water. Applying aloe vera after the soaking will provide additional relief.

- Cramps and muscle soreness
Soaking in a bathtub with a few tablespoons of ACV added to the water will help relieve muscle soreness and cramps.

- Women's health
ACV is The Creator's gift to women, I'm sure of it.  Drinking the Magic ACV Potion can provide relief for menstrual cramps and bloating, heavy menstrual flow, ovarian cysts and fibroids, hemorrhoids and morning sickness during pregnancy. For relief from yeast infections you can create an ACV douche with 2 tablespoons of ACV in one quart of warm water. NOTE: Douching should not be done frequently. If the problem persists you can try a bathtub soak mentioned above.

Are there any that I missed? Only a few hundred others... You can check out Bragg.com for further information and more great ideas. Have you been using ACV in your home and body care regimens? Please share them with us!

Reasons to Start Your Own Kitchen Salon

Ingredients for my Winter Hair Mask

There are two trends in the natural hair community that have inspired me to make major changes in my lifestyle; greater interest in DIY hair care and greater interest in natural products. What started as a quest for healthy long natural hair has completely shifted my approach to my nutrition and expanded an already growing interest in reusing and recycling. It's amazing how much I've learned about the multifaceted uses of common items that are always in my kitchen and bathroom!

I'm sure many people are reading this thinking it sounds nice but time consuming- isn't natural hair time consuming enough? When I first started making my own hair products it was very time consuming. But I must admit I loved having an excuse to block off an entire day for pampering. Now that I have a routine and an understanding of how to balance the products, it doesn't take much longer to do my hair with purchased products than homemade products. Like with anything you improve with practice.

Still need to be convinced why you should try your own DIY Kitchen Salon? Check out the benefits I've reaped:

- I've save money because the items I use for my hair are already on my grocery list.

- I've expanded the use of packaging from previously bought products, saving a few more items from a direct trip to the landfill.

- There is no worry of harmful chemicals in my homemade products, its all natural and mostly food. If its safe enough to go in my mouth, it's safe enough to lather all ova' my booooooooody!

- Now that I understand how various ingredients work for my hair and body I can adjust the balance as needed. This is extremely important for moisture and protein balance!

- My hair has improved tenfold! It is much more resistant to breakage; maintains greater moisture and retains length (after eight years of staying at the same length without ever trimming).

- Did I mention I SAVE MONEY?!

So how many of you have I converted? How many already have a thriving kitchen salon? Tell us why you started your kitchen salon and what you love about it.

Those who are new to the DIY practice can go here for some tips on starting your own kitchen salon.

DIY Hair Care Isn't Food Waste! a.k.a. You Betta' Back Up Wit Dat

Coconut Milk Avocado Honey Conditioner

So I'm a bit peeved, if you couldn't tell. I'll admit this is an old issue (as in the incident that set me off took place some time ago), but it is an argument I always have with my husband and now other people. I'm tired of people suggesting that using food items for my hair care is a waste of food. *PAUSE*

Food is essential to health and body care inside and out and a multifaceted use of food items is not wasteful. Besides the chemicals to make health and beauty products are made to mimic what fruits, vegetables and herbs do naturally. So aren't DIY methods more natural and in fact, the way we were intended to take care of ourselves (albeit maybe not with such elaborate recipes)?

Coffee Facial Scrub. Want the recipe?

I follow a blog by Jonathan Bloom called Wasted Food (check it out if you, like myself, find yourself throwing away rotten food way too often- or check it out anyway). I was drawn to an article that was wagging the finger at kitty litter made from corn. I do agree with Jonathan that we should be conscious and considerate of frivolous food consumption, especially when so many people in the world are starving. However considering personal hygiene is not at all a frivolous thing, I would not lump my practices into that category. I don't think using half a can of coconut milk on my hair and the other half in my beans is wasteful. I don't think using my coffee grinds as a facial scrub after my daily cup o' joe is wasteful.

Well, there's my rant. But what do you all think?

Hair: Is It Really That Big of a Deal?

This was originally posted on "NaturalSunshine.com" May


I find myself flipping and flopping between wanting to learn more and more about naturally kinky hair, on practical, scientific, spiritual, communal, political levels... but why? Ain't it just hair? Isn't that what we call SUPERFICIAL? Being obsessed with vanity, appearances and things as frivolous as hair.

But what if hair hasn't been a frivolous thing in your life? What if you hair has been a source of embarrassment and shame? What if no matter what you did it never retained length; you never had that "get up and go" hair; doing it was painful and/or disappointing? What if your hair made you feel out of control of yourself?

That’s how I felt for a long time. Completely out of control! I did not understand how I could spend so much time on my “hair days” but even after years of giving up relaxers my hair was no longer, no softer, no more manageable than it was when chemically processed. I always managed to make my hair look nice, but I was truthfully unhappy not being able to accomplish what everyone should be able to do without trying- grow hair.

Jump to today and I am astonished at the amount of length I am retaining and I can’t lie, feeling hair on my shoulders for the first time since I was about 11 years old feels friggin’ great! I mean really, I feel sexy and glamorous and cool all at the same time. And what got me to feel this good about myself? My “superficial” obsession with growing long, healthy, natural hair, that’s what!

Seriously, I really put my mind to accomplishing this goal that I had pined for since junior high school when my long thick hair from childhood began its bout with chronic breakage. Let’s do the math: 5 years of bad relaxers courtesy of Chez Pia’s DIY Home Salon plus, 8 years of fumbling around with the mineral oil-filled “Black” products I recalled from my press n’ curl days that never made my hair look quite the same as my childhood pictures plus, 2 years of obsessive research and trial and error to figure it all out. I’d say its about dang time I stumbled across some answer! So yes, I am proud to be able to grow my natural hair long and healthy, but the sense of accomplishment doesn’t come exclusively from retained length.

The quest for healthy hair has led me to a healthier lifestyle and an expanded awareness of all that nature has to offer. I’m a Brooklyn girl (Brooklyn we go hard!) and growing up in NYC with very little exposure to natural landscapes had made me pretty ignorant about natural remedies. My mind was blown the first time I came across Avocado Coconut Milk Conditioner... WHAT?!

Baking soda rinses to clarify, apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinses to neutralize, olive oil to condition?! Then I began learning about essential oils, and teas and how to apply them to facials, steam baths, massages. A whole new world was opened up, Planet Earth was opened up to me, the world that I had always lived in but had been out of touch with.

So is this obsession just frivolous, superficial, nonsensical? I would beg to differ. I think the topic of hair is deeply layered. It is interconnected with so many other aspects of life: self esteem, health, nature, politics, culture, fashion, etc. Do I feel ashamed of my obsession with my hair, that I spend so much time writing, photographing, videotaping and talking about it? I most certainly don’t and neither should you!

Stay positive. Stay Beautiful.


~In Hair Solidarity,

Pia