Wouldn't it be just amazing to have a secret potion that would set everything perfect? For years I have been thinking of some wonder product or food item that can be multipurpose. Something that can treat my hair and skin right, that can keep me fit and healthy at the same time helps my mum with some of the most basic household chores. Believe it or not, that wonder product is lurking somewhere in your kitchen shelf, voila! it is vinegar. Vinegar is something that can be put to a lot use altogether. Unfortunately, we in India are not great fans of vinegar. Unlike the western foods enthusiast, we generally use less of vinegar in our everyday cooking. A regular hit as a salad dressing and among much of the oriental, Asian and western cooking affair, the surprisingly miraculous properties and benefits of vinegar are lesser known to us.
The most popular vinegar in the natural health community is the Apple Cider Vinegar. Its consumption has seen an escalating trend in the west while in India it still remains a fairly lesser used food item. Basically, apple cider vinegar is derived after an elaborate processing and fermenting of apple pulp. There are a plethora of benefits that this nature's elixir encompasses in it - from promising you with lustrous hair, radiant skin to warding off health risks and being the ultimate aid in resolving some of your toughest household tasks.
Let us take a look at what makes this potion so wonderful.
Presenting, more than 10 miraculous apple cider vinegar benefits.
Apple Cider Vinegar for Hair: 1. It has properties that balance your scalp and hair pH level.2. Its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties help combating scalp infections, dryness, itchiness and dandruff.
ACV helps combating scalp infections, dryness, itchiness
3. An after shampoo apple cider vinegar rinse can do wonders to your hair, retaining the pH level of your scalp and leaving you with soft, shiny and smooth hair.
4. It tames rough hair cuticles and fights split ends.
(Also Read: 8 Amazing Beauty Remedies For Split Ends, Without Getting a Haircut!)
Hair Tip: Add 1/4 cup of water to 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, apply it onto your scalp. Wrap around a towel and let it sit about 20 minutes. Wash off and repeat twice a week for best results. (More: Hair Care)
Apple Cider Vinegar for Skin
5. It balances the pH level of your skin, it is best to replace your skin toner with it.(Also Read: 15 Foods You Must Eat to Avoid Oily Skin)
6. It is great for treating warts, sunburn, age spots and acne.
7. It can be used as an excellent alternative to a regular after shave lotion.Apply a little on your face and leave it overnight. You can also dab a little onto warts and wrap it with a band-aid, much to your surprise, those warts will fall off in a few weeks' time. (More: Skin Care)
Apple Cider Vinegar for Health
Health experts vouch for the wonderful properties of apple cider vinegar. From weight loss, lowering blood pressure and sugar levels to treating cold, high cholesterol levels, diabetes and cancer.
8. Its anti-bacterial properties can boost your immune system and help fight against intestinal infection and constipation, ensuring proper digestion.(Also Read: 8 Immunity Boosting Foods to Keep You Healthy)
9. It is known to reduce glucose levels and fight cancerous cells.
10. It also aid in detoxifying your system.
Health Tip: Dilute in warm water and gargle twice a day to get rid of bad breath. Add a couple of teaspoon in warm water and sip on it 30 minutes before your meals; it can do miracles to your metabolism and weight issues. This also keeps you satiated and help avoid overeating, keeping your appetite in control. It's also known to curb extreme food cravings.
Give your teeth a nice rub with apple cider vinegar, rinse off thoroughly and repeat for a few days to get that sparkling white smile. (More: Health Articles)
A boon for your home
If the above reasons aren't enough for you to get that bottle of apple cider vinegar, here are a few more facts that can make you hunt for this miracle vinegar at the nearest store. Apple cider vinegar when mixed with baking soda, lime juice, washing powder or with just warm water, can be used to clean anything and everything around you, from old wares, to tough stains on clothes, mats, curtains, window panes, rugs or carpets.
Mix it with lime juice and sprinkle around to use it as a natural room freshener, its anti-bacterial properties, seal your surroundings against any bacterial invasion and help detoxify your home.
Cook Fresh
Recipe by Joey Matthew
Succulent salmon pieces smoked to perfection and tossed in a zingy dressing of herbs, honey, olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
Add it in your meals, pour it onto your salads, pickle your veggies, apply it on your skin, hair or use it to remove those tough stains, you'll literally fall short of reasons to embrace apple cider vinegar, but as they say, better late than never, go grab a bottle today!