Do you want shiny, smooth hair? Who doesn’t? Just like your skin benefits from a multi-step skincare routine, which may include serum, toner, cleanser, and moisturizer, your hair can also benefit from one. A hair rinse should or could be part of a multi-step hair care routine that makes your hair as lustrous as your skin is radiant.
As with your skincare routine, you don’t need extra steps when caring for your hair – unless you want it to look and feel better. If this is what you’d like for your hair, keep reading to learn why a hair rinse benefits your locks.
While most people are familiar with the roles shampoos and conditioners play in keeping your hair clean, strong, healthy, and manageable, the role and benefits of a hair rinse may be less well known.
What does a hair rinse do?
A hair rinse is a liquid product applied instead of a shampoo, before, after, or after conditioner. Depending on the type you use and its ingredients, rinses provide numerous benefits.
Some rinses help keep colored hair vibrant, usually called color rinses. Some help reduce frizz. More commonly, hair rinses help eliminate product buildup, boost shine, and improve scalp health. Other benefits include enhancing manageability so that your hair is easier to detangle and style, which helps strengthen your hair and reduce breakage. Common hair rinse ingredients include apple cider vinegar, green or black tea, and lemon juice.
Why do you need a hair rinse?
Most people’s daily hair care routine includes using shampoo to cleanse their hair, conditioner to add moisture, and styling products to get their hair the way they want. Unfortunately, shampoo can strip away important oils and conditioners and styling products can leave chemical buildup in their scalps and hair.
A hair rinse helps clear away gunk that can clog hair follicles and dull strands. Used regularly, it can wash away product buildup, dirt, and damaging chemicals. Hair rinses also helps improve scalp health by balancing pH levels, which leads to smoother, less frizzy hair.
How to use a hair rinse
Different hair rinses come with different instructions. In most cases, a weekly rinse will help improve your hair’s shine, health, and manageability. General steps for applying a hair rinse include:
- Wash your hair. A hair rinse works best on clean, damp hair.
- Apply the hair rinse and massage it into your hair and scalp for a few minutes.
- Don’t rinse immediately. Instead, let it sit in your hair for about five to 10 minutes.
- Rinse with lukewarm water, apply conditioner, or continue your regular hair care routine.
You can also apply before your shampoo and then follow with shampoo, conditioner, and styling products.
Hair rinses
Are you ready to incorporate a hair rinse into your health and beauty routine? Here are a few to get you started.
![SheaMoisture Moringa & Avocado Hair Tea Rinse to Nourish & Soften Natural Hair]()
SheaMoisture Moringa & Avocado Hair Tea Rinse
This moisturizing and nourishing hair rinse can be used in place of shampoo or after shampooing. Packed with hair-healthy ingredients such as Matcha, Shea Butter, Kale, Avocado Moringa, and Green Algae, SheaMoisture Hair Tea Rinse helps moisturize and revitalize dull, limp locks.
How to use it: Pour on and massage into hair and scalp. Whether you use it in place of a shampoo or as part of your hair routine, this product, which is free of sulfate, parabens, and phthalates, should not be rinsed out but, instead, left on your hair.
![Derma E Scalp Relief Rinse -- 4 fl oz]()
Derma E Scalp Relief Rinse
Derma E Scalp Relief Rince is a dermatologist-recommended product that helps cleanse, detoxify, and exfoliate your scalp to improve hair health. It contains purifying ingredients such as apple cider vinegar to rid your hair of impurities, panthenol to smooth your strands, and a blend of nourishing herbs to boost moisture and scalp health.
How to use: Apply a generous amount directly onto your scalp. Massage in for one to three minutes and then leave for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing.
![Everyone Power Rinse Clarifying Hair Cleanser - Peppermint + Tea Tree -- 8 fl oz]()
Everyone Power Rinse Clarifying Hair Cleanser
This refreshing hair cleanse invigorates your scalp with peppermint, tea tree oil, and a touch of apple cider vinegar. Everyone Power Rinse washes away product and perspiration buildup, strengthens strands, and detoxes your roots with AHA fruit acids and other natural ingredients.
How to use: Apply to your roots and massage thoroughly for a few minutes before rinsing with cool water. It can be used instead of or before shampoo.
![Dr. Bronner's Organic Hair Rinse Citrus -- 8 fl oz]()
Dr. Bronner’s Organic Citrus Hair Rinse
Synthetic, ingredient-free, and certified organic, Dr. Bronner’s Citrus hair rinse uses a variety of organic oils, including coconut, olive, and hemp, to moisturize and nourish your hair. It also contains shikakai, an organic herb derived from the Acacia Concinna tree that has been used for millennia in India to cleanse, strengthen, and add shine to all hair types.
How to use: Mix two capfuls of this hair rinse concentrate with a cup of water. Pour the mixture over your hair after shampooing. Massage for about 30 seconds and then rinse thoroughly.