We love drinking Apple Cider Vinegar, and we love eating Apple Cider Vinegar, and we love... bathing in it? You heard that right. Drawing yourself a relaxing ACV bath might be the next step in using Apple Cider Vinegar for your self-care routine, soaking up its many benefits from the outside in. 

While there haven't been many large-scale studies on the effects of ACV on human skin, the inherent properties of this ancient cure-all mean that it's sure to have a few health perks, or at worse, do nothing at all. ACV has historically been used as a general cleanser and disinfectant for skin conditions or wounds, so it's not too much of a stretch to imagine that bathing in it could do you some good!

Read on to find out what makes Apple Cider Vinegar so good for your birthday suit, and how to draw the perfect bath. 

What Makes ACV So Good for Your Skin?

Apple Cider Vinegar has myriad health benefits, most of which we've discussed already in a slightly different context: adding ACV to your diet, not your bathtub! However, those magical powers that make ACV so good for your insides also work on your outsides, so light that candle, pour that glass of wine and set up your favourite bathtime playlist for some invigorating soaking. 

Properties and Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar 

In the context of bathtime, ACV has three main properties that boost your skin and hair health:

• it's anti-fungal and anti-microbial
• it's anti-inflammatory
• it has an acidic pH
• WARNING: due to the acidic pH, ACV could cause irritation and inflammation if you have very sensitive skin. 

This trinity of goodies guarantees silky smooth skin and hair, making sure you look as good on the outside as you feel on the inside. 

What Can ACV Do For Me?

Balancing your Skin pH

The skin's natural protective barrier, the acid mantle, is (obviously) slightly acidic, but many beauty and hygiene products actually increase the pH of your skin until that barrier becomes degraded. Other factors can also lead to a degradation of the acid mantle: air pollution, different seasons, antibacterial products, or age, amongst others. This is a leading factor in issues such as dry skin, dandruff, eczema, psoriasis and acne. 

Acne-causing bacteria thrive on slightly alkaline skin, so using ACV to balance out your skin's pH can help clear up the condition. It also helps the skin to retain moisture by strengthening the acid mantle, thereby preventing dryness and exposure to irritants, which can lead to eczema and psoriasis.

Clear Up your Skin

Apple Cider Vinegar contains alpha-hydroxy acids, which naturally help to exfoliate the skin. Combined with those handy anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties, ACV gives your skin a thorough cleanse, leaving it smooth, pimple-free and glowing. 

Vitamin Boost

Absorb the luscious C and B vitamins contained in ACV through your body's largest organ: the skin. Letting your skin benefit from this direct vitamin boost helps it stay young and elastic. 

Fight that Fungus

Fungal infections caused by yeasts and germs such as Candida, Staphylococcus aureus, or E. coli can be controlled and eliminated with ACV, which denatures the yeast cells and disinfects the area around the infection. The anti-fungal properties of ACV also mean it's effective against conditions such as fungal dandruff and athlete's foot. 

Treating Wounds, Cuts and Scrapes

As an effective disinfectant and anti-inflammatory, ACV can be used to promote the healing of surface wounds and cuts. It helps to keep them clean and maintain the ideal skin pH for regeneration.

Body Odour

Body odour is caused by the combination of sweat and bacteria that live on our skin. By controlling or limiting these bacterial populations, an ACV bath can help regularly combat body odour.

The Perfect ACV Bath

To make the most of all these fantastic benefits, run yourself a warm bath and add 2-3 cups of ACV. We actually recommend starting small, with 1/2 or 1 cup, and building up gradually. 

For optimum enjoyment, add some Epsom salts and/or a few drops of your favourite essential oils!

There you have it: plenty of reasons to jump into a tub of ACV and indulge in a little TLC.