Vinegar!

[DrJoanAllenby]

My sisters skin has been looking extra radiant and when I asked what has she been using she laughed and said she has been using vinegar as a final cleanse and hadn't said anything as it's only been a week and she wanted to give it a proper trial.

I've now been using it for three days and there is a visible difference in radiance and giving a velvety feel and look to my face, just like hers.

It stinks as you can imagine but the smell disappears in a few minutes.

Anyone else tried it?

Not on my face, but when I was little my mam would give me a bath with Fairy Liquid including hair wash with the same, and finished with a vinegar rinse. My hair was really shiny and so much better than it is now!

it sounds like one of those 'if you've run out of nylons, dust some bisto on your legs and draw a seam on with a pencil' style WWII beauty tips.

Honey as an anti-bacterial mask I can get on board with, diluted apple cider to cleanse the scalp, but I can't see myself toning my face with vinegar.

Does it sting?

Ooo no, I haven't. I suppose it is an acid and they're all the rage. Glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid etc.

I ise tret so can't use acids on my face, so won't be trying it atm, but good to know it's an option for another time

Well it might work to some degree addressing acne etc due to the antibacterial properties, but vinegar is strongly acidic. It's likely to cause other issues with your skin because it is so harsh.

Your hair was probably better than it is now because you were a young child, rather than because you washed it with Fairy Liquid.

Diluted vinegar hair rinses were highly recommended by teen magazines back in the 90’s.

No stinging and skin feels and looks great!

I'm amazed that in only three days it's made such a visible difference.

Another benefit is that I have a slight redness at the end of my nose and that's now gone. I don't think I've ever used a product that had got rid of redness just like that and I've night them all over the last few decades!

No dryness either like you can get with some products when you first start using them.

White or malt?

@ringoffiire True. I didn't have a perimenopause brillo pad head back then 😂

I'm surprised because vinegar is so harsh and acidic. Do you dilute it, rinse it off or leave it on? Acid toners are created to be the right pH so I don't think I would use neat vinegar even on my tough oily skin

White.

That's what I thought. I expected dryness but there is none.

Other than the initial smell there are no negatives so far.

Like anything though, a three month trial is the only way to see if something consistently works.

I'm thrilled that the end of my nose is no longer red. I always wear make up mostly because of my nose being slightly red but I can see the possibility of not having to if this proves to be great long term.

I'm doing what my sister is doing. Usual nighttime routine and on a clean face using a cotton pad with the vinegar splashed on, I sweep all over my face as a final cleanse and leave on and then apply my serums and moisturiser and Vaseline.

In the morning I apply the vinegar again before face products and make up.

If you are using pure white vinegar on your skin, it's likely to eventually do some damage to your skin barrier. There's a reason it's often recommended as a cleaning product for particularly harsh/ stubborn stains and grease.

If anyone reading is tempted to try it, the advice I've seen online recommends to dilute it with some water, only use it once per day, rinse it off your face after 5-10 minutes max, and don't use any retinol or other actives at the same time.

I've never heard of anyone using for skin. It sounds harsh. I sometimes do a final rinse, after washing hair, with apple cider vinegar (diluted of course),

My sister and I are old and we don't have sensitive skin. I will update in a few weeks time.

I must say in the car mirror in daylight my skin looks marvellous and I have the same glow that I noticed with my sister! The vinegar is the only thing I've added to my skincare regime.

@DrJoanAllenby Glad your skin's looking healthy.

To be honest though, you wouldn't use other harsh cleaning products on your skin, and you probably shouldn't use straight white vinegar. It's very acidic and if you continue using it straight and undiluted twice a day, it will break your skin barrier, even if you don't have sensitive skin.

Your skin will start to dry and peel in time, especially if you are leaving it on overnight and not diluting it. If your serums contain actives like acids then you really should avoid using them as well as you are just adding more acid. You are going to damage your skin.

Anyway... you do you... but just be careful.

(At the very least I hope you're using an SPF in the day!)