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Why I Created an Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo and Conditioner Bar
For years, I searched for a shampoo that I felt comfortable using myself and recommending to others. As someone who spends a significant amount of time researching ingredients, hormones, skin health,
and overall wellness, I naturally started paying closer attention to what was in my hair care products.
What I discovered was frustrating.
Many shampoos on the market contained ingredients I personally wanted to avoid. Some relied heavily on synthetic fragrances, artificial colors, harsh detergents, and long ingredient lists that most people couldn't identify, let alone understand. Others claimed to be natural but still left my hair feeling stripped, dry, tangled, or weighed down. The more I researched, the more I realized there seemed to be a gap between what consumers were being told and what their hair and scalp actually needed. And not to mention the hormonal disruptors I want to avoid.
As someone who built Core Living around ingredient awareness and helping people make informed decisions, I found myself asking a simple question: Why is it so difficult to find a shampoo that cleans effectively without compromising scalp health?
That question led me down a rabbit hole of studying scalp biology, hair structure, pH balance, cleansing systems, and ingredient function. What I learned completely changed how I viewed hair care.
Let's Learn About You're Scalps p.H
Most people focus entirely on the hair itself when they think about healthy hair. We buy serums, oils, masks, leave-in conditioners, and treatments hoping to fix dryness, frizz, breakage, or thinning. But healthy hair actually begins before the hair ever leaves the scalp.
The scalp is living tissue. It contains hair follicles, sebaceous glands, blood vessels, and a complex microbiome that work together to create the environment from which your hair grows. When that environment is healthy and balanced, hair often becomes easier to manage, appears shinier, feels softer, and experiences less breakage. When the scalp becomes irritated, inflamed, excessively dry, or constantly stripped of its natural oils, the hair often reflects those problems.
One of the most overlooked aspects of scalp health is pH.
A healthy scalp naturally maintain a slightly acidic pH, generally between 4.5 and 5.5. This acidic environment, often called the acid mantle, helps protect the skin barrier, retain moisture, support a healthy microbiome, and keep the hair cuticle smooth. The cuticle is the outermost layer of the hair strand, made up of overlapping scales similar to shingles on a roof. When these scales lie flat, hair appears smoother, shinier, and healthier. When they become raised, hair can feel rough, look dull, tangle more easily, and become increasingly difficult to manage.
This is where many hair products unintentionally create problems.
Traditional soap bars, for example, are often marketed as shampoo bars. While they may work wonderfully for the body, they are not always ideal for hair. Traditional soap is created through saponification and typically has a pH between 8 and 10. Because hair and scalp naturally prefer a more acidic environment, repeatedly exposing them to highly alkaline cleansers can leave some people dealing with dryness, tangles, buildup, frizz, and dullness.
This doesn't mean soap is bad. I make soap, use soap, and love soap. But through years of formulation and research, I've learned that what works exceptionally well for skin doesn't always work well for hair. Hair has unique needs, and it deserves products specifically designed for those needs.
On the other side of the spectrum are many conventional shampoos. While they often solve the pH issue, they frequently rely on aggressive cleansing systems designed to strip away oils quickly while producing large amounts of foam. That squeaky-clean feeling many people associate with cleanliness can sometimes be a sign that the scalp's protective oils have been removed too aggressively. In response, the scalp may begin producing even more oil, creating a cycle where people feel they need to wash more frequently because their hair becomes greasy faster.
As I continued researching, I also became increasingly aware of the growing number of ingredients used in personal care products that often serve marketing purposes more than functional purposes. While every person must make their own decisions regarding ingredients, I personally wanted to simplify what I was putting on my body and reduce unnecessary exposure whenever possible. My goal was never to create fear around ingredients. My goal was simply to create products that I could confidently use on myself and recommend to my own family.
That philosophy is what ultimately led to the creation of our Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo and Conditioner Bars.
Anyone who has followed my journey knows that apple cider vinegar has been a cornerstone of my personal wellness routine for years. What began as a simple experiment eventually grew into a a community, and thousands of people sharing their own experiences, then a business. When I started developing hair care products, incorporating apple cider vinegar felt like a natural next step.
Apple cider vinegar has been used in hair care for generations because of its naturally acidic properties. While it isn't a miracle ingredient, it may help support the scalp's natural pH, encourage smoother-feeling hair, reduce the appearance of buildup, and improve shine by helping the cuticle remain flatter. Because maintaining proper bar performance was important to me, I chose to use apple cider vinegar powder rather than liquid vinegar, allowing us to incorporate its benefits while maintaining the integrity of the formula.
After extensive testing, I decided that a syndet shampoo bar was the best solution. Unlike soap, a syndet bar uses gentle cleansing agents specifically designed for hair and skin.
Breaking Down Every Ingredient
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI)
A coconut-derived cleanser chosen for its gentle cleansing ability.
Supports:• Rich creamy lather• Effective cleansing• Reduced stripping compared to harsher cleansers
Mango Butter
Provides conditioning benefits and helps soften hair.
Supports:• Moisture retention• Smoothness• Manageability
Coconut Glycerin
A natural humectant that attracts moisture.
Supports:• Hydration• Hair flexibility• Reduced dryness
Cetyl Alcohol
A plant-derived fatty alcohol, not a drying alcohol.
Supports:• Slip• Softness• Reduced tangles• Improved texture
Apple Seed Oil
A lightweight oil rich in beneficial fatty acids.
Supports:• Shine• Conditioning• Softness
Sunflower Liquid Lecithin
A natural emulsifier rich in phospholipids.
Supports:• Moisture retention• Hair softness• Scalp conditioning
Kaolin Clay
A gentle clay that helps cleanse without being overly aggressive.
Supports:• Removal of impurities• Oil balance• Scalp freshness
Jojoba Oil
Closely resembles the skin's natural sebum.
Supports:• Scalp comfort• Moisture balance• Hair softness
Apple Cider Vinegar Powder
A signature ingredient in our formula.
Supports:• A healthy scalp environment• Smoother-feeling hair• Improved shine
Vitamin E Oil
An antioxidant that helps protect the formula's oils.
Supports:• Oil stability• Hair conditioning
Lavender Essential Oil
Provides a calming aroma and has a long history of use in personal care.
Frankincense Essential Oil
Adds a grounding aroma and luxurious experience.
Vanilla Oleoresin
Creates a warm, comforting scent without synthetic fragrance.
Even the scent was carefully chosen. Lavender essential oil, frankincense essential oil, and vanilla oleoresin create a naturally warm, calming aroma without relying on synthetic fragrance blends.
At the end of the day, I didn't create these bars because I wanted another product to sell. I created them because I genuinely couldn't find what I was looking for. I wanted a hair care product that respected the biology of the scalp, supported healthy hair, used thoughtfully selected ingredients, and aligned with the same principles that inspired the creation of Core Living.
Because healthy hair doesn't start with chasing trends. It starts with understanding how the body was designed, supporting it with intentional ingredients, and making simple choices that work with your body rather than against it.
If you are ready to be more aware of what you put on your body, follow along and in upcoming blogs, I will break down everyday ingredients that could be negatively affecting your hormones.
Are you ready to make the switch?
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