If you’ve ever looked in the mirror wondering why your hair looks dull or lack-luster or, frankly, like it has lost its sparkle, you’re not alone, but you are in luck. Redken’sColor Extend Vinegar Rinse has arrived to help you achieve healthier and better-looking hair.

Redken Artist Cody Mittendorf says the vinegar rinse will help balance out the pH levels in hair that are thrown out of whack during a color service (pH stands for Potential of Hydrogen, and it measures how acidic, or alkali, your hair is).

“So, when it comes to doing a color service, we use agents that bring the pH up to an alkaline state,” Cody says. “By using a product like a vinegar rinse, you can bring the pH down to its 5.5 to 6.5, which leaves the hair in a healthier state, so the cuticle lining looks shinier and feels healthier.”

Contrary to popular belief, a vinegar rinse isn’t only for Color-treated hair, and it does more than enhance for shine.

“You can use it on 100-percent virgin hair” Cody says. “We all use so many hot tools on our hair that using a product like this can help it look and feel much healthier.”

The vinegar rinse will also help ward off any environmental issues that can affect the pH of your hair, too. Redken Artist Cindy Duplantis says that when climates are constantly changing between cold and hot and rainy and sunny, the hair takes a toll. Warm, sunny weather can cause your scalp to sweat and change the pH level of your hair while spending time in the sun can also cause UV rays to penetrate your hair’s color and mess with its shade or brightness. Windy weather can also be rough on your hair’s cuticles, leaving it with dry, split ends. Using the vinegar rinse regularly can help clean the scalp and seal the hair’s cuticles to play more offense than defense with the weather. 

A vinegar rinse can also work miracles for dandruff. Redken Artist Twylia Jane explains that dandruff is flaky scalp skin that is usually itchy and can be caused by product build up, a dry scalp, a pH imbalance or, sometimes, a fungus. Your hairstylist can help you determine if you need medical attention for dandruff. If you don’t, though, using a vinegar rinse can drastically reduce dandruff’s appearance and frustrating discomfort.

“The vinegar rinse will purify the scalp and help bring the pH level to its normal state, which will help with flaking,” Twylla says.

Using the Redken vinegar rinse just one time a week can drastically refresh your hair in just one month. And it’s simple to use: after shampooing, ring out any excess water from your strands and coat your hair and scalp in the vinegar product before rinsing it out and follow up with a conditioner like Color Extend Magnetics Sulfate-Free Conditioner. 

“Work the vinegar rinse through your fingers and really massage your scalp,” Cindy says. “Really work it into the scalp so you stimulate the scalp. It’s like washing dishes, you wouldn’t just throw soap on them and rinse it off, you want to scrub it clean.”

You might be tempted to try a DIY vinegar rinse, which is popular among wellness and beauty enthusiasts as a natural way to cleanse the hair and refresh its pH level. But professionals advise against it.

“You could be using a cooking grade or cleaning grade vinegar where the pH isn’t right for your hair,” Cindy says. “But the Color Extend Vinegar Rinse is made specifically for hair, with the right technology behind it.” 

Cody agrees, adding that there’s a reason companies spend so much money perfecting the science of a product before bringing it to market. This product, for example, is designed for hair and for scalp comfort. At-home vinegar rinses could leave your hair damaged.