It’s no surprise that I love turning food into skincare. So much. I can happily spend my days surrounded by herbs, fruit, butters, oils, honey, grains… lost in the process of making. Every time I discover a new way to use a pantry ingredient – it just lights me up. And this vinegar bath, as strange as it may sound, turned out to be one of my favorite experiences!

Soothing Vinegar Bath | littlegreendot.com
Did you know that vinegar baths help to soothe sunburns! When your skin is seriously irritated, vinegar helps to rebalance and restore its pH – so that it can get back to its normal, happy state. And it may surprise you to learn that despite its acidic nature – when properly diluted – it’s actually very soothing for your skin. Vinegar has antiseptic properties that relieves pain, it takes away the burning itch of a sunburn and brings down inflammation.

People with eczema (inflammation of the skin) find a lot of relief with vinegar baths, which helps to soothe the irritation of dry skin.

Don’t think of this just as a first-aid, in-case-of-emergency treatment. Regular vinegar baths help to maintain healthy skin. It has antibacterial properties that eliminates bad odors and breakouts.

But, my biggest motivation for a vinegar bath – is my hair. A vinegar rinse is so good at cleaning your scalp and removing buildup – it conditions your hair and makes it feel softer than any product I’ve ever tried.

So when you bathe, make sure to soak your hair too!

Soothing Vinegar Bath | littlegreendot.com

Apple cider vinegar has been a long staple in my skincare pantry. I use apple cider vinegar to make a facial toner that brings my skin back to a happy state anytime something changes. I call it my reset, and it works beautifully!

But it’s not the most obvious skincare ingredient – and anytime someone asks me – is it safe to use vinegar on your skin? –  I’ll tell them about how mothers use vinegar baths as an age-old remedy to soothe babies skin from painful nappy rashes. It’s been used to heal and treat skin for such a long time throughout history, that it’s well documented as a helpful skin tonic.

The most important part of using vinegar for your skin is dilution. It is an acid and you must never apply neat vinegar to your skin.

  • For a facial toner or hair rinse: dilute 1 tablespoon into 1 cup of water.
  • For a bath: dilute 1 cup of vinegar into a full bath.

Soothing Vinegar Bath | littlegreendot.com

If you’re wondering – but, will it smell like I’m bathing in Kombucha? I’ll tell you – it doesn’t have to.

You can mask the scent of vinegar with essential oils, but one of my favorite, fragrant remedies is an herbal vinegar which smells delicous – and I’m going to show you how to make it!

Peppermint + Lavender Vinegar Bath Soak

These are key summer herbs! The combination is especially good for soothing summer skin:

  • lavender promotes healing
  • peppermint is cooling and alleviates the burn

Soothing Vinegar Bath | littlegreendot.com


Soothing Vinegar Bath | littlegreendot.com



Soothing Vinegar Bath | littlegreendot.com


Soothing Vinegar Bath | littlegreendot.com


By blending the herbs into the vinegar we can very quickly create a solution that contains the benefits of all the ingredients. I like to strain it – to remove any fibers that will otherwise make a mess in my bath and in my hair. You live and learn 🙂

Lavender + Peppermint Vinegar Bath Soak
to alleviate sunburns and soothe your skin

  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar (“with the mother”)
  • 1 tbsp dried peppermint
  • 1 tbsp dried lavender
  1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender
  2. Blend for 20 seconds, or until all of the herbs have fully broken down
  3. Strain the vinegar and discard the herbs
  4. Pour the herbal vinegar into a warm/hot bath. Soak for 20 minutes

Soothing Vinegar Bath | littlegreendot.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *