Dealing with hair and scalp concerns like dryness and itchiness, lack of shine or scalp acne is usually when your regular hair care products just don’t cut it. That’s where hair rinses come into play: They’re liquid treatments that have specific ingredients to address hair and scalp concerns without having to change up your entire routine (unless, of course, that is what’s contributing to those problems in the first place).
If you’ve come across a hair rinse in your local grocery aisle and wondered what exactly it is (and whether you actually need it), I spoke with board-certified dermatologists and trichologists to answer all your questions. I also rounded up their recommendations for the best hair rinses to shop, along with NBC Selected staff favorites.
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Best hair rinses
Best for dull hair
Oribe Mirror Rinse Glass Hair Treatment
Nearly every expert I spoke to recommends this Oribe hair rinse. “If hydration and shine are your priorities, [this rinse] is a good option for improving the appearance and feel of the hair,” says Dr. Sachin Parikh, double board-certified plastic surgeon at L&P Aesthetics. Made for all hair types, this treatment smooths and softens hair without weighing it down, which helps control frizz and add shine. It also feels like a little luxury in your routine, says Dr. Mona Foad, board-certified dermatologist and founder of MONA Dermatology.
Best for curly or textured hair
“This rinse is particularly well suited for curly, textured or dry hair because it helps balance the scalp while maintaining moisture,” says Foad. Like most apple cider vinegar rinses, this one helps remove buildup and lets hair retain its moisture. It also has niacinamide to reduce scalp oil (leading to less oily hair) and black tea kombucha, which has caffeine to make hair look stronger and thicker, according to the brand.
Best for color-treated hair
For those with color-treated hair who want to add shine and maintain their color without going to a professional, this is an accessible option recommended by certified trichologist Shanelle Harris-Burke, founder of The Hair Bawse Salon. It’s also gentle enough to use on over-processed hair and bring it back to life, according to reviewers. The brand recommends applying it to clean, damp hair for a few minutes and then rinsing.
For a professional glossing option to use only at a salon, this clear version from Joico adds shine without changing your hair color, according to Harris. This other professional color-depositing option doesn’t contain ammonia and is deposit-only, meaning it adds color pigment to your hair without lifting or bleaching your natural color.
Best multi-step treatment
Cecred is a favorite of NBC Selected associate SEO reporter Ashley Morris, who tested the brand’s viral hair care products for months. “I experienced noticeably less breakage after using this the first time, and after the third time, I was more than ready to repurchase,” says Morris.
It’s a two-step process: step one is a fermented rice and rose protein powder that you dissolve in about 24 ounces of warm water, then pour over freshly shampooed hair; step two is a rinse that you apply immediately after to add softness and shine. “Protein without a follow-up is how people end up with stiff, brittle hair, and I appreciate that the formulation builds the rebalancing step right into the ritual,” says Harris, who recommends this treatment to her clients. “It’s color-safe, works for all hair textures, and is meant to be used every four to six weeks rather than every wash, which is the correct cadence for protein.”
Best for frizz control
This acidic gloss treatment comes recommended by Foad for people with dry, color-treated hair because it helps smooth the hair cuticle, makes hair more manageable and creates a healthier-looking shine. “It’s an excellent, affordable everyday option,” she says. Keep in mind this treatment is for hair only, so you should apply it to your ends and avoid getting it on your scalp, according to the brand. Use it two to three times per week on wet hair after shampoo. For fine to medium hair, use one dose, while thick and curly hair should use two to three doses (and add one more dose if you have long hair), according to L’Oreal.
Best for dry, itchy scalps
Foad recommends this apple cider vinegar rinse for people looking to remove product buildup, especially because it gently clarifies without being overly harsh on the scalp. It also has salicylic acid to remove flakes and dead skin on your scalp. It’s safe for all hair types, including keratin- and color-treated hair, according to the brand.
Best for dry, damaged hair
This hair rinse comes recommended by both Harris and Parikh because it removes buildup without being overly harsh and won’t strip color. The apple cider vinegar helps cleanse without stripping your hair’s natural oils, and it reduces scalp dryness and inflammation, according to the brand. It’s also great as a post-workout treatment because it gently reduces sweat, oil and buildup.
Best clarifying shampoo
Though this is technically a clarifying shampoo rather than a rinse, it still deserves a spot on our list because it includes several expert-recommended ingredients, including apple cider vinegar and chelating agents to address buildup and hard-water minerals, says Harris. “It’s a great option if you’d rather clarify in one step rather than add a separate rinse,” she says. This is the only clarifying shampoo that doesn’t weigh down my fine hair or leave my scalp too dry, which is why it’s a mainstay in my weekly hair-washing routine. It’s sulfate-free and color-safe, too.
How I picked the best hair rinses
When determining which hair rinses to recommend, the experts I spoke to suggested keeping the following factors in mind:
- Hair and scalp concern: Consider what specific concern you’re looking to address with a hair rinse. The most common concerns that hair rinses can help reduce include product buildup, scalp acne, dull hair, scalp inflammation or thinning.
- Ingredients: Make sure you’re looking at the ingredient list to see if the hair rinse will actually benefit your specific hair or scalp concern. For example, for an itchy, inflamed scalp, look for tea tree oil or salicylic acid. For dry hair, consider ingredients like glycerin, panthenol and aloe. Here’s more information about which ingredients to look for.
- Type: There are four main types of hair rinses: acidic, vinegar, glosses and glazes, and herbal and botanical. Each serves a different purpose, and the one you choose depends on your specific scalp or hair concern. In this list, I included options across all four types.
What is a hair rinse?
A hair rinse is a liquid treatment you’ll usually use after shampooing to address hair or scalp concerns, such as buildup, dullness, or scalp imbalance. You pour or spray the rinse over your hair and scalp, let it sit briefly and then rinse out. What makes hair rinses stand out is their consistency and contact time: “Rinses are thin, they move through the hair quickly, and they are designed to make a chemical adjustment rather than deposit a lot of product,” says Harris-Burke.
Unlike shampoo, which cleanses, or conditioner, which moisturizes and detangles, a hair rinse provides an additional targeted benefit; some rinses focus on the scalp, while others improve the look and feel of your hair shaft, says Foad.
“A hair rinse is more of a supportive product,” says Parikh. “It can help remove buildup, rebalance the scalp or improve the condition of the hair itself. It’s not a treatment for hair loss, but maintaining a healthy scalp creates a better environment for healthy hair over time.”
What are the different types of hair rinses?
There are multiple types of hair rinses, each serving a different purpose. “It’s less about choosing the trendiest product and more about choosing the one that addresses your specific scalp or hair concerns,” says Parikh.
These are the four main types of hair rinses, according to experts:
- Acidic rinses (pH balancing): These have acids like citric, lactic or glycolic to lower your hair’s pH after shampooing and help lay the cuticle flat, making it appear shinier, says Harris. Acidic rinses are best for anyone with high-porosity hair, especially those with frizz, dullness or breakage. “This is the most universally useful category,” says Harris.
- Vinegar rinses: You’ll often see these as apple cider vinegar rinses, which have acetic acid. “They lower pH, dissolve buildup and get rid of hard water minerals,” says Harris. They’re best for people dealing with heavy product buildup, hard water or an oily, congested scalp. The trade-off is the strong smell, and the acidity means you’ll need to dilute it properly and use it less frequently, experts say.
- Glosses and glazes: These are semi-permanent cuticle treatments that add shine and, in tinted versions, deposit temporary color. They’re great if your hair looks dull or if you want to refresh your color between salon visits, says Harris. Clear or sheer versions give you the shine benefit without any color change, which makes them a great option for natural hair.
- Herbal and botanical rinses: This is the gentlest hair rinse category and the one you can typically use more frequently. They’re usually infused with rosemary, nettle, horsetail, chamomile, hibiscus, green tea or rice water, and they work to support your scalp and soothe irritation. Herbal and botanical rinses are also great for those with sensitive scalps who can’t tolerate an acidic rinse.
What are the benefits of hair rinses for different hair types?
Most hair rinses are great for any hair type, as long as you’re using the proper one for your specific concerns. Here are a few common hair types and how each benefits from a hair rinse:
- Color-treated hair: Choose carefully. Strong vinegar and clarifying rinses can pull color and make it fade faster, so consider a gentle acidic rinse and gloss instead. “Glosses in particular can extend the life of your color between appointments,” says Harris.
- Dry, damaged hair: Acidic rinses are especially useful. “Damaged hair has a compromised cuticle that sits raised, so a pH-lowering rinse makes a visible difference,” says Harris. “Just avoid over-clarifying because damaged hair has less margin for error.”
- Curly and coily hair: This hair type usually benefits the most from clarifying hair rinses. “Textured hair is prone to buildup from gels, creams and butters, and buildup is one of the main reasons curls stop clumping and defining well,” says Harris. “A clarifying or chelating rinse every few weeks can reset your hair. The critical rule is to always follow with a deep conditioner because textured hair cannot afford to be stripped.”
- Locs: Rinses are useful for buildup, but rinse thoroughly and dry completely afterward, says Harris.
What are the best ingredients to look for in a hair rinse?
Here are the most effective ingredients to consider for the most common hair and scalp concerns, according to Harris:
- For product buildup and hard water: acetic acid, citric acid and glycolic acid.
- For dullness and lack of shine: citric acid, lactic acid and cationic conditioning agents like behentrimonium chloride or cetrimonium chloride, which help close the cuticle and make hair softer.
- For an itchy, flaky scalp: tea tree oil, salicylic acid, willow bark extract and zinc pyrithione. If flaking continues, that’s a sign to see a professional rather than keep switching products.
- For thinning hair: rosemary extract, peppermint, caffeine and niacinamide. “Rosemary in particular has some of the more encouraging research behind it, though I always frame it as scalp support rather than a cure,” says Harris. However, it’s important to have realistic expectations: “These products can support healthy hair and scalp care, but they’re not substitutes for evidence-based treatments when someone is experiencing true hair loss,” says Parikh.
- For dryness and porosity: panthenol, glycerin, aloe, hydrolyzed rice or wheat protein, and amino acids.
Those with color-treated hair should look for labels like “color-safe” and “sulfate-free.” Most people with color-treated hair prefer glosses or gentle acidic rinses over strong vinegar formulas, says Harris
Frequently asked questions
While the benefits of a hair rinse depend on its ingredients, they can usually help remove buildup from your shampoo or other styling products, smooth the hair cuticle to increase shine, make your strands more manageable and support a healthier scalp environment, says Foad. Some rinses also help rebalance the scalp’s pH after cleansing, which may reduce irritation and leave hair looking smoother.
You can think of using a hair rinse almost like cleaning your kitchen, says Christine McMillan, a board-certified trichologist and owner of Scalp Garden.
“Shampoo is like washing the dishes: Its entire job is to get rid of grease, dirt and leftovers. Conditioner is like putting oil on your wooden cutting board so it stays smooth and doesn’t dry out. A hair mask is like deep conditioning that cutting board overnight; it’s meant to do more heavy lifting versus everyday maintenance,” says McMillan. “A rinse is different and more like a specialty cleaner. Maybe you’re trying to remove hard water spots, polish stainless steel or disinfect a countertop. Hair rinses are designed to do one particular job after shampooing. Some focus on your hair, some your scalp, and some do a little of both.”
In most cases, you should use a hair rinse alongside a conditioner rather than replacing it. “A rinse may help clarify the scalp or smooth the hair, but it doesn’t typically provide the level of hydration, lubrication or detangling that a conditioner does,” says Foad. “If your hair is very fine, you may find that certain hydrating rinses are sufficient on occasion, but most people benefit from using both.”
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to correctly use a hair rinse, according to Harris:
- Shampoo first. “A rinse works best on clean hair because applying it over dirt and product means it spends its energy on the residue instead of your hair,” says Harris.
- Squeeze out excess water. Soaking wet hair dilutes the rinse and reduces its effectiveness.
- Apply strategically. For scalp-specific rinses, use an applicator bottle with a nozzle tip to apply it, which lets you part your hair and get the product directly on your scalp where you need it, says Harris. If your rinse is made for strands, pour or spray from the mid-shaft to your ends and work it through with your fingers.
- Follow the directions carefully. “Most rinses need two to five minutes. Longer is not better, especially with acidic formulas,” says Harris. “Also, if the label tells you to dilute, dilute, and do not eyeball it. Concentration matters.”
- Rinse with cool water. Cool water helps the cuticle close, locking in the smoothing effect.
- Follow your rinse with a conditioner unless the product specifies otherwise.
If you’re experiencing significant scalp irritation, persistent itching, painful scalp lesions, excessive hair shedding or a diagnosed scalp condition, you should speak with a dermatologist before trying any new treatments, says Foad. “These symptoms may indicate an underlying medical condition that requires evaluation rather than simply changing hair care products,” she says.
You can, and people have been doing it for generations using ingredients like rice water, apple cider vinegar, rosemary tea, hibiscus and aloe. However, there are a few concerns. A homemade herbal or rice water rinse is a growing medium for bacteria and mold, so make small batches, refrigerate them, use them within a few days, and never keep a batch sitting on your shelf, says Harris. There is also very little consistency: “You don’t know the actual pH of what you mixed, which makes it hard to troubleshoot when something goes wrong,” says Harris.
Dilution is extremely important, and undiluted apple cider vinegar on the scalp is far too acidic and can cause irritation and cuticle damage, says Harris. If you insist on a DIY journey, a safe starting point is one to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in about sixteen ounces of water, she says.
Fermented rice water is a very popular DIY option right now, but you should tread carefully. “Overuse can leave hair stiff and protein overloaded, and low porosity hair is the most vulnerable to that,” says Harris. “This is also the DIY that takes the most work since traditional fermentation runs for days before the batch is usable.”
Meet our hair care experts
At NBC Selected, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Shanelle Harris-Burke is a certified trichologist and the founder of The Hair Bawse Salon in Des Moines, Iowa.
- Christine McMillan is a board-certified trichologist and owner of Scalp Garden, a clinic in Buford, Georgia that provides hair loss treatments.
- Dr. Mona Foad is a board-certified dermatologist and founder of MONA Dermatology.
- Dr. Sachin Parikh is a Stanford-trained double board-certified plastic surgeon at L&P Aesthetics in Palo Alto, California.
Why trust NBC Selected?
I’m an editor at NBC Selected who has written about skin care and hair care for over six years. For this article, I spoke to board-certified dermatologists and trichologists about the benefits of hair rinses and what to look for when shopping for one. I also rounded up their recommendations for the best ones to shop, as well as favorites from NBC Selected editors.
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