There are few all-natural products as versatile as apple cider vinegar. Whether it’s around the house, in your beauty routine, or for you health, apple cider vinegar can be used in a million helpful ways. In particular, we love the various health and beauty remedies that you can get out of apple cider vinegar. A little sip can go a long way. And at about $2 a bottle, you can get a few weeks worth of handy hacks out of one container, which is pretty spectacular. Here are 17 reasons why you should always have apple cider vinegar stocked in your pantry.

1. Upset Stomach Remedy 

Mix one or two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in some water and sip it the next time you have tummy troubles. If a bacterial infection is the culprit, or if you’re having intestinal spasms, apple cider vinegar can help contain the problem and sooth your symptoms

2. Gets Rid of Hiccups

Stuck with the hiccups? Don’t try holding your breath or asking a friend to scare you…we’ve all learned that request can have disastrous consequences. Instead, try swallowing a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. The sour taste helps to soothe and relinquish hiccups fast.

3. Prevents Indigestion 

You’re not feeling so good post-Chinese food. Been there. Good news, you can even use apple cider vinegar to prevent indigestion. If you’re going to eat foods that you know you could regret later, then start by drinking a mixture of 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar and a glass of water water about 30 minutes before you eat.

4. Banishes Bad Breath

Nobody wants to be walking around all day self-conscious of their bad breath. Nix the stink by gargling with apple cider vinegar. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the vinegar to water and gargle for a few minutes to help get rid of chronic bad breath. Bonus: gargling with this mixture also helps to whiten your teeth!

5. Soothes Sore Throats

As soon as you start feeling a sore throat coming on, mix 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup warm water and gargle every hour. The vinegar will help to kill germs and ward off the infection.

6. Beat Exercise Exhaustion

Post-gym, you can often have lactic acid buildup in the body. This causes fatigue and soreness after your workout. To balance your amino acids and keep you energized after you break a sweat, add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to your post-work out water.

7. Lowers Your Cholesterol

A Japanese study found that consuming a half an ounce of apple cider vinegar a day lowered the cholesterol of people who participated in the study. More research is certainly in the works, but in the meantime it couldn’t hurt to up your daily intake.

8. Pamper Your Hair

Apple cider vinegar works wonders on hair. To make your very own DIY hair product, combine 1/3 cup of vinegar to 4 cups of water and pour this mixture over your hair after shampooing. Let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse out with cold water for shiny, tangle-free, and dandruff-free locks.

9. Clears Your Stuffy Nose

The potassium and acid in apple cider vinegar can help to thin mucus and prevent bacteria growth. So the next time you’ve got a really stuffy nose, mix a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and drink to get some much needed relief.

10. Soothe Sunburn

You’ll be needing this tip in the months to come. Of course, we suggest you lather on LOTS of sunscreen and protect yourself in the sun, but if you slip up and get a little burn, apple cider vinegar will help with the pain. Rub the vinegar directly onto your sunburn to soothe the burn and your red skin.

11. Aids in Weight Loss 

Reader’s Digest explains why apple cider vinegar can actually help you to lose weight:

The acetic acid suppresses your appetite, increases your metabolism, and reduces water retention. Scientists also theorize that apple cider vinegar interferes with the body’s digestion of starch, which means fewer calories enter the bloodstream.

12. Helps Clear Acne 

Apple cider vinegar works wonderfully as a natural toner. Because of its antibacterial properties, it can help keep acne under control, soften and exfoliate skin, reduce red spots and balance your skin’s pH levels.

13. Removes Warts

If warts are troubling your skin, apple cider vinegar can help with that, too. Place a cotton pad soaked in vinegar onto your wart, then secure the cotton pad on with a bandage. Leave on overnight, repeating this routine for a week to see a rapidly reduced wart.

14. Helps You Get to Sleep

Having sleep troubles? If you’re restless at night or can’t fall asleep, a mixture of honey and apple cider vinegar before bed has been shown to help calm the nervous system and get you some much-needed z’s.

15. Treats Ear Infections

Ear infections can be painful and difficult to deal with. For an easy remedy, soak a cotton ball in a mixture of one part apple cider vinegar and an equal part of rubbing alcohol or water. Stick the soaked cotton ball in your ear and let sit for 5 minutes. The vinegar will help to soothe irritation and kill any bacteria ravaging your inner ear.

16. Soothes Sore Muscles

Whether you’re sore from the gym or a cold, rubbing apple cider vinegar on the afflicted areas has been proven to relieve your sore muscles. Rub a few teaspoons onto the pained areas, repeating a few times a day until the pain decreases.

17. Relieves Gout

If you suffer from joint pain due to gout, consume a little apple cider vinegar everyday will help relieve the swelling and pain. This also works for arthritis pain in joints.

Do you use apple cider in a useful way? Share your tips in the comments section below.