I found the perfect vinegar rinsing bottle! Hmmmm.....what little things excite me. ;) It is an empty bottle of Simply Orange orange juice. It holds 1.75L (59 fl.oz.), is square, and has a narrow neck. These last two features are what makes this perfect for me. The bottom of the bottle fits perfectly on the corner of my bathtub and the narrow neck makes it easy to hold. You can see a pic of the bottle here: http://www.simplyorangejuice.com/about.html

I've been vinegar rinsing (as a final rinse) about twice a week with this bottle filled with tepid water, about 3 tablespoons ACV (eyeballing that, really), and 4 or 5 drops of rosemary EO (depends on how fast I can upright that little bottle). The lid screws on tightly so I can shake the bottle vigorously to disperse the EO before pouring the rinse over my head. This has added great shine and softness to my hair. :D

Question for you who add EOs to your rinses.....how much EO do you use? I chose my amount somewhat arbitrarily based on the strength of the smell of rosemary EO (strong stuff!).

Just thought I'd pass this along. Anybody else look at everyday household items and wonder how you can incorporate them into your routine? ;)

Sort of. I've decided I don't like pouring the vinegar on my scalp, so I have one of those giant-sized, 32-ounce "souvenier" cups from the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo that I mix my vinegar rinse in. Then I part my hair and dip each part into the rinse.

(Ooh, I'm on a posting spree...)

I have a 32oz plastic container that I use. It used to be the milk container I used to transport my baby milk, and then it sat in the bottom of my cabinets. It works like a charm for me, it seals well, is non breakable, and has measurements on the side. I don't know what I was using before, it's been so long ago.

Question for you who add EOs to your rinses.....how much EO do you use? I chose my amount somewhat arbitrarily based on the strength of the smell of rosemary EO (strong stuff!).

Really depends on my mood. At the moment I have lavender, rosemary, orange and ylang ylang here. Usually I add about 10 drops total out of two or three of those to 1l (1 quart) of water and two table spoons ACV.
Sometimes I don't use EOs at all.

LOL! I used a gallon Alhambra water jug yesterday! I don't normally do many vinegar rinses, just felt like doing one yesterday and the gallon was great! I like the big waterfall of water that seems to go on forever and there's so much of it that the force of the water penetrates INTO my hair and feels heavenly :) I only used about 2 tablespoons of vinegar though and I noticed I didn't have that vinegar smell when I was done.

Great thread Tresses! I think it's so funny to read about we all use for this very important purpose. ;)

I use 1/8 cup of herbal vinegar concentrate that I make in 1 Litre of distilled water... I have a 1 1/2 litre jug with a pouring spout... works great. I make up the mixture on a per use basis. I put in about 4 drops total of various eo's

HTH, Sheba

Great idea, Tresses! tomorrow I'll check out the orange juice section at the grocery store. I may have to experiement with some EO's too. I have some Orange and some Bergamont I have been wanting to experiement with. Fun! :D

Thanks for your replies, everyone!

Madeleine and Sheba, thank you for posting your ratios. Sheba, my ratio is relatively close to yours. Thank you for the confirmation, as I was really winging it. :) Madeleine, 10 drops to 1L? That's not too much? I suppose it depends on the oil. I used 7 drops of sandalwood eo in this same bottle (1.75L) once and it left my scalp feeling oily. Very shiny, but oily. Ahhhh, but it did smell very nice. :-)

Thanks, again!

Madeleine, 10 drops to 1L? That's not too much? I suppose it depends on the oil. I used 7 drops of sandalwood eo in this same bottle (1.75L) once and it left my scalp feeling oily. Very shiny, but oily.

Oh ok - I should have clarified ;) the way I use it too.
I mix my ACV in a sqare plastic jug, not a bottle, while the C/O conditioner sits on my head (I don't wash my hair while taking a shower). I don't stir or shake afterwards. Just rinse the conditioner off, dunk my ends and length into the jug and "stir" a bit with my hair, then pour the rest over my head.
The EOs that float on the surface of the rinse in the jug remain mostly in the ends and length before the ACV touches the scalp. Especially YlangYlang makes my ends really nice and soft.

If I poured it all over my head without dipping in the ends first, my scalp would indeed get oily.
Sometimes I add nothing but 3 - 5 drops rosemary, stir before rinsing and pour it straight over the head for some extra tingly scalp w/o greasiness.

Aaaaahhhh! Ok, I get it now. Thanks for explaining, Madeleine! :-)

Question for you who add EOs to your rinses.....how much EO do you use? I chose my amount somewhat arbitrarily based on the strength of the smell of rosemary EO (strong stuff!).

Just thought I'd pass this along. Anybody else look at everyday household items and wonder how you can incorporate them into your routine? ;)

Aha - Great idea. My EO's are peppermint and eucalyptus (and whatever strikes my fancy), feels lovely. I use one of those bottles used for hair coloring so it's about 8 oz. to 5 drops of each of the EO's and probably about .5 oz. vinegar...:DD...g

I keep a half gallon plastic jug of vinegar (the containers the store brand stuff comes in; I actually buy the gallon jugs and pour into the smaller one so it'll fit in the corner of the bath)and a clear plastic glass in the shower. I pour an inch or so of vinegar in the glass, fill rest of way with water, dip the ends in, then pour over my head. I comb through, then usually rinse it out afterward with water.

I have a glass storage jar with a metal handle that I use for my rinses. It's pretty, but can get slippery and I guess is unsafe if it were to break. But then I hear that plastic containers can corrode from the vinegar over time. I have only been using vinegar in my rinses, but I will definitely have to try some EO's in there now that I know how to use them for my length. I've tried them on my scalp as a massage, but it left it too oily. I have rosemary, lavendar, and lemon.
I usually do the dunking the ends method first and then pour the rest over my head.

I found one of those hospital pitchers in the pantry and kidnapped it for hair use. (It now says "For Hair Use Only" :silly: ) Most of the time I dump in a little less than an inch of ACV and fill the rest of the pitcher with water. I haven't tried EOs yet, but when I remember, I simmer the water with a couple of rosemary sprigs (we have a - bush? shrub? - of it in the rose bed) and strain it before I mix it with the ACV.

Calico

I'm using an 8 oz bottle for mixing color that I got at Sally's. I use a tablespoon of ACV and 2 drops lavender EO or one drop lavender and one drop eucalyptus. I have some other EO's but those are the only ones I've used so far for ACV rinses. If I use any more than 2 drops of EO's my hair gets oily fast. I just squirt it on my ends until they're saturated and then take the top off the bottle and pour the rest over my head. The square bottle that Tresses mentioned sounds really handy. I usually can't put bottles in the corner of the tub because they won't fit - oval or circular shaped. Great idea!

I keep my herbal vinegar concentrate in an old wine bottle that I found along side the road. It sits on the counter in the bathroom. I have a 1 liter plastic pitcher that ( a freebie from the Ultramar gas station) that I mix 2 tablespoons of the vinegar concentrate with one liter of warm water.I also dunk my ends in first and then pour the rest over my head before my final condition. Sometimes I'll add a few drops of Rosemary or Clove EO. I love the smell of the Cloves in my hair.

It's amazing how much you can learn and get new ideas even when sharing our own little vinegar rinse routines.

Maggie

I use a 2 litre jug (about half a gallon I think?) and put about 3 tablespoons of vinegar. Any more than this and my hair doesn't look shiny when I'm done (I think it must just dry my hair out). I put 5 drops of rosemary and pour the whole lot straight over my head in the shower (trying to remember to keep my mouth and eyes closed!) I'm putting the rosemary in for my scalp (dandruff) I currently do this after I condition, but I'm thinking of switching to before as I find the vinegar does dry out my length a bit

What a novel idea! How did it not occur to me to have a nice pretty bottle for ACV rinses? I've been living with a gallon milk jug in my tub for the last year!!! :rolleyes:

I'm going jug shopping tomorrow! :rockerdud

I’m using a large evian water bottle. I think it’s a half gallon (possibly more) with two spoons of vinegar.