Rinse. Repeat.

**Update #2 - I caved and washed my hair with Head & Shoulders, then "deep conditioned" with some Pantene stuff. I'm not sure if it was the days of water rinses, the Apple Cider Vinegar, or the chemical-laden shampoo/conditioner combo. But my hair is shiny and FABULOUS and lustrous and all sorts of adjectives that end in -ous. Must try this regimen again.
 

*Update 2/3/10 - my hair now feels dry, tangled, and just not fabulous after the apple cider vinegar rinse yesterday and just a water rinse today. Will research natural conditioner-type things; else give in and use normal shampoo and conditioner tonight. At least cutting back to once every 4-5 days is better than every day, I suppose.

After four days of no shampoo and only washing with water - maybe five, I lost count - my hair was definitely feeling oily. I had, as one friend called it, sculpty hair - that point at which it is malleable and holds.

As good a time as any to try the apple cider vinegar recipe. 

I filled up a squirt bottle the size of a "personal" water bottle with this ratio:

Apple Cider Vinegar hair rinse

A good amount to make for long hair is 1/2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of water.

I ended up with about 2 cups. 

Bottle in hand, I doused my hair with it in the shower, still without shampooing. The vinegar is supposed to get rid of "residue", so I figured I was good. I combed it through and scrubbed and rinsed and combed again (wide-tooth comb, of course). Quantity-wise, it was more than enough. I rinsed about five more times, prepared for the post-shower vinegar smell until my hair dried.

It definitely felt less greasy after, but it felt a little heavier (thicker?) than usual. There was brilliant shininess. I didn't feel like apple cider vinegar had been a revelation (I also drank a little diluted with a ton of water, for good measure.) The Inca said my hair smelled... neutral. Not dirty, not like shampooed, just neutral.

I think I would make the rinse again with a few drops of essential oil to boost the scent. At least it helped clean my hair, but I'm not sure it's the precise solution for me yet. Must keep trying. At least I'm getting away from the sodium lauryl sulfate in so many personal care products. It's in my body wash and face wash. I'm not jumping on the SLS-causes-cancer bandwagon, but I am trying to move away from processed products I ingest or use on my skin.

I realized that I also need to make a lotion or find something pure. My Cetaphil has alcohol in it. How is that good for moisturizing? 

(I also rubbed raw tomato on my clogged-pore-prone face yesterday, and patted a little apple cider vinegar onto it today. We'll see how clear those pores get with fewer synthetic chemicals.)