What cleansing method do you use for your water type?

[pariate]

Hi

I've just moved from a very hard water area to a soft water area. My hair is in heaven! Yes, my needs are *that* simple ;) It's made me wonder about different types of tap water and the washing method that works best with them.

I experimented with a few different methods (herbal teas, CO and variants thereof, poo & condition, WO) when I had hard water and the only one that made my hair at all satisfactory was CO. I used cone-free cheap conditioner for the "wash" and the THICKEST, richest conditioners I could find to nourish my ends. Every once in a blue moon I'd have a fab hair day, but generally speaking the only time my hair felt soft was when it was 90% dry and still had enough water in it to make it moist! I found a routine that worked well enough and settled... Then I moved here and was blown away by the difference the soft water made to my hair. I was gobsmacked. I'm now back on sulfate-free poo & conditioner and my hair looks better than it has done for years. :cheese:

With all this in mind I thought I could revisit some of my previous experiements and see how they affect my hair with the soft water.

Sooooooo... how soft/hard is your water and what cleansing method gives you the best results?

I appreciate that we all have different hair types and what works for one person with hard water may not work for another, but I wondered if we'd identify any trends in the results. I'll tabulate them and keep an eye on how it pans out. Anyone interested?! I had thought that it would be worth mentioning hairtype, but I have reassessed my hairtype since discovering the joys of soft water ;) I guess it would be useful to know if you have fine/med/coarse hair though. What do you think?

Look forward to hearing from you all. I think this could be interesting and may even help people who are struggling to find the "right" method for their hair.

:flower:

[Chromis]

I use the same for hard and soft (but my hair and especially my scalp vastly prefer soft!). Shampoo bars followed by an acidic rinse. The only changes I make in hard water to use a much stronger rinse and to henna more often. Every time I move somewhere with hard water, my scalp acts up and the henna stops the itchies!

[Curlsgirl]

I have fairly hard water and I usually use a sulfate shampoo in small amounts.

[pariate]

I have fairly hard water and I usually use a sulfate shampoo in small amounts.

Hi Curlsgirl. I thought you were a CO devotee?!

[ChloeDharma]

I think for me the only thing i can say definately is that with my very hard water washing with a 'poo bar even when followed with an ACV rinse didn't work out. It left it very coated feeling no matter how much i rinsed.
I remember years ago that when i went away and used soft water my hair was super easy to look after and if i say so myself looked amazing even with a simple S&C routine.
Great thread idea :)

[pariate]

I think for me the only thing i can say definately is that with my very hard water washing with a 'poo bar even when followed with an ACV rinse didn't work out. It left it very coated feeling no matter how much i rinsed.


Oh yes, I know *that* feeling. I really wanted shampoo bars to work for me, but my hair wasn't having any of it!

Thanks ChloeDharma ;)

[Molster]

I used to live in a soft water area (West Somerset) and eventually moved through several counties to the mega-hard water area I have lived in for the past 15 years.

I remember when living in Somerset hardly needing to use any shampoo, but where I am now it is hard to make some of the more 'natural' methods work satisfactorily, and my poor scalp often rebels if the local water plant has had an extra dose of chemicals added recently! I've also used Indian Herbs with some success, then only stopped using them as my old enamel bath gets so stained.

However, I'm still able to use sulphate-free 'poos with good results (I've been using JASON Rosewater & Camomile diluted just recently), but I have just embarked upon washing with soapnuts - pretty ambitious in such a hard water area, but others have had success so I thought I'd give it a go.

I always conclude any washing method with an ACV rinse, as this seems to keep my scalp relatively happy, gives shiney hair, and seems to make any residues that might be left in my hair easier to rinse out, whatever method I have used.

I do wonder, though, what difference to my hair I might notice if I still lived in Somerset!

[Lamb]

Very hard water - sulfate shampoo is a must. :( CO does not work for long, and neither does a shampoo bar.

[pariate]

Very hard water - sulfate shampoo is a must. :( CO does not work for long, and neither does a shampoo bar.

Yeah, I had to use a dose of poo every few washes unless I wanted crunchy hair. Unfortunately all the poos I tried (with and without sulfates) left my hair very dehydrated, hence I persevered with the CO - it was the only way to keep some remnant of moisture in my hair in between shampoo washes! :rolleyes: