Unfortunately, my hair freaked one day and it was as though over night wax had squirted out of my head, and so once again, after 4 months, I was back to the beginning. This is when I started thinking about the water, and thought about how wonderful my hair was, even with shampoo, when I went out of town. That’s when I looked up how hard the water was in my area, and found it to be the hardest in the country. And not only that, water apparently get harder in the winter months, which explains the sudden change. So, I decided to try something new.

I massaged my scalp with coconut oil and on the ends and let it sit over night. By the morning the oil had dissolved the waxy coat. I also got a juice jug and my Britta, and filled the jug with filtered water, then went and bent over the tub. Pouring the water and scrubbing my scalp at the same time, I washed my hair with the filtered water. Part way through, around half way throught the second juice jug, I added 5 drops of jojoba oil to my ends and pressed it in by using my palms on either side of the hair. Then I rinsed everything with the rest of the water. At that point, my hair felt softer than ever before! My scalp was clean, there was no waxiness, and the hairs just beyond were still slightly oily from the coconut oil (probably because pouring water doesn’t have the same water pressure as a shower head). but the rest of my hair looked fabulous! After 4 days I repeated this, but only rubbed my scalp with the coconut oil 5 minutes before washing not leaving it over night, and everythign looked amazing when it dried!

The one mistake I made was waiting too long to wash my hair between washes and really the mistake was in what I did as a result. I find 4 days to be right for my hair – that’s when I start to see the beginnings of a slight oiliness (similar to the thirsd day when I used shampoo). But yeah, one time I left it for 10 days and because it was so full of sebum (not waxy) I thought I should use something more and reached for an egg yolk. My hair looked terrible after that! It took a week and a half and 3 filtered water washes later to find the balance again.

So now I use just enough coconut oil to cover my finger tip and massage it into my scalp, wash with the filtered water, and press the jojoba oil in befre the final rinse, brush every couple evenings and I’m very happy with the results. I wear my hair down here and there when I feel like it, my hair is healthy, tangle free, and the hair that fell out while I used shampoos, is growing back!

Oh! As for hair type and length, my hair is down to the middle of my back and is pretty much like Julia Roberts.

What I found to be the hardest in all this, was in adjusting my view of what was hygenic. I’m a very natural person to begin with, so I was shocked at my emotional reaction! I was feeling like everything was so dirty, and even went on a few cleanign frenzies as a result. I also had to adjust to what hair really feels like. It actually feels a bit more like cat fur (healthy, soft fur) rather than stripped down, coated, dry shampooed hair. I think its because when it’s just natural sebum, the natural texture of the indidvidual hairs is more noticable.

When I went water onlly, I also stopped using soap on my body, and despite it being winter here in Canada, I haven’t needed to use moisturizers since! My skin is soft and beautiful!

So that’smy story! I hope I didn’t use up all your server space with this!!!

I had the same problems with Burts and the others.. even Dr. Bronners is VERY drying. Aubrey’s will be on my list now.

I like the idea of soapnut powder with chickpeas.. soapnuts are a natural surfactant.

I\’ll give it another shot.

now i will get some occasional dandruff, but that is usually after i have washed with just water for a long period, and not right after the ACV and the several just-water-washings after. but even so, the jojoba oil seem to control it.

i really love this routine, so many plusses: super fast showering, no more product (not just shampoo, but i stopped used any other products altogether) to waste money on and keep buying, my hair is MUCH thicker and fuller (all those natural oils provide natural body!), and my hair doesnt fall out as much or feel as oily as it did when i was shampooing daily (it would feel gross by the end of the day) or every other day.

i was going to keep doing this routine despite the dandruff, because it didnt show too too badly with my hair colour, but it kind of grossed me out sometimes. now – it's an easy decision, and i dont ever want to go back.

hope my great experience will encourage some others, too!