There has been an ongoing debate about BS rinses working in hard-water areas. Which if you live in the states, more than 85% of the water is considered "hard". I have been using Dr. Bronners Baby-Mild Scentless Castille Soap. Heavilydiluted, but I could feel that not all of it was being rinsed out of my hair. More importantly my scalp has started to feel like its suffocating. So the next step naturally (if you spend any time on this site) is to try the BS essential oil rinse. So I mixed up a 1 gallon tea-pitcher with 1/2 cup of Baking Soda, 30 drops Rosemary Oil, 30 dropsLavenderOil, and 10-15 dropsTea-treeOil. Poured it over and let it soak. Let my hair really soak up everything making sure that my scalp got most of the pour. Then using the same tea-pitcher filled it up and rinsed/repeat. For extra measure I added a dab of Apple-Cider vinegar to the my pitcher filled it again and you get the idea. I continued to rinse maybe 5-6 times just to make sure that everything was out of my hair. My hair is light and clean and I did notice some loose dandruff. But it is only dead-skin that has been freed up by the Baking Soda. All the gunk that was on my head is finally being cleaned off and I'm sure it won't all be gone until a couple more washing's. SE has said it a million times that Sodium bicarbonate turns to gas when it reacts with water. It's even found dissolved in mineral springs. It also reacts specifically to vinegar too. I'm glad that I went ahead and tested this and honestly I can't afford to buy anything anyway and had all this on hand. Some water may be harder than others and may leave your hair feeling rough as the minerals raise ridges on follicles, but it's not the Baking Soda itself. I know some of you have tried and tried working with hard-water and some people don't like the way it leaves your hair feeling. There are shower-head watersoftenerattachmentsyou can buy for relatively cheap as well. Hope this can help someone because the BS Essential Oil rinse is hands down the cheapest and most effective way to clean your hair if done correctly. Jah Bless!
updated by @cameron-zion: 01/13/15 09:10:23PM
