Could this be the solution to hard water problems? HELP ME EXPERIMENT :3

So I've been having problems with the baking soda rinse like a lot of other people that have hard water...I would scratch my head and scratch off the gunk and baking soda water hadn't washed away. I considered buying a shampoo or soap, but I love applying my own essential oils and not having to worry about fragrances irritating my skin. With some research, I have investigated potential solutions to making hard water "soft." I can't buy distilled water or get a nifty filter system as a college student with no car. I don't know if people have already talked about these methods, but let's revisit them henyways if that's the case.

MY FELLOW DREADED FRIENDS, EXPERIMENT WITH ME AND LET ME KNOW IF THIS WORKS FOR YOU!

Potential Solutions

1. Boiling water

So I got this idea from this website: http://inashoe.com/2009/05/shampoo-week-11-hard-water-epiphany/

Apparently Wikipedia says this about hard water: "Temporary hardness is caused by a combination of calcium ions and bicarbonate ions in the water. It can be removed by boiling the water or by the addition of lime (calcium hydroxide). Boiling promotes the formation of carbonate from the bicarbonate and precipitates calcium carbonate out of solution, leaving water that is softer upon cooling.

So I guess we'd have to boil water, cool it, and then dump it over our heads without rinsing with any shower water. Hmm...I'm hoping that permanent hard water is rare...

2 Using Calgon or RLR

I got this second idea from a diaper website: http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentbasics.htm#RLR

I don't know if Calgon is available in the U.S., but apparently RLR is. I have very sensitive skin so I am a little hesitant to try this, but I figure if Calgon used to advertise for bathing purposes, maybe RLR is also gentle.

3. Combination of 2&3

I guess this third option might work the best. I'm hoping I'll be able to do just one of the two, but then again my university has gross water.

I hope this gets responses! Experiments need a community to reproduce them

updated by @saraz: 02/14/15 08:50:14AM

simple solution 3 55 gallon drums and a length of copper tube

drum 1 dril a hole attach the copper tiube extending up a foot iodr so then bending down to coil inside drum 2 drill a hole in bottom of drum 2 with tube coming through (tightley sealed at both holes) and ending in drum 3 wich the top of drum 3 should be below the bottom of drum 2

build a fire under drum 1 fioll drums 1 and 2 with cold hard water drum 1 will create steam that flows up the copper tube then down into drum 2 to cool and condense

drum 3 will collect the now distilled water

leaving everything that makes hard water hard as a deposit on the bottom of drum 1

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

this stuff works perfectly in any water www.dreadlockshampoo.com

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

That sounds great, but I don't think that will work in a communal dorm shower :/

Saraz said:

That sounds great! I don't think that would work in communal dorm showers tho :/

soaring eagle said:

simple solution 3 55 gallon drums and a length of copper tube

drum 1 dril a hole attach the copper tiube extending up a foot iodr so then bending down to coil inside drum 2 drill a hole in bottom of drum 2 with tube coming through (tightley sealed at both holes) and ending in drum 3 wich the top of drum 3 should be below the bottom of drum 2

build a fire under drum 1 fioll drums 1 and 2 with cold hard water drum 1 will create steam that flows up the copper tube then down into drum 2 to cool and condense

drum 3 will collect the now distilled water

leaving everything that makes hard water hard as a deposit on the bottom of drum 1

Thanks for the suggestion!

soaring eagle said:

this stuff works perfectly in any water www.dreadlockshampoo.com

I have hard water and have no issues when using this stuff. I experienced everything from gummy dreads from Dr. Bronner's to breaking dreads from purifying shampoo and snowy hair from baking soda. Been using this soap for a month now and not one complaint...not one!

soaring eagle said:

this stuff works perfectly in any water www.dreadlockshampoo.com

But can i get some shipped to the uk?

soaring eagle said:

this stuff works perfectly in any water www.dreadlockshampoo.com

yup sure can

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Ouch, with shipping its beyond my budget, shame as it sounds very good...

soaring eagle said:

yup sure can

I don't know if it softens water but I can tell you definitively that using amla 'shampoo'(sludge/tea made from the raw dried powdered fruit) really gave my hard water something to think about today!!I I was pretty amazed and didn't expect this. I didn't have that 'eeuw' feeling when squeezing the water out of my hair at the end like I normally do with BS/ACV. You know that kinda icky/tacky feeling the buildup leaves on your hair? That.

I got adventurous today with my amla supply. I normally made face scrubs with the stuff to sell in my shop but ran out of a lot of the other pricier ingredients so I had to drop the product line. So today I thought I'd try it out as a shampoo tea because I'd heard and read of people having such wonderful results with it. And yep, after today's experiment I have to say that I'm truly impressed. It didn't strip my hair down to feeling like straw like a clarifying shampoo would but it lessened the hard water effect by at least half. Softened my hair about 20% so I wouldn't advise newbies do it but what the hell, I felt like experimenting. If you have mature dreads I say go for it!!! Amla rocks! Your scalp will thank you for it.

As I poured it on and gently scrubbed my scalp with my fingertips I could feel my baby dreads drawing up toward my scalp in a sort of astringent type reaction. But when rinsed the sensation disappeared. All I know is that my scalp doesn't feel like I have a whole lot of buildup on it any more and I still have some decent tangles to show for it.

Here's the recipe I used if you would like to try it:

1. 1.5 cups water, simmering hot(not boiling). Let cool for five minutes.
2. Gently add in and stir 1 tablespoon of dried amla powder.
3. Let sit for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Pour 100% of the tea into a squirt bottle(pointy tipped like for hair dye).
5. Use as a shampoo, leave on for 1-2 minutes, rinse well.
6. Done!

Don't even have to use ACV afterward.

Some notes about things I noticed: at first it seems like you'll be dumping a mud-like sludge on your head. You won't. About half of the powder dissolves and you're left with a nice watery shampoo. The other half of the herb is so super fine grained that it rinses clean out of your hair. But if you're terrified of getting any stuck in your dreads then use a piece of cotton cloth as a tea bag and let it brew like that, then you'll be able to discard the bulk of the herb afterwards. I didn't have any problems with any staying in my hair but I'm just saying that brewing it in cloth is an option.

Amla has been used for centuries in Asia as a main shampoo ingredient. Now I see why. I don't believe all the hype of what amla can do but I think that some is true. I'm glad we're researching this berry for homeopathic healing here in the West.

Amla softens a tiny bit so not so much that it'd be detrimental to mature dreads. But I'd still only use it once a month or so for a 'treat'.

Saraz, this is a great thread. If we can at least identify some ingredients which counter the hard water then maybe we can be a bit happier dealing with that icky feeling if we know that there are some safe solutions out there we can use 2 or 3 times a month. And I don't know the chemistry of why amla softened my hard water but I'd swear that it does

Even with my babies I'm seriously considering using Suave Daily Clarifying once a month and then amla tea once a month; the rest of the time doing BS/ACV. At least I'll be able to cut down on the ick factor a bit.