Sigh back to where i started
Dread Maintenance
If the BS solution is too weak, it'll start exfoliating, but won't be strong enough to strip it completely off your scalp and out of your hair. When it dries, it'll leave that gummy mess. If it;s still not strong enough the next time you wash, it'll just exfoliate more dead skin but will still leave some behind. This just piles more and more of that goo in your hair and on your scalp.
If you make it stronger, it should start to clear up that residue. It own't happen right away because there is so much, but after a few washes it'll be all gone.
As for Dr. Bronners. It's awesome. I used it for the first 5 years, and nothing else. I just started with the BS wash about 4 months ago, and haven't turned back. But, I have nothing against it. I used it once when I was in Ireland because I couldn't bring a baggie of white powder onto a plane. lol.
But Dr. bronners has 1 drawback. It doesn't rinse out well in hard water. It'll leave a sticky residue behind. If you have soft water, it's a great soap. I use it for normal washing. But it just doesn't work well in hard water.
You're right that baking soda isn't a detergent. It' not even close. It's a salt. Salts aren't detergents. I could go into the biology and chemistry of what makes a detergent, but that's for a different discussion. It has cleaning powers because it's a salt and isabrasive. You could clean just about anything with plain table salt. But the gases that baking soda releases makes it more effective as a cleaner.
I understand that you love lemon. I like it to. But in your hair it will do more damage than good. I know we've said it before, and I don't want to stress the point, because you can do whatever you want with your hair. It's yours. We are just trying to inform you of how to keep your locks and scalp healthy. What you do or don't do with that information is up to you. No one is going to go to your house and hide all of your lemons