I need some help with a move I'm making this fall. I currently live near Charleston, WV. For some reason, our water has been getting progressively harder over the years. When I was young, my hair was always oily even when permed. Now my hair is so dry I have to use tons of conditioner unless it's a really thick conditioner. I would chalk it up to growing up and being on birth control for the past year to help with my IBS, but when I visited the college I'm going to in the fall, I realized it was the water.
I'm going to college in Wooster, Ohio and the water is so soft it's unreal. In the hotel and the dorm I could not use conditioner without it turning my hair into a weighted down mess. Even with just shampoo, my hair felt too soft. Not the nice, conditioned soft; the eew-my- hair-feels-like-it-has-a-coating-of-something-unpleasant- that-I-can't-seem-to-put-into-words soft.
So, the problem is to figure out how to adjust my routine before I get there, so I don't have to spend bad hair days and money trying to fix the problem there.
By the way, my hair is naturally brown, straight, and thin. I got it in a tight perm last summer which has since loosened considerably. I will probably get a very loose perm before I leave for college, because my hair is so thin that when I let it go for to long I look like I'm balding around my part. I currently use Botanical Nutrients Rosemary Mint Shampoo from Bath and Body Works and Fructis Long and Strong Cream Conditioner on a daily basis. I occasionally use a leave in conditioner and a Botanical Nutrients Wheat Germ Almond Hair Reconstructor. I comb my hair while it's wet with a wide tooth plastic comb, though I'm planning to buy a good wooden comb.
Thanks alot!
Mert

On a side note: One of my friends really wanted to donate her hair to locks of love until I told her what I learned about them from this site. Her hair is not long now but I think she would still like to grow it out and donate it. Are there any other similar charities that actually live up to there promises or is she better to sell her hair and give the money to a charity?

Is there any clarifying treatment other than vinegar? I tried using a vinegar rinse for about a month an it usually made my hair really frizzy (though I was using a different conditioner and shampoo at the time). Plus, I don't think the other people on my floor would be thrilled about the smell.  It lingered in my bathroom for a day or two.

I wouldn't worry about the vinegar smell in the dorm bathroom -- lots of other smells are more obnoxious in there!  It may actually help with those others 

I haven't ever really figured out how hard/soft my water is, but I really dilute my conditioner and shampoo.  So BB's advice is worth a try.  I actually go 1/2 and 1/2 or even more water to shampoo (using Anais' C-COW-C method) and my conditioner is a few squirts in a cup or so of water.  That works well for me.

HTH

This won't help with your question at all, but have fun at college!  I agree with PreciousLocks; it's much much better than high school (except during finals week).

 

Thank for all the good luck wishes and advice! I'm sorry it has taken me FOREVER to reply. I've been super busy. I think I will try the honey in the vinegar. I just found out that I'm living in a single in the all freshman dorm that was just reinovated this year. (Fireplaces in the main floor commons!) There are actually 11 or 12 singles on my floor so were forming a little singles group online since we don't have any roommates to contact.
Just to update on my hair. I'm back to using Mane and Tail along with Brillant Brunette Moisterizing Conditioner. It seems to really be working well especially for my color. I have a strange color to my hair that no one seems to be able to give a name. I'm naturally a medium brown but with a perm it becomes the middle ground between dirty blond and light brown. Even stranger, when I'm on stage the stage lights make it appear strawberry blond. I'm wondering if anyone else falls into a similar category.
If anyone has any advice on how to store rise making supplies so that I don't have to mix it in the shower or carry it in with a tow truck to the bathroom, fun treats for my hair I that would be cost effective and easy to do in a dorm, or just college in general let me know!

Last minute note: Has anyone made a list of things that commonly appear in conditioner and shampoos that are bad for hair? I'd love to see a list of bad stuff in general and for specific hair types.

I already planned on a shower tote (a really cute one at linen and things in fact ). Thanks for the water bottle idea. It sounds like a plan to me!
As far as the list goes, I also think it would be a good idea to list examples of like the top 5, 10, whatever shampoos and conditioners that have ingredients that are good for any hair type in general. A worst list would probably be good to. I'd love to help, though I don't know what most chemicals do. I'd be willing to google any that you don't recognize or check out labels on days I'm not swamped with theatre and college.

We do have a list of product ingredients and what they do - you can then decide if they are good or bad for your hair type.

Hair Product Ingredients

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Ooohhh, soo C@@L. Thanks BikerBraid!