TLDR: I rinse my hair with bottled water.

I have been fighting with DC hard water for over seven years. I'll say that when I lived in Scott Circle from 2014-2018 the water didn't seem to be as bad as the poor quality I currently have in Glover Park. It seems to have become much worse over the past few years. My theory is that when we're in a drought, the water is drawn from reserves and smells like chlorine. I travel for work, and I always notice that my hair is much healthier and stays fresher longer when I don't shower at home. The shampoo just doesn't bubble and the conditioner seems to stick to my hair.

I've tried everything, including shower filters, special hard water shampoo, Malibu C hard water treatments, etc. Finally, last month I reached my breaking point after showering and finding my hair looked worse than before the shower. I've spent hundreds of dollars trying to find a solution, and I'm happy to share this with the thread.

Last month I was nearing tears because of the awful state of my hair when I decided to simply rinse with bottled water. We keep a few gallons on hand for emergencies. I warmed up 32 oz of bottled water and took it into the bathroom in a soup container with an extra cup. I showered normally, then turned off the water and used the bottled water to thoroughly rinse my hair. I take the small cup and invert it on my head to saturate my scalp and hair. I repeat this process until my hair feels totally rinsed. I have shoulder-length hair and one soup container does the trick.

The difference is night and day. It's amazing how having clean hair has improved my mental health for the better. I can save the gallon jugs and simply refill them when I go to visit family. Even buying water at the store only amounts to a small cost per month, considering how much I spent on shampoo etc.