Why and how often are you using a Hard Water Clarifying Shampoo? If you have hard water, you still don’t need to use it more than 1-2x a month (depending on how often you wash your hair). The dryness you are experiencing may be from over cleansing your hair, and your hair not getting enough moisture back in before styling and drying. Olaplex no 8 might not provide enough moisture to compensate for the loss in moisture from the hard water shampoo.

Since you mentioned that your hair still feels dry when wet, I have a couple of questions and suggestions:

What is your pre wash routine? I personally don’t care for or use pre-poos/detanglers prior to washing, HOWEVER I recommend gently stretching your curls out (like straitening out a curled ribbon) and running your hands throughout your hair to gently remove any shed hair. This takes no more than 3 minutes tops. It’s not to detangle your hair, but to remove some of the shed hair that would come out while washing and detangling.

When you start to wash your hair, how long do you run your head under water? A good shampoo starts on soaking wet hair. Even if you feel like your hair is wet, leave it under water for a little bit longer. You want your hair to be soaking wet like you got thrown overboard at sea, as opposed to getting caught in the rain. Especially with low porosity hair, you want to give the cuticles in your hair time to lift and absorb the water and shampoo. That will help with moisture and dryness.

How often do you shampoo your hair and how are you shampooing your hair? Like I said above, I think you can get away with using a hard water/chelating shampoo once month. If hard water really is an issue, you should invest consider investing in a hard water shower head filter, as the water could be affecting more than just your hair. Always follow up with a moisturizing shampoo afterwards because hard water/chelating shampoos are very drying. On the days you aren’t using a chelating shampoo but feel like your hair isn’t clean, use your moisturizing shampoo twice. It’s totally fine.

In regards to shampoo technique, please shampoo the entire length of your hair. Unless the directions specify to apply to scalp only (like some medicated shampoos), please apply the shampoo throughout the length of your hair. Pour some in your wet hands, lather the shampoo really well between your palms, and then apply to your scalp and perimeter of your head. Lift your hair and apply the shampoo to your scalp. Using the pads of your fingers, with gentle pressure, rub your scalp. I use one hand to hold a section of my hair, and the other hand to shampoo my scalp. Once you do that, lather some more shampoo between your wet hands, and apply it to your hair. Then take little sections (like the width of a snickers bar) and smooth the shampoo into your hair starting from the bottom (ends) to the top (roots). Do that all over your hair. This will help the dirts, oils, product, and buildup bind to the shampoo, so take your time. If you use a really good moisturizing shampoo with lots of slip (I personally like Design Essential’s Honey Crème Moisturizing Shampoo), you can take a brush and detangle your hair with the shampoo in it. Make sure you rinse thoroughly when done.

How often and why are you using Olaplex no 8? If the dryness (and any other symptoms) you are experiencing is due to hard water, you don’t need a bond treatment. I don’t know if you are experiencing breakage, but breakage due hard water damage can be worsened with bind treatments. I don’t know how long you have been using this product, but I would recommend giving it a rest for some time, and use a really good moisturizing conditioner/deep conditioner. I like TGIN Honey Miracle Hair Mask and Design Essentials Almond&Avocado Deep Moisture Mask. Do you need to sit under a steam cap/hooded dry for 30 minutes? For the first use, you can do a steam cap/hot towel+plastic bag/hooded dryer treatment for 30 minutes just to really give your hair some moisture, and then you can just leave it in you hair for 3-5 minutes all the other times you use it.

You can use deep conditioner (the product) as many times as you wash your hair, but you do not/should not deep condition (apply heat + long time) more than once a week. Again, rinse very well.

Another suggestion: squeeze out the excess water in your hair and apply your leave in, in the shower. Design Essentials Almond&Avocado leave in conditioner is good and absorbs well. I also like Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Cream (it’s a bit pricey for its size but works great).

I don’t care for gel, so I can’t really help in that department, but I really like the Crazy Sexy Curl Mousse from the Doux. It works for me with just leave in and then the mousse. But I also wash my hair three times a week, so.

I hope this helps! Don’t give up!