Update // The one tool that softens my skin, moisturized my hair, and attacks my tangles.

Today I'm providing an update on an item I purchased nearly five years ago.  After receiving a comment on my Instagram page about it, I thought it's to do a full on update.  Years ago, one of the biggest contributors to my dry, lifeless hair was the hard water spewing out of my faucets.  At the time, purchasing a whole house water softener wasn't an option. Honestly, I didn't care if my dishes were washed with soft water, I only cared if my skin and hair benefited.

So I invested a little of time and stumbled upon a feasible solution.  The Water Stick.  After a little thought I took the plunge.  The unit was fairly easy to install and I noticed a difference after the very first use.  Things went well, then time passed.  The only "challenge" I encountered was keeping up with "refreshing" the unit.  Honestly, refreshing it is the easiest thing in the world.  I simple fill an empty 1 liter water bottle with water mixed with table salt.  I no longer measure the salt, I just wing it.  Once I've added the salt water to the unit, I wait about an hour or so before using and I'm good to go.

When the comment came across my Instagram timeline, I decided to see if refreshing this unit would reproduce the same results as it did five years ago when I first purchased.  Previously, I was using sea salt (or something similar) to refresh the unit, this time I just bought good old fashioned store brand table salt for around a dollar.  Honestly, the results were even better than using the higher quality salt.  I think it responds better to the smaller grains.

I had to take full advantage of the recharged unit by doing a co-wash.  What soft water does is amplify the level of slip of any conditioner you use.  So basically, you are increasing the value of your current conditioners.  They just work so much better.  Can you imagine the long term benefits of your hair being hyper-conditioned week after week?  Same goes for your body soap.  You're left with a felling slip, moisture and softness all over.  That, combined with air drying, left me with skin that required no lotion.  It was great.

In the end, this water stick was pretty much one the best purchases I've ever made.  I think I mulled over the price for a little bit before buying but, in all honesty, this is worth every cent.  If you're still not ready to take the plunge, you can take some measures to keep the hard water deposits from ruining your hair and skin.  One option is to finish your wash with an apple cider/coconut cider vinegar rinse.   There are also some hard water combating shampoos  and conditioners out there that claim to help remove the buildup from your hair.