Thanks Titansgirl:
I will take your suggestion.
Last night I rinsed my hair (with conditioner) using filtered water. ( I have a filter pitcher)
Today, my hair is now much softer, relative to a straight-from the (unfiltered) showerhead rinse.
So on Friday, I will try a distilled water rinse and compare.
Thanks for your insights and thanks for the prompting me to compare.
coilygirl