Right now I'm still using the typical shampoo you get at the store. I've read about shampoo bars and homemade concoctions and I know there is a period of adjustment. I used to have really long hair but now I wear a short angled bob (short in back, longer in front) that looks good on my face so I'm very hesitant to change it as I've spent enough time thinking my face looked fat. Anyways, I'd like to hear experiences of those who do not use the store bought typical shampoos. How is your hair now? Do you do any styling with it? Blow dry/straightner use? Did it get thicker than when you used "normal" shampoo? Do you keep it long, short, in-between? Do you dye it? ... forgot to mention I've been getting gray hair since I was in high school and I'm just now beginning to think about getting over it :P
I have short hair and tried going water only after everyone talked about how awesome it was on /r/frugal. I have occasional scalp acne and worried that it would aggravate it. Surprisingly, it didn't. As a matter of fact, I've only had one outbreak. On the downside, I developed a bad case of dandruff. Really bad.
So, I've switched to washing once a week with shampoo, washing midweek with a dandruff control conditioner, and washing the other times with water only. This is working for me. Scalp acne flareups are almost gone. No dandruff, but sometimes itchy. When that happens I know it's time to use Head and Shoulder's conditioner. Nice manageable hair otherwise. It isn't thicker. No visible oiliness. However, when I wash my hair the water beads on my hands. Before, it wouldn't.
I would suggest if you are happy with your hair and scalp, keep doing what you are doing. If you want it more manageable, less frizzy, and scalp less dry, you could benefit from lowering the amount of detergents you are putting on your hair.