I don't know what my obsession this week is with personal hygiene. If it's getting old, I apologize. Maybe it's because I barely have time for it - I take my showers at 10:30 at night.
So, I was pregnant with Rainn and my skin was starting to show it - the term 'pregnant glow' is really a euphemism for acne. I had just recently stopped using regular shampoo, because it made my scalp itchy. I had natural shampoo, and what I discovered is that I needed to wash my hair less. When I washed it maybe every 3-4 days it was less oily and I didn't get itchy. I have very long thick hair so this seemed opposite of logic - if I don't wash my hair... it stays cleaner?
So I decided to extend the theory. For some reason my skin stayed in puberty and I still get acne. I had tried natural washes, only-seen-on-TV solutions, Mary Kay and Avon, and finally settled on toxic Oxy face wash which was the only one that I wasn't allergic to. So... I just stopped washing my face with anything. I just splashed it with lukewarm water first thing in the morning.
You know what happened? My skin cleared up! I still don't have perfect skin but I don't look like I'm at the mercy of teenage hormones. The only thing that clears it up completely is to take lots of Vitamin C.
My advice to you: stop bathing! lol no just kidding. Stop using products - ever. No cleaning products, no beauty products. It's ALL marketing and they don't work.
Coming Next Year!
I've had the same thoughts actually. But you haven't seen me without makeup. LOL
Hmmm. Vitamin C. I need to try that. I've suffered with cystic acne ever since pregnancy. A herbal detox cleared up most of it, but not totally.
Rarely wear makeup, but do have very coarse pores which I think makes them vulnerable to clogging. But I have to have the right balance of not-overwashing or my skin goes nuts.
After a discussion about natural cleaners on the blog Living Plastic Free I've given up shampoo altogether. Only trick is to comb our your hair in the shower.
Now grant that I'm a guy so hygiene isn't exactly my specialty! But the no shampoo trick works and so does the homemade baking soda deodorant. And no shampoo is much easier than making the honey based shampoo I was trying! It cleans well but is a lot of work to make.
CS