No, the joke was in using it to replace a foundation. Mud masks have been around forever.

Actually, if you live near a suitably coloured mud, it would work. Foundation is really just highly refined mud.

Well, I keep my hair short, so just rinsing with water seems to work great. For awhile my hair was greasy, but now it looks better than when I used chemical shampoo. I always hated using shampoo before- I have really thick hair, and when I would strip it dry all that extra hair hidden underneath would poof out. It looked so girly and childish- didn't match my personality at all (most people think of me as the "cool tough" kid, so that was NOT cool). So even when I used shampoo I would only wash my hair once or twice a week. But using only water seems so balanced and natural- my hair is never matted down with grease, but at the same time it's never poofed out from a lack of grease (natural oils). It's right in the middle- natural, oiled but not gross and greasy, etc.

It doesn't make sense to me, the whole concept of stripping your hair of its natural oils with shampoo, and then replacing it with fake processed oils (conditioner). Why not just make use with the oils your body evolved to produce? It seems like another cultural anomaly that the personal care industry jumps on and perpetuates.

For soap I just use natural coconut oil soap right now. I'd like to try making some soap out of suet, but I don't know how well that works or anything. As long as I wash every day and rinse with soap, I never get bad BO, so I have no need for any deoderant (mainstream product or otherwise). It's only when I go a few days that I start smelling like sh$t, and that's quickly fixed by a regular shower with just soap.

So yeah my whole personal care assortment is basically just soap, a razor, and a towel (I just use soap to lubricate for shaving- I never saw any reason for shaving cream), and I feel the cleanest and freshest I've ever been in my life. If I had longer hair I'd probably use some sort of natural thing like baking soda, but I probably won't have long hair until I go primitive, so I don't need to worry about that right now.

Capo, I totally know what you mean with the whole artificial fragrance thing- my sister always douses herself and it makes me sick, I literally have to leave the room. I'd much rather prefer the natural scent of other people's bodies, clean and fresh of course, but not this whole fake fruity thing going on. We evolved natural oils and scents for a reason, and it seems stupid to mask/remove them with something totally artificial like perfume. It probably messes with lots of chemical signals like pheromones (sexual and otherwise).

Hmm, I'll have to try that coconut soap. I'm used to just scrubbing with a washcloth, but I even do that seldom as it tends to strip my skin of the oils and make it dry. Admittedly, it's really nice to be able to shower daily with just water and not smell all perfumy or 'clean' after I get out. And with long hair, I use baking soda and apple cider vinegar maybe twice a week at most, and this keeps oil and dirt from accumulating.

After a few days of not showering, BO does start to smell kind of disgusting, so showering daily or whenever is needed with just water would seem to work the best.

Another good deodorant to try is baking soda. I just pat the baking soda on my underarm area, and it seems to keep odors from occurring. Some odors don't smell bad but probably function as pheromones, but not showering for a few days makes bad BO.

Yes! I have read that your body diverts nutrients to handle toxins and I don't want that happening. This year I am phasing out body and home care chemicals. I do/plan on doing the homemade natural stuff because it is so cheap and prett easy!

Main cleaning/laundry stuff--white vinegar, baking soda, tea tree oil and lavender. I use a mix of 1/2 borax and 1/2 washing soda for dishwasher because we have hard water.

We use Tom's (flouride free) toothpaste. The natural tea tree oil face wash and lemon soap from Trader Joe's. 1/2 water 1/2 apple cider vinegar homemade astringent. Coconut oil for nighttime face, body moisture, and hair shine. I am also trying out Avalon's lavender natural hair care (also from trader joe's) and it seems good so far. I really like Burt's Bee's hand salve, cutile cream, and cream blush. A natural product I love, but it is $$$, is Egyptian Magic. It is this awesome olive oil, and bee product based multi-purpose moisturizer. I had a trail size and use it on my lips. Myabe I will ask for that for my birthday

It really has not been that hard because do the natrual thing after I run out of the conventional product. It would be overwhelming to try and do it all in one day.

ROTFLMAO!! I love the insane druid look!

I remember watching Oprah ages ago when Matthew McConnahey (sp?) was on, and he talked about how he never uses deoderant or anything, and she smelled him and said he had an amazing natural scent. Oooooh, I bet he does Anyway, I am thinking about weaning away from antiperspirant - wonder if there's an adjustment period, like with no-poo? I work from home, so I can afford to reek a bit if it's temporary.

What about using something like tea tree oil under the arms? I like the baking soda idea, but not in sleeveless weather. I wonder if after a while, just keeping clean would be enough and body odour goes away?

No-poo update: I have dandruff! LOL. Still adjusting I think. Other than that, my hair is way more manageable and I don't really have to style it - the curl just sets up nicely, and holds all day. Still hunting for a good brush though.

Yes, I had that dandruff problem too, but the site on poo free also has a natural remedy for the dandruff that you might encounter:
Dandruff:
Skin cells flake and slough off the body all the time, normally skin go through the cycle of dying and being replaced once a month. If this process is sped up and the skin cells aren't removed, you get dandruff. Although the real causes of dandruff are still unknown, most theories involve the sebaceous glands being plugged, or overproducing.

To help control dandruff you can use a mild acidic solution on your scalp, before shampooing, about twice a week.

-- 1/2 cup Water
-- 1/2 cup of White Vinegar
Combine ingredients then apply directly to the scalp. Use before shampooing. Apply twice a week.

If you're using any oils on your scalp (coconut, jojoba, etc - not essential) stop and see if that helps. Also try adding some brown sugar to your baking soda wash and massage it into your scalp to help slough away flakes. Don't use white sugar, it will just dissolve.
http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html#dandruff

I'm noticing I'm getting a couple tiny whiteheads on the corner upper lip, which I believe could either be from hormones, sunlight, or getting the oil from my food on my face.

Also, what do you guys recommend for scrubbing your face (besides the periodic salt rub to remove blackheads that won't dry out my face or make it worn? Should I just not scrub it?-because I think that's what might be giving me blackheads on my nose..not scrubbing that area enough.

As for dry/mildly irritated skin on legs and arms: does it go away if you douse yourself with coconut oil at night before you go to bed. And if so, should I do this consecutively for it to last?

EDIT: I lathered coconut oil all over my arms and legs and was outside in the sun all day yesterday and the skin feels soft and less irritated. Thus, I think I had a dryness problem on my arms and legs. Coconut oil is a miracle! And my hair is looking better every day that I keep on no-poo. I definitely recomend slathering up your face, arms, legs and all exposed skin with coconut oil before going out in the sun to get maximum UV absorption. Doing this keeps my skin from drying out.

alternative to deodorant is to use milk of magnesia: just drip a bit onto fingertips and rub over after shower. Someone else posted this somewhere, and I wish I remembered who so I could thank them. It works extremely well and shouldn't be toxic as it's edible.
It's not an anti-perspirant, just deodorant. I've been using it over a year now with no problems.

I think in my case the dandruff is diet-related. Since I've been gluten/casein-free, my scalp has gone weird with these burning, itching patches. When I was washing my hair a lot, I think I was just washing the dandruff away whereas now I notice it more.

My skin has been dry and irritated lately, and it seems to be bc I was getting less fat in my diet. Taking extra Vitamin D helps too. But coconut oil works well to relieve the dry feeling. Now if I could find something to heal up my peeling, dry lips!!! I've totally ruined them from overuse of lip balms. I used to scoff at the whole "lip balm is addictive" thing, but everyone I kno wwho uses lip balm regularly (including myself) has chronic dry, cracked lips. Lip balm 'aint helping, that's for sure!

Thanks for the MoM tip! That's really interesting...who'd have thunk it? And who discovered that? I will absolutely give that a try.

Sis, put coconut oil on them. Speeds the healing and gets absorbed well. Just try to limit how often.


Can we talk sunscreen? I have fair skin and live at 6500 feet. I've started walking daily. I've been wearing a visor to protect my face, but the back of my neck has been burning. I'm going to get my hat out, but its often very breezy here so a full hat doesn't stay on very well, and I get tired of being throttled by a tie under my chin.

Other than tanning, which I'm not equipped for, and staying in all the time, which isn't practical, anyone know any all natural sun screen methods?

Bat spit, I've read multiple times that sunscreen is toxic and you shouldn't use it on your skin because the body is systemic and absorbs anything you put on the skin directly into the blood stream. Beyond sunscreen, there are a few other products I wouldn't use, but I won't mention them.

As for preparing yourself for the sun, if you expose yourself daily for 15 minutes or so until you feel that you have built up a moderate tan, then you can gradually increase your time in the sun. I'm Asian, so I don't have this problem, I just tan. Also, you may be more afraid of the sun than you need to be. Sun-related skin cancers are due to high intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and a diet low in them such as you're no doubt eating on high fatty meat, is linked to increased development of skin cancers. Here's a good link to read more about skin cancers and the sun:
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/sunlight.html

I'm not afraid of skin cancer at all. My mother is a blue skinned red head, and I got her fair skin. I burn to a crisp.

I spend a lot of early spring getting daily exposure so I can do things like get in and out of my car when doing errands without burning, but it takes a while, and I'll never, ever get enough tan to be safe at 6500 ft without protection for longer than 15-20 mins.

If it's just the back of your neck that's bothering you, you can tie a bandana/scarf/kerchief around the back of your neck. You can tie it vey loosely in the front and it will still stay on. I spent a summer in Montana and Wyoming at a geology camp where we were outside for 10-12 hours a day, and the bandana trick worked very well for me. I'm also very light-skinned.

I'm with you, my blue-skinned sistah. Used to be a redhead too. I've found my burn-o-meter has decreased since LCing, for some reason, and I can be out longer. I still burn pretty dang fast though. I'm trying the gradual sunbathing this year to build up a protective tan. That said - I went to Egypt several years ago and didn't burn once bc I wore a very pretty white shawl all the time, just covering my shoulders and neck. I felt very la dee dah. It also helped keep me cool.

The hair is looking really nice now with no-poo. Could be bc I found that brush you mentioned, Bat. Dandruff has decreased too. My hair does look darker though, so I am going to find something to stop that bc I prefer my lighter hair. Ah, vanity. But my hair is shiny, looks less dry, and is sooooooo manageable! It actually holds a style, without hairspray or any other products! I am amazed.

I've also ordered some Pascalite clay soap and powder. Taking the powder for digestive issues, but apparently it's good as a toothpaste too. I shall report.

Anyone know if the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser has nasty things in it? (say no, say no...)

waywardsis, my hair is doing great with the no-poo as well, but I have to say that sometimes it's poofy it's so full of body. I guess I'm not used to it being this alive. My mom knows I haven't been washing my hair with shampoo, thus she's been really negative about my hair, but today I just had to lie to her and tell her I showered with shampoo. She's so opinionated and doesn't accept anything she wouldn't already picture to be true or working. Thus, she's called my hair oily as I've been transitioning through the no-poo. But I see that my hair is much improved. And with the humidity, it's really really full of body!

BTW, what is the clay soap for? Would you recommend it, because I haven't been using a soap to scrub, but that salt scrub you mentioned works well on my face, especially if I apply coconut oil to my face afterwards. As Forefather mentioned, I would consider making my own soap out of beef fat trimmings I get for free, but then again, I'd rather use that for cooking and eating, and not waste it to go down the drain. Perhaps I could make a salt scrub bar..

Also, do your guys' nails and hair grow faster being on a high fat low carb diet? Mine sure do. I remember I trimmed my nails Sunday, and it's only Friday and my nails are too long, which can be annoying if you're a violinist/guitarist. I'll just have to carry a nail file on me so I can keep on top of them. As for my hair, I can't imagine how long it'd get in nature if I never cut it. Eww. Anyway, maybe it needs to be trimmed again.