Absolutely. I think it has to do with processing toxins. A moderate burn leaves me dragging for a day. A bad one for as much as a week. Drinking water like a fiend can help sometimes, but not much.

I haven't had any luck with natural sunscreens. My skin is too fair and our altitude is too high. Anything less than spf 45 is a waste of my money.

I do finally have something of a tan. Almost as dark as my husband! Of course, his took 3 days and mine took 3 months...

This isn't really paleo I suppose but I use glycerine + water as a moisturiser for my skin. I've suffered from chronic eczema all my life and so far this has been the best emollient for me. I've recently started adding rose water to the glycerine which gives it a nice scent.

I also use coconut oil but I've noticed sometimes that after my skin has absorbed it - it feels drier than before I applied it... when I've been cooking with lard I've noticed that it's moisturised my hands really nicely - but I'm not about to start using that as my new emollient as I'd smell awful!

Waywardsis, what is your "no-poo" formula? The reason I'm asking is that I've begun washing my hair only 2-3 times per week (down from 1-2 times/day). I think my hair feels better for it and it's more manageable. But..... I don't want the stinky head either (Sounds like we have similar scalps.)

I've thought about making some "rinsing water" or something using the rosemary/herbs I have in my garden. I don't want to smell like a rotisserie chicken, and I'd prefer for something subtle. Maybe a few drops of essential oils? What do you guys think about the rinsing (or spraying) water idea?

After first reading this thread, I switched from shampoo to a rub through with lather from soap. My flaky scalp problem disappeared. A lifetime of wasting money on shampoo!

Not to discourage anyone, but I never could get the stink out of my hair with no-poo. I always smelled like sweaty head.

Now I just limit chemical exposure by only needing to shampoo once every 2 weeks.

I'm back to poo! I was in DC and it was soooooo humid, my hair looked like sheep's wool no matter what I did. Felt nasty, dirty, sticky, ugh. Got some Burt's Bees (pomegranate and something), no nasty chemical stuff in it, and I love it. Think I may stick with it, at least for the hot/humid weather that has followed me back to Toronto. Something about shampoo/conditioner (prolly the residue it leaves) keeps my hair from totally going wooly in humidity.

Proteus, I tried adding oils and after a while they built up in my hair and made it dry. For me, plain old baking soda in water worked best, with a ACV/water rinse. But it is nice to have a scent...maybe just a smidge of oil would do?

Proteus don't gotz no hair no more. Well, maybe about 1/4 inch or so...

*GASP*

No more silky, shiny hair??? *sheds tear*

Okay...I'm over it. Let's see it.

hi all! great thread!
here's my contribution: i read somewhere that ground oatmeal works well at absorbing oils from face and hair. i haven't tried it yet but will give it a shot as i try out this no-poo idea. i usually go every other day between hair washings anyway. i'll slowly try to increase the length in between and use oatmeal on days i feel greasy.
i also do a nail massage on my scalp occasionally to get rid of the cell build up and stimulate the scalp. it feels great and so satisfying to see the dead skin accumulate under my fingernails...but also a little gross.
for those of us not 100% cave salon, i've found this website that sorts all your favorite personal care products by toxicity. it's helpful to find the most "natural" products.
http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/

Thanks for the link Blenders!

Ooh ooh ooh...I tried my natural locally made laundry soap with Borax, and vinegar for fabric softener. I am thrilled with the result! Very clean clothes, nice and soft, smelling clean but not perfumed or vinegary. Reminded me of how my clothes smelled after coming in from the clothesline as a kid, freshly dried in the sun. I do like the smell of laundry products (Gain...mmmmm) but get a little overwhelmed sometimes with the many layers of scent ppl tend to have.

My sister and I were talking about this, bc she's very sensitive to scents and gets a headache if someone on the bus has strong perfume on, for example. Walking through a drugstore or department store is hell on her. Anyway, she pointed out that most ppl, on any given day, use: scented soap/bodywash, shampoo and conditioner in the shower; scented deoderant; scented hair products (mousse, spray etc); cologne or perfume; scented shaving cream. Then they put on clothes scented in the wash by laundry soap, fabric softener and dryer sheets. That's A LOT of scent!

Speaking of deoderant, I am happy to report that Milk of Magnesia is, by far, the winner. It has held up to extreme mugginess and humidity, and now to vigorous workouts in addition to extreme mugginess and humidity. I sweat, yet remain fresh and lovely. Tra la la. I was impressed with my pits after the gym today, and thought I'd share with the ppl who care. It's also a big hit with my cats, for some reason...they try to lick it.

Milk of Magnesia? What's this all about? Did I miss something? Tell!

My forearms were getting dry and the skin was peeling so I used this salt/oil rub I bought ages ago. Worked great, scrubbed off the dead skin, moisturized, etc. But... the cat wouldn't stop licking my arms! I have to hide my arms from him now.

I got a beeswax/olive oil/honey cream from the farmer's market, and my cats go nuts on it. I have to hide the container when I use it bc Bunny, my mama cat, will stick her paw in to grab chunks. I use it on my feet mainly, and Bunny and Cow will happily sit and lick my heels if I'd let them. They also love when I use coconut oil.

Proteus, you can use Milk of Magnesia as a deoderant. I forget where I read this (here? another forum?). I dab it on with a cotton pad and let it dry, and it works perfectly! Might be more difficult to use if you've got pit hair though?

I never knew that. I will definitely give it a try. I've been using the Thai Crystal-type deodorant for years, but all that seems to be available now IS the Thai Crystal, and I've heard that there are "impurities" in the imported stuff. The pure alum salts are supposed to be the best and most pure. I am assuming that Milk of Magnesia has an ingredients list, so I'm going to give that a try. Thanks for the info.

Pit hair? Ewww. Who has that nowadays? -- You'd think, with modern technology, and all....

I have a crystal thingy too and it works nicely, but the MOM works better when it's humid, sticky, muggy, swampy etc.

Do we get to see a pic of the no-hair Proteus??