The Natural, Week 1: I Smell Bad

Yikes! You poor thing! Keep us updated!

Aww, hang in there!

Hey we're in the same boat! Sort of... I'm not taking natural to my hair yet! Just a tip - a little bit of organic extra virgin unrefined (not sure if all of these specifications are important - but I'm sure the unrefined part is, at least) coconut oil to spots it helps dry them out. Just don't get too excited and slather it all over because although it feels amazing it is also pore-clogging. I learned the hard way and am currently recovering :/

BTW, I would try a rose water cleanser. It's not as harsh on the skin and you could make it at home or I bet you could find a natural one on Etsy. I also used to use honey and sugar as an exfoliant.

Maybe I don't understand all the rules of the challenge but is there a reason a company like Lush can't be used? As far as I know (and could very easily be wrong), everything they produce is some combo of edible/vegan/natural/organic and isn't that the main idea? Not that anything would taste very good Plus I'm pretty sure almost all are preservative free which is how they can get away with no packaging in many instances. I know their products are often featured in product round-ups and whatnot...

All I know is you are a better woman then I because once the acne started popping up I'd be done! I'm very intrigued by this and wish you luck!

It's great to start introducing "natural" products to your routine but all at once? Train wreck! All that acidity for both your skin and hair is not a good thing. As with anything new, there is an adjustment phase.

I know you feel miserable, but that pic is actually sort of adorable!

I think you need to alter your diet as well....less dairy, some Omega 3-6-9 oils, et al. Also, you need to give your system time to adjust - it will likely level out over time and your body/skin adjusts to all the new things - IF you can wait it out

Lemon can be very harsh. You can cleanse your face with plain yogurt and follow it with a rinse of cool, freshly brewed green tea. For a mask, honey works beautifully.

The lactic acids in the yogurt help to cleanse the skin; and the antiseptic properties of the green tea and the honey can help with acne. Plus, they're bound to be less irritating than the lemon! Good luck!

I'm sorry to hear it isn't going well. I've been trying to go more organic myself. I just rinsed my hair with apple cinder vinegar Sunday night, because we had just gotten back from a water park and I was trying to get the chlorine out of my hair. It is kind of stinky, but the results are pretty great! My hair is super shiny.

I hope you'll have better luck as you adjust to the products!

For the face, definitely look into the OCM (oil cleansing method). I'd also tell you to cut the lemon juice/ACV face wash. That is so acidic, and I would not recommend putting that on your face.

For deodorant, rock salt crystal. I've been using it for 3 years now and it works great.

For the hair, for pete's sake tell me you are diluting your vinegar??? I follow my occasional use of the shampoo bar with a white vinegar rinse (works the same, smells better) of 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water! Of course the straight stuff smells terrible. I steep chamomile tea into my vinegar, or add essential oils to cut the smell. But I rarely use shampoo in any form any more, yet still wash my hair near daily. It is possible to have great, clean hair without shampoo. And you don't need to do a rinse or add something to your hair every day. If anything it should be moisture, not additives that strip your hair of natural oils and dry it out. A water only wash can be very effective if done correctly.

And fun fact about your hair choices so far. Baking soda= extremely basic. Vinegar rinses= extremely acidic. In order to preserve a healthy acid mantle and pH level on your hair, you want to have an environment that leans towards the lower, more acidic end of the pH scale. So daily baking soda rinses would be too harsh and detrimental to your hair in the long run. To much acid would be bad as well, but we'll not get into that. And vinegar rinses don't clean the hair per say, they just seal the cuticle of the hair. A good scalp massage with water only cleans the hair fine if you use your fingertips well. And milk as a conditioner? That's a new one. Go for coconut oil, it's one of the few oils that actually absorbs into hair. And if you still smell the vinegar after you dilute it and scent it with essential oils, it will be covered by the coconut oil scent. But keep the coconut oil away from your face! It really clogs up the pores.

And LUSH would not work in this case. There are a scant few products from them that do not contain sulfates or other such things you would want to avoid, and few I would label truly "natural". The only one I can think of is the AOBS cleanser, which is basically ground almonds in rosehip and lavender oil.

I wish you well on your quest. Although I would recommend in general phasing out heavily processed body products and slowly replacing them with more natural alternatives. More likely to stick to any positive changes you make that way.

Did you do any real research before starting this experiment? Honestly, if anything this seems to do more harm than good for people who want to "green" their personal habits. There's tons of information on well-tested natural beauty formulas, products, recipes, and ingredients in books, blogs and other sources.

Did you know the efficacy of tea tree oil has been compared favorably to that of benzoyl peroxide for keeping acne at bay? If for some reason you have not come across that information, any search engine would have turned up dozens of sources citing tea tree oil as a natural replacement for chemical treatments. And that's just one example.

I'm sorry but it's hard to be sympathetic when you could have found many skin, hair, and teeth-loving natural alternatives to your regular products that would not have you looking and feeling like a ragamuffin (or subjecting yourself to your boyfriend's insults). And again, it's far from encouraging for others who might want to experiment with natural beauty to see you blame natural products themselves rather than your use of them for your current state.

I hope you don't give up before seeing some rewards. But I also suggest you go back to the drawing board and lay out a more informed plan.

I definitely second coconut oil. Using milk as a conditioner leads to too much protein buildup which can make your hair rough and dull in the long run. Maybe do a weekly or bi-weekly milk rise ALWAYS followed by a coconut oil treatment. Also use the argan oil on damp hair after your shower.

When you're buying coconut oil, make sure you get virgin coconut oil, since it still has all the nutrients that have been removed from refined oil. Let it soften up by running hot water over the jar, and scoop it out when its semi solid, it will melt into your hair.

Oh no - sorry to hear the ACV rinse is not working. I've never had an issue with smelling like vinegar after I use it but then I have pretty short hair. I'd imagine long hair would have a stronger smell. I use it undiluted but only 1-2x a week and I follow it up with Burt's Bees conditioner.

Hmm..what a pickle you are in! I hope it gets better. Keep trying different things, eventually you'll find stuff that works for you.

wow , brave

to moisturize - coconut oil - skin everyday. hair 1x/week
add a drop of peppermint oil to the vinegar - smell would be better
raw honey is an antiseptic good for wounds and zits (your skin is reacting to the over harsh lemon juice - too dry and you will break out)
tea tree oil also for acne but not edible yet all natural
try a mask with activated charcoal to clear up the acne (its edible and used for gas)
if skin is dry try sour cream or plain yogurt for around 5 minutes and rinse - it will rebalance your skin after something harsh

you might also want to detox a bit while doing this for a day or two - treating the outside only works when you treat the inside.

there are books with recipes for kitchen health products and make up.

I agree, the pic is adorable! Maybe it's the lighting, but I don't see any skin or hair troubles there, just a pretty girl!

Haha this is such a cute idea and the picture is adorable! I bazillionth the coconut oil for hair. Also for a body scrub: sugar, olive oil and whatever essential oil you like works great!

Gosh, where to begin?! For your hair conditioner...try an olive, sesame, or even the coconut oil. Only use if every couple of days and start from the ends and work up (how far and how often depend on the condition of your hair). For a soothing mask, oatmeal and honey, or just rub on some aloe then rinse after a few minutes. Mix water with baking soda into a paste to use overnight on the zits (baking soda also works to brush teeth!). The lemon and cider vinegar is super acidic on your skin...that's why it drew everything out. It will also dry your skin out if you keep using it (although you will eventually clear up with patches remniscent of the Sahara). Try just one or the other. Lemon and sugar make a great scrub, diluted cider vinegar is an awesome astringent.
Just watch your pH's so you're balancing what you are putting on yourself!

oh jeezz!! vinegar is so harsh..U cld hve gone all natural using honey...its nice to wash ur hair works well for the skin and is super nourishing Good luck thu...if ur hair smell like vinegar u are not diluting the vinegar enuff...i use it sometimes but it doesnt smell after.

OMG! u are combining lemon and vinegar..too acidic!maybe u shld reconsider that combination.

I've been a "natural beauty" of sorts for a few months now! I have a few staples that I never stray from and they seem to work well for me!
This is what I use DAILY:

*Black Soap (www.butters-n-bars.com) - for daily cleansing. Good for ALL skin types! Really a jack of all trades as far as skin care goes!

*Shea Butter Mixture (also from Butters N Bars) - for moisturizing of the skin and for the hair for all the "afrobellas" like me! I use a bit of olive oil, coconut oil, and vanilla fragrance oil for smell, then whip it in a food processor for a whipped consistency!

Lastly, *ESSENTIAL OILS (you can get these at health food stores) - they don't call em essential for nothin! EVOO, and Coconut Oil I cannot do without! I use them as conditioners and hot oil treatments for the hair!

I could go on about this all day! But if you wanna know more, check out my blog www.naturalie-yours.blogspot.com and my videos on youtube.com/Yasmeenabeena! So much more info there!

I've been using the ACV/baking soda wash for about a year now. It takes about two weeks for your hair to adjust, but it is completely worth it. I usually use the baking soda then rinse with the ACV once a week. I'll use a non-silicone conditioner every other day.

I've never had any problems with the vinegar smell... how much vinegar are you using and how are you diluting it? I use a combination of 1 tbsp of AVC to 1 cup of water. You can also put a bit of essential oil in the mix to help with the smell if it bothers you that much.

If you want something natural to use on the zits, toothpaste works in a pinch. And witch hazel as toner has done wonders for my blackheads.

Good luck, you are a braver person than I could be.

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

the best face mask is organic yogurt. for oily skin, use fat-free yogurt and for dry skin use a full-fate yogurt. leave on skin for 10 minutes and then rinse off. the yogurt must have live cultures in it. the mask calms, cools, refines, softens, and exfoliates (no rubbing). i do this everyday and my skin is great!

Cutting meat, dairy and sugar out of your diet will dramatically improve your skin and prevent breakouts! Seriously, it works wonders.

Not washing my hair for a week just didn't work for me, either. I use a diluted baking soda wash and a diluted ACV rinse (1 part baking soda or vinegar, 3 parts water) every other day with just a water rinse in between. (My hair is put up into a bun on the off days.) I use a Lush shampoo bar once a week to cut through the oily build-up. Just experiment and remember going totally "no 'poo" doesn't work for everyone.

For body wash, try Dr. Bronner's or anything by Lush. Although, homemade sugar scrub (sugar and olive, coconut, or almond oil) is simple, cheap, and doesn't stink.

Yikes. That poor girl. My grandmother told me that the best remedy for breakout is a mask made of ground and then slightly simmered mushrooms. She also told me the fungus would leech into my head and take over my brain, but she was probably wrong about that. You should try it.

oooo noooo stop using those natural products its not worth it. Go to a drugstore and buy a thermal based moisturiser (vichy, avene or la roche posay) and buy a decent shampoo and conditioner, luxe : kerastase , drugstore : elvive or john frieda. They are really decent priced solutions for your concern

Bella, while I applaud your ambition to be green, what I've learned about experimenting with my hair and skin is that if it ain't broke... Especially if you have spent so much time to perfect your routine, only to overhaul it. I promise not to judge if you cut this short. I am all for trying new things, especially if they are easy and cheap like things found in your kitchen, but all at once? The last time I did something like this was my at home peel with retin-a. I had a big tube and obviously some free time to ponder the wrinkles I thought I had at 24. I don't remember the exact events, but it lead to at least $300 in new beaty products, 3 visits to the dermatologist (the first of which took almost a month just to book) and weeks of regret and anger before I felt somewhat normal again. I gave myself a great case of contact dermatitis on my face. For weeks I had patches of discolored skin, raw skin and flaking skin in various combinations. I wish you the best with this and hopefully my story can help others to avoid doing what I have done.

Wow, I applaud your courage! I'm petrified of what my skin would do if I stopped using what I do all at once...but a few things I've used to pretty good results are witch hazel as a cleanser, as well as jojoba oil for both hair and skin-it does wonders, doesn't make me all greasy, even with a very oily complexion/scalp to start with. You could also try tea tree oil in your hair. I use it for dandruff and the smell is pretty strong, so maybe it'll help cover up the vinegar? Just be sure to dilute it, especially if you're applying it directly to your scalp, or it'll burn. Good luck!

#27, sounds like your grandmother was not a woman to be messed with.

How saddening.

Personally, I happen to have a natural beauty regimen because I have sensitive skin and scalp. Many synthetic chemicals triggers my eczema. For my hair, I use only organic products, like Aubrey Organics. I use jojoba oil to condition the ends of my hair. For my face and body, I use only water, and baking soda to exfoliate. Through trial and error, I learned that this is what works for me.

use organic raw honey as a facial mask. It is very soothing, and can help clear up the acne because honey has some antibiotic properties. Make sure you get the raw stuff (its not clear, its opaque).

Also, use a baking soda/water mixture to wash your hair everyday, and rinse with a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse. Doing both everyday will help, rather than every few days. add drops of essential oils to the solutions if you want it to smell better!

you're brave!

My first comment is that perhaps Mr Bella is not as funny as he thinks he is
Good luck with your foray into the world of the natural beauty routine - It does take
a little time for your system to adjust to the new routine but I agree that the lemon is too
harsh for sensitive skin on the face.

haha, damn - good luck with this! keep us posted!

Bella, you are a brave soul! I hope you keep at this though- its definitely very interesting. And I agree with the other ladies that your picture is adorable!

Also, definitely up your intake of omega 3 in the mean time!

I don't know for sure because I've never tried it, but I heard somewhere that olive oil is really good for acne? It's worth a shot, and I guess maybe combined with some of the other remedies mentioned you will see an improvement!

Good Luck

There's an awesome shampoo/conditioner in one made locally here out of honey.

If you're going to go food products only, try yogurt at least instead of milk. Or jojoba oil.

Lemon and apple cider will KILL your skin as I put in your first slide. Rose water, you want rose water, witch hazel (alcohol free mind) and ground oatmeal is good face powder.

Be gentle to your hair and skin, what you were doing is stripping it.

Ooh, have you tried washing your face with honey? Or manuka honey, they work great on your skin.

I second and third the recommendations for witch hazel as a toner for the face. Works great. Rose water is a nice one, too, but is more softening. Tea tree oil is very good for treating acne, but it does take time. Almond oil is very good as a facial cleanser/moisturizer as well. And although it doesn't smell as good, olive oil is great for the rest of the skin.
There are some wonderful, proven natural treatments and products out there, and it's very laudable to try to go all-organic/natural to improve your overall health and impact on the environment, but remember too that there's a reason all the chemical-based products were developed in the first place. Natural doesn't always work for everyone, not to mention the potential for sour-smelling BO from the use of the wrong treatments or just incorrect use. I suggest you do a lot more investigating into natural beauty remedies instead of just winging it with ideas you've heard here and there. Skin is too valuable to mess with!
Good luck!

When you wash your hair with acv, you should dilute it to about 5 parts water 1 part vinegar. You can also add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice to change the smell (rosemary always works nicely). hope that helps

I just started an all-natural routine, too, about two weeks ago. One thing I've already learned that completely floored me is that my shampoo actually gives me acne breakouts. Stick with this, I know I've vowed never to go back to commercial products again, they're just not right for me! I'm way too sensitive.
In regards to your hair, I've been substituting diluted lemon juice for ACV. A lot of people don't, because the lemon juice can have a lightening effect, but I'm a blonde, so I don't care. That might work for you since you're blonde too, help with the smell. I've also read about people who add a cinnamon stick or other spices to their ACV dilution to make the hair smell sweet and spicy. And if you get greasy inbetween washes, rubbing cornstarch on your hair is a great way to suck up the excess oil, then just shake and brush it out.
Also, ACV can be a great toner, but I'd never use it as a wash! Way too acidic! I have a mix of ACV and green tea that I use occasionally as a toner. Rosewater didn't work for me, but I've heard some people have good luck with it. And I hope you're diluting the tea tree oil, otherwise your breakout will get worse. Of course, I'm allergic to the stuff, so maybe I'm not the best judge.
And I second whoever brought up OCM. That's the method I've been using to draw impurities out of my pores and it's brilliant. It's been helping me fight off this last shampoo related breakout much quicker than normal, and it's a fabulous moisturizer too. Here's a quick link to get you started: http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/
Here's hoping it'll be all uphill for you from here!

I really admire your strength, and all
but as I do not know the reason you started this program, I can only see it as pointless suffering. If you do have al kinds of products, milder or harsher, to improve and treat hair and skin, why struggle with smelly vinegar, lemon juice, milk, or whatsoever...? I do use kitchen recipes to hidrate my hair and skin once in a while, but I'd never replace them for the nice nice products I use...However, I wish you good luck with your program, and that you find your ways to adapt...

Be careful with the ocm, some people are more sensitive to oleic acid ( found in many oils) than others and this can cause increased breakouts because of clogged pores. I tried the shu uemera oil and found the results horrifying.

u can use olive oil as a skin/hair moisturizer. I especially like using honey or a honey/cinnamon combo as a very gentle face mask and it is also supposed to help heal acne. I use the honey/cinnamon combo as a spot treatment every other day because I find it either helps it bring to the head faster or dries it out. A good way to prevent the honey getting everywhere is to either put those cloth tape on it or just put a very thing sheet of toilet paper on it. I can't believe how brave you are! hang in there!

congrats on delving into natural diy beauty! my 2 cents, from experience:

hair washing...if you tended towards daily washing, you can't expect to be able to go cold turkey. try a non SLS shampoo first, then reduce how often you wash, then try non-shampoo methods.

skin...while it is a good thing to maintain an acid balance on your skin, too much acid is bad. be gentle & pay close attention to what or does not work. i've found that i go very much on intuition to know what it is that my skin needs at almost any given time. remember that the skin renews itself every 28 or so days, so patience & dedication are key to reaping the rewards.

research...this is soooo important, especially once you get into incorporating things like essential oils, which are sooo beneficial but can cause extreme irritation if used incorrectly. for the tea tree treatment, try diluting it a bit with some coconut oil or jojoba and dabbing that on your spots (it is possible that it is too strong for you used straight and is in fact causing more irritation!). there are many diy sites that provide good information as well as suppliers that are extremely trustworthy. and who knew that different oils (ie. coconut, rosehip seed, jojoba, tamanu, olive, hazelnut, grapeseed) could have so many different characteristics!

diy & products...i started off with researching & using natural products, then moved onto diy over time. i am a total product junkie and so love buying a nice already-made natural products & incorporating them with my diy.

everyone is different...it takes quite a bit of trial & error to understand what will or will not work for you...for some this is a too much of a difficult challenge, for others an enjoyable one! once you and your skin/hair have found a balance with natural diy products, you will be rewarded with the knowledge that you are helping the planet (ie. no more excessive amounts of throw away fancy packaging, ingredients that poison the water) & saving money!

hth!

I don't know why, but I laughed SO HARD seeing your expression and reading the story. That's adorable!

smelling bad in conjunction with bad skin...good lord, maybe it's just a sign to go back to what you know.