Hair and Face Washin'

OK, if you've ever seen my hair or face, you're probably laughing right now - but hear me out.

We'll start with hair. Mine's been thinning (and graying) quite a bit in the last several years. Actually, I found my first gray hair at age 16 and it's at least 50-50 now. It's shoulder-length just because I don't know what else to do with it but I do know I don't want to have to style it every day, so back in a clip or pony it goes.

My hair used to be very oily. Like wash-it-every-single-day oily. Which made my scalp flaky. So I used a dandruff control shampoo every day. Which was harsh on my thin, fine hair. So I used conditioners or dandruff control shampoo with conditioner which made my thin, fine hair lay flat. Let's just say this cycle went on for years.

Then I started reading stuff online about the "no 'poo" movement. People wash their hair with fruit juices, oils, avocado, oatmeal, all kinds of different stuff. I was stunned. You mean you can do that? You don't HAVE to use commercial shampoo and conditioner?

So here's what I've worked out for myself:

I now wash my hair 2-3 times per week. About every three days. To do that, when I shower I take my Ball jar of bulk baking soda, put one tablespoon of it in that middle ketchup (mustard?) bottle, and fill it the rest of the way with warm water. Shake to dissolve. I work that baking soda/water mixture into my hair and scalp, massaging with my fingertips for a minute or so. Then I rinse well. Then I use a 3:1 mixture of water to apple cider vinegar as "cream rinse". Just on the ends of my hair, not on my scalp - and rinse well again. That's it. Hair not AS oily (jeez, where does it all come from?) , scalp definitely not flaky, fine hair has a little body.

Now the face. The poor, poor face. I have an oily T-zone (go figure) and hormonal acne. I've used all different kinds of stuff on it. Soaps, astringents, scrubs, masks, lotions, creams, gotten facials, seaweed treatments, even took that birth control pill that's supposed to help with acne.

Well, the only things that've changed are that my face is less oily and I put less on it. Still have that hormonal acne at certain times. Here's my face-washing routine: see that little bottle of vitamin E oil up there? I wet my face, put 4 drops of vitamin E oil on my palm, rub it into both hands and then onto my face. A warm washcloth wipes it off. So, in the morning, oil wiped off with wet washcloth, in the evening no oil, just a warm, wet washcloth. Simple. I don't even have to moisturize any more.

Oil, you say? For a face with an oily T-zone? Seems counter-intuitive, doesn't it? I know. Maybe it's a chemistry thing I don't understand, but somehow oil combats oil. At least in my case.

So now you know my "beauty secrets". Don't laugh!