Introduction- How it began?

Hi all,

I have recently started eliminating beauty and pharma products from my daily routine.

How it began:  A couple of years ago, my boyfriend told me a story about a boy he knew from summer camp who never used soap but didn't smell bad.  Then, a few months ago I overheard some co-workers joking about some office workers in New York City who had stopped showering, I believe for environmental reasons, and were stinking up their offices.  I was a little intrigued so I went home and googled this, purely for entertainment purposes.  I couldn't find anything about stinky NYC office workers but I did find a community of people who had stopped using many commercial beauty/ hygienic products.

After reading several articles and discussion group posts I decided to stop using soap and shampoo (the no poo method) immediately.  (I did continue to wash my hands and shower on a daily basis).  Because I was no longer washing my face with soap I also stopped wearing make-up.

I have been mostly rinsing my hair with apple-cider vinegar and have tried washing it with baking soda a couple of times.  For my face, I only rinse with water but have used baking soda to exfoliate a couple of times.

I work out regularly and walk/ bike to my work which is about 4-5 kms away from my house.

I should also mention that I have always had generally very clear skin, however, I had suffered from severe eczema on my body and scalp since I was an adolescent.

I have been living soap, shampoo, facial cleanser, make-up, conventional deoderant, perfume, moisturizer, pretty much everything free for 2- 3 months now.

Results:  I probably have the best skin I have ever had since puberty, my ezcema has almost entirely cleared up, I only have a little bit of dandruff which has almost vanished and my boyfriend says I do not smell!  The only thing that is taking some getting used to is not wearing any eye make-up.  Somedays I feel a little frumpy.

In the past couple of days I have decided to see what else I can eliminate from my routine that is unecessary and actually harmful to my health and appearance.

This will probably sound a little odd but the next thing on the agenda I want to explore is oral hygiene.  Obviously I want to keep my breath fresh and do not want any cavities etc..., but after some preliminary research it looks like I might be switching up my conventional routine.

I will drill down into each topic in future posts.  I hope to give a bit of history on each product.  From my research, I have consistently seen evidence that many products that we believe are essential, were actually the result of intelligent marketing schemes and are not necessary or more natural, single ingredient, alternatives will produce the same results.

I believe that the high rate of cancer and many other major and minor (like my ezcema) health conditions are a result of the abundance of highly processed- manufactured products in our environment.

I hope you embark on this journey with me!  Free yourself!