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Personal Hygiene
Jan. 8th, 2012 08:17 pmI thought I'd write this because my eight thousand Google searches have turned up a lot of helpful shit over the last few months.
I have latent hippie tendencies (see Hippies), but my current state is one of necessity, not philosophy. Ever since about four hours after I gave birth I've been itchy. itchy, itchy, itchy. Itchy everywhere. Well, not everywhere. The soles of my feet were spared, as was the center of my back and the more sensitive postpartum bits. Everywhere else itched. No rash, and welts only after vigorous scratching, but I couldn't escape the deep desire to claw my skin off. All of it. I scratched my legs to bleeding daily.
Since my doctor had no idea and after ruling out liver issues dismissed me to my doom, I started looking into itchiness myself. It wasn't PUPPs, which, while horribly uncomfortable, is relatively common. It was something else. Something awful and untreatable. Something that lasted weeks, or months, or a year.
A year.
So I decided to try anything.
It took a lot of experimentation, but here's what it is: I haven't used soap in months. I should clarify. I use soap on my pits and ass. That's it. I kept using shampoo for a week or two, but it was still messing me up. So I did some research and started shampooing with diluted baking soda and conditioning with diluted apple cider vinegar. No shit. And my hair is amazing. I have crazy thick curly hair, though it' short at the moment, growing out from shaved at E's birth. Usually it's an awkward, crispy fro at this length. Right now it's healthy. It feels good. If I go too many days without washing it feels oily, but then it feels great again. It's a miracle.
I aloe every inch of my skin to get relief from the itching. Aloe's the only thing that works even a little. I tried good lotions, shitty lotions, $12 jojoba, baby oil. Nothing. Aloe helps a bit. Coconut oil doesn't do too much damage and makes my skin feel amazing, but it doesn't help the itching much.
I've become a little addicted to coconut oil. First: it's fun. It's a solid at room temp and melts at body temp. The minute you rub it between your hands it becomes a liquid. Fun! It's great for diaper rash. It's the only thing that keeps my hands from bleeding in dry winter air - and I'm a master at cracked knuckles. I wear socks over my hands every night, after slathering on whatever concoction I think might help. (Have you used the Neosporin with pain reliever? Genius!) Also, apparently you can cook with the stuff. Amazing! Delicious on sweet potato fries, decent on gluten-free raisin bread, and I plan to use it as a butter substitute in cookies tomorrow.
Coconut oil. Sure, at first it feels like rubbing food on your hands, but then, after about twenty minutes, when it sinks in and no longer smells as strong - it's freaking fantastic.
So. I don't soap up. I use baking soda and vinegar on my hair. Occasionally I use a sugar scrub on my face. And I coconut oil everything. Me, E, food, everything. I use vinegar and water on my countertops and surfaces. I use washcloths on everything except the toilet. I am pro-toilet paper, as well, which is not something I thought I'd ever have to say, but there are people who aren't. I used to use a Keeper, then a Diva Cup, and I just bought a Moon Cup. You know what's the best part (I mean apart from all that hippie shit about not having toxic stuff around E and not taking up space with more stuff) - it's all dirt cheap. White vinegar. Water. Baking soda.
I'm still itchy, but it's getting better.
I have latent hippie tendencies (see Hippies), but my current state is one of necessity, not philosophy. Ever since about four hours after I gave birth I've been itchy. itchy, itchy, itchy. Itchy everywhere. Well, not everywhere. The soles of my feet were spared, as was the center of my back and the more sensitive postpartum bits. Everywhere else itched. No rash, and welts only after vigorous scratching, but I couldn't escape the deep desire to claw my skin off. All of it. I scratched my legs to bleeding daily.
Since my doctor had no idea and after ruling out liver issues dismissed me to my doom, I started looking into itchiness myself. It wasn't PUPPs, which, while horribly uncomfortable, is relatively common. It was something else. Something awful and untreatable. Something that lasted weeks, or months, or a year.
A year.
So I decided to try anything.
It took a lot of experimentation, but here's what it is: I haven't used soap in months. I should clarify. I use soap on my pits and ass. That's it. I kept using shampoo for a week or two, but it was still messing me up. So I did some research and started shampooing with diluted baking soda and conditioning with diluted apple cider vinegar. No shit. And my hair is amazing. I have crazy thick curly hair, though it' short at the moment, growing out from shaved at E's birth. Usually it's an awkward, crispy fro at this length. Right now it's healthy. It feels good. If I go too many days without washing it feels oily, but then it feels great again. It's a miracle.
I aloe every inch of my skin to get relief from the itching. Aloe's the only thing that works even a little. I tried good lotions, shitty lotions, $12 jojoba, baby oil. Nothing. Aloe helps a bit. Coconut oil doesn't do too much damage and makes my skin feel amazing, but it doesn't help the itching much.
I've become a little addicted to coconut oil. First: it's fun. It's a solid at room temp and melts at body temp. The minute you rub it between your hands it becomes a liquid. Fun! It's great for diaper rash. It's the only thing that keeps my hands from bleeding in dry winter air - and I'm a master at cracked knuckles. I wear socks over my hands every night, after slathering on whatever concoction I think might help. (Have you used the Neosporin with pain reliever? Genius!) Also, apparently you can cook with the stuff. Amazing! Delicious on sweet potato fries, decent on gluten-free raisin bread, and I plan to use it as a butter substitute in cookies tomorrow.
Coconut oil. Sure, at first it feels like rubbing food on your hands, but then, after about twenty minutes, when it sinks in and no longer smells as strong - it's freaking fantastic.
So. I don't soap up. I use baking soda and vinegar on my hair. Occasionally I use a sugar scrub on my face. And I coconut oil everything. Me, E, food, everything. I use vinegar and water on my countertops and surfaces. I use washcloths on everything except the toilet. I am pro-toilet paper, as well, which is not something I thought I'd ever have to say, but there are people who aren't. I used to use a Keeper, then a Diva Cup, and I just bought a Moon Cup. You know what's the best part (I mean apart from all that hippie shit about not having toxic stuff around E and not taking up space with more stuff) - it's all dirt cheap. White vinegar. Water. Baking soda.
I'm still itchy, but it's getting better.
