A few days ago, I read this article and decided to try a simplified version of the vinegar rinse recipe. I didn’t have any rosebuds or honey, so it was plain apple cider vinegar and water. I did add some ylang-ylang essential oil that I had knocking around, however, as it’s good for oily skin and would hopefully balance out the yucky vinegar odour. For those interested in trying this, I used 100ml of vinegar to 900ml of water, with 5 drops of ylang-ylang.
Well, I’ve used the recipe 3 times now and I am extremely proud to say that my dandruff appears to have completely vanished! It was actually gone from the very first wash, but I didn’t dare say anything then in case I was just having a good day. I’ve had my husband take a thorough look at my scalp every day and there’s no trace of redness or flaking at all.
I use it as a pre-rinse - basically I pour it all over my scalp, give it a bit of a massage and then leave in for a couple of minutes. Then I rinse it out and apply shampoo as normal. My hair still smells faintly of vinegar after the final rinse, so I’m going to try halving the vinegar content in my next few washes.
I’ve never tried anything like this before and it never even occured to me to do so as I’ve used shampoos containing apple cider vinegar without success. I guess they just didn’t contain enough of it to have an effect.
Fingers crossed that it continues to work!
I have a rather volatile skincare regimen that tends to change whenever I find a tempting new product. Sometimes these products work, and they stay in the regimen permanantly, but often they don’t. I thought it might be interesting for some to read, especially to look back on and note where things have changed. 
I have three “periods” to my day, as follows:
Morning:
- Gently exfoliate face with Innocent Oils Angel Face Scrub.
- Once weekly, use Aubrey Organics Natural Herbal Balancing Mask instead.
Evening:
- Bathtime!
- Add two teaspoons of baking soda to bath water and add a drizzle of Akamuti’s Kalahari Watermelon Body Oil.
- Use homemade apple cider vinegar pre-rinse on hair and let soak for a couple of minutes.
- Rinse and follow-up with Aubrey Organics Calaguala Fern Shampoo.
- Add Aubrey Organics Calaguala Fern Leave-In Texturizing Conditioner.
- Wash face with Pure Nuff Stuff’s Foaming Face Wash.
- Apply Anita Grant’s Kelp & Ylang-Ylang Babassu Bar as bodywash and shaving lotion.
- After bath, immediately apply Pure Nuff Stuff’s Afterscrape Balm to legs.
Night:
- Wash face with water.
- Apply Aubrey Organic’s Natural Herbal Facial Astringent.
- Follow up with Anita Grant’s Camellia Copaiba Bath & Body Oil.
- Sleep!
Yikes, that all sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Especially considering a year ago the only product I used was an evening primrose soap! Though I have to say it is nice to pamper myself with all these luxurious products and I’m glad I’m being careful about what goes on my skin. 
Anyway, on top of all that are these little extras:
Odds & Sods: Throughout the day, I use Akamuti’s Liquid Black Soap as a handwash, Anita Grant’s Lippy Pucker as a lip balm and Aubrey Organics Calendula Blossom Deodorant Spray under my arms. If I fancy a bit of perfume, I use one of Akamuti’s Aromatic Roll-Ons for perfume.
Emergencies: I suffer from acne quite a lot, but sometimes I get really bad flare-ups or just a particularly nasty whitehead. In these cases, I have two lines of defense. If I know a flare-up is coming on, I use Akamuti’s Green Clay & Rosewater Mask to detoxify my skin. When spots appear and I can’t resist the urge to pop them, I use Essential Care’s First Aid Repair Lotion for speedy healing.
I also get bright red blemishes around my follicles and these are difficult to treat. The most effective aids I have found (though not natural) are Calamine Lotion and Lane’s Tea Tree & Eucalyptus Cream.
I was googling info on stretchmarks the other day and was quite surprised to learn that oily-skinned people don’t get them very often. Because the skin is more elastic and supple, it’s harder for scar tissue to form - so it’s just my luck that I’m one of the minority that do get them and I guess that’s down to genetics. They first appeared on the backs of my legs during my teens and I also have a few on my hips and upper thighs, some at the top of my bum and the odd barely-visible one on the sides of my breasts.
So, what can I do to get rid of or minimise them? Well, I’m currently trying a mixed regime of products and yes, it’s those Anita Grant ones again, I told you I’d find some use for them. Anyway, I’m applying the products as follows, twice daily:
Monoi de Tahiti Oil: This goes on the back of my legs. I’m hoping the high content of coconut oil will have a positive effect. It’s the greasiest solution I’m using, but it does smell fabulous.
Ylang-Ylang & Cedarwood Whipped Butter: This is the one I expect to have the greatest effect, containing a more traditional stretchmark remedy of shea butter and cupuaçu butter (a member of the cocoa butter family). I’m using it on my hips and thighs and though it’s a little greasy to start, it absorbs quite quickly and leaves the skin nice and soft. I’m rather partial to ylang-ylang as well and it’s very easy to apply over a wide area.
Camellia Copaiba Bath & Body Oil: Finally, this goes on my chest. It’s the least greasy of the three and instantly leaves a velvety feel. The woody aroma is gorgeous. The ingredients are a little more exotic, camellia kissi is purported to be very good at treating stretchmarks. Anita does a pure Camellia Kissi oil as well, but I went for this one because the copaiba balances out oily skin, which often causes blemishes and pimples on my chest. May as well kill two birds with one stone as they say.
I’ll post the results at a later date. Although I only have sample bottles, they are going to last me a long time by the looks of things.
Tags: stretch marks
Price: £6.50 per 250ml
Rating: 
Link: http://www.akamuti.co.uk
Ingredients: Organic rose water, Fairtrade African Black Soap (wildcrafted virgin palm oil and shea butter)
This is one amazingly versatile product with a myriad of uses. I can use it all over my body and it leaves my skin beautifully soft and clean. Smells fantastic too!
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Tags: akamuti, handwash, review, shampoo, soap
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