The KInd Life Community Forum

I've been a vegan for about 4 years, and unlike Alicia, I have not experienced great skin and hair benefits. I realize that this could be due to a number of factors; but, I don't eat "crap" vegan. With the exception of my Friday nite pizza and some wine/beer occassionally, I don't eat processed, over-ingrediented food. I prepare a lot of foods myself and rarely eat frozen/prepared foods. But nonetheless, I suffer from dull, lifeless skin and have a lot of little acne breakouts, with sometimes HUGE ZITS. Also, my hair is frequently dull, lifeless, and dry (although I do blowdry every day). And I drink plenty of water every day and use organic/cruelty-free cleansers like Andalou.

I'd hoped that becoming a vegan would help bring out more of my "natural" beauty, but no luck so far. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

If you are still experiencing huge zits, but you are eating a healthy, balanced vegan diet, I would look at a few other things and see what you think might be the culprit:

When you sleep at night, do you go to sleep with clean hair, clean face, and a clean pillowcase? Make sure you have clean hair, or that it's tied away from your face and in a cap or something to ensure the natural oil in your hair isn't getting all over your pillowcase--and thus your skin. I usually experience skin problems if I go to sleep with product in my hair, or unwashed hair, because I end up transferring the oils from my hair to my face via the pillowcase, which you should try to change often. See if this helps!

After the gym/sweating, wash your face as soon as you can, rinse with ice cold water, and use a cruelty-free, natural toner. Cleansing the bacteria off of your face as soon as possible will prevent pores from clogging, and rinsing with ice cold water will really help those pores to close. Give it a shot if you haven't already and see what happens.

Try to avoid blow-drying your hair every day and, instead of washing it often (I know this seems to contradict advice above regarding bedtime, but hear me out!), put it in a cap at night and only wash a couple times a week. This will restore the natural oils to your hair and it should look glorious in about a week's time. If you don't like the feeling of it being "unwashed," use a little baby powder to soak up some of the oil in between shampoos.

Similarly, for your face, don't overwash. Twice a day should be fine, and ALWAYS moisturize after closing the pores with ice water and a toner. Some people with acne and oily skin avoid moisturizing and this only causes the skin to create more oils to compensate. Plus, it will help give your face that healthful, vibrant look with a little help from topical moisture.

I can sympathise. My skin is not great at the moment. It is dry and spotty all at once. My scalp and hands are also really dry. But I know why, my triggers are - hormones, too much sugar and white foods, not excersing (I need to sweat out some toxins, really stops my skin looking dull), not enough raw green food, not enough essential oils (I need avacodos, nuts and oil everyday to keep my dry skin away), central heating, and hydration. Not sure if any of these may apply to your situation.

Basically I have had a slack few weeks stuck on the sofa with a chest infection and have been living off toast and sugary apple juice! Feeling better now though so hope to get out in the fresh air and my diet and skin back on track.

Good luck!