to be sick of all the grooming?

[witchyhills]

Disclaimer; I'm not actually that stylish or well groomed, however
I am sick of the shaving, plucking, waxing, trimming, moisturising, manicures, pedicures. I've been doing it for 25 years, and I'm tired of it
I am also sick of the haircuts, highlights, blowdrying every bloody day. Trying to find shampoo and mousse that give my hair some kind of volume.
I got my haircut short recently so it would be easier, and it's already outgrown the style
I'm sick of trying to find comfortable clothes that are flattering, comfortable shoes that are stylish
I currently have no mascara and no foundation, need a haircut and highlights
and I have no money to buy any of the above

would I be unreasonable just to let it all go to pot
who would care, who would notice?!

I've just read this through and it does sound like I am trendy and stylish, I can assure you that I am not.
I spend all Summer in flipflops, I have very fine greasy hair, so I have to wash and blowdry everyday
I don't usually wear makeup, just usually mascara, but I had a job interview and went out on Sat and I had no foundation

bit confused about the blood tests now.
I've got the form, and the GP has written 21st which is day 25.
But she did go through it very quickly at the time.
Do you think it should be day 21?

she's written progesterone on it, and ticked the box LH7 FSH

Don't do it then? I wax once in a blue moon (and get very hairy in between) and pluck just as 'regularly'. I wear make up on very special occasions (my sister's wedding being the only such occasion in the past six years) and haven't had a hair cut for a couple of years. The only people who care are my sisters who are the complete opposite and have never understood my 'common ways'. It really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things [hwink]

sorry to confuse you witchy

progesterone is usually measured on day 21, the sometiimes day 23, day 25 etc ie. every 2 days

I can't think of a reason why there would be a one off on day 25, but of course i am not your doctor

why don't you ring the surgery in the morning and clarify it ? That would be the best pan of action, I think

then

plan sorry...typing going crazy here

yeah, will call them tomorrow, it's annoying though, cos if it's day 21, I've missed it for this month

oh shit...I was hoping that wasn't the case

ring them...it may be possible to still do it and adjust the levels accordingly

or I could be wrong, of course

i read the thread title and thought the worst.thank goodness it not sinister

Not unless you consider curly eyelashes sinister Scottish!

What's a MN haircut?

Morloth I envy you. If I did the routine you suggest & no more, I would look like a crack whore. I have friends who look fabulous with virtually no grooming, but I look ill, tired and anaemic. I think it's to do with colouring.

OP, I agree. Am sick of it too. I've got way too much going on in my life already without having to worry about my bikini line or my roots.

Does anyone else think it grossly unfair that women are the sex who shoulder most of the responsibility for child rearing and housekeeping, therefore already working more hours than our menfolk, and then we ALSO have to contend with this shit, the grooming.

And most of the time, the blokes don't care! We do it to look good for each other, other women that is, and for ourselves sometimes.

Sorry to hear about the job-hunting, sounds crap.

Nope, not to do with colouring.

To do with being very sure that I am just fine the way I am.

There is nothing wrong with our bodies or our hair or our skin (assuming it is all working OK), what is wrong is in our heads.

I decided years ago that I was not going to do it anymore. I am an excellent person, what I look like is not important.

I wish that the Buffy bar were more affordable. It's $22 here...how long would it last? :( Maybe I should look up an alternative version on etsy.

I am trying to aim for things that make me feel good as well as look better...lots of water and sleep, fresh air and good food. :)

morloth .... I wish I could be like you. I guess I just don't have that confidence. My older sister was always referred to as "the pretty one". She was too. Older, taller, slimmer and stopped traffic, literally. My mum used to say, "Dolche's not pretty but there IS something attractive about her". As a little girl I wanted to be pretty despite shunning all the usual girlie toys, preferring tractors and tipper trucks and mud!

I agree, it's all a huge pain.

Some time-saving ideas:

• Dry shampoo. Takes 2 mins to spray onto the roots and brush out, and could save you a day's shampooing. The batiste one is great.

• Or, shower/wash your hair at night before you go to bed, let it dry naturally overnight, and in the morning just style it with straighteners or tongs or whatever. I prefer doing it this way as it saves time in the morning.

• Stop worrying about volume/thickness. I have thick hair, but it refuses to do anything but hang straight. I battled for ages to get some kind of lift into it, but it's just not worth the hassle. Sometimes better just to accept your hair type than fighting against it.

• Mineral foundation. I use a cheap one from Avon, and its soooo much quicker than applying cream foundation every morning. Plus, it's better for your skin. You just take a big fat brush, sweep the powder all over your face - takes less than 30 seconds and you get a really good coverage.

• I carry a nail file with me, and if I get an idle few minutes on public transport or waiting for someone to meet me or something, I file my nails. I occasionally buff them also (like maybe four times a year). I just don't think most people notice your nails unless they're extraordinarily beautiful or ugly. Anything inbetween is just invisible.

• Cleansing wipes - the Boots cucumber ones are really cheap and pretty good, though I guess it depends on your skin type. I use one of those at night to cleanse/remove make-up, then a splash of really cold water as toner, then slap on a bit of moisturiser and I'm done. I don't have great skin (greasy, blemish-prone), but I've tried a million different more expensive, complicated things over the years and TBH none of them have made much difference. Your skin is what it is, IMO so just take the easiest option.

• I never bother about my bikini line, unless I'm actually going to be wearing a bikini, ie basically just for the summer holidays. And even then the pain of waxing is too much to contemplate. The veet hair removing cream is a godsend.

• In the last year I've stopped plucking my eyebrows, just can't be arsed any more and they don't look that bad in their natural shape. Though they're quite light - I guess maybe if you have darker/thicker eyebrows it could be more difficult to get away with.

Alternatively, I do think it's a good idea to just let it all go to pot for a bit and see what you end up with! I bet lots of people wouldn't even notice - remember that you yourself pay more attention to the effects of all this stuff on yourself than anyone else.

Just read page 3 - guess this isn't actually that much about grooming after all. Hope you feel better soon, life is hard sometimes...

Well feeling considerably better today, which makes me think it is hormonal!
The doctor I saw last week not there today and receptionist new, so they didn't really know about which day is best for the test. They are phoning me back

Wrt the grooming, I really am doing the minimum. I didn't wash my hair this morning just to test my theory, and it's shocking, greasy but
sticking up everywhere too!

Just putting a bit of product on it doesn't really work for me.
I could grow it long, but the only time it looked decent when long was when I was pregnant, was thicker and healthier.

Had chat to dh last night about money and he took the pressure off a
bit, made me feel better about not contributing and not having any extras. Said i am doing the most important job in the world looking after ds and he is a credit to me. We have fantastic weekend planned next week, mum looking after DS.

I've just lost a stone too, so that's positive
My confidence is ok considering
I know I'm not unattractive, but I think somewhere I have stopped doing things for me, so will work on that

glad to see you feeling a bit more positive today, witchy

Feel your pain.

The pressures of being a woman, eh?

Winter's not so bad. It's summer that's a killer. All that de-hairing, fake tanning, pedicure-ing nonsense we are all duped into. Me included!

I go pretty low maintenance in the winter. And am contemplating lopping off bob into short-short style so I can get rid of the blow-drier (faff-tastic).

I remember being about 12 or 13 when my dad discovered that I was shaving under my arms.

He wasn't happy and said something like once you start doing that you have to do it for the rest of your life.
I remember answering back saying 'so what, I have to clean my teeth every day, I have to wash every day, I have to do those for the rest of my life, what difference does it make?'
And that's how I still view grooming 33 years later, something that you do.

I don't get stressy about it but I can understand how witchy feels.

Earlier this year I was really sick and for over two months I didn't do any of my normal things. When I started to get better I think what kept me feeling low was not looking like 'me'
It was a huge boost once I started with my grooming routine again.

Sure it beauty regimes may well be an emotional crutch but if it gets you through the day in better spirits then there is nothing wrong with that.
Equally if it is too much faff and you really can't be arsed with it all then that is fine as well.

Well done on your weight loss witchy. It is fair to say I have a fair bit to lose and it is currently work in progress!

morloth that is very cool

I think I found your stone witchy..

Shaved my pits and the undercarriage today. Took all of 30 seconds and if I get flattened by a bus tomorrow, I'll not be shamed as I'm sewn back together in A&E