skin and hair. HELP!

[ninetynineonehundred]

My beauty regime has never gone further than showering and keeping clean really.

After a few horrendous years that have just culculminated in separating from dh my hair looks thin and dry and my skin looks old and awful.
Diet is mainly sugar based so I obviously have to change that.
I drink plenty of fluids.
Haven't slept through the night for years thanks to small ones.

And hardly any money for products.

Can anyone help?

I'm no good with hair but can recommend some stuff for skin. When you say "old and awful" (bless you) do you mean kind of dull, or crinkled or something else? And what sort of budget do you have per product?

Dry, grey and tired. Very dull skin.
Product wise I could possibly stretch to about £10 a month but preferably less

Oil cleansing method. You can buy the oils in big quantities and do it very cheaply. A good guide and ideas of oils to use is here: www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

Vitamin C is good for brightening dull skin. SR Skincare (which is worth checking out anyway) do a very cheap vitamin C serum. Then use a drop more oil for moisturising and massage, massage, massage. Will really help get the blood flowing and your skin glowing.

Can you manage a good hair cut? Even a trim to stop straggly ends. Try an Aussie Conditioner to help with the dryness.

Sounds like you've had a rough time of it. It's good that you want to focus some time on yourself.

Nivea soft is a good but cheap moisturiser & suitable for face & body - often on offer for little over £1 a tube. I really love it and have been using it over 10 years. The skin on my face is dry with slightly oily t-zone. I also use it on my hands, knees and elbows.

Dry brushing my body every day before showering has massively improved the appearance of my skin (which in its natural state is dry and scaly) the brushes are about £5 and you can buy softer manual brushes for your face very cheaply too.

Hydrating Face mask sachets for dry skin are only £1 and often on 3 for 2 in superdrug. Apricot scrubs are also very cheap but effective for a weekly home facial.

I did a coconut oil treatment on my hair this week that had an instant impact - made it really shiny. The jar of coconut oil was about £2 and I only needed a couple of teaspoons so it will last for many treatments. Look on Google for instructions.

I second getting a good trim if you can afford it.

When I'm feeling crap about myself, I often find that just spending an evening having a bubble bath, having a good exfoliating session, a face mask and tidying up my nails makes me feel better already.

What is dry brushing?

My friend has offered to give me a cut if I can find a style i like and I have some Coconut oil.

Keep em coming. This all sounds good.

What about foods for skin and hair?

Oily fish, nuts, wholemeal stuff, lots of water (sounds like you have that covered), definitely cut down the sugar, salt as well as it dehydrates, eggs for vitamin E, fruit and veg, obviously, especially melon! Brilliant for the skin. Check out Dr. Perricone's 3 day meal plan thing for some ideas as well, but it's basically salmon and melon. Salmon is bloody expensive but mackerel and sardines are cheap and have the good oils.

Oh, and dry brushing it just as it sounds, really. Take a brush (I have a round one with a little handle on the top, about the size of a round coaster) and go all over the body in circular motions, without water or product or anything.

Look on Pinterest for hair style ideas. I always think that warmer weather helps with healthier eating.