If you have NO MONEY what can you do to improve your skin and hair?

[YouBoughtMeAWall]

My skin is awful right now. So dry, breakouts all around my mouth and jaw line, bumpy and just ugh. My hair is dull and feels like it barely goes a day without getting greasy. I’m sure over indulgence at Christmas is to blame. I’m jobless and reliant on UC. There’s no room in the budget at all for buying anything to correct these issues but I’m sure there must be some things I can do. Other than drinking more water which I’m doing.

I’m sure there are loads of people in this position right now so I thought a thread with some free (like using things we might have at home already) or very low cost remedies would be useful.

Any suggestions?

Drink a lot of water, and drink a lot of water. 🤷🏻‍♀️

With no money:

• drink water
• blast hair and body with cold water at the end of a shower
• exercise
• face yoga (no idea if this works but it is free)
• no eating junk
• get someone to give you a facial/head massage with whatever you have lying around

With a little money -

• body brush
• moisturize
• eat more fruit and veg / vitamins

Wash you hair everyday to prevent greasy build up like Alberto balsam (very cheap shampoo) for greasy hair

It depends what you have already in your kitchen. Olive Oil is great for braking skin. Apply it daily on affected area. For skin you can use cinnamon and potato starch mask. There are plenty of natural ingredients that you can use it depends what you have in your fridge and spices in the kitchen.

Cut sugar from diet.... whenever i do after a week or two im shocked how much better my skin looks

We are using head and shoulders here for greasy hair. Not free obviously but cheap. Stop trying with conditioner it makes it worse even if it's not on the roots. It also breaks my skin out so I've banned conditioner completely.

Bar soap is best for skin that breaks out.

I would advise the opposite of a pp and do not wash your hair everyday. Google "hair training" . The more you wash your hair the more oils it produces!
I have only washed my hair once a week since 1st lockdown and it doesn't look greasy at all now, occasionally I might use a bit of dry shampoo in between. It's in the best condition it's ever been in!

It can take a while to take effect though.

See your dr for the breakouts if you get free prescriptions.

Give up alcohol and drink water, exfoliate and moisturise.

@CescaNicole can you elaborate? Please xx

Fruit and veg
Water
Meditate to de-stress
Laugh and smile
Exfoliate, face masks with oats, honey
Fresh air

DO NOT WASH YOUR HAIR EVERY DAY

Goodness you’re all very quick on this board!!

Thank you all. Some really great stuff here.

@Werdrix

Use a flannel on your face.

Don't do this!

Wet face with warm water. Massage your face wash into face for a full minute (count!) and rinse off.

Yes warm,wet flannel! Great exfoliating properties.

As others have said water
Eating well or less processed food, if thi effects your skin. (doesn't make a difference to mine!)
Exercise even just walking
Use a flannel to steam your face with oil or a thick cream (whatever you have in) to do deep clean.
Also meditation or mindfulness to de drestress.
Face massage.

Hope this helps

Stay out of the sun
Stop smoking (or don't start!)
Eat a well balanced diet (fruit, veg, etc to make sure getting good balance of vitamins and minerals) as best you can on your existing budget
Don't over do the alcohol
Get a good nights sleep regularly

Sugar and honey make a good exfoliator if you have them in the press. Wash off with a face cloth. Otherwise you can add sugar to your cleaner, massage well into skin at least five to ten mins. Do it twice if possible. This will remove any build up etc. You could put your face over a steaming bowl of water (mind your eyes) this opens up the pores and makes it easier to remove and stuff that could block pores and cause spots.

In regards to greasy hair. Do not wash your hair every day. Make sure your shampoo is right for your hair type. Avoid shampoo with silicone if possible. Make sure that you scrub/massage your scalp well. I normally give about five to ten mins as that is what they do in the hair salon I go to. Put conditioner on the mid lenghts and ends. I avoid any type of hair serum as they tend to make my hair look super greasy the day after.

You're already drinking lots of water, which is brilliant.
Cut out refined sugar. That really helps clear the skin.

Get outside for half an hour each day without suncream on. We are too obsessed in this country with protection from sun damage. Give your skin a bit of air and a chance to build up some colour slowly during the winter months.

Look in the Pound Store for epsom salts (£1 for a big bag of lavender or eucalyptus) I find if I soak my hair in the bath with epsom salts it dries soft and with extra body but gets rid of the grease.

Exercise. It's free and it gets the circulation moving which improves the skin.

Do you have any silk material at home? Sleeping on that (cover your pillowcase) is good for skin and hair.

@SciFiScream

Do you have any silk material at home? Sleeping on that (cover your pillowcase) is good for skin and hair.

I do actually have a silk pillowcase I have been using it for a few years.

I’m often buy expensive products and follow what’s happening in skincare. Yet my skin was stubbornly spotty for years. Recently cut out obvious sugar, I.e. processed sugars, desserts, sugar in drinks, simple white carbs (was much easier than expected – and still have a cheat day on weekend and a small amount of whole grain / complex carbs through week). Lo and behold my skin has miraculously cleared up overnight. Like, it had been so stubbornly bad I approached my dr a few months ago about roaccutane. Now have no active spots.

Other things which make a massive, massive difference:

Quit smoking (this is probably the biggest thing you can do – gave up few years ago and can spot smokers a mile off because they look so unhealthy)

Exercise – personal experience and backed by evidence – slows biological aging and had even been shown to reverse skin ageing to some degree in studies. Gives you a healthy glow, gets blood flow, oxygen and nutrients to the skin.

Quit, cut down or have a break from alcohol
Again, next to quitting smoking this will massively improve the appearance of your skin.

To be honest, lifestyle changes will have a much bigger impact than any bought cream or skincare routine. If you can afford one thing for your dry skin I’d recommend La Roche Posay cicaplast (about £10). If that’s out of budget, try E45 to soothe the dryness in the meantime.

If you have radiators, try putting a bowl of water on them to humidify the air and soothe your skin.

Breakouts on jaw - could be caused by re-using masks, or not washing reusable masks after each use.

I can't recommend the 'don't wash your hair' advice - I would support the advice upthread to use a cheap shampoo daily, one formulated for oily hair. Ditch conditioner almost completely.

If you have long hair because you can't afford regular haircuts, do style it rather than letting it lie lank. Experiment with up-dos such as braids and chignons - refer youtube.

I had considered the mask thing but I’m really meticulous about my masks. I have so many and they get washed even if I’ve just worn it to nip in for milk. They don’t languish in my pocket for weeks etc. Fresh one every time I leave the house and tbh, I’m rarely leaving the house to go anywhere I need one.