Woman goes 6 weeks with no washing/beauty/hygiene products
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

free skin care · Sat Sep 20, 2008 6:25 am

Interesting article that makes you think about all the stuff we put on our bodies and the cumulative effect. I wouldn't go to this extreme, but I think simplifying is good pocketwise and healthwise.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-477378/Six-weeks-wash-The-soapless-experiment.html

free skin care · Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:17 am

Thanks for posting this, Boski. That was a very interesting experiment she did. It certainly makes one think!

free skin care · Sat Sep 20, 2008 9:20 am

rileygirl wrote:

Thanks for posting this, Boski. That was a very interesting experiment she did. It certainly makes one think!

I think she could have rinsed off with water at least every few days and brushed her teeth with a toothbrush and water. She would have still proved the point that you can survive without all the different products, and her kids and friends wouldn't have been so put off. Feeling grungy and dirty all the time can't be good for the spirit (or your love life Shock

).

free skin care · Sat Sep 20, 2008 9:25 am

Lawd have mercy... I was sick to my stomach after she shared about her Irritable Bowel Syndrome actually improving. I nevr realized she wasn't at least washing her hands, till she said they were crusty...

I'm all about less is more, but I'll draw the line somewhere after the basics are covered.

Thanks for sharing that boski, it was really interesting..

It's off to the

for a good soak for moi'

free skin care · Sat Sep 20, 2008 9:32 am

boski wrote:

[ Feeling grungy and dirty all the time can't be good for the spirit (or your love life Shock

).

She didn't mention a significant other, only that her poor kids didn't want to cuddle with her.. PEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUU.. Embarassed

free skin care · Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:11 am

boski wrote:

rileygirl wrote:

Thanks for posting this, Boski. That was a very interesting experiment she did. It certainly makes one think!

I think she could have rinsed off with water at least every few days and brushed her teeth with a toothbrush and water. She would have still proved the point that you can survive without all the different products, and her kids and friends wouldn't have been so put off. Feeling grungy and dirty all the time can't be good for the spirit (or your love life Shock

).

I definitely agree, especially about the teeth brushing! That I would not do. I like my teeth and want to keep them!! Laughing

Kassy, it did say she was divorced, so she may not have a SO (or at least not after the experiment!!)

free skin care · Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:17 am

it's true though some of my girlfriends who never seems to care about their skin and who only spent very little on skin care products end up having very nice skin.

free skin care · Sat Sep 20, 2008 11:22 am

Oh NO! :-& :-&
Sorry, to me it's just disgusting. It's not a problem whatsoever if someone doesn't use mascaras-creams-etc (and there is actually evidence that the less you use, the less you need), but not washing your body-hands-teeth is just unhealthy and anti-social!
I don't care if people lived like that for a long time in caves, dark ages, etc - after all, life expectancy figures and the plague epidemics speak for themselves! But in the modern world it's not just "rude" or socially inappropriate and all the self-esteem stuff.. If enough people stop taking care of their basic hygiene, I wonder how long it takes for some nice infectious decease to explode in the current density of population, and how fast it spreads with all the travel and communication!

:-&
It's really not just a beauty question! .. or maybe i got carried away Smile

free skin care · Sat Sep 20, 2008 9:54 pm

Such an extreme experiment. Especially the not brushing teeth thing. Sorry - that's beyond gross to me. And... Greasy hair to the point her ponytail stays in position without the elastic - yuck! I guess it gives her something to write and talk about... For sure

free skin care · Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:11 pm

sister sweets wrote:

Such an extreme experiment. Especially the not brushing teeth thing. Sorry - that's beyond gross to me. And... Greasy hair to the point her ponytail stays in position without the elastic - yuck! I guess it gives her something to write and talk about... For sure

I hope someone paid her well for doing this little test. Yuk.

Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:29 pm

Yeah, I think excluding water was a flaw in the parameters of her experiment... IMO, water should have been "the" substitute for everything else she had stopped using.

free skin care · Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:02 am

OMG. "Less is more" is a good point (although I will never succeed in such a project, not if beauty stuff is involved Embarassed

) because the beauty industry is telling a lot of c...p about what's necessary for us, our skin, our beauty. So thinking about this is a good thing. But, why she thinks it's appropriate to go so far not to brush her teeth anymore or to leave alone showering or washing, I don't know. It reduces the good thought to absurdity, IMO.

free skin care · Sun Sep 21, 2008 4:48 am

This is beyond repulsive. I'm so skeeved. It is definitely a health problem that impacts not only her but everyone she comes in contact with. What message is she giving her children?

free skin care · Sun Sep 21, 2008 6:31 am

this is DISGUSTING! Speak to the hand

free skin care · Sun Sep 21, 2008 8:58 am

I read the story when it came out. I thought it was interesting. On one hand, yes she went to an extreme, but that was the point, to have something to write about. She didn't really suffer ill effects from it, besides for the cavity. And her own self assessment was that her skin actually looked better than before. Americans are really the first people to be sooo obsessed with cleanliness. I think it's mostly a good thing, but we have to remember this is not how it always was. Obsession with cleanliness is not even a western thing, it's primarily an american thing. (But I like our obsession with cleanliness and nice teeth.)

free skin care · Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:00 am

I had to share a joke I received via email, since it is closely related to this topic:

Quote:

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.

I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, 'If I give you this money, will you buy wine with it instead of dinner?'

'No, I had to stop drinking years ago', the homeless woman told me.

'Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?' I asked.

'No, I don't waste time shopping,' the homeless woman said. 'I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.'

'Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?' I asked.

'Are you NUTS!' replied the homeless woman. I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!'

'Well, I said, 'I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight.'

The homeless Woman was shocked. 'Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.'

I said, 'That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and wine.'

free skin care · Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:47 am

bethany wrote:

I had to share a joke I received via email, since it is closely related to this topic:

Quote:

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.

I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, 'If I give you this money, will you buy wine with it instead of dinner?'

'No, I had to stop drinking years ago', the homeless woman told me.

'Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?' I asked.

'No, I don't waste time shopping,' the homeless woman said. 'I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.'

'Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?' I asked.

'Are you NUTS!' replied the homeless woman. I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!'

'Well, I said, 'I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight.'

The homeless Woman was shocked. 'Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.'

I said, 'That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and wine.'

right!

free skin care · Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:32 pm

I will never do that. Ackkkkk

free skin care · Mon Sep 22, 2008 1:35 am

Bethany that joke is hilarious!!!!!!

Boski - very interesting post. I agree completely with others - she could have made a valid point without stooping to very low level of basic hygiene! But the essence of what she did is very fascinating, and I have to agree that some of the people I know who have the best skin do the least to it.
302 is teaching me that right now Wink

My skin has not looked this goods in years!

free skin care · Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:56 am

Nimue wrote:

Americans are really the first people to be sooo obsessed with cleanliness. I think it's mostly a good thing, but we have to remember this is not how it always was. Obsession with cleanliness is not even a western thing, it's primarily an american thing. (But I like our obsession with cleanliness and nice teeth.)

I know quite a few (a little narrow minded in my opinion) Chinese, Japanese, Thais, etc, who consider most Westerners, including Americans, positively grubby Laughing

Different cultures and different ideas about what constitutes "cleanliness" I guess Confused

free skin care · Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:45 am

The Daily Mail story mentioned at the top was actually a programme on BBC3.
A comedian called Tim FitzHingham did the experiment in tandem with her. The quote I always remember was him likening his er, bits to a "sticky toffee apple"!! Shock

free skin care · Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:57 am

I was definitely generalizing and looking at just the western world. (Asians and native americans, faced with hairy smelly Europeans, no doubt were horrified) It would have been better to say, among westerners/europeans, obsession with cleanliness is a recent phenomenon and americans are the most obsessed. As in, I'm pretty sure showering *at least* once a day is basically a given and many people shower more than once a day and couldn't imagine doing otherwise. Americans are also absessed with getting rid of body hair, but this is mostly for women. (although it's spreading to men) I think the body hair obsession is related to the cleanliness. And of course, beyong braces, and straight, reasonable white teech, Americans want blindingly white teeth.

appletini wrote:

I know quite a few (a little narrow minded in my opinion) Chinese, Japanese, Thais, etc, who consider most Westerners, including Americans, positively grubby Laughing

Different cultures and different ideas about what constitutes "cleanliness" I guess Confused

free skin care · Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:09 pm

In dental school we had to go 2 weeks without brushing one side of our mouths to see how plaque built up- i can't even imagine 6 weeks of not washing anything!!!!
imagine the stench

Mon Sep 22, 2008 3:21 pm

What a trooper! That's so interesting that her skin started to glow, but definitely not enough to make me want to try this.

free skin care · Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:04 pm

ljk wrote:

The Daily Mail story mentioned at the top was actually a programme on BBC3.
A comedian called Tim FitzHingham did the experiment in tandem with her. The quote I always remember was him likening his er, bits to a "sticky toffee apple"!! Shock

UGH...I have a horrible visual that I can't get rid of now, lol.

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.