Marley and Taylor, those are good points. I want to try no shampoo because I don't want to strip my hair and scalp. As I get older, my skin and hair are just getting drier. But, I think, that one can still be clean and fresh without using detergents.

However, after I read both of your comments, I looked around on the web and apparently doctors are quite divided on this. There is some agreement that for people who have oily skin, they need to really keep their hair clean as do avoid dermatitis. Apparently there is also some concern about bacterial infections. Other doctors believe it is better for the hair and scalp to skip shampoos that lather. So I guess, like everything, it needs to be done in balance. Not just my hair, but my skin too, apparently. I also want to get away from potentially harmful synthetics by finding alternatives, if I can. I obviously can't speak for the other ladies.

This is going to be an interesting experiment for me. Luckily, you and Marley won't be around to smell me if it doesn't go well ! LOL !!!

As always, I really value your input and it really made me think.

Unrelated to Angie's skincare posts and due to various environmental concerns and my own laziness (or non-mainstream priorities perhaps), I've been trying for years to find a happy medium between less & less-complicated products and 'regimens' on one hand and going so au naturel on the other that my skin and hair reflect medieval English hygiene!

Both have been subjected to various experiments, some wildly successful and some with dubious results.

My skin is dry as well as sensitive (I react to aloe vera, if you please! used to react to sandalwood but seemingly got over that of late; and have never managed to use baby lotion or talc without eruptions).

I'm also highly photosensitive along my arms, and a little less so on the face from a cream that started burning within seconds of application --- washed it off before the chemical burns got too bad, but the sensitization has been permanent. I tan and burn very fast and quite deeply anyway, even apart from those areas.

Current haircare routine:

My hair is dry but, depending on the weather, my scalp can be oily or dry.

At home, I don't 'wash' (as in, with a soap or detergent) my hair more than a couple of times a week, even less in winter. I use baking soda solution, mostly; vinegar and water as a last rinse. We have godawfully hard water, so the vinegar is essential even without soda; otherwise the salts stick to my hair and it looks terribly dull, and tangles badly. When I'm feeling patient and kind, I might soak a few soap pods (shikakai) or soap nuts to 'shampoo' for my hair. (It helps that I don't go out into the city a lot and leave in a relatively unpolluted suburban area. I do rinse with good ol' H2O on the other days in summer.)

Some days, I remember to use a leave-in curly hair conditioner. It helps especially on very dry days, when my wavy hair flattens out and gets static-y, and very humid ones, when it frizzes. I'm not sure I'll buy more after I'm through this tube, though --- might go back to the childhood routine of a little olive oil before I wash.

I do not own a hair-dryer; my hair air-dries and then I comb out tangles. No styling products either, though I used mousse occasionally when I had very short hair, just to change it up sometimes.

When I *do* go out to the city, I do have to wash my hair afterwards or the pollution sets off my allergies (itchy eyes, inflamed sinuses, scratchy throat).

I use hotel shampoos & conditioners when I travel (it's part of my job to assess those offerings), but I bring my leave-in curly hair conditioner in case there is trouble or disagreement between said products and my skin/hair.

My current skincare routine:

I don't 'wash' my face unless I'm out in the city or travelling or getting really mucky (gardening, painting). Just a splash of water in the morning or in the shower suffices most days. I don't use make-up on a daily basis. I do use lipstick, and maybe eyeliner, when I go out. Not waterproof formulations, so they come off with a little oil or cream.

For the rest of my body too, I don't necessarily use soap all over on a daily basis, just the sweaty bits most days. I'll only use soap on thighs and tummy only every 3-4 days, for example --- that's where my skin is really dry and itchy. Again, it helps hugely that I live in the near-rural suburbs; when I lived in the city, this was unthinkable! (it was shower gel and loofah twice a day, all over then, or endure the breaking out all over!)

I don't moisturise daily either. I use a little apricot oil for my face every 3-4 days perhaps (I rely on feel to remind me) in dry winter weather; in summer, my sunscreen's moisture usually suffices. For my body, I use a blended oil, switching formulations each time for variety and to prevent my skin getting 'accustomed' to it --- currently I have a blend of rice-bran oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, coconut oil and sandalwood oil.

My hands and feet are super-dry, though, and work very hard --- so they get treated to hand cream several times a day and foot cream daily. My lips are my Achilles' 'heel', prone to cracking and peeling, so Burt's Bees (or other beeswax-based) lip balm for them.

I'm rabid about using sunscreen, SPF 20-30, reapplied every couple of hours. SPF60 for swimming.

I don't exfoliate very regularly. For my body, I simply use a washcloth in the bath. In winter I sometimes use a bag of oats --- very soothing. For my face, I remember at best once or twice a month to use a sugar scrub (summer) or oatmeal scrub (winter). My feet I remember to soak (warm water, salt, teatree oil or lavender in alcohol base) and scrub weekly --- they let me know in no uncertain terms otherwise!

So much fun to hear what other people's beauty routines are!
I've been using Paula's Choice for close to 4 years. Their cleansers are very nice and I love their 2% beta hydroxy acid gel. I use Beautypedia a lot also! Plus Paula's choice makes my favorite lipstick (it's the same one I wear in all my posts). It is called Nude Illusion and is almost the color of my real lips (but better) and it is really moisturizing and has an spf of 20 in it!

Meredith, I spent a big chunk of Sunday night on beautypedia after I learned about it on this thread. I love it that she also delineates those things that she finds overpriced. I would love lipstick with SPF 20 !

Manidipa, thank you for your rundown !! I am in the same boat. I also want to simplify and become more environmentally friendly. A couple of years ago I switched all our cleaning solutions to Castile soap, vinegar, and baking soda. I use a biodegradeable toilet cleaner and biodegradeable wipes which I then compost since I clean with natural ingredients. My mop and duster are washable and I throw them in with towels to wash. I realize that I can't and don't want to go all crazy natural ( I don't want to go back to using a washboard ) , but I want to have some balance and minimize. This also results in less containers and manufacturing.

But back to skincare routines, etc. You approach is actually very non-Western, specifically, non-American. Where my family is from in Portugal, it was unthinkable to do a complete wash every day. Even the people who worked all day farming would wash with a basin and washcloth and then do an overall bath once a week. Apparently, in the US, up until the 60's, women washed their hair 1-2 months. ( I am not advocting that ). So this is relatively new to the US. I do like the way you consider what parts of your body need specifically.

Have you ever seen "No Impact Man ? " He really takes it to the limit and in the end decides it is all about balance.

My skincare routine has actually become more simplified since reading Angie's skin care blog posts a few months back. Used to be, I used a whole bunch of random products without really knowing what worked and what didn't, and I wasn't all that clear on what was worth the hassle.

That said, my current skin care regimen is extremely simple, and I'm looking to add in a few 'treatment' type products soon.

In the meantime, it's this:

PM - douse a cotton pad with Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup remover solution (best eye makeup remover ever), swipe across eyes, get rid of any/all eye-makeup. Next, I'll put classic Pond's Cold Cream on my dry/bare face and then rinse off with lukewarm water and a washcloth. That's it.

Yes I know - I should be putting on all kinds of fancy products, but ...the Ponds is working out quite well. I wake up with very soft and clean skin. I never get that tight and dry feeling when I just use the Pond's. Very happy to find that an old-school drugstore product can be so kind to my skin.

AM - On alternating days - it's either Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser OR Olay Pro-X Exfoliating Renewal Cleanser. Then it's Lancome High Resolution Collaser 5X Eye serum under my eyes, and on my eyelids. Sometimes I'll use a serum on the rest of my face, sometimes not (current favourite serums are: Lancome Collaser 5X Serum, Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum). Once the serum dries, then it's time for sunscreen. Best sunscreen I've found is Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunblock (SPF70). Once that's dried, I might sometimes apply Lancome La Base Pro primer in advance of applying makeup. I have to say though, that the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunblock SPF70 is so good that I don't really need a primer. Just that I happen to have some of the primer here anyway, and will use it from time to time. *Note: this is the very first time that I've found a sunblock/sunscreen that works well with makeup, and I'm extremely impressed with this particular sunblock - because it is thin/watery and non-greasy. It also dries to a nice finish so that when you're ready to apply makeup - there's no issue with oiliness, and the stuff stays on properly.

Meanwhile...

Don't laugh, but when Angie wrote those skin care blog posts - there were ads on my browser featuring Dove soaps, and my husband actually noticed these. We were both battling dry skin and itchiness and decided to try the Dove classic white bar soap for the shower - guess what? No more itchiness. The Dove white classic bar soap is amazing. I think my husband loves it even more than I do, and he used to be the kind of guy who'd want something like Irish Spring or along those lines. The Dove classic white bar soap is not overly scented and anyone can use it. My husband isn't going to use moisturizer after the shower or anything, but the Dove soap has made such a difference that it's not necessary anyway.

I also added Neutrogena Sesame oil upon a recommendation from the book, "Parisian Chic" and it has replaced all the umpteen moisturizers I was using on my body post-shower. Its fabulous - sinks in right away, and somehow works better than anything from the jumble of different body moisturizers I have cluttering up the vanity.

In terms of hair care - still on the expensive side.

Shampoo: either Tigi S-Factor Smoothing Shampoo or Kerastase Bain Chroma Riche

Conditioner: Tigi S-Factor Smoothing Conditioner, Fructis (drugstore brand) Sleek and Shine conditioner, or sometimes Tigi S-Factor Serious Conditioner with Sunflower Seed Oil (to die for!)

Styling Products: Kerastase Cimente Thermique (incredible) and/or Tigi S-Factor Heat Defender Shine Spray

All of that said, I just placed an order with SkinStore this morning for some Exuviance skin care products. I'm looking forward to receiving them and adding them into my routine. One of the items is a retinol product (Exuviance Rejuvenating Complex) with the idea being that I'd get my skin used to it before heading off to the derm for prescription strength retin-a.

I've been enjoying reading this thread - thanks to the OP for asking what everyone's up to in terms of skin care and shampoo.

VC, I used to try everything and anything. If it was in Allure magazine, I would try it. And I also never knew what would together or the order it should go in. Serums first, then treatment, then...or is it treatment then serum then sunblock. I also never went long enough to see it it worked. WIth the exception of ROC ( though I did switch to something else for a while . ) Allure did pick your make up remover as the best. Oh No !! I may have to buy it...LOL !

Angie's post also encouraged me to simply and stick to a plan !! I use the Dove cold cream and the Dove moisturizing cream and I love them both.

CORRECTION : It is not Dove that I use...it is Pond's. After everything that I tried, I ended up with Pond's .

I know what you mean Isabel - I was the same way, but am slowly coming around to "simpler is better" thanks to Angie's series of blog posts.

Like you, I never quite knew what to use in what order. I'm still a wee bit confused, but I'm getting closer to understanding

A note on the serums - just wanted to mention that although the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting serum is good, I noticed today that even though I waited for it to dry before applying the sunblock/sunscreen (Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Liquid Daily Sunblock SPF70), it still caused some flakiness. I did *not* experience this when I just used the sunblock all by itself. I think perhaps this particular serum might be somewhat exfoliating - which is a good thing, but maybe not so much when you're doing your morning routine and wanting to apply sunscreen and some makeup afterward. Meanwhile, the much-less-expensive Olay Regenerist regenerating serum (about half the price of the so-called 'micro sculpting' one in the red jar) does not seem to cause this flaky effect, and still moisturizes those areas you want moisturized in advance of sunscreen, then primer (or not) and then makeup.

As far as I can tell - for mornings:

1.cleanse
2.serum if you like
3.sunscreen/sunblock
4.primer (this is only to help your makeup stay on/apply better, it's not a skin-care item really)
5. apply makeup

Note: the sunscreen I found after trying umpteen different kinds (Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunblock SPF70) is very good - so good that you may not need primer at all.

Learned the hard way: let each layer dry first before applying the next layer - ie. if you apply serum after washing your face, let it sink in and dry before applying the sunscreen. Let the sunscreen dry/sink in before adding primer. If you add a primer, let that sink in/dry before doing makeup.

This will all get confused next week sometime when I get my order from SkinStore and try to implement some treatment products into the am/pm routines. Not giving up the eye makeup remover, the Pond's or the sunscreen (I must have tried 30 different sunscreens before finding this one that works well) though!

Isabel, with apologies for the hijack, just wanted to say I'm indeed in the same boat as you! The only commercial 'cleaners' I have at the moment are dish soap and toilet cleaner (and that too because of excessively hard water more than hygiene). Baking soda, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide work for almost everything around the house; and while we have no biodegradable or organic brands of cleaners in India yet, I managed to find a local store that makes their own natural laundry soap (when I run out of that, I use soapnuts).

Like you, I'm not a great fan of going back to the medieval era --- but if I can minimize my environmental impact without great inconvenience, that makes me happy.

It's worth remembering, too, I think that soap and its promotion came *before* showers and taps (ie running water supplies), in a far less hygienic era. I don't know how hygienic sitting around in stagnant bath water (the old Western way) or taking a dip in the nearest pond (our way) is compared to actually sluicing and rinsing yourself in clear running hot water (as in a shower). Yet we all still do these, yes? It's easy to forget that the skin is designed to 'clean' itself and deal with germs on its own, within limits.

And yes, while I can't go as far as No-Impact Man, what I can do without derailing my life and upsetting my whole family, I do try and do! After all, I'm still using sunscreen and there's no especially eco-friendly version of that yet.

I also loved Angie's skincare posts, and it's fun to read about everyone's routines. For my hair, I wash it every other day and condition it every day. Depending on my morning, I either blowdry or airdry but, either way, I use product (a root volumizer + pomade). For my skin, I only wash my face in the evening. In the morning, I splash it a bit in the shower and then apply a serum, eye cream, and moisturizer (I like Korres for the serum/eye cream, and Alba for the moisturizer). Sunscreen is an absolute must, every day. It's in my moisturizer and in my makeup. I wear some makeup everyday (eyeliner, concealer, blush, a little lip color) -- just enough to look awake. I add in a tinted moisturizer, eye shadow, and bronzer if I have time.