Keeping Up Appearances - How to look good while feeling ill

That bathroom business sounds very difficult @Yessica.

I wonder if the rinsing out would be difficult in your current situation? Also would this not be equally hard on the arms?

The other option which is not an option currently, mainly but not only thanks to covid, would be dreadlocks. A friend of mine has them and no longer needs to wash her hair as usual. Not sure exactly what she dies instead but I could try to find out?

 

A few years ago I started using this to wash my hair with.

(It rinses out easily and is also kind to scalp/skin); I do it while I have a shower (seated in the bath) every other day.

 

I know you said you react to a lot of things but, just in case you didn’t know, most dry shampoos (or eco ones anyway) are based on cornflour. I imagine you could ‘just’ powder your hair and then brush it out. Probably in stages.

Another idea I’ve found works for my dog (but definitely not for everyone) is washing in salt water (and not rinsing the salt out). It’s a variant of the no-poo so you may have already tried it. It leaves a bit of salt in your hair which absorbs oils and can be brushed out over a few days. Might be better for short hair than long though. And your skin needs to tend to being oily - would dry your skin and hair.

And last but not least: I oil my hair instead. Olive oil or argon oil or whatever stable oil you can find that doesn’t smell too much for you. Test it on a bit of skin for a day or so first (in case your skin doesn’t like it). I heard it about it when reading up on romans. They oiled rather than soaping. (But they also bathed). Oil is a good solvent for the oils in your hair. Less is more, and you do need to brush (to clean your scalp) and towel (to clean off excess oil and any of the dirt the oil lifted).

I have no idea if any of these will help but the last one was what I did for a month at a time for years (oil, brush, put in two braids, leave until messy, then brush & rebraid, ...). It means that when you do get to the soapy shower (yes fragrance free dishwash can be much more effective if you can stand it and rinse really well) your hair looks amazing. And in the meantime your braids look much tidier.

These days I alternate.

It’s just stuff I’ve tried.

Everyone’s hair and scalp react differently.

My only advice is what my grandmother told me (from wartime): keep up the brushing, especially of your scalp. If you can. The thing that causes problems is anything that stays on your skin for too long and breeds irritations.

It’s all a lot of work. I’m sorry.

 

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and ideas!

 

I’ve read through the whole tread, and if it’s alright, I’d like to cut into a new topic.
Clothes.
How, where do you get pretty and comfortable clothes?

I’m from a tiny country & rarely buy my own cloths. I have tons & tons of hand downs from family. I have a bulking out closet that I’m trying to weed out. It’s kinda working.

what do you wear for pants? My daughter (14 months) gets my pants dirty so it’s a 1day & in the laundry kinda deal. I sometimes wear them way longer then I should.

 

'Pants' means different things in different countries, do you mean trousers or underwear?

 

trousers. The stuff people see, the outer layer of clothes.

 

Re keeping hair and self clean while in bed.

I recently came across these no rinse products -

The no rinse shampoo cap - they can also be bought in packs of 24

https://www.completecareshop.co.uk/personal-care/aids-for-hair-washing/no-rinse-shampoo-cap

The same place do a no rinse shampoo & body wash bundle. These are wet products that need to be lathered then wiped off though so probably still more effort than a wet wipe type thing. I'll stick the kink here in case anyone is interested -

https://www.completecareshop.co.uk/...g/water-free-body-wash-and-shampoo-offer-pack

 

I tend you wear yoga gear. I prefer the ones that look looser than leggings and I find them easier to pull on.

They are comfortable enough that I can go and have a nap without changing, if I need to sit on the floor (to prevent falling any further) then I can comfortably do that too. They tend to keep their shape well and don't go baggy and saggy, even if you end up wearing them for a day longer than expected.

If someone does call at the door, I don't look like a right lazy cow still in my pjs and can pass myself off as being mid yoga practise!

I tend to go for darker colours and if I want to gussy it up a bit then a nice top, or a cardi over a plain tee, or even a scarf or pretty neck snood (I like the seasalt handybands) can lift the look a bit.

I usually wait until the sales and then splurge a couple of pairs that are usually more expensive but good quality & will last.

 

I love yoga pants! They look better on me than the sweat pants I used to wear. I wear yoga pants with a long top when I go out.

And while we're talking yoga pants, I did like this meme.

 

I will test out the shampoo and report back

 

I got both shampoo and body wash and have tried both...and am very impressed.

Showering and hair- washing are both problems for me, so i was interested to see if these would work. I got small travel sizes, and even if you want bigger bottles I would buy smaller first, and decant as this size are easy to use in bed.

Bodywash:- soapy clean smell. Easy to use on body. Felt fresh and clean after. Much better than baby wipes, easy to do without sitting up.

Shampoo- easy to use and MUCH easier than using water/ shower. I waited until hair was a week after washing. I applied without problems lying down, scrunched in a bit, towel dried a bit then lay on the towel to airdry.

Hair smells and feels clean, grease has gone- this will keep me going between showers. i have a bob, and it would require much more physical ability on long hair ( although you could always just use on scalp and roots.)
No allergic reaction ( and I have very sensitive skin prone to excema).

highly recommended- Happy Days!

 

Ooooh ...

Somewhere on here I mentioned Nilaqua, which is another no-rinse shampoo. My caree uses it occasionally.

 

I need to mention these here before I forget! The comfiest and softest trousers!

I live in pyjamas but really miss wearing nice clothes. I have a lot of dresses in my wardrobe, but find leggings difficult (they have to be tight when you wear them, to keep them up), and tights (too tight and painful). When I had to go to hospital I needed something comfy to wear there - I bought these trousers from Lucy and Yak

Spoiler: Lucy and yak trousers

they have the softest wide elastic waistband. And cotton. really wide sizing (so you’ll often need to size down at least 1-2 sizes).and they look really flattering on too. I wore these high waisted, with a fitted top. my mum said it looked really nice on me.

they are called “Alexa”. on Lucy and yaks website.https://lucyandyak.com/pages/search-results?type=product,article,page&q=Alexa
They have it in dark blue, black, forest green, dark pink etc

I highly recommend Lucy and yak for soft elasticated designs , it is the softest waistband I have ever come across, they have the Kia trousers too which are more fitted with a slighter tighter elastic waist.

 

I just wrote a blog post about beauty and using makeup when you have very low energy and chronic illness. I thought PwME here might enjoy the blog!

https://rosarainbows.wordpress.com/...auty-tips-for-low-energy-and-chronic-illness/

I’ve recently had a little bit more energy - physically especially - which means I have been able to sit up halfway in my reclined bed and do my makeup. It’s been bringing me so much joy. One of those “little things” that is a big thing really. It’s been wonderful experimenting with products, but because I don’t have the energy I can’t do a proper makeup routine like the ones people usually do! It makes me tired to use beauty blenders, brushes etc.

So I found some multi-tasking and really easy-to-use products such as lip & cheek stains and colour correctors, which only require your fingers and some quick dabbing. That helps me to do my makeup. I included products I like too - including some natural makeup products which are better for sensitivities and allergies. I thought this might all be useful for other PwME too.

 

I tried this when I was in hospital. (The shampoo cap). Not sure if it’s the same one, but it actually makes your hair quite wet, and then I was left with long wet hair and no hair dryer! I was shivering for about 2 hours! So incase anyone uses the shampoo caps: they actually do make your hair really quite wet, just not as wet as washing hair with water.

At the moment I’ve been using dry shampoo a lot. Just putting a FFP2 mask on so I don’t cough, and then spraying my hair with dry shampoo, it helps my hair stay looking/feeling ok for a while.

 

For pretty and comfortable clothes, I buy trousers from a site called ASOS - not sure if that is available where you are. But they have a large selection, just typing in “trousers” brings up lots of trousers which have elastic bands and are a pull on style, and no zips / buttons / other fastenings. For example I typed in “wide leg trousers” recently and found some floral print wide leg elasticated waist trousers, and light green wide leg elasticated trousers with daisies on from Mango. from sizes U.K. 4 to U.K. 16 I think. They have a product description for each item that says if it has zips, what type of fabric and fit etc.
https://www.asos.com/women/

I like Lucy and Yak. Their Alexas (which I mentioned above). Very, very soft elasticated waist. And they also come in a good size range, XS to 4XL. (UK6 - U.K.32) https://lucyandyak.com/collections/organic-cotton-trousers