Beauty and the PCOS!

As any woman with PCOS knows, the symptoms that come with this condition can take its toll on the way we look. Fortunately, there are ways to feel better about ourselves. I wanted to put together a page on this online community that details the things I have learned and do frequently. Some of them are done occasionally and others are done just a couple times a week to make myself feel prettier on down days. I have separated things out in different sections to make it easier to read!

Facial and Body Hair

Slow and steady wins the race! This is the way you should shave. That goes for the hair on your face and body. Being slow and careful with the razor will decrease your chances of getting nicks and cuts.
Make sure the area is wet and use shaving cream. The one below is a great option:

Make sure the razor you use for your face is different than the one you use for your body.
Apply rubbing alcohol on the blades a few minutes prior to use to kill bacteria on them.

Hair

A lot of women with PCOS have to deal with thinning and balding of the hair on their heads. In addition to getting hormones under control, you are going to want to treat your hair well with the right products. Here are some things you can do:

Peppermint and rosemary essential oil are said to help with hair growth. You could try adding them to your hair products if you are having an issue with hair loss (even if you aren't it is still beneficial!)
Use a weekly hair mask for strengthening, growth and moisturization.

A great mask idea involves using protein and moisturizing ingredients. The items pictured above plus oil are an example of things you can use. Here is a recipe that includes them:

1-2 tbsp of oil (olive, sweet almond, jojoba, avocado, sunflower, pumpkin seed and grapeseed are great choices)
2 tbsp of full fat mayonnaise
1 egg
1 tbsp of honey
6 drops of rosemary essential oil

Double this recipe if need be ( I have to). Apply it to your hair and make sure to pay special attention to your scalp. Put on a shower cap or wrap you hair in a towel (to trap in heat for more moisturizing benefits) and keep on for 45 minutes. Shampoo and condition afterwards.

Use a peppermint or essential oil hair rinse after shampooing and conditioning your hair. Put 12-16 drops of one of those oils in four cups of boiling water. Allow to cool down for a while. Poor over hair in the shower.
Aloe Vera juice is great for hair growth and moisturization. You could make a moisturizing hair spray by mixing it with water and some type of oil.
Pumpkin seed and jojoba oil are supposed to be great for reducing hair loss.

Skin

A lot of us struggle with acne. If you are like me and have dark skin, you will probably get hyperpigmentation (dark marks) as well. Oiliness is another common problem we have. Read on for some the things to try for your skin in addition to or instead of prescription treatments.

Skin scrubs: these are wonderful for improving the health of your skin and making it really smooth. It is really easy to whip up your own scrub using brown sugar and oil. Sea salt is another good choice as a scrub. For your face, I highly recommend the MicroPolish from Makeup Artist's choice (see here: https://www.makeupartistschoice.com/Micro-Polish_p_135.html). It is amazing.
Body acne: if you suffer with acne popping up on your body, the CerVe SA (salicylic acid) body wash is a great choice of product for the shower.
Cheap acne routine: if you are like me and don't have that much money, you will want to find a way to treat your skin issues while keeping the spending down. Organic aloe vera gel and salt water are great options. They both help with acne and hyperpigmentation (among other things). What you can do is cleanse, apply a salt water toner and then put on aloe vera gel. You should follow up wtih a moisturizer. If you have the money to spend on the more expensive skincare products, then go ahead!
Make sure to check out Makeup Artist's Choice for some wonderful products.
For well priced products, check out The Ordinary. I am using two serums from there and I really like them so far.
Face masks: I think the DIY kind is the best! A lot of the ingredients that are good to use are already in your house. I have begun using a pumpkin mask twice a week and my skin is starting to even out a bit more (I have a pretty severe case of hyperpigmentation). The recipe is in my blog post but I will put it here too:

1/4 cup of pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of oil ( I use sweet almond oil for this recipe)

Spread this mixture on your face and let it sit for 15-45 minutes (I end up doing 45). You will need to use a wet towel to get it off as it will harden a bit. Rinse your face off afterwards. There are a lot of ready-made pumpkin masks on the market that you can look into buying.

Oils: It is a myth that all oils cause skin to breakout. Here are some great ones to consider using on your skin (I am not a fan of coconut oil but you can use it if you want):

Papaya- It is high in vitamin A and also contains fatty acids. It is great for moisturizing, massaging and evening out the skin tone.
Sweet almond-Great for moisturizing skin and massaging.
Olive-It is said to be anti-aging because of the antioxidants it contains. Great for moisturizing and removing makeup.
Cacay- Rich in retinol and vitamin E. It heals acne and evens out skin tone.
Rosehip- Rich in retinol. Good for acne,hyperpigmentation and fine lines.
Jojoba- Healing and calming to skin issues. Moisturizing without being too oily.

Luxurious body moisturizer: Mix olive oil with Vaseline and the skin on your body will thank you.
Facial massage: If you are also dealing with facial aging, you could do massages everyday. There are many routines that can be found on YouTube. I personally love doing a Gua Sha massage every night (see here:http://thechilltimes.com/what-the-fck-is-gua-sha-a-beginners-guide-to-this-ancient-massage-tool/).

That is all I have for this page. If anyone reading this has something else to add on to the topic of beauty and PCOS, please don't hesitate to let me(and everyone else) know. Tips and information are always welcome!