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I have had this problem, unfortunately, for about 20 years. Over the years I have watched it get worse and worse. I continue to research this problem and try different remedies. I can share some of my experiences.
Laser treatments help slow and diminish the growth. But lasers only work if you have very light/white skin and dark hair. Laser treatments are also very expensive, about $100 a pop where I live.
Various forms of electrolysis are also expensive, as well as terribly painful, and did not help me in the slightest.
For maintenance I do shave. If your skin is irritated, try applying a thick yet gentle facial cleanser when you shave. Wash it off and then apply a good moisturizer such as almond oil or other natural oil...nothing that will sting or clog pores.
The main cure is to look at your hormones. Yes, too much testosterone is the cause. I have noticed when I eat too much sugar or processed carbohydrates (such as popcorn and bread) over a long period of time (even a couple weeks) my hair growth will increase. The more you can reduce your testosterone levels and balance your hormones in general, the less hair you should have.
For us girls with pcos (polycystic ovarian syndrome) losing weight is a must. It is also very difficult. I've found ACV plus lots of exercise helps me lose weight. Exercise will also help your body convert testosterone into female hormones.
What has worked for me and what didn't? I tried Saw Palmetto (supposed to lower testosterone rates in men and some women) for years with no results. I also tried progesterone creme on several occasions and each time it made me hemmorage!!!
I also tried Ted's lime/baking soda cure for calcified ovaries/pcos and found it made me itch all over and dried out my skin.
Vitex - Vitex is recommended for women who don't ovulate and therefore don't produce any progesterone to counteract estrogen. This can cause heavy bleeding. I began taking vitex and did find it lessened my bleeding. After a while I realized I was taking too much (3 capsules x day instead of 1 capsule each day). When I reduced my dosage my bleeding lessened even more. Finally, I stopped the vitex all together and the bleeding almost totally went away. This was combined with weight loss and lots of exercise.
Inositol is a form of b vitamin (B8) that is supposed to be good for women with pcos and I do believe it helps me. "This vitamin prevents hardening of the arteries and is important in the formation of lecithin. It also plays a part in the metabolism of fat and cholesterol, and removes fats from the liver. Inositol is also known to have a calming effect. It is found in Brewer?s yeast, fruits, lecithin, legumes, meats, milk, unrefined molasses, raisins, vegetables, and whole grains." according to a site where I buy supplements.
I also tried Edgar Cayce's castor oil pack remedy, but I've never been able to do it consistently. When I wasn't having a period it would help me have one. But if you are bleeding you are not supposed to use them because castor oil can increase the bleeding.
I have also tried liver flushes and just about every remedy under the sun. The hardest is lifestyle change.
There is a book out about pcos written by a woman physician who helps women with pcos. But the diet is so strict it's ridiculous. And, she recommends tons of expensive supplements that she also happens to sell. I am believing more and more in EarthClinic remedies and less and less in tons of supplements.
In the past year I've read two articles that say mint (and green) teas lower testosterone levels. The first story said men in India complained of a lessened libido (lowered testosterone) after drinking lots of mint tea. A story I read yesterday in Allure magazine's November 2007 edition said women may benefit from drinking mint tea because it lowers testosterone levels.
I've been taking BSM (black strap molasses) for a month and it took away my heavy lingering bleeding, a side effect of too much estrogen. It has helped me the most in regards to my hormones of all the remedies I have tried. I will watch to see if it lessens my hair growth and pcos symptoms.
PCOS is such a tough ailment to address and has many symptoms. I constantly have to remind myself that it involves a huge lifestyle change including LOTS of exercise, elimination of sugar and processed carbohydrates, lots of veggies and the right supplements.
I am taking ACV (apple cider vinegar) and BSM (black strap molasses) and I believe these help lessen my sugar cravings. (The more sugar/processed foods I eat, the more I crave them.) I also think green tea does help. My sugar cravings are almost non-existent these days. I have had basically zero sugar and alcohol for the past 6 weeks. If you have to have something sweet try eating a little dark chocolate, preferably following a meal.
Ted recommends drinking a large glass of water after eating sugar to lessen the effects on blood sugar and hormones.
I also eat regularly. Do not starve yourself because allowing yourself to be hungry further messes with your hormones. Eating every 3-4 hours and making good food choices will help speed up your metabolism. Find exercise that you love and do some every day.
I had fibromyalgia for 9 years and was able to heal my body from it. I have to remind myself I can heal from pcos, too. But I think it's even tougher than the fibro! It's so hard to make lifestyle changes...especially when you have a huge sweet tooth and your body is prone to manfunctioning...but you will only change when you get sick and tired enough of your problems.
Be patient with yourself and keep trying. Try only changing one or two things until you can incorporate them into your lifestyle. Fast change does not work. If you can't change your diet drastically, then at least start exercising. If all you can do is start drinking green tea with mint added then drink tea. Find something you can change and get started.
It's very hard, but I know some women have successfully shed the weight and reduced or eliminated their symptoms altogether.
Good luck. I am trying right along with you all
★★★★★
★★★★★
- organic ground flaxseed
- coconut oil
- Himalayan Pink Salt
- a few drops of tea tree oil
**also after having a cup of lemon zinger tea I emptied the contents of the tea bag into the mixture with a little bit of boiling hot, store bought distilled water **
Well, because the flaxseed thickens and gets super slimmy it went from a scrub to more of a mask that I left on for about 15 minutes after it was dry, then I added little warm water & was able to use it as an exfoliating scrub after all, a gentle once over and my face felt and smelled amazing, my skin was so smooth and it was brighter.
As I said before, usually that hideous hair showed up about every 9 weeks but it's been over 12 weeks since I used the scrub and NO HAIR ON MY CHIN!!! *
*I think using the boiling water brought out the oil from the flaxseed but please don't take that as fact I'm only guessing
** I am convinced it was the flaxseed bc I've been using the other ingredients for a while, and the hair was still coming back. now I just boil some water add it to the ground flaxseed, Pink salt and coconut oil, paint it on, let it dry then scrub myself head to toe ...my skin is so happy smoothe and it even seems that the little bit of cellulite I began to notice About a year ago (butt and thighs) seems not so visible these days...
Probably use this 3 or 4 Times a week for body and for face I just add boiling water to ground flaxseed for a sticky but soothing moisturizing skin brightener just about daily....
★★★★★
From the time I started using the gel and oil I noticed the hair on my chin had stopped growing, I kept feeling for hair to pluck and NOTHING..It has been 6 weeks and to date I have pulled out 3 hairs.....This is so weird...I figured if it is the oils then when I stopped using them the hair would return..but it hasn't.
★★★★★
Namaste
Mint Tea
★★★★★
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
★★★★★
★★★★★
Peppermint Tea
★★★★★
SARAH, we are not GUYS... That's why we are here... Try not to use YOU GUYS to girls/females as it is offensive.. That's like saying YOU MEN.. We already have problems with excess hair.. We don't need to be compared to men!
Blackstrap Molasses
★★★★★
Blackstrap Molasses
Alum and Rose Water
★★★★★
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
★★★★☆
Mint Tea
Mint Tea
★★★★☆
I've been getting electrolysis for almost a year now, on a weekly basis and I'm starting to see results... But it takes a long time!
Anyways, on to mint tea. I read that it helps with excess facial hair, by blocking free testosterone in your body (or something of that nature). I can honestly say that I notice a big difference during the weeks that I drink mint tea daily vs. weeks where I forget. The growth of the dark hair is minimilised considerably.
For anyone battling annoying facial hair, I suggest you try it. You have nothing to lose, as it's delicious and nutritious! I buy plain old peppermint tea bags from the grocery store.
Hope it works for you!
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
EC: Hilarious!!
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
Multiple Remedies
★★★★★
Cocoa Butter, Calomel, Epsom Salt
Multiple Remedies
Hopefully, you are still reading this blog. Sorry it has taken me this long to respond, I have been soo busy with in my life the past year. I hope you found something that works for you to balance your horomones. To give you an update, I have lost about 25 lbs since I last posted, I took the acv off and and on and I came back to earth clinic to see if I could find a treatment for eczema when running across this old post. I lost my weight by cutting down my carbs to about 30grams a day while doing some activity but not much. Also I was not too consistent with my dieting. From reading your post it sounds like you may also have PCOS if you're unable to lose weight and your testosterone is running high. The main problem with PCOS is that in most women it throws off insulin and makes it spike up. PCOS tends to run in women that have diabetes in their family. The theory behind the elevated insulin is that the cell receptors responsible for processing sugar and insulin are not working properly so after eating a meal containing carbs, or sugar the body cannot properly metabolize those types of food and instead of using the food for fuel our bodies store it as fat because after the cells wont use up the sugar/carbs in the food the body cannot let all this sugar roam about so than the body produces LARGE amounts of insulin to counteract in order to lower the blood sugar. This is also the reason why diabetes is a risk factor for pcos because after the pancreas has spent countless years trying to produce insulin to counteract a high carb meal, eventually the pancreas will start to fail and the body has no way to bring down sugar levels in the body and that's what diabetes actually is "high sugar. " The problem with PCOS however, is that as long as your body is producing these large numbers of insulin your body will almost find it impossible to go into its fat storage in order to use fat for fuel. And that is the main culprit of PCOS. Once insulin is high than it will cause a chain reaction to testosterone to elevate and other hormones as well. So the key again is to lower insulin and unfortunately one of the quickest and most effective ways to lower it is by either being on medication such as metformin or others, or by following a low carb diet (but not necessarily high fat). Now since you are vegetarian I'm sure that it may not be an easy thing to do but you can still cut out the bad carbs such as simple carbs and sugar. You can eat things like beans such as lentils, eggs or egg whites, veggies, and if you're gonna eat bread I found a GREAT low carb bread from a company that sells online only (just type in low carb bread, they are based out of CA) that has breads that are made from all organic, high fiber foods (9 grams of fiber per slice or so) That has been a lifesaver for me. Good luck to you, btw exercising with some weights is also good. Studies show that it helps the cells process sugar better therefore, allowing fat storages to have a decent chance to be burned. Good luck to you!
Alum and Rose Water
I'm assuming if I use this on my face it will work the same as body hair, is that correct? I don't see why not.
Do I need to remove the hair before I apply the alum and rose water? and if I wax can I apply the alum and rose water straight after or will it be too strong?
Thank you all so much for your help :)
For the last 2 years I have been getting my facial hairs threaded and after I dip my solid shaving alum into rosewater and rub it on my face, it stings a little but it has not removed my hair at all, I've been doing this for the last 2 years. I can't find alum powder here in Australia so I guess shaving alum was the wrong kind.
Alum and Rose Water
Have you checked the cooking and spice section of your grocery store for Alum? It's very common item here in the US.
Out of curiosity, I just checked Amazon's Australia web site and see it doesn't show up there. Very odd indeed. Maybe an international grocery store will have it in the spice section.
Alum and Rose Water
Alum and Rose Water
Research online if unsure but generally you can buy Alum powder 250 gr for around $10.50.
Rose water is available in the cake section of supermarkets as it is used for icing mixtures..or you can get it from the local health food shop for a bit more expense..
Living in Sydney you should have a much better access to these than where I live, and I can buy them locally.
Email me if you are unable to access any and I'll do what I can for you!
Peppermint Tea
★☆☆☆☆
Could you tell me what blackstrap molassses is? please.
Thanks Beth.
Peppermint Tea
Peppermint Tea
Peppermint Tea
★☆☆☆☆
Mint Tea
★☆☆☆☆
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
EC: We've seen rose water sold in all Indian, Middle Eastern, and international grocery stores. Very cheap item! Otherwise, check Google or Amazon: http://www.google.com/products?q=rose+water&hl=en&aq=f
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
EC: From: http://hairremoval.about.com/od/threading/f/facialthreading.htm
"Facial hair threading, a technique using a string to remove hair passed down through generations in eastern countries is becoming extremely popular here for many reasons, like being chemical-free and gentle to the skin."
"The process uses a cotton string using a twisting motion, to trap hair in a mini lasso that pulls up each hair right out of the follicle as it passes along the skin."
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
threading and epilation are just fancy tweezing methods. The hair is ripped from the follicle causing damage each time. If this cycle is repeated often enough to the same hair follicle(this is the trick-more than one follicle may grow from a site and hair must be in the active phase to be effectively destroyed so multiple rounds will be required to destroy it. )regrowth will be inhibited. Women from India and the Middle East are very hairy-it is genetic. North Americans are next in terms of body hair, while sub-saharan Africans and persons from the Orient(Chinese, Japanese, Thailand etc. have the least amount of facial and body hair. Of course many people are a mixture of different ethnicities and reflect the combination of genes in regards to amount of hair. Women with serious excess should have medical evaluations done and the next groups for whom it is genetic, familial or socially undesirable (fashion has now decided that hair anywhere is to be removed) have a variety of methods. The only permanent method in the hands of a trained and capable operator is electrolysis. All other methods- laser, even waxing of large areas, threading, are temporary.
Laser does not work on light -colored hair or grey hair and special lasers afre required if you have pigmented skin and dark hair. All of these methods are expensive and time-consuming. If you wax, shave, pluck, tweeze, epilate or remove hair forcibly from the follicle, you need to exfoliate to prevent ingrown hairs especially if you have thick hair, textured hair or curly hair.
One problem with laser removal is that it can stimulate hair that might never become a problem. It will make these hair darker and coarser and it will appear that the laser it not working when it in effect is causing other hair to grow and thicken. We have millions of hairs and most of it will not grow to any visible degree unless stimulated-you can see this when you take a cast off after many weeks. To the woman who grew hair after laser, you probably want to use electrolysis especiall from a person who works on males transitiong to females because these operators are very good at getting at the follicle. If you have been epilating the hair using any of the above-mentioned methods, then electrolysis will take longer.
The other alternative for those who have no real problem but are victims of fashion, maybe it is time to rebel against the imposition of fashion nonsense and simply love ourselves. this does not apply to women who have hirsuitism or real excess that is socially and or psychologically disabling.
One treatment I forgot are creams that are available from your doctor that are effective in inhibiting hair growth. They work, but must be used on a regular basis and if stopped, the hair grows back. It would be a good alternative for some people who do not mind having to use a cream everyday.
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
I actually used it for a bout of gingivitis..... A mouth wash. Now, my subsequesnt understanding is that there is a DIFFERENCE between the naturally occurring Alum and the synthetic version..... I have no idea, which is which.... Other than I have been getting the natural version from the Filipino grocery. It is also reputed to be good for all types of skin issues.... Like athletes foot. I believe the natural version is Potassium Alum.
If you look closely at the ingredients in a lot of toothpastes, you will see that Alum is often an ingredient. It is also a common ingredient of underarm deodorants.
What I do is mash it with a hammer, put it in a coffee mug of water, about 2 tablespoons (which makes it about a 5-1 mixture) and then HEAT IT UP. Put it in the microwave oven about the same time you would to re-heat a cup of coffee.... It will DISSOLVE, but it has to be hot to do so! ..... then, let it cool down before you apply to your skin (but stir it up each time you use it), or use as a mouth wash.
Now, I used this recipe for the mouth wash.... I don't know what one needs to do for hair removal. My wife tells me that if you use it for your feet, you make a footbath out of it. Fill a large pot/bowl and soak your feet for 20 minutes.... that sort of thing.
Good Luck! ... I sincerely hope some of this helps some one.
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
I microwaved the rose water in a pyrex measuring cup, and dissolved the alum in that. I put the solution in a small applicator bottle (I emptied out my 'anti-puff Eye Roller' by ______ which has a steel roller on the top for the applicator. I never realized any benefit from this goofy thing anyway, so I figured I may as well make use of the container. ) This is the perfect solution for small areas such as the face. It's small, convenient and no mess, which is what it needs to be in order for me to keep with the regimen. I either have it handy in my pencil holder at my desk, or in my makeup basket, and use it several times a day. I've just been doing this for the past couple weeks, but can already tell the difference... With no epilator, by the way!
Although not sure, I'm not convinced that it matters if it dries or not - it's still on your skin. I used alum in powder form, from grocery store.
Cocoa Butter, Calomel, Epsom Salt
EC: Calomel, aka Mercury Chloride, was an old-time remedy. Read this page from an 1854 magazine called "The Eclectic Medical Journal"on google books.
Also see:
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Calomel
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury(I)_chloride
"Safety considerations
Main article: Mercury poisoning
Mercurous chloride is toxic, although due to its low solubility in water it is generally less dangerous than its mercuric chloride counterpart. It was used in medicine as a diuretic and purgative (laxative) in the U.S. from the early 1830s through the 1860s. Calomel was also a common ingredient in teething powders in Britain up until 1954, causing widespread mercury poisoning in the form of pink disease, which at the time had a mortality rate of 1 in 10.[6] These medicinal uses were later discontinued when the compound's toxicity was discovered.
It has also found uses in cosmetics as soaps and skin lightening creams, but these preparations are now illegal to manufacture or import in many countries including U.S., Canada, Japan and Europe. A study of workers involved in the production of these preparations showed that the sodium salt of 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid (DMPS) was effective in lowering the body burden of mercury and in decreasing the urinary mercury concentration to normal levels.
Cocoa Butter, Calomel, Epsom Salt
(A) Do not shave off, do not attempt to bleach or dye, but use this mixture:
Cocoa Butter......... 3 drams,
Calomel.............. 2 grains,
Epsom Salts......... 20 grains. Mix these thoroughly, as with mortise and pestle. Massage this ointment gently in the areas where there are the disturbances from superfluous hair, and after leaving on for fifteen to twenty minutes, rub off. This used as an ointment will remove hair without injury to the body. To be sure, mercury is in the calomel, and this is a poison, but with this combination and in this quantity there is not sufficient for a body to absorb enough to become detrimental to the body-forces. After this is used, as the base for a better skin condition use the Genuine Black and White Cream.
Multiple Remedies
Multiple Remedies
lol. Well, 7 years later, I've unintentionally found my old post, and your response. Thanks. You were right; I do have PCOS. I was diagnosed a couple years ago. I have been doing some reading - trying to piece everything together - and what you've written is a confirmation for me. So thank you.
It is SO hard to eat low carb as a vegetarian. Even harder when you can't have dairy or anything that spikes insulin. I have found that Dr. Eric Berg has a few recipes that look decent on youtube. He does them with his wife. I'll try to get back on the wagon, and make it stick this time.
Thanks again. Maybe in several years, you'll run across this post. lol
Blackstrap Molasses
Coconut Oil, Flaxseed Oil
Coconut Oil, Flaxseed Oil
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
★★★☆☆
WORKED TEMPORARILY
Hello everyone, Right after I wax I dip the solid shaving alum into a bowl with rosewater in it and apply it to the skin for an hour or half an hour depending on the area. It does sting a lot but it's worth it. I use this on my face, arms and legs.
I have noticed a huge difference, the hairs are lighter, thinner, take longer to grow out and I have a few bald spots.
But if I don't wax for 2 months the hair grow back in the bald spots, I thought the alum and rosewater was supposed to permanently get rid of the hair but the hairs are still there, they just take longer to grow back and are much thinner.
Is alum and rosewater supposed to get rid of hairs permanently or am I mistaken?
Can anyone please tell me why this is happening? Do I need to be more patient?
Thanks for all your help by introducing this method to me and thank you in advance for all your answers :)
Thanks for sharing the update.
Did you continue using the rose water and alum? Was there any improvement?
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
Epilator, Alum and Rose Water
Peppermint Tea
★☆☆☆☆
Laser Hair Removal
Before going for my therapy I would stay out of the sun to keep my face from getting tan and the dermatologist can also give a bleaching cream to lighten the skin if you need it before the therapy. The lazer does work best on darker thicker hair. I had to go about 10 times and I didn't have anymore hair growth for about a year and you have to go back once every 6 months to a year and have one treatment to keep it maintained.
The hair that grows after the treatment is not the same hairs that were treated with the lazer before- it is new ones that are coming back. The hair that is treated with the lazer doesn't come back because the lazer destroys the hair follicle. You can't just go and have treatments and never go back to keep it maintained because with this hair growth problem you will always have new hair growth. It doesn't work for people with blonde or gray hair but I was told by my technician that they are working on developing a lazer that will target light haired people.
The lazer does work for dark haired people but you have to keep it mainted. I am stuck out in the boonies in canada and don't have access to lazer now and I'd love to go get treatments because it's been 2 years since my last treatment and now I'm starting to look like a man again lol
