All natural skin care

[KudosKids]

I apologize in advance if this is already a topic. I did search for it and could not find it.

I have been struggling with acne since I hit puberty and it has only gotten worse as time goes on. I've used every product under the sun. So now I have decided to try and take a all natural route with home remedies. I was curious if anyone here has tested and passed or failed with home remedy acne treatments? And which ones were they? Although all of you ladies have seemingly perfect and glowing skin on cam. I thought just maybe......

 

[Gen]

I used to get quite a few spots on my chin, sometimes on my forehead or cheeks. Using coconut oil as a moisturizer really helped, I have quite clear skin now!

I just wash my face once or twice a day, with whatever cleanser is on hand, then smear a bunch of coconut oil all over. No clue how or why it works, but it keeps my face from getting oily and it doesn't dry out, either. It makes me feel smooth as a freshly waxed coochie! (it also works for a hair treatment, or eye makeup remover)

 

[MadisonxJade]

I tried an all natural regimen for my skin and it didn't help. But! One natural thing that helped me a somewhat before I incorporated a chemical was increasing my water intake an examining my diet. Many people believe that the placement of acne can show a possible allergy to different types of food.

 

[AngelicTease]

I used to get quite a few spots on my chin, sometimes on my forehead or cheeks. Using coconut oil as a moisturizer really helped, I have quite clear skin now!

I just wash my face once or twice a day, with whatever cleanser is on hand, then smear a bunch of coconut oil all over. No clue how or why it works, but it keeps my face from getting oily and it doesn't dry out, either. It makes me feel smooth as a freshly waxed coochie! (it also works for a hair treatment, or eye makeup remover)

I could just have weird skin or something, but when I used coconut oil on my face for dry skin, it actually made me get more spots! I rarely ever get spots and suddenly had quite a few, it sucked.
It's good it works for you though, probably works for everyone else too and I'm just weird.

 

[Gen]

Yeah it's probably different for everyone! If you do buy it and it doesn't work, you can always cook with it :-D

 

[LovelyLucille]

I swear my brain just seeks out threads about skincare because I might be... just a little bit obsessed...

I could literally talk anyone's ear off all day every day about skincare, I'm sure, since there's so much to it but I'll try not to bombard with text and keep it simple!

All natural products can be nice. Especially coconut oil. That stuff is a god send for so many different things. It's a really great mositurizer (and cleanser!) for a lot of people, but make sure to do a small patch test of it before putting it all over your face! Some people find coconut oil to clog pores and make acne even worse so it's always best to test every product before introducing it to your routine. You never know how it'll affect your skin unless you test!

When it comes to trying to get (the ever-elusive, it seems) clear skin it can be tricky. I actually don't advocate for home remedies a lot of the time because most people don't realize that some every day items that some claim work wonders for your skin actually cause a lot of damage in the long term. Things like lemon juice (or any citrus), baking soda, avoid that stuff like the plague. (I can explain why both of those are so bad if anyone's interested, but for now, let's move onto some info that might help anyone who's trying to clear up their skin!)

A very basic skincare routine usually consists of a cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen. I think those are the bare bones that everyone should use. Now I know, everyone's skin is different so if you've got flawless skin without those things... keep up with what works!! Sometimes people think they don't need a moisturizer because their skin is already really oily. However, some people (myself included) actually don't have oily skin at all. When you look at your skin, does it feel oily but yet there are still some dry, flaky patches? If yes? You've probably got very dehydrated skin. If you go into a skincare aisle of a store, you see so many harsh, harsh products that claim to get rid of oil and cure your acne! Unfortunately, most of these strip your skin of natural oils and damage its natural moisture barrier. This freaks your skin out and causes it to produce MORE oil to compensate for that. So then we slather on more drying products and just keep repeating the cycle. Using a moisturizer helps... well, moisturize and hydrate the skin again!

When it comes to cleansers... I've found that the more gentle the better. If you have a "tight" feeling on your face after you wash it... your cleanser is probably too harsh for your skin type. A brand that I absolutely love is Cera-Ve. It's pretty inexpensive and you can often find it on sale at most pharmacies. They've got two main cleansers... Hydrating and Foaming. If you've got dry or dehydrated skin, I'd try out the Hydrating formula. If you know you are more to the oily side, I've heard great things about the Foaming one! These cleansers are super good because of their non-irritating ingredients and their pH level. Your skin's natural pH level sits around 4 to 5.5. It's important to try to keep it around those levels. Too acidic and you risk chemical burns and irritation. Too alkaline (or basic) on the scale and you risk disrupting that natural moisture barrier we talked about earlier. That barrier is a really important factor in keeping your skin safe from infections and letting bacteria in, etc. So we want to keep it as intact as possible. The pH of the CeraVe cleansers is very close to that of your skin so you can clean it without stripping that barrier.

Another way you can clean your skin is with using oils! I very much recommend reading up on something called the "Oil Cleansing Method". This is where you can use coconut oil to clean your skin if it doesn't cause break outs for you! Just rub it on your face and massage for around a minute or two (no more than that is needed) and then wash it all off. If you are acne prone and nervous about just cleaning with oil, you can always use another cleanser to "double cleanse" afterwards! Another good oil is just plain mineral oil! I personally use argan oil because my skin can get a little dry at times and it's very hydrating I find! But it's all about trial and error and seeing what works for you!

Moisturizers are a little more tricky because it really depends on what your skin needs. But again, the more gentle the better, I find. I've been using Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion for years and I love it. It's a very simple one without a bunch of added frills that might irritate skin or clog up pores.

And then you've got sunscreen. Wear sunscreen every day if you can. Even in the winter. Even if you plan to be inside most of the day. Seriously, your skin will thank you for it as you age. UVA/UVB rays are so bad for your skin. Skin cancer isn't something any of us want and even if you don't have that extreme, the rays are just very damaging over time. It's hard to find a good sunscreen though, I'll admit. I'm still on a quest for mine so I can't really recommend one because I'm so picky about them. But anything is better than nothing! Make sure you read the back of it and that you're applying enough as well! And re-applying if you need to be!

Something really important to note: When introducing new products to your routine, make sure to do so one at a time!! After you have patch tested it and found out that it's not going to give you a horrible allergic reaction or break you out like crazy, try it out for a week or so and see how it goes. Some products have a "purging" period where your skin might look a little worse than better for a few days as the gunk in your pores comes out to the surface, but after that you should notice breakouts stopping if the product works for you. The reason it's so important to introduce products one at a time is so you know which one is causing problems if you have them!

This is already really, really long... but if you want more information about general skincare, I highly, HIGHLY recommend checking out the SkincareAddiction subreddit. Sometimes they can get a little preachy I find... but there is so SOOOO much good information there. About six months to a year ago I really started reading into all of this stuff after I found that subreddit and once I did a complete overhaul of my routine.... it was like night and day! I'm a very science-minded person... so what I love about that place is that they prioritize actual scientific research over anecdotal evidence. I mean, the latter is there, but they try to hit home to seek out methods that have been extensively tested and PROVEN to work, instead of just hearsay.

There's still so many things I didn't really cover... but if anyone has any questions or wants me to ramble some more about more specific things (like exfoliants! I didn't even cover those!) I totally can try my best! I'm definitely no dermatologist (and if you have the option of seeing one, I super super recommend it!) so I just wanna throw out there that none of this is a proper medical opinion and as always your mileage may vary!!

 

[Gen]

This seems like an appropriate thread to ask if anyone has a daily facial sunscreen recommendation? My skin is normal (slightly more oily than dry but not majorly) but quite sensitive. The Neutrogena UltraScreen or whatever it's called gave me a rash

Or is the SPF in a daily moisturizer enough? My skin burns pretty easily but it is almost winter....

 

[Jessi]

A lot of "natural" sites promote coconut oil as a cure-all.
ITs great for lots of things, but its comodegenic.

I don't really put a lot of stock in the natural brands being any better than not, but I tend to buy them because they're generally cruelty free. I like the Desert Essence brand, and their products are pretty affordable compared to most.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

I apologize in advance if this is already a topic. I did search for it and could not find it.

I have been struggling with acne since I hit puberty and it has only gotten worse as time goes on. I've used every product under the sun. So now I have decided to try and take a all natural route with home remedies. I was curious if anyone here has tested and passed or failed with home remedy acne treatments? And which ones were they? Although all of you ladies have seemingly perfect and glowing skin on cam. I thought just maybe......

Don't really have any treatment advice, but more along the lane of preventative measure.

This may not apply to you but I noticed a long time ago for me, the days after I'd eat foods heavy in butter or grease...stuff like that, I'd break out in pimples. I do a lot of home cooking so it was easy to put two and two together. I'd make cookies with homemade butter frosting, next day my face would feel more oily. Cook up a white sauce roux for pasta and use a half stick of butter, same thing. Pretty much every time I'd use butter or some greasy meat in a recipe, it's like you just sweat it through your pores. Then invariably they get clogged and ya get pimples.

Have you ever looked at how much of the stuff you're eating and tried to cut it back drastically? Right now it's been 3 years since i've bought a pound of hamburger and in the three years I've lived in this apartment I've bought maybe 5 pounds of butter. I've mostly concentrated on those two things, but in general I think it's all fats. Even oils used for cooking. If you need to, use olive oil. It's more expensive but the negatives are practically non-existent and benefits of it are many. I read on one website the average american consumes 85 pounds of fat a year. Seems to me a lot of that just gets sweated right out your pores. Anything you can do to cut that number down is a good thing in many ways.

It's hard to cut them out entirely, especially if you eat out and have no way of knowing what they toss in there. But if you can cut out what you do know, i'm guessing you would probably notice a difference. And I mean within a few days. And the other main benefit: cholesterol levels. I'm 44 and, let's say, a bigger dude (i like to eat, anyone following my twitter has seen pictures). So when I get a checkup and they run blood work once a year it's rather cool to see the results. Fasting sugar, total cholesterol, ldl cholesterol, triglycerides and hdl, all in the desirable range. Basically 20 year old athletes would be envious of the numbers. :-D

So, I don't know if you've ever consciously looked at how much overall fats you're consuming but I'd maybe start there if you think it's a higher amount. It might help cut the cost for acne treatment dramatically. As a test try cutting out fats completely as you can for a couple weeks. Load up on the fruits and veggies (lots of smoothies), don't use butter or oils, shy away from red meats. Just give that two weeks and see what happens with your skin.

 

[LovelyLucille]

This seems like an appropriate thread to ask if anyone has a daily facial sunscreen recommendation? My skin is normal (slightly more oily than dry but not majorly) but quite sensitive. The Neutrogena UltraScreen or whatever it's called gave me a rash

Or is the SPF in a daily moisturizer enough? My skin burns pretty easily but it is almost winter....

It depends on how much you're using of the moisturizer and what the SPF is.
You're ideally supposed to use 1/4 of a teaspoon of sunscreen for your face, so if you can use that much of your moisturizer and have it not be too greasy, you'd probably be fine with that.

I wish I had sunscreen recommendations. It's so hard to find a good one! I've heard good things about this EltaMD one, but it's pretty expensive so I've yet to try it for myself. It's supposed to be good for sensitive skin though!

I'm currently using this one from Banana Boat for my face. It's a physical sunscreen so you don't usually need to reapply it every two hours as long as you don't sweat it off (which is big for me because I can't just wash off my makeup and then reapply it to keep up with the "reapply every two hours" you get with chemical sunscreens). It's not a terrible sunscreen, but you really have to work it into your skin and wait for it to dry to get rid of the whitecast it leaves behind. That's not the biggest deal for me because I'm pretty pale to start with... but what I don't like about it is that it's a little hard to layer makeup over top of it without it bunching up and getting all gross on me.

My skin can get pretty sensitive though and I don't find this one irritates me at all. It's just a little annoying to deal with on days I wear makeup. If not for that, I'd totally love it!

 

[RosalieDay]

I used to get blemishes around my chin, always the chin, and most have scarred. I've tried almost everything to get it under control because avoiding the chemicals in most cleansers and moisturizers was one of my goals. When I cut them out, I did notice a difference in the amount of blemishes popping up and they were not bad enough to scar (and I left them alone :whistle: ).

Proactiv was my only regime for a while, until it caused bright red and flaky skin with even more blemishes. I switched to using wet facial cloths to cleanse my face, mainly to remove make-up. I still use them when I can find inexpensive, less chemical filled, and cruelty free brands.

Now it's mainly Coconut Oil and Argan Oil for cleansing and moisturizing. For exfoliating, which I think is very important, I mix coconut oil with sugar. I have more in between skin, the morning will be fine and by the evening I look a little buttery. I found that once every few days, because I have oh so sensitive skin, a little Witch Hazel applied with a cotton ball helps. My Oma swore by it and that lady lived a very long clear skin life. I also avoid the sun like the plague. I used to tan and soak up the sun, protected and unprotected. Now I always wear sunscreen, a hat, stay in the shade, etc. The real change came when I started drinking large amounts of water and eating better. I know I need to cool it on the junk food when my skin reacts. After a few days of better food, my skin will clear up. I also noticed even more improvement when I cut out meat.

 

[KudosKids]

Thanks everybody for replying. Coconut oil seems to scary, as I already have cystic acne and oily skin. Anything that would make it worse sounds terrible. But I could do a patch test and see how that works. @Bree I use all those things. When I said every product under the sun I literally meant it lol. Every store bought item from 10% benzoyl peroxide to cetaphil I've used it. Every cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen did the same thing. It worked for about 3 weeks to 2 months and then just stopped. I've given it all up except a moisturizer/sunscreen combined. Just because we should all wear sunscreen, it will save your skin in the future. This is why I wanted to try the all natural route. I did research last night and found apple cider vinegar was a great option, it balances the PH level like Bree was talking about, and gets rid of bacteria. Alot of vegans use it for there hair cleanser and says it does wonders. If it can clean your hair, it must be able to clean your face. If anyone has experience with that, I'd like to hear about it!

I am trying my best to eat healthier. My diet is probably one of the main reasons. But I'm slowly getting on this all natural way of life. You know the "If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it" Or "Don't put it on your skin if you wouldn't put it in your mouth". I figure these people who live this way have secrets we do not know about. At least a majority of americans do not know about. The more you look into it, the crazier it gets. People curing diseases themselves just by eating natural foods. So anyways, only all natural options from here on out. I will not buy anything from the skin care aisle at walmart no longer lol.

 

[JickyJuly]

Does an aspirin mask count as natural? I just get a couple of plain aspirin wet in the shower and leave it on my face the whole time. Makes my pores look much less grody. Sea salt is also nice.

 

[KudosKids]

Does an aspirin mask count as natural? I just get a couple of plain aspirin wet in the shower and leave it on my face the whole time. Makes my pores look much less grody. Sea salt is also nice.

Yes it does! well I've seen it as a all natural option. Not sure how all natural aspirin is though. I wouldn't qualify it as all natural. But I've seen other reviews on it saying it works like as you state.

 

[RosalieDay]

Thanks everybody for replying. Coconut oil seems to scary, as I already have cystic acne and oily skin. Anything that would make it worse sounds terrible. But I could do a patch test and see how that works. @Bree I use all those things. When I said every product under the sun I literally meant it lol. Every store bought item from 10% benzoyl peroxide to cetaphil I've used it. Every cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen did the same thing. It worked for about 3 weeks to 2 months and then just stopped. I've given it all up except a moisturizer/sunscreen combined. Just because we should all wear sunscreen, it will save your skin in the future. This is why I wanted to try the all natural route. I did research last night and found apple cider vinegar was a great option, it balances the PH level like Bree was talking about, and gets rid of bacteria. Alot of vegans use it for there hair cleanser and says it does wonders. If it can clean your hair, it must be able to clean your face. If anyone has experience with that, I'd like to hear about it!

I am trying my best to eat healthier. My diet is probably one of the main reasons. But I'm slowly getting on this all natural way of life. You know the "If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it" Or "Don't put it on your skin if you wouldn't put it in your mouth". I figure these people who live this way have secrets we do not know about. At least a majority of americans do not know about. The more you look into it, the crazier it gets. People curing diseases themselves just by eating natural foods. So anyways, only all natural options from here on out. I will not buy anything from the skin care aisle at walmart no longer lol.

That's a good way to look at it, the pronunciation thing. I've taken to that a bit and it makes you actually think about the crap going into your body!

I forgot to mention Apple Cider Vinegar! I love, love it. I do use it on my hair and face, while in the shower. It stings quite a bit! That may be because of skin being dry and I have not realized, overly sensitive, but the most common reason would be my ratio of water to vinegar is different for my hair than what I should put on my face. A ratio of one part apple cider vinegar to two parts water is most common but, if you have sensitive skin, you'll want more water. Also applying with a cotton ball rather than pouring it on your face like I do, hehe. The results are of a fresh feeling face. I can't think of another way to describe it, it certainly makes a difference with oil but not overly drying to start the vicious cycle again. If you do go that route, I'd suggest getting a brand that has the mother, specifically Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.

Taken directly from their website, here.

The mother is the dark, cloudy substance in the ACV formed from naturally occurring pectin and apple residues - it appears as molecules of protein connected in strand-like chains. The presence of the mother shows that the best part of the apple has not been destroyed. Vinegars containing the mother contain enzymes and minerals that other vinegars may not contain due to overprocessing, filtration and overheating

 

[Rose]

I have never found anything that helps my acne. I just buy good concealer.

 

[KudosKids]

I have never found anything that helps my acne. I just buy good concealer.

Lol well I am a male. I don't think I'm going to be putting makeup on myself anytime soon lmao.

 

[LuckySmiles]

I agree with the food thing. They always say it doesn't matter what you eat, because for lots of people, it doesn't. I have a friend that eats garbage all the time and doesn't get acne.

I've only really gotten acne as an adult and I can tell for me its rarely the hormonal kind.
But if you are prone to it, general health helps for sure. I notice now how certain foods make it more likely for me to break out. Overall I avoid butter and cream and too much refined sugar or bread.

My skin is always at its best when I eat 85% healthy and exercise/breaking a sweat! regularly.
I doubt you wear makeup but one thing I've noticed helps is those microfiber wash cloths I get at the dollar store. I throw them out after a while because they loose their softness but you wouldn't believe the amount of makeup/dirt that shows up on them after you think you've already washed your face with cleanser and water.

This part might seem gross but the bacteria that causes acne is the same kind that causes tooth decay. If you think about it like that... when you're prone to one you'll probably be prone to the other.
So keep at the dentist to fix any cavities and change your pillow cases all the time anyways but especially if you drool in your sleep.

 

[KudosKids]

Thanks everybody for replying. Coconut oil seems to scary, as I already have cystic acne and oily skin. Anything that would make it worse sounds terrible. But I could do a patch test and see how that works. @Bree I use all those things. When I said every product under the sun I literally meant it lol. Every store bought item from 10% benzoyl peroxide to cetaphil I've used it. Every cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen did the same thing. It worked for about 3 weeks to 2 months and then just stopped. I've given it all up except a moisturizer/sunscreen combined. Just because we should all wear sunscreen, it will save your skin in the future. This is why I wanted to try the all natural route. I did research last night and found apple cider vinegar was a great option, it balances the PH level like Bree was talking about, and gets rid of bacteria. Alot of vegans use it for there hair cleanser and says it does wonders. If it can clean your hair, it must be able to clean your face. If anyone has experience with that, I'd like to hear about it!

I am trying my best to eat healthier. My diet is probably one of the main reasons. But I'm slowly getting on this all natural way of life. You know the "If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it" Or "Don't put it on your skin if you wouldn't put it in your mouth". I figure these people who live this way have secrets we do not know about. At least a majority of americans do not know about. The more you look into it, the crazier it gets. People curing diseases themselves just by eating natural foods. So anyways, only all natural options from here on out. I will not buy anything from the skin care aisle at walmart no longer lol.

That's a good way to look at it, the pronunciation thing. I've taken to that a bit and it makes you actually think about the crap going into your body!

I forgot to mention Apple Cider Vinegar! I love, love it. I do use it on my hair and face, while in the shower. It stings quite a bit! That may be because of skin being dry and I have not realized, overly sensitive, but the most common reason would be my ratio of water to vinegar is different for my hair than what I should put on my face. A ratio of one part apple cider vinegar to two parts water is most common but, if you have sensitive skin, you'll want more water. Also applying with a cotton ball rather than pouring it on your face like I do, hehe. The results are of a fresh feeling face. I can't think of another way to describe it, it certainly makes a difference with oil but not overly drying to start the vicious cycle again. If you do go that route, I'd suggest getting a brand that has the mother, specifically Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.

Taken directly from their website, here.

The mother is the dark, cloudy substance in the ACV formed from naturally occurring pectin and apple residues - it appears as molecules of protein connected in strand-like chains. The presence of the mother shows that the best part of the apple has not been destroyed. Vinegars containing the mother contain enzymes and minerals that other vinegars may not contain due to overprocessing, filtration and overheating

So question, since you use it on your hair. Does it really make your hair soft like conditioner does? Can you just use it as a rinse instead of conditioner and have the same soft tangle free?

 

[gonegirl4]

natural doesn't always mean better, but having said that there are two all natural products I often recommend for acne treatment.
The first is witch hazel. It's a natural astringent and it works better than most toners on the market. use it after whatever cleansing product you choose and it'll help not only to ensure you're skin's super clean (and it'll clean off any cleanser residue too) as dirt and oil perpetuate acne you want to be using something like this to ensure clean skin. As an added bonus it's known as an acne treatment because of it's soothing nature.

the second item is one most of us already have at home: honey! honey is naturally antibacterial and will help to fight the bacteria causing the acne and heal the skin, and it's humectant properties mean that it won't dry out or harm the skin in any way (unlike other acne fighting products like Benzoyl peroxide.) it's sticky and a little bit of a pain, but using straight honey as a mask once a week works absolute wonders for oily and acne prone skin!

 

[AshleyNicole_]

I use apple cider vinegar in a 1 part to 3 parts water ratio as a toner and coconut oil as a moisturizer before bed. I had a very clear face up until earlier this year and then I started breaking out very bad with cystic acne. Its all pretty much clear now except for some red areas where its still healing.

 

[Rose]

I have never found anything that helps my acne. I just buy good concealer.

Lol well I am a male. I don't think I'm going to be putting makeup on myself anytime soon lmao.

Last time I checked, there weren't any laws about men using concealer to cover facial blemishes. I'm pretty sure it's not a crime to wear full make up either, even if you are a male.

But what do I know, I'm just a girl, and I just take advantage of products that make my skin look natural.

 

[RosalieDay]

Thanks everybody for replying. Coconut oil seems to scary, as I already have cystic acne and oily skin. Anything that would make it worse sounds terrible. But I could do a patch test and see how that works. @Bree I use all those things. When I said every product under the sun I literally meant it lol. Every store bought item from 10% benzoyl peroxide to cetaphil I've used it. Every cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen did the same thing. It worked for about 3 weeks to 2 months and then just stopped. I've given it all up except a moisturizer/sunscreen combined. Just because we should all wear sunscreen, it will save your skin in the future. This is why I wanted to try the all natural route. I did research last night and found apple cider vinegar was a great option, it balances the PH level like Bree was talking about, and gets rid of bacteria. Alot of vegans use it for there hair cleanser and says it does wonders. If it can clean your hair, it must be able to clean your face. If anyone has experience with that, I'd like to hear about it!

I am trying my best to eat healthier. My diet is probably one of the main reasons. But I'm slowly getting on this all natural way of life. You know the "If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it" Or "Don't put it on your skin if you wouldn't put it in your mouth". I figure these people who live this way have secrets we do not know about. At least a majority of americans do not know about. The more you look into it, the crazier it gets. People curing diseases themselves just by eating natural foods. So anyways, only all natural options from here on out. I will not buy anything from the skin care aisle at walmart no longer lol.

That's a good way to look at it, the pronunciation thing. I've taken to that a bit and it makes you actually think about the crap going into your body!

I forgot to mention Apple Cider Vinegar! I love, love it. I do use it on my hair and face, while in the shower. It stings quite a bit! That may be because of skin being dry and I have not realized, overly sensitive, but the most common reason would be my ratio of water to vinegar is different for my hair than what I should put on my face. A ratio of one part apple cider vinegar to two parts water is most common but, if you have sensitive skin, you'll want more water. Also applying with a cotton ball rather than pouring it on your face like I do, hehe. The results are of a fresh feeling face. I can't think of another way to describe it, it certainly makes a difference with oil but not overly drying to start the vicious cycle again. If you do go that route, I'd suggest getting a brand that has the mother, specifically Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.

Taken directly from their website, here.

The mother is the dark, cloudy substance in the ACV formed from naturally occurring pectin and apple residues - it appears as molecules of protein connected in strand-like chains. The presence of the mother shows that the best part of the apple has not been destroyed. Vinegars containing the mother contain enzymes and minerals that other vinegars may not contain due to overprocessing, filtration and overheating

So question, since you use it on your hair. Does it really make your hair soft like conditioner does? Can you just use it as a rinse instead of conditioner and have the same soft tangle free?

Yeah, you can use just the ACV as a hair rinse, but it would take some time for the hair to get used to not having the coating of chemicals in conditioner for it to feel soft and tangle free. I have a few acquaintances who've been really pleased with the results of replacing conditioner completely with ACV. I myself haven't been that far, I'm too impatient to wait out the 'transition' phase.

 

[XtraFrosting]

I have very dry skin that gets flaky if I don't exfoliate, so I mix up some coconut oil and sugar, and scrub with it in the shower =] I use it on my face as well but I wash it off with my cleanser after a few minutes because I'm afraid the oil will clog my pores. I leave the oil on the rest if me though and my skin is soooo soft! =]