fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #5349 ]

[ SECRET POST #5349 ]

⌈ Secret Post #5349 ⌋

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…because there’s, like, a whole layer of gunk that I can only get rid of in tiny little bits that stick to me when I try, and now that I’m actually aware of how dirty I am, I feel like I’ll never be able to get clean. It’s like an extra layer of skin that needs to be flayed (minus the pain of actual flaying, thank god), and I’m not physically or mentally able to do it. I feel overwhelmed by how much seems to need to be done. My only idea is to take, like, ten more showers in the next few days and hope it gradually gets resolved. Does anyone have experience in this area? Will that work? I need non-judgment here, although I accept that I might not get that. As long as there is an answer, one that even someone like me who is capable of not bathing for almost two months can attain. ://///

Your hair is probably going to be the most difficult bit to get fully clean (can attest to this as someone who has also had depressive spells that kept me from showering for weeks on end), so for now, leave that on the backburner. Start small. Do you have a shower that's inside a tub, or is it just a stand-up shower? If there's a tub, even just soaking your feet in warm soapy water will help, and getting one small bit of yourself clean makes it a lot easier to move on to the next part.

A sugar scrub will do wonders too. Any kind of gentle exfoliation will be your best friend, and you can do that all over whenever you feel up to it.

Whenever it comes time to do your hair, take your time, and actually start with conditioner to help detangle it. Taking a wide-toothed comb with you helps a lot! Then after you're able to run the comb through without resistance (there might be an alarming amount of "shed", but remember that hair falls out normally, and it might be tangled up so it won't have actually left your head) you can move over to shampoo to really clean it. Then conditioner again! It'll take a bit, but shouldn't be more than one shower's worth.

I know this is hard, and even all this sounds overwhelming/impossible, but just remember to start small and it'll feel a little better. You're doing great. ♥

Thank you so much for your response. My shower is over a bathtub, so at least I can “passively” get my feet clean while I work on the rest. (It would be really nice if there was a kind of soap I could put into bath water and it would do all the work for me, but I think that’s one of those wishes we all have to live without.)

I’ve never tried exfoliating, but I’ve been thinking about it and I’ll have to look into it and see if it’s something I could manage. It sounds like the right idea. And my hair is very short, so hopefully that will be less of a struggle than it otherwise would be.

From now on, I’m going to make a bigger effort to shower at least once a week. I have some ideas for how to keep myself on task. Consistency is a good survival tool, when I can keep it up.

isnit a stand up shower or a tub?
if tub - try to take a bath that loosens up the dirt.
additional possibilities:
*use washcloths, toss them after if you feel like it
* as anon said before, gentle scrubs, even homemade are fine. like, coffee grounds and oil, or sugar and oil. mind you, there needs to be shower gel after to rinse ofd the oil (skin is gonna be hella smooth afterwarfs tho!)
* for hair, a tub or basin to soak would be easiest. Start with very generous amounts of conditioner or a hair mask, whatever you have available, detangle section for section with a wide comb, wash out after. it might take a few washes.

small steps anon, small steps! taking a few days or a week or two to get clean is absolutely reasonsable. You didnt get that dirty in one day, so its ok to take longer than one day to remedy it.

Thank you for all the advice. I can definitely use some of that. The fact that a bath can “loosen up” the dirt is heartening. One of the reasons I have trouble with hygiene is because I can’t really tell when something is actually helping me get clean, so it’s good to have confirmation from others that things work.

You have a good point, that I didn’t get this dirty in one day. I sweat a lot at work, so keeping up with that is hard, but it’s good to realize that it won’t set me back all the way when the week starts.

You might try something like Dawn dishwashing liquid or some sort of degreasing soap, like mechanics use, to help break down any oily build-up. But be aware that it can dry out your skin (and I wouldn't use it hair), so test it out on a small area first to see if it helps and if it does and you decide to do more, remember to moisturize afterwards.

NAYRT--The longest I've gone without showering is about a week, but I have run out of shampoo and used dish soap or Dr. Bronner's (US brand of liquid castille soap) before.

Both are very alkaline and will dry out your hair and skin, so if you try this, follow the guidelines of the illustrious Dr. Bronner and DILUTE! DILUTE! OK! with water. One or two squirts in a cup of water should do.

Then rinse with something acidic like a little lemon juice or vinegar in water.

Use a soap with no moisturiser in at all and no scent - the oils and chemicals will just adhere to your skin otherwise and make it even harder to remove things. An allergen friendly liquid shower soap with no fragrance or moisturisers but that does have sodium laureth sulfate in is ideal. One that foams a lot. Buy several big ones and then just keep showering with it - use as much as you need to get a good lather up all over both skin and hair. Just keep repeating that process until you feel clean.

When you feel clean, wash your hair once more with a conditioner, because it will be dry from the soap.

Another thing you can use on particularly stubborn bits like folds of skin (NOT sensitive areas or face) is apple cider vinegar. Put some on cotton pads and just wipe with it. Make sure you do it before you shower so you will wash off any vinegar residue.

I've struggled with my hygiene as part of my depression before. Absolutely no judgement here nonny. You can do this, just keep at it. Hugs if you want them anon.

Can you not physically scrub because moving that much is painful, or is it just part of being overwhelmed?

The longest I've gone without a shower is a week or so, so idk how useful this is, but here goes:

I've been known to use a new clean scrub sponge, the kind with a scrub side and a soft side, as an exfoliator. If you've got any kind of bath scrubber things like a loofa I'd guess that would work.

Maybe on every shower focus on getting one part clean? Like one leg, other leg, one arm, other arm, chest, belly, and whatever of your back you can reach?

If money and mobility aren't big issues consider buying some kind of scrubber on a stick (brush, loofa, sponge, whatever) to scrub your back. Don't use a sugar scrub if you're taking a bath; a salt scrub is probably okay.

Do you already have shampoo, dish soap, liquid soap, or bar soap? You can use any of these, but if you use any of them but shampoo, put a couple of glugs of vinegar or the juice from a lemon in a cup or so of water and pour over your hair after, if you can. Make sure not to get it in your eyes. Then just let it rinse out in the shower. If you're taking a bath you can add the acidic stuff to the tub after you've rinsed the soap out of your hair, and use a cup or so.

Starting with conditioner to detangle your hair sounds like a good idea.

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[ SECRET POST #5349 ]

I felt overwhelmed, so I didn’t shower. Then I showered, and now I feel more overwhelmed

Re: I felt overwhelmed, so I didn’t shower. Then I showered, and now I feel more overwhelmed

Re: I felt overwhelmed, so I didn’t shower. Then I showered, and now I feel more overwhelmed

Re: I felt overwhelmed, so I didn’t shower. Then I showered, and now I feel more overwhelmed

Re: I felt overwhelmed, so I didn’t shower. Then I showered, and now I feel more overwhelmed

Re: I felt overwhelmed, so I didn’t shower. Then I showered, and now I feel more overwhelmed

Re: I felt overwhelmed, so I didn’t shower. Then I showered, and now I feel more overwhelmed

Re: I felt overwhelmed, so I didn’t shower. Then I showered, and now I feel more overwhelmed

Re: I felt overwhelmed, so I didn’t shower. Then I showered, and now I feel more overwhelmed