Apple cider vinegar instead of shower gel – my skin is almost never possible

This text comes from the star archive and was published in 2021

There are these advice, which you take note of with astonishment. This had a history. I had had an allergy test, now the evaluation was up. I was tested for preservatives and fragrances, as often occurred in ointments, creams, shower gels and shampoos. Because in the weeks before that, my skin had turned into a single battlefield. She was suddenly red, itchy and wet.

Yes, I’ve always had sensitive skin, suffering from neurodermatitis, but it has never been so bad. On some days my hands and arms were covered by thick pustules filled with water. It looked like I had laid in nettles. I have already done a lot of allergy tests in my life, mostly nothing came out of it. That’s why I was very skeptical this time, but suddenly everything was different. Where the test substances had been applied on my back, almost everything was red. My doctor said: “It’s easier, I tell you what you are not allergic to.” It was not a joke, she was serious.

Then she dictated her assistant: lyral, sorbitan sequioleat, n-isoprophyl-n-phenyl4-phenylendiamine. An unspeakable name lined up with the next. The fabrics had one thing in common: they all put them as ingredients in creams, ointments, shower gels and shampoos. For example, in one very expensive ointment that I bought in the pharmacy some time ago. “Allergieetetet” was on the package. The fabric is also in the shower gel, which should be especially for dry skin – and thus advertises that it is ideal for neurodermatitis. So every time I wanted to do something good for my skin, I get in with the lovely fabric. It was just as useful as if a pollen allergy suffered in a flower meadow. And because my skin was getting drier, I cremated it more and more. Which then only made her drier and more irritated. A vicious circle.

And now? What did that mean for me? What should I take a shower in the future? I started reading labels and I had to hope that the fabrics contained were really listed. Sometimes they are not how I learned quickly. For example, they can be part of a finished mixture, which is then marked as such.

We now live in a world that is full of artificial fragrances and preservatives. Sure, a shower gel is on the shelf for weeks, it must be durable. It should also smell good. Fresh according to apple, tart to sandalwood or what else is popular. And we wash and maintain our skin as much as probably no generation in front of us. I do a lot of sport, so of course I also shower a lot.

When the degree of my despair was high about the question of how I did not smell of sweat in the future, but at the same time I was not finally ruined my skin, I met the dermatologist and bestselling author Yael Adler for an interview. In conversation, she said: “20 percent of the skin diseases are done. Irritated facial skin, dry hands or itching by the buttocks. People think that they would have to wash even more thoroughly.

Yael Adler had a radical proposal for me. “You have to know that bacteria are sitting on our skin that live on the part of the components of our skin and welding particles. This creates body odor. I therefore advise you to restore the most stone -age skin barrier.” And how this works, she also explained to me: “You could also use vinegar water to wash. So provide a liter of water with one or two spoons of apple cider vinegar and then rub off the corresponding places. You don’t need more.” The theory behind it: The pH of the vinegar is good for our skin and, above all, lets the important bacteria survive. The so -called microbiome can thrive and the skin remains healthy.

I was really difficult to do without soap and the like. But my despair was big enough to try it out. My objection: You stink after two days, countered Adler: “No, that’s a misconception. We humans have a subtle, almost non -perceptible smell. At least if the bacterial colonization is right.”

So I went to the health food store and bought organic apple cider vinegar. Made from entire apples, as was on the brown bottle. Mixed water and vinegar together at home and showered me with it. I’ve been doing this for almost three months. I also wash my hair that way, I don’t have shower gel and shampoo anymore.

Of all things, when I started the experiment, it was really warm in Hamburg. So I was soon afraid to stink. But it didn’t happen. Over time, I could even do without deodorant. And even after a round, I didn’t smell more than usual. However, there was a relapse. Suddenly everything itched again, especially on the face. I couldn’t explain it at all. Then I took a closer look at the bottle of the newly bought apple cider vinegar. Little printed was on the label: contains preservatives. Because I wanted to save myself the additional way to the health food store, I had simply reached the shelf in the supermarket when shopping. Now I know that conventionally produced apple cider vinegar may have additives – and that my skin does not like at all.

In the meantime, she is doing so well that I can take a shower from the health food store every now and then with a fixed shampoo and soap. Because they are also very mild and contain little conservation and additives.