Vitex / Chaste Tree Berry
I started taking this to regulate my period. I think it gave me only one period. But I noticed that it made a huge difference in my facial hair. Made me grow a lot less of it. So I kept taking it for that reason. It took a few weeks to notice any changes, though. It takes a while to work, but it works great.

Spirulina / Blue Green Algae
This one I wasn’t taking for anything PCOS related. I forget why I was taking it. Probably because it makes my period lighter. (I guess that’s sort of PCOS related.) Anyway, I noticed by accident that whenever I took it I had a lot less facial hair to pluck. I took the blue green algae sporadically. I tested it, to see if it really was making a difference, and sure enough it was. I would take one pill a day and the next day the hair was very noticeably less. Two pills a day would do even better, but after two pills it made no noticeable difference. The first pill made the most difference. So I took one or two pills a day. Now I take four, just because it has vitamins and minerals. I started out taking blue green algae, and now I take spirulina. They have the same effect. Very cool.

Beta Carotene
Getting enough vitamin A or beta carotene seems to make a noticeable difference too. Vitamin A helps regulate hormones. I think beta carotene might have worked better for excess facial hair, though. But I was taking more of it than I would have taken of Vitamin A. I was taking 25,000 IU of beta carotene. I only take about 5000 IU now. I don’t want to be orange!

Veganism
I notice another big difference when I give up animal foods. Now and then I fall off the vegan wagon and eat dairy, and my facial hair gets worse during those times. I believe it might be because of hormones in animal foods. I’m not sure why it works, but when I’m completely vegan, my facial hair is much less.

Blood Sugar Balance
I’ve noticed recently (after I stopped my crazy cinnamon roll phase) that when my blood sugar is balanced, my facial hair is almost nonexistent. Neat! Weird, but neat. When I eat too many carbs or sugars, the facial hair grows wild and out of control. When I eat less carbs and more protein, my facial hair is kind of barely there. This seems to be at the heart of PCOS. Insulin resistance. Very interesting.

Weight Loss
I’ve been thin and I’ve been overweight (60 - 70 pounds overweight), and I definitely have less facial hair when I’m thin. It’s a hard thing to accomplish, but getting down to a healthy weight seems to get rid of a lot of the excess facial hair. Excess fat stores excess hormones, which probably contribute to the excess facial hair. Easier said than done, but I’m working on the weight loss!

Certain Moisturizers
Aveeno Positively Smooth Facial Moisturizer (for reducing unwanted hair) made my facial hair a lot less. I used it because I had to be in a wedding. I’d rather prevent the growth with good nutrition and supplements, but this moisturizer does work. Also there is a prescription moisturizer that works the same way, Vaniqa. My mother uses it and loves it. They work by… I have no idea, but I think they have hormones in them, and putting them directly on the skin seems to help? I don’t like messing with hormones, so I have never used these things consistently. But they do work.

Now for some things that did not really help with my facial hair:

Electrolysis
Okay, this did work. But only temporarily. I had this done for years. It thinned out the hair some, but I stopped having it done, and after a few years the hair was back to where it had been before I’d ever had electrolysis. ! For as painful and expensive as that was, I definitely don’t think it’s worth it for a temporary fix.

Saw Palmetto
I see this all over the Internet listed as the best hope for reversing or preventing excess facial hair, but I have yet to read one anecdote that says it worked. Not even one! I took it for a few weeks. It made no difference in my facial hair whatsoever. But it did seem to make my skin more oily. ? It just made me look grosser, so I stopped taking it. Very weird. I can’t believe how much medical advice is just speculation. Educated guessing. I’d rather hear about things that actually worked for people. Which is why I started this blog.

There you have it, my experience with excess facial hair prevention. I think it’s funny that nothing, yet, has made it go away completely. There are always a few hairs to pluck. I suspect, though, that when I get my weight down to a normal range, the rest of the hair may go away. That will be awesome. Lol.

‘Til next time. ~Me.

Detox
One of the major waste eliminations systems of the body is the skin. Sweating is a good way to excrete things the body doesn’t need. Aerobic exercise probably gets rid of a significant amount of toxins from your body.

Lymphatic Cleansing
The lymphatic system relies on body movement to keep lymph flowing. So exercise helps flush out the lymph vessels, which carry toxins away. The lymphatic system also carries nutrients to the cells, and is a big part of the body’s immune system. It’s good to keep it functioning properly with regular exercise.

Muscle Building
Aerobic exercise may not build as much muscle as weight lifting, but it does build some. When you build up your muscles, they burn more calories, not just when you’re exercising, but all the time.

Cardio Pulmonary Health
Aerobic exercise helps strengthen your heart and lungs, which improves your stamina. It also lowers cholesterol and regulates blood pressure.

Bone Density
Regular weight bearing exercise can increase bone density or prevent further bone loss. “Weight bearing” means putting increased stress on your bones. Most aerobic exercises do this, but cycling and swimming do not (though, they are still beneficial!).

Insulin Resistance
Aerobic exercise can improve insulin resistance. It increases insulin sensitivity and helps your body process glucose better. It also helps to prevent diabetes.

Depression
Regular aerobic exercise helps alleviate mild depression.

I’m keeping all of the above in mind to motivate me to exercise. Mostly I would like to be able to walk across the parking lot at work without feeling out of breath. Yes, really! How embarrassing! I think muscle building exercises might help more with fat loss, but aerobic exercise makes me feel healthy, so I’m definitely including it too.

Bye for now. ~Me

I honestly think I stopped losing weight after the 5 pounds because I can’t afford to buy new pants. ! Crazy, no? But it’s true. I find myself eating handfuls of nuts and things I’m not hungry for. Probably just to keep my weight up. I believe that’s what I’m doing. I just recently got a hold of some hand-me-down pants a size smaller than what I wear, so I’ll see what happens. Hopefully, I’ll let myself lose 10-15 more pounds. Every little bit helps.

I’m also not eating low-fat, and I probably should be. I feel better eating a low-fat diet. But since I’m a vegan I need to eat things like nuts for protein. Along with beans and soy. I could probably cut back on the nuts, though. No handfuls eaten randomly when I’m not hungry, for instance! Also I eat full-fat salad dressing. I try to have a salad every day, for the raw food enzymes, which I believe are necessary and good for me. I have a few vegan salad dressings that I love that are pretty full of fat: Annie’s Naturals Goddess Dressing, and Annie’s Naturals Shiitake & Sesame Vinaigrette. I’ve noticed that when a salad dressing is low-fat or no-fat it is usually full of sodium or sugar or MSG or aspartame. They put bad stuff in it to give it flavor. Full-fat dressings are more natural, at least the ones I buy. I tell myself I’ll use them sparingly, but I don’t really. They taste too good. I think the key to my going low-fat is to find an alternative to salad dressing. Taco sauce and mustard are vegan and low-fat, but not salad friendly. Maybe I should try vegetable broth of some kind? Vegan gravy? Something. Vinegar, lemon juice, who knows?

I’m also a compulsive overeater. When I get stressed out I eat a lot of chocolate. Brownies, cake, candy bars. Chips and dip too. Not good. If I can keep myself from getting stressed out I do okay with that, though. I can resist goodies most of the time. It’s just when I’m going through a stressful phase that I fall off the wagon. I got into a cinnamon roll craze recently. Too many different things going on in my life. I think I’ve got it all sorted out for the moment, though. Hence, this blog entry.

It’s kind of hard to be a vegan when you have insulin resistance. A vegan diet is naturally full of carbs. Good carbs, like whole wheat bread and brown rice, but carbs nonetheless. I try to avoid eating a lot of fruit even. I eat a few raisins now and then, but that’s it. I try to focus on vegetables instead. Fruit makes me lightheaded, vegetables don’t. I eat very few carbs with meals, like one little taco shell, or three Triscuits. Yes, really! With plenty of beans and soy and nuts and vegetables. I’m not starving, I just eat fewer carbs than the average person.

My plan I guess is to start eating less fat and stop eating when I’m not actually hungry. I also have big plans for starting an exercise program, but I’ll talk about that in my next blog entry. And I’ll post more entries on how my plan is working out for me too. As the weeks and months go by. But that’s it for now.

‘Til next time.