I gave these all up years ago, nothing to do with paleo, they were all just a waste of time, money or uncomfortable. Of course, I worked and socialized with geeks, scientists, horticulturists, and other sorts who couldn't care less about that kind of stuff. I don't think anyone I knew or know now would ever think a woman was less sexy because she wasn't wearing shoes that could throw out her back or lead to a broken neck.

i am a tomboy, but i really like my eye make up. I also dye my hair... is it very natural? I don't really care. I want to look comfortable, and I don't like my natural hair color. I want to feel good in my own skin. That's why I love luscious hand-made body balms or other stuff...

i have very basic approach to nails though.

paleo is for me mostly in food and fitness.

how much we want to adorn ourselves is of course very individual. but i hope that we would all try to not throw a lot of crap in the local dump.

Make-up and hair styling may go back longer than you think.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4263009/Why-does-the-hair-on-our-heads-keep-growing.html

I quite like Darwin's speculation that that we lost most of our body hair so we had more space to show off our body art.

But Darwin, noting that every human society, however primitive, invariably paints, tattoos, pierces and otherwise decorates its bodies, argued that, in the remorseless competition for sexual partners, we humans, during the evolutionary past, shed our hair to create a canvas on which to flaunt our creativity, flair and beauty.

Also that we have long hair on our heads due to early hair stylists :)

But Darwin's 1871 Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex provides an explanation for our unique hair - it lies in our unique brain. Only we humans have evolved the intelligence to cut and groom hair, and hair is so important that the first thing that our bodies did after we had invented knives was to evolve long hair on our heads. Indeed, we may have invented knives primarily to cut hair, not prey.

Men and women compete for each other, and bright, cunning wits get more, and fitter, sexual partners than do stupid, boring oafs. Thus has evolution selected for intelligence - and for hair. The person who radically shapes his hair, exploiting its continuous growth to demonstrate his on-going Neanderthal chic, is more likely to attract partners than the person whose hair is dull, lifeless and matted.

No way! I am paleo for my health and yes - my weight. No way am I giving up clothes, make-up etc. I do try and choose more organic, less petrochemical based products. But no way am I going to sacrifice looking good for being primal. I guess 'looking good' is subjective, but my mind is made up - I look better with all that stuff, than without!

I was more or less a hippie/tomboy long before I discovered paleo, with a punk rock vintage clothing (including stilettos and heavy eye makeup) phase thrown in for good measure. I only wear makeup on special occasions. Eyeliner just makes me look old now. I'm tall and walk like a trucker so I don't wear heels much anymore, except for boots--they make me feel kick-ass. :) I really prefer flat shoes so I feel like I can move quickly if necessary. I wear opaque tights because I don't like nylons and tights cover a multitute of sins--see next sentence. When among mostly hippie crunchy granola peers I didn't shave but now that I work in the "straight" world, I do shave--it's a simple way to not feel like a weirdo when I have so many other weird traits, and I don't really feel like I'm selling out. But no way I would go to a hippie gathering that involves nudity (think wood-fired sauna and open-air showers) with a full Brazilian wax or something! But I use commercial hair dye--henna is a pain and takes forever to grow out. I paint my nails with nasty chemicals once in a while too. My significant other likes me just fine. ;)

I am minimal soap (pits and bits) and use Milk of Magnesia or coconut oil/baking soda as deodorant. Coconut or other oils on skin if I need them.

I use makeup... light mineral powders and blush mainly, with mascara and lip tint. For going out, I'll doll up more but my entire face routine even then is less than 5 minutes. Most days I just use a mineral powder to keep shine down and maybe some mascara. I make an effort to use more 'natural' products.

Shaving? Yup. I'm a huge fan of shaving. I like smooth skin. I pluck my brows too, just stray hairs. I like brows to look natural, (I hate the overplucked thing), but groomed.

I henna my hair sometimes, just to boost my red highlights. I use styling product as well. My hair is fine, but I have a lot of it, and it is naturally wavy, so I use something either to up the waves/curl, or to straighten. I suspect my hair would behave better if I tried the no 'poo thing, and be less flyaway and easier to style with no product (or less product).

Stockings? Never really wore them. Heels? Love them, the higher and pointier the better... though I rarely ever wear them and prefer to be barefoot as much as possible. I work from home so not a huge deal there. But when I do wear them, I WEAR them.

I've ditched bras though, unless I need a boost to fill out a dress or something!

Nails... I do them myself, just file and trim, and do use clear polish on hands and dark colors on toes.

Perfume... sometimes I use oil-based scents (perfume oils), but less and less lately I find. I am not a fan of perfumey smells, so a little dab on wrists and behind ears is about it. I finally got the hubby to stop dousing himself in cologne too! Men take note -- your skin smells GREAT all on its own!

You guys are hardcore. I commend you! I'm a girly girl. I could really do without the chemicals and believe there is a way to enhance one's natural beauty without chemicals but I have highlights done once every six months and enjoy makeup. Clothes I love, there is no reason a cavewoman can't be stylish! I firmly believe some cavewoman draped their animal furs with style! We can never fully embody the Paleo lifestyle without living in a hut in the woods, hunting our own meat, and foraging for foods. That also means no internet or online forums! I'm all for natural but there's nothing wrong with a woman wanting to look beautiful, be it with a nice lambswool sweater or a little kohl around her eyes.

Remove chemicals from deodorant, toothpaste, and foundation (which is possible, these companies choose not to for cost reasons) and we'll all be healthier. Many companies have made the switch already, due to consumer demand, so we have some power!

Cara http://primroseandpaleo.wordpress.com

For the record, I do wear makeup, (though not as much as I used to, for convenience reasons) I have dyed my hair in the past, I use shampoo, conditioner, and body wash (though I try to get sulfate free shampoo) I shave my pits, but I refuse to shave my legs. I don't care if my mom nags me to or if it's "not feminine" to have hairy legs, but to me shaved legs to me feel unnatural and slippery and are not worth the time, effort, and zillions of inevitable cuts I always end up getting.