I still need oils for my skin, but I don't mind. I don't have anything inedible on my bathroom counter. And I like the ritual of oiling myself after a shower, usually with carrier oils I've doctored with nice essential oils. It's probably my favorite way to get my aromatherapy fix, and then it's fun to dance out into the living room with my still warm body to invite my fella to be intoxicated by my aroma!

Since I gave up shampoo, I haven't needed conditioner. Who knew!?

I am using only a touch of coconut oil. Like Dragonfly, now that I'm not using harsh soaps on my face, my skin is much happier. I suspect the higher fat diet is doing good things for my skin, too. People have remarked that I look glow-y.

I don't use conditioner in my hair anymore, either, and it doesn't miss it. My hair looks great without it, and I'm not getting product-related breakouts anymore!

File Paleo under "diets the beauty industry sincerely wishes you didn't know about." :)

The only 'products' in my bathroom are a bottle of castile soap and a jar of coconut oil! :)

I stopped using all of my conventional beauty products when I learned the dangers of their common ingredients (such as parabens), and my skin &hair feel/look so much better for it.

Richard at Free The Animal has done a post on this subject as well, which I found helpful: http://freetheanimal.com/2009/12/paleo-i-dont-care-i-like-no-soap-no-shampoo.html

I quite enjoy making my own face masks and things (www.crunchybetty.com is a good resource) not that I need them often but it's fun to have a natural alternative to that girly pampering ritual so many of us enjoy!

My story is identical. My mum also raised this with me about 4 months ago. Seems a higher fat diet does wonders for the skin too. Just another added benefit of going primal :)

Same here.

I still do lip balm out of habit, but now that I mostly wash in warm water, I don't need moisturizer.

I used to have to use a moisturiser on my face/forehead or it would be really greasy by the end of the day. I have found that I don't need to any more.

Nothing sexier than a greasy forehead!

It seems to me that climate conditions affect me. When we are on the Pacific Coast (either north or south) I have no issues, but when we get to the dry air in Arizona I immediately need lip gloss and even my nose gets dry.

Climate has a LOT to do with it. I am in dry San Diego. It's pretty middle ground as far as dryness level (as there are other places that are even "worse", like Colorado, for example).

But when I was vacationing in Cozumel Mexico in August, I didn't need any moisterizer or lip balm for the whole week. My skin was completely moist. Don't know if it was just the humidity or what but I was soooo much more comfortable in that environment. It was like I had this epiphany. I realized that I am a tropical boy! Well.. I am part Puerto Rican, and I was born in Hawaii. lol.

Anyway... harsh, dry environments beget dry skin. For me, the percentage of skin moisturization improvement on Paleo vs SAD = Zero. A big fat goose egg unfortunately.

Can't say I've noticed any difference. What I do know is that the less you use- lower maintenance- the less you need. I never use moisturizer and believe the more you just plain leave things alone the better they do....let nature take over. For every bit of goodness you do, you may be doing a (or more) bit of harm. So at most all that maintenance it is a wash (except it drains your wallet). Of course some people may have different needs.

Having lived primal/paleo in both the Los Angeles desert and the New York City rain/winter, I've noticed that I can go without moisturizer in both climates.

I was never a huge moisturizer user (even before paleo) but I did feel the "need" to use it on occasion before 2009. After 2009, I stopped using it (the skin being a giant organ) and now I rarely use soap and only rarely need to put coconut or kukui nut oil on my skin.

My mother-in-law is amazed every time we visit that I don't use moisturizer. She thinks the skin on my hands is awesome (and I've just gotten a dishwasher recently; previously, I'd spent the last seven years hand-washing my dishes!).

I've had dry skin on my hands since late teens; 10 years later, paleo diet for several years (strict about it for the last 9 months), my hands are dry as ever. Eating a ton of fat (especially sat. fat) has done nothing to benefit my skin. I get tired of hearing about how this diet/lifestyle helps your skin because it's a bunch of fail for me. My hands get dry to the point of itching, cracking, & bleeding. Skipping moisturizers is not an option.

Heck no!
I'm in Maine. When I'm inside, the dry forced heating is on. When I'm outside, there's dry icy air.
Our skin is not made to handle either of those conditions.

I bring coconut oil in a little bottle with me everywhere. I use it all over my body after showers, before bed, in the morning, and nearly every hour in my hands and face. Winters are simply terrible. My skin will crack and sometimes it feels like it's bleeding. I can't carry my humidifier with me everywhere!

The rest of the year is okay, though. No issues. I used to have dry skin even in Summer, now I don't. I guess that would be because of Paleo, eh? But there's no getting around the dryness of winter. It's harsh.

The day I stopped using soap in the shower, I never had dry skin, even winter. And I used to have skin that was so dry that it cracked and was painful. Lots of soap and scrubbing your skin rips away the healthy oils your skin already produces.

Nope. I've experimented with the type of products and the amount I use many times pre and post-paleo, and currently I use multiple moisturizing products on my skin and hair every day to keep them nice and soft. I was born with congenitally dry skin (and mild ichthyosis vulgaris which means I get gross and flaky without lots of exfoliation and moisturizing), scalp, and hair, all thanks to my dad, and I will die with them. My scalp does not sweat and produces almost no oils, plus I have long curly hair so brushing to distribute what sebum there is, isn't an option unless I want a giant afro. ;)

Applying straight lipids to my skin does nothing for it, either. I need emollients and humectants, so I have the best results with conventional lotions.

But my skin is much healthier, looks nicer, and is less high-maintenance than it used to be. It seems a bit less dry, paleo cured my acne, and I am permanently tan now.