I went vegan about 5 months ago along with going off the pill and always had really dry skin. Now, it is breaking out, oily, and my scalp has become really oily as well. Also developed some oily dandruff i never had before. Is this all hormone related or am i missing some nutrients? help!

I've totally experienced the same thing!  I went off of B.C. 3 years ago and started breaking out, but went vegan last fall...so mine wasn't correlated.  Actually, I've been using a very mild retinol and eating as many "superhero" foods as possible (from TKD) and my skin looks really clear!  I'm still oily and have some flakiness, but I'm giving my body time to adjust to all the changes.  I think that patience is an integral part of this process of detoxing. I also used to work in skincare as a manager at Nordstrom & Sephora (where they basically train you as an aesthetician) and medication/ birth control are a HUGE factor on skin, so I'm sure that's the primary factor.  Food is definitely part of it.  I've been using a benzoyl peroxide wash, salicylic toner & oil-free moisturizer and it's great.  Also, a salicylic shampoo.Cutting dairy is a great thing for skin.  Also sugar (because it breeds infection).  Maybe caffeine, too (for me this is true).I'd suggest eating more superhero foods and less processed vegan stuff (if you are).  And just except this as part of the process. :)  

I started to get oily skin and hair when I was about 20, I think it was just a natural shift in hormones. I wasn't on BC, but I was transitioning to vegan from vegetarian so it could be related to that. I've had really bad skin for years, I tried a lot of different cleansers and finally found one that worked better than the others. Recently I started drinking apple cider vinegar, organic with the mother, diluted in water with lemon juce and a bit of agave nectar and I feel like that has done a lot of good for my skin. You can also use it as a toner.

I went off the pill this past October and experienced the same terrible oiliness with my skin as you're describing.  And I believe going off that medication definitely sparked mine!  If anything, I think maintaining a vegan diet will help to ease that.  I've been a vegan almost 2 months, and while the oiliness hasn't completely gone away, it's getting a lot better.  In the meantime, I've found that blotting sheets with tea tree oil really help me get through the day without having an oil slick face.  Boscia has a version of these, as well as the Body Shop and Sephora's brand.

I went off birth control a little over a year ago and have had breakouts on my back and face.  There seems to be such a big correlation between hormones and breakouts.  It's almost as if my body is detoxing or something is out of balance.  Are there any foods in particular that can help with this? I have stopped eating processed foods. I've heard that green tea can be helpful.

I've recently gone of the pill and have broken out in the worst acne! My skin is also oily - something that I've never had before, even during my teen years.

I'd say it's going off the pill that has done that, and from what I've read it's not uncommon for this to happen. I've also had some wild mood swings to go with that - something that isn't improved by dealing with acne for the first time!!

I am also hoping that by changing my diet I will be helping to ease these conditions, if not get rid of it completey!

 

A combination of Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo and Spironolactone are the only things that have ever cleared up my skin.  I had horrible acne for years and those meds totally cleared it up.  I know BC pills contain lactose, but I can rationalize staying on them because having lots of unwanted children will be way more detrimental to the environment than the small amount of lactose in the pill - especially since I have removed all animal products from my diet.  I NEVER want children.  No way.  But I am beginning to wonder if being on hormones for 9 years is really safe for me.  I've never had any of the problems other women complain of like weight gain and mood swings.  I don't really know of a safer non-hormone solution other than getting my tubes tied.  (IUDs can puncture your internal organs. Yikes!)  I asked about tying my tubes when I was in my early twenties and the doctor said no way.  Maybe now that I'm turning 30 my new doctor will feel differently.  But even if I do get my tubes tied and go off the pill, my skin will go back to being horrible again.  Grrr...  I don't know what to do

 

 

I've been on medication of some sort for as far back as I can remember.  Sigh.

 

My comment is in response to the oily skin part of your post, I suffered from super oily skin and acne for a long time (not BC pill related) until I started using oils on my skin.  It sounds wacky - why put on more oil to control the oil - but in my experience, my skin just kept over-producing oil because I kept stripping it off with harsh cleansers and toners.  Once I started using oils (1-3 drops/day and night), my sebum production has been way down because my skin knows it will be getting the emolience it needs and doesn't need to compensate.  Oils that I like include:  watermelon seed, blueberry seed, camelia seed oil, red and black raspberry seed oil, kukui nut oil, and pomegranate seed oil, but there are many, many different ones.  I usually mix a drop of two or three different oils with a few sprays of water and then follow with a light cream.  I don't know if this will be helpful to you, I just know that I wish someone had shared this info with me years ago.  :)