My Gran was a psychiatric nurse for over 40 years and she told me that back in the 50s/60s her hospital kept a dedicated box of cosmetics,bathing products and hair care products etc for the female patients.
It was perceived when the female psych patients asked for that box it should be clinically noted as a milestone in their recovery/stability. As when they started taking an interest again in their often neglected hygiene/looks, this meant they were probably on their way to imminent discharge.
A very simplistic view maybe but I know from personal experience when we cut ourselves off from general life partaking you end up neglecting yourself-as what's the point? Then you end up feeling cut off and separate even more, you start to neglect yourself, that adds an extra layer of feeling like your not worth anything..and so it goes on..one layer of misery and self loathing on top of another.
Sounds like you are really going for it :D
for this girl
and I truly hope it all goes fucking brilliantly ..but if and just if it doesn't -see it as a positive anyway even though not quite the outcome you may have wanted...as yer back out there in the real interacting world..with yer non junky teeth and yer non wurzel hair do and beardy weirdy..you are fucking functioning...you are on a friggin bike FFS .
I as a fellow semi recluse in rural, cut off nowhere..spending huge amounts of my time alone and often going for weeks without even leaving the house..and bouts of drug fiending and bouts of depression and then ending up with unbrushed crazy lady Kate Bush hair and ooh 'is she wearing tights..nope she just aint shaved he legs for weeks' why bother..gaaa. I see that spiral and know it to some degree..I do happen to be lucky enough to have he most incredible tuther half..and he tries to help when 'those' times happen but it's really up to us..and you have to do it for yourself nobody else.
OR
... do it for the team...:D
I better take my own advice and go find my hairbrush.
P.S-you are gonna have the cocanut oil to make gums and teeth all lovely anyway so you may as well smother it on other bits It's naturally antibacterial and antifungal, it's an excellent moisturiser, it can penetrate hair better than other oils, and, well, it smells like cookies.
LINK
You is gonna be a newish man..hopefully she aint gonna be able to resist...if she does..like I said you are out there already..realms of second chances and new beginnings and possibilities either way..