924 replies to this topic

[Choof_Chomper]

moisturizers dont form protective layers over the skin they are designed to penetrate the skin which is why they have a potential to cause breakouts.

why not just wash your face then apply some type of oil afterwards ( i personally use coconut). You can try mixing it with some bottled water instead of regular to avoid the chloride in tap which is known to dry the skin out. Sometimes usually in the winter when i feel like my skin is dry ill apply oil all over my body when im in the shower and just run water across it. makes the skin feel highly moisturized for several days.

if anything not washing will make your skin drier eventually because youre not adding moisture from the water to your face anymore. its best to wash and then replace the oils lost if necessary.

[Genius/GZA]

I've been kind of doing this regiment for the past 4 days... I'm still using moisturizer (jojoba oil) and water only touches my face when I shower. It's actually working better than my Mandelic Serum lol. The Jojoba oil sometimes gets a lot of dead skin off though.

[Adam08]

thank you all for your recommendations regarding water/natural oils. ive been on the nothing regimen for about 11 days i think (no water/no oil etc). ive had the odd whitehead but still yet to breakout. Yes, my chin is quite flakey but im still leaving it alone. I trust that it will sort itself out (actually quite encouraging because the chin is place where most of the product assault/most of problems have occurred over recent years)

[dj23]

I never really wash my face, nor do I put anything on it. I've been doing the 'caveman regimen' for about a year or two.

It was around the time I started abusing face washes and topicals, like rubbing alcohol and peroxide and Oxy cream, that I began to get serious acne. So then I just left my face alone and it became a lot less severe.

I would say that now I have typical teenage acne, not really that bad, but my skin is still very sensitive and gets irritated easily all because of the topical abuse from two years ago. It's caused some permanent damage, like my facial skin is a lot more sensitive and not as thick as it used to be.

I've learned that water is the only thing thats safe to put on sensitive skin. and for me personally when I'm in the sunshine a lot, my skin will clear up totally.

So it is important not to put too many things on your face, or ideally, just don't even touch your face at all (including picking). It's not worth the damage it causes.

[Adam08]

okay, so after about 10 days, i splashed some bottled water on my face. My skin has been really good - all but the flakiness. I'll prob wash with water in another 3-5 days

[Mans]

I'm going to try this. Actually im going to start my own log!

Tomorrow I start not using ANYTHING on my face. Let's see how this goes.

[Adam08]

i reckon that the bottled water did more harm than good. The water is fine but i think the water removed some dead skin which i prob needed to be there (whilst the skin repairs itself underneath etc)..this morning my skin felt a bit more irritated than usual as a result..Im going to leave it alone from now on.

at the moment, there is like a battle between having dead skin or irritated skin. I think im going to settle with the dead skin for the moment and hope that it goes away

[RockstarNailbomb]

Hey man, glad to see that this caveman regimen is working out for you. Since reading your first post i have begun to reduce the amount of topicals i put on my face. I have yet to completely stop though. I have already noticed a little less irritation and redness. I have a question though, do you think someone with hormonal acne would benefit from not washing their face, or do you think it would do more harm than good. i am only 16 and i really want to just quit all the scrubs and acne washes and juts let my face heal, but i am afraid that if i stop washing my face i will break out like crazy.

thanks in advance

-andrew

[karma89]

i reckon that the bottled water did more harm than good. The water is fine but i think the water removed some dead skin which i prob needed to be there (whilst the skin repairs itself underneath etc)..this morning my skin felt a bit more irritated than usual as a result..Im going to leave it alone from now on.

at the moment, there is like a battle between having dead skin or irritated skin. I think im going to settle with the dead skin for the moment and hope that it goes away

Hey. Just wanted to consult with you since we're both in the same boat. I've using only WATER for like the past 2-3 weeks. Anyways, my skin is completely filled with dead flakey skin. I don't know if I should exfoliate or just leave them there. I'm trying not to use ANYTHING on m yface, so I don't even use lotion anymore (which I always suspected did more harm than good). I'm currently only putting olive oil on my face for 15 mins before taking a shower as a "moisturizing" thing, but I guess it cant get rid of all the dead skin I have. My nose especially, is filled with dead skin. I'm not sure if the excessive flaking is because I'm strictly only using water or because I have a thyroid disorder (excessive dry skin is one of the symptoms), but its pretty flakey. The flakyness subsides after like 4-5 hours after I take a shower but it just being there annoys me. I don't know how long its going to stay there for. Should I exfoliate (with baking soda)?

[AniMuS]

I'm not trying this regimen, but i suggest an option. Why not go further, buy some dirt, like the one used for plants, and rub it in the face? I suppose cavemen were dirty in the face most of the time, so that would further simulate the environment.

[karma89]

^ I don't think you get the point of the regimen. Like I say, 100 years ago, we never had half the sh*t for acne that we have now, so I'm pretty sure the high rates of acne nowadyas past the teenage years are made worse by the onslaught of "cures" for acne that have come on the market, most of which fuck up your skin in one way or another. If you let your skin get back to its natural state then one, your skin is healthier generally and 2. it can actually do its job without being weakened by layers upon layers of chemicals.

People on this site put 3-4 different medications on thier acne in a DAY. I remember one guy saying he put BP, Duac, Differin and took a oral tetracycline. That is called overreacting to a problem.

The only reason I'm doing this (although mine is modified to include water daily - no cleansers though) is because I have no family history of persistent acne. My dad had spots as a teenager, but all he used to use was water, and he was clear by the time he was in his 20's. My brother had my type of whiteheads as a teenager but he never once used anything on his face. He stopped seeing spots after he was 20, and only gets like 2 spots a year nowadays. Me on the other hand, I've consistently thought using a plethora of products was the best way to go. So, where has that led me? I'm 19, 5 years going on this battle and I've never been completely clear (except for when I used clindamycin....but lo and behold the acne got resistant to it!).

If you yourself haven't tried it, then you have no right to try and ridicule others. Just because the notion of putting loads of shit on your face is the one thats prevalent doesnt mean its right, as you can obviously see by the fact that theres 300-500 people online at any given time on this board.

Now, I'm not exactly doing the caveman regimen because I cant NOT take atleast a shower a day and I love running my face in the water, but water only could be something that other people try in the meantime if they feel the traditional caveman ways aren't for them.

[Adam08]

Hey man, glad to see that this caveman regimen is working out for you. Since reading your first post i have begun to reduce the amount of topicals i put on my face. I have yet to completely stop though. I have already noticed a little less irritation and redness. I have a question though, do you think someone with hormonal acne would benefit from not washing their face, or do you think it would do more harm than good. i am only 16 and i really want to just quit all the scrubs and acne washes and juts let my face heal, but i am afraid that if i stop washing my face i will break out like crazy.

thanks in advance

-andrew

Firstly, i recommned that you look at a few other threads on this toic (search the boards for threads made by waterwater, alexalmighty and jan carlo). I can give you some advice, but you are likely to find a lot more on these threads (thats where i got the idea and became convinced that this was more me)

Okay, so you say that you have hormonal acne and having been using topicals. Because you have been using topicals, i would think that there is a greater likelihood of an initial breakout etc but i cant be sure (see the above threads). I went from cetaphil cleanser and cream to this "regimen" so my face is still yet to really breakout. I'm not sure wherif it is best for you to jump right in to this or gradually reduce the topicals. Again, see the threads.

im 20 as of a couple of weeks. I thought i had hormonal acne but im not convinced anymore. I got acne at 16 by drinkning excessive amounts of dairy and i reckon the irritation of topicals has prolonged the experinced. Alexalmighty was 17 when he started this regimen, and he said he started with cysts and the like. He was pretty sure that irriation was the cause. Do you think you are irritating your skin?

did you begin with a couple of zits then start scrubbing your face? if yes, perhaps this regimen will be really good for you..

and also, just remember that diet can influence your hormones (even though i have been off the diet for a little while)

[Adam08]

i reckon that the bottled water did more harm than good. The water is fine but i think the water removed some dead skin which i prob needed to be there (whilst the skin repairs itself underneath etc)..this morning my skin felt a bit more irritated than usual as a result..Im going to leave it alone from now on.

at the moment, there is like a battle between having dead skin or irritated skin. I think im going to settle with the dead skin for the moment and hope that it goes away

Hey. Just wanted to consult with you since we're both in the same boat. I've using only WATER for like the past 2-3 weeks. Anyways, my skin is completely filled with dead flakey skin. I don't know if I should exfoliate or just leave them there. I'm trying not to use ANYTHING on m yface, so I don't even use lotion anymore (which I always suspected did more harm than good). I'm currently only putting olive oil on my face for 15 mins before taking a shower as a "moisturizing" thing, but I guess it cant get rid of all the dead skin I have. My nose especially, is filled with dead skin. I'm not sure if the excessive flaking is because I'm strictly only using water or because I have a thyroid disorder (excessive dry skin is one of the symptoms), but its pretty flakey. The flakyness subsides after like 4-5 hours after I take a shower but it just being there annoys me. I don't know how long its going to stay there for. Should I exfoliate (with baking soda)?

Firstly, im glad someone out there is having a similar experience. to be honest, right now im just hoping (yeh, thats all, just hoping) that the dead, flakey skin will just go away. In some areas, it certainly has. I came to conclusion that if i could put up with acne for close to 4 years, then i can certainly put up with some dead skin for a few weeks (I hope!). I read somewhere that it takes 14-17 days for the acid mantle to repair itself and i think 28 days for the new skin cells to reach outer layer of the skin..I hope by this time the flakes will be gone.

i think showering, from memory, worsens the appearance of dead skin (my experience). Now I pull off my showerhead and do a body wash..

Exfoliation? I know that if i do it, yeh the flakes will be gone but i will irritate the heck out of my skin and i'll be back to where i started. The way i see it ive come to far to go back now. There is honestly nothing i can do at this stage..im not going to exfoliate and moisturising will only make it look messy..prob a good thing actually cos im not gonna get off this regimen anyway. My hope that the dead skin will go away on its own also comes from the experiecne of waterwater, alexalmighty and others. They left it alone and swore it eventually went away..I keep telling my self to be strong.

also: i think we need to ask ourselves what exfoliation achieves? I mean if i were to exfoliate i would remove a lot of dead skin leaving my face unprotected. Then my skin will just produce some more dead skin. Then again, exfoliate. More dead skin etc etc ..Maybe that doesnt happen (Im not an expert on exfoliation but i reckon thats the way my body will respond). The dead skin is there for a reason and im leaving it there. I trust that it'll take care of itself

[ashleyms]

This is probably a men's only regimen huh
I don't think any girl that wears makeup would be able to do this. Damn. Sounded promising too

[karma89]

I think what I'm going to do is just stop washing my face at night, and just take a shower in the morning. That will subside the flaking, but since flaking is a part of this regimen, I guess it'll go away sooner or later. Funny thing is I've ALWAYS had flaky skin, but its never gotten this bad. Since I started using water only (started with cetaphil-only), my flaking's gone up lke 70%, which means all the dead skin is just accumulating. The skin has a natural shedding process, correct? So, if I limit washing to once a day, technically speaking the flaking will decline and eventually my skin will renew itself. It's all an experiment though. Keep us posted man.

[Adam08]

I'm not trying this regimen, but i suggest an option. Why not go further, buy some dirt, like the one used for plants, and rub it in the face? I suppose cavemen were dirty in the face most of the time, so that would further simulate the environment.

i actually look forward to rubbing dirt into my face. it's something i'll do when im clear. ahh the freedom.

[AniMuS]

^ I don't think you get the point of the regimen. Like I say, 100 years ago, we never had half the sh*t for acne that we have now, so I'm pretty sure the high rates of acne nowadyas past the teenage years are made worse by the onslaught of "cures" for acne that have come on the market, most of which fuck up your skin in one way or another. If you let your skin get back to its natural state then one, your skin is healthier generally and 2. it can actually do its job without being weakened by layers upon layers of chemicals.

People on this site put 3-4 different medications on thier acne in a DAY. I remember one guy saying he put BP, Duac, Differin and took a oral tetracycline. That is called overreacting to a problem.

The only reason I'm doing this (although mine is modified to include water daily - no cleansers though) is because I have no family history of persistent acne. My dad had spots as a teenager, but all he used to use was water, and he was clear by the time he was in his 20's. My brother had my type of whiteheads as a teenager but he never once used anything on his face. He stopped seeing spots after he was 20, and only gets like 2 spots a year nowadays. Me on the other hand, I've consistently thought using a plethora of products was the best way to go. So, where has that led me? I'm 19, 5 years going on this battle and I've never been completely clear (except for when I used clindamycin....but lo and behold the acne got resistant to it!).

If you yourself haven't tried it, then you have no right to try and ridicule others. Just because the notion of putting loads of shit on your face is the one thats prevalent doesnt mean its right, as you can obviously see by the fact that theres 300-500 people online at any given time on this board.

Now, I'm not exactly doing the caveman regimen because I cant NOT take atleast a shower a day and I love running my face in the water, but water only could be something that other people try in the meantime if they feel the traditional caveman ways aren't for them.

I'm not ridiculing anyone, i'm being dead serious. I think it could be a very valuable experience, to test the living conditions of the Propionibacterium acnes bacteria. And don't laugh, because this really is a good experience, to see how the bacteria survives. I might try it myself, but my skin has been floating between days with no pimples, and days with only few, so i'm not sure i'd be the best subject for the experience.

[karma89]

Oh, lol, I thought you were just putting the experiment down. My bad.

[RockstarNailbomb]

did you begin with a couple of zits then start scrubbing your face? if yes, perhaps this regimen will be really good for you..

To answer your question about if i broke out worse after i scrubbed,

i never had typical acne. My acne was just mostly inflamed clogged pores. No actual zits with a head. I had maybe 4 inflamed pores at any given time. My mom bought me some soap that dried me out really bad, but she told me it was supposed to reduce the oil on my skin. (this was before i realized that is completely wrong) Anyways the soap made my face get super dry, and then realy oily a few hours later. Because my face became oilier, my mom told me to use the soap even more, which led me to wash my face with it 3 times a day. After a month of doing that the area i was washing in ( only my t-zone) always felt dry, but oily at the same time, and it was always red. I then realized that the soap had ruined my face and i stopped using it. this was 2 years ago and since then my skin has been really sensitive to anything and is always red. Even using water to wash my face makes it dry out. Well up to about 2 weeks ago i was using retin a, but now i just wash my face with Head and Shoulders because it keeps my cheeks less irritated. I have tried to just wash my face with water for a while but i always get discouraged with the innitial breakout and i go back to the retin a.

Anyways i have no acne anywhere but my t-zone. No acne on my cheeks or chin at all. Just on my t-zone and its mostly just a few whiteheads. The acne is not really a big deal. But my skin is horribel, its always irritated and red and always oily only at my t zone. Do you think the caveman regimen would work for me?

[Adam08]

did you begin with a couple of zits then start scrubbing your face? if yes, perhaps this regimen will be really good for you..

To answer your question about if i broke out worse after i scrubbed,

i never had typical acne. My acne was just mostly inflamed clogged pores. No actual zits with a head. I had maybe 4 inflamed pores at any given time. My mom bought me some soap that dried me out really bad, but she told me it was supposed to reduce the oil on my skin. (this was before i realized that is completely wrong) Anyways the soap made my face get super dry, and then realy oily a few hours later. Because my face became oilier, my mom told me to use the soap even more, which led me to wash my face with it 3 times a day. After a month of doing that the area i was washing in ( only my t-zone) always felt dry, but oily at the same time, and it was always red. I then realized that the soap had ruined my face and i stopped using it. this was 2 years ago and since then my skin has been really sensitive to anything and is always red. Even using water to wash my face makes it dry out. Well up to about 2 weeks ago i was using retin a, but now i just wash my face with Head and Shoulders because it keeps my cheeks less irritated. I have tried to just wash my face with water for a while but i always get discouraged with the innitial breakout and i go back to the retin a.

Anyways i have no acne anywhere but my t-zone. No acne on my cheeks or chin at all. Just on my t-zone and its mostly just a few whiteheads. The acne is not really a big deal. But my skin is horribel, its always irritated and red and always oily only at my t zone. Do you think the caveman regimen would work for me?

Yes, i do. Bear in mind though that there is an adjustment process that needs to take place. Your skin may magically improve or it might have to get worse before it gets better. It may take some guts to stick with it.

at days 3-4, i found my skin to be red/more blotchy than its even been but that quickly went away and skin tone much improved. Now just dealing with the dead flakes. My skin has never been oily though (in my whole life that is). Some people have experienced an increase in oil production at the beginning of this regimen.