246 replies to this topic

[KissDontTell]

Just wanted to let you know that I will be taking part in this "regimen" as well. No matter how much the oil bothers me, no matter how much my younger sister tries to tempt me into using her BP, I'm keeping things simple. It needs a break from all the cleansers and topical acne treatments I've been subjecting it to all these years. Although, the one thing that's really bugging me is the dead skin. :S I can't even remember the last time I exfoliated, & it's getting kinda gross. Like I went to blot my forehead today because it was getting oily, and you should have seen it. Icky. :/ But I'm going to stay strong and just ignore it, until I get things get under control. Hopefully that issue resolves itself in a few weeks ...

[possiblyHopeful]

Laying in bed so I thought I would do a mini vent. Today, as promised, I skipped the water wash in the morning and just showered in the evening. I was a bit scared by the end of the day I'd be an oil an oil slick. Thankfully that's not the case. All major problem areas are healing up nicely with a spot treatment of calamine on one or two. I stood in front of the mirror just before, examining. My forehead is slowly worsening (I might post a picture later, if that's alright? Might be a potential way to influence some people...assuming it clears up). I was going to cover it in calamine, but I have faith in my skin. Looking over some pictures I recently took, it looks and even feels like a bit a problem area. Possibly felt a spot throbing...is that possible?

I'll be reporting back in the AM. Good night and please skin, be kind!!!!!

[japjeev]

i would really like to try this. but i cant believe just water can cure up your acne its very hard to believe. how can it? i have 2 months of summer with no school. so its a good time to try it but idk. if i should or not

[bizi]

Dear ashley I am so happy for you that your face is clearer. I understand about all of the red marks...I am just impatiently waiting for them to go away.
I have been off the Ben peroxide since jan.
You know that I had a terrible reaction to finacea that my derm put me on. The one side, left side of my face broke out terribly. But I have rosacea and acne.
so then I went back to the derm and he started me on an antibiotic in the tetracycline family and aczone lotion. Which I have to say has been wonderful. 75% of my face is 100% clear, just the left cheek and cheek bone and nose are red and I have one bump that is finally going away. So I am very happy about my face. Being 48 and having to deal with acne/rosacea really sucks. Being that this out break is only on one side of my face I truely wonder if it is rosacea....
I wish you continued luck, I admire your persistance and determination. Thank you again for your support.
bizi

[Mrs. Grape]

Kiss - I hope it works for you! With the dead skin, because I had exfoliated very often in the past, I also had bad dead skin issues, in that scraping my skin lead to loose flakes covering my fingers I ended up weaning my skin off of exfoliating by extending the times in between, and then I started just rubbing dead skin off with my fingers as opposed to any tools. I did this when my skin was dry. I am not sure if that actually helped get my skin back on track with its own shedding, but it might have played a role. So if after 3-4 weeks you still have dead skin (not flaking/peeling skin, but dead skin that can literally be scraped off), then you could try rubbing it off when your face and hands are dry, then waiting a few more weeks to see what happens. The only downside was that this did make my breakouts worse due to the irritation, but it settled down once I got back onto the water-only regimen.

Hopeful - Ooh I hope things get better. Have you thought of ditching the calamine entirely? I was using some on my body, and it seemed to be okay for my back, since the spots are mostly irritation related. But on my chest, it caused some new breakouts. And I remember I had to stop using it on my face for the same reason. It was just too drying and something in it was breaking me out. And yes, pictures are fine! With problem-areas, they seem to just take longer to heal/adjust. My cheeks for instance, they are my problem areas, and they definitely look worse than the rest of my face. Even my two clear areas (upper lip - has always been clear - and forehead) aren't perfect and still get some flesh bumps there. But who knows, maybe I will recognize something in your skin that I experienced or that I might have some ideas for

Jap - What is your skin like now? Are you happy/okay with it? If so, don't change what you are doing. This method generally works for those who have either caused or worsened their acne by using methods/products that were inappropriate for their skin: too harsh/drying, too emollient, too rough, too medicated, comedogenic ingredients, too irritating, using it too often, etc. By not using products, you are removing any external variables that can contribute to your acne. So any acne/breakouts you do get, you know are not caused by your routine. It allows the skin to slowly relearn how to take care of itself so that you don't need to use products. The acidity returns back to its normal state, which means that it is a lot harder for foreign and harmful bacteria to have a negative effect on your skin. It's not something that works for everyone, but it's definitely a method worth trying for at least 2-3 months to see the true effects of it.

Bizi - It's wonderful having someone around who understands some of the issues! I'm just thankful that my red marks seem to be improving every few days and that it will soon no longer be something that affects me. The same will hopefully happen for yours as well, we both just need to remember that this is a temporary state! That's really quite wonderful! I'm betting that by the end of the summer (or sooner), things will be looking even better. I really have no experience with rosacea, but perhaps if you are concerned as to whether or not it actually is rosacea, you could see 1-2 other doctors/derms for other opinions.

[James Small]

I've been washing my face with warm water for a month now with my hands once in the morning and then again in the evening. Sometimes I wash my face again around lunchtime during hot days or when I've been gardening a lot.

Does that fall within the criteria of your regime? Should I change the way I'm doing something?

Edited by James Small, 04 July 2011 - 01:30 PM.

[Mrs. Grape]

James, your routine is water-only even if our approaches differ slightly. Water-only just means no skincare products of any kind; all the other variables are meant to be adjusted for the individual's needs. Only change it if you don't think that your skin is benefiting from it. I initially tried water-only as you are doing it, but found that it did not work for my skin (using my hands led to more peeling, and it made me too preoccupied with my skin). I then tried using just a washcloth and water, which again did not work. I would also adjust how often I'd wash. I eventually tried this method and found the one that worked well for me. I'd mostly just recommend my approach for those who really don't want to have to think about their skin or just want to really keep it as simple as possible. Part of my doing it this way is also that this was my basic method prior to developing acne, thus I figured it would be worth reverting back to

[possiblyHopeful]

Just extending on my last post, things are looking up...potentially. I woke up and looked in the mirror and my skin looked mortifying. I checked again in twenty or so minutes and it was significantly less red. It made me feel better! Do you still wake up with new pimples? I can usually still guarantee waking up with two or three new pimples a day, though the question is how bad/deep they are. Usually, I'll find I'm a bit more broken out in the mornings and most of the areas heal by night time to a doesn't-worry-me pimple.

My forehead is ITCHY! Does that mean it's healing? I think that's what they usually say. It's taking everything I have to not scratch it! The pimple situation seems to have gotten better over night, possibly. It also seems a bit dry, which could also be affecting the area.

How's post surgery, btw?

[froggy25f]

Just extending on my last post, things are looking up...potentially. I woke up and looked in the mirror and my skin looked mortifying. I checked again in twenty or so minutes and it was significantly less red. It made me feel better! Do you still wake up with new pimples? I can usually still guarantee waking up with two or three new pimples a day, though the question is how bad/deep they are. Usually, I'll find I'm a bit more broken out in the mornings and most of the areas heal by night time to a doesn't-worry-me pimple.

My forehead is ITCHY! Does that mean it's healing? I think that's what they usually say. It's taking everything I have to not scratch it! The pimple situation seems to have gotten better over night, possibly. It also seems a bit dry, which could also be affecting the area.

How's post surgery, btw?

This is my start of 5th week washing with only water. During some nights, my forehead too becomes terribly itchy. yesterday night i had to wake up and splash some water on my itchy areas and dry it with a tissue. todae i woke up with 4 zits. terrible day.

[Jennaaaay]

Thanks! I try to be informative, and trying to make sure to not be too biased as well. I hope your routine works for you! Just don't be trying too many of those items on your list all at once haha. And the tape method.. Maybe it broke you out because of the adhesive. I think that part of why I was getting some clogs the last few days was the adhesive they used on me during my oral surgery, which was all over my nose and a bit on my cheeks! No fun.

Haha, I don't do too many of themm at once!!! The tape method worked...somewhat. But it was annoying... I just list the ones I find so I don't forget int he "What's Next" part...just is case!!!
And man, you think it clogged your pores? Man, that suuucks. :\

[Mrs. Grape]

Just extending on my last post, things are looking up...potentially. I woke up and looked in the mirror and my skin looked mortifying. I checked again in twenty or so minutes and it was significantly less red. It made me feel better! Do you still wake up with new pimples? I can usually still guarantee waking up with two or three new pimples a day, though the question is how bad/deep they are. Usually, I'll find I'm a bit more broken out in the mornings and most of the areas heal by night time to a doesn't-worry-me pimple.

My forehead is ITCHY! Does that mean it's healing? I think that's what they usually say. It's taking everything I have to not scratch it! The pimple situation seems to have gotten better over night, possibly. It also seems a bit dry, which could also be affecting the area.

How's post surgery, btw?

I find that I go through ups and downs during the day as well in terms of how my skin looks. It looks best a while after my shower once I have a bit of oil showing up and then throughout the day. Near the later afternoon it starts looking a bit bleh. So it looks the worst after showers and, well, before showers lol.

And no, I actually don't wake up to new pimples! This week, I've only gotten one new pimple, which is on my outer lower jaw. But it was due to sleeping with calamine lotion on my back, wearing a tank top, and the calamine lotion rubbing onto the pillow. It's already much smaller than it was yesterday/this morning. Three pimples, one of which is barely a pimple and the other two are getting smaller every day, and that's all I have pimple-wise. But I do seem to still wake up with little raised bumps on my forehead if I've scratched at it a lot, and if I have any clogs they will rise out after showers and start coming out over a period of a few days. I actually made a small thing bleed today, no idea how :/ Oh well, it's too small to worry about. While my forehead is clear, I do still seem to be mildly purging out the flesh bumps that still remain.

The things you are experiencing are things I experienced within the first month every time I've tried this, but yours seem to be happening at a slower rate. I remember that the first few times I tried this, I'd be really itchy for a while. But these last few times I've tried it, no itching. My guess is that it is related to how long the skin has been without cleansers; my back was terribly itchy last month when I was ditching shampoo, it took weeks to go away.

Maybe my experience is a bit faster than what would be the norm for someone just coming off of products since this has kind of been a year-long journey for me. I haven't used skincare products since at least December? And I hadn't used any DIY methods since then either. So I've been attempting various water-only methods and Caveman approaches the last 6ish months. Could be why I no longer get random frequent breakouts.

Oh, and my jaw is doing much better Still a bit of swelling maybe, but I can mostly open my mouth with almost no soreness/pain until I try opening it up wide. No bruising, I just still feel it sorta. I'm afraid to chew normally still lol.

Edited by i am ashley., 04 July 2011 - 10:49 PM.

[Mrs. Grape]

Thanks! I try to be informative, and trying to make sure to not be too biased as well. I hope your routine works for you! Just don't be trying too many of those items on your list all at once haha. And the tape method.. Maybe it broke you out because of the adhesive. I think that part of why I was getting some clogs the last few days was the adhesive they used on me during my oral surgery, which was all over my nose and a bit on my cheeks! No fun.

Haha, I don't do too many of themm at once!!! The tape method worked...somewhat. But it was annoying... I just list the ones I find so I don't forget int he "What's Next" part...just is case!!!
And man, you think it clogged your pores? Man, that suuucks. :\

Well that's good! Trying out many approaches is one reason I broke out so badly. Gotta keep it nice and spaced out I've found

I'd think that the tape method would be too time-consuming, and would use a lot of tape lol. But yeah, I think that the adhesive slightly bothered my skin, nothing major. Either way, I seem to have mostly recovered from whatever made my skin flare up a bit. Just waiting on these 3 pimples to clear up, then the remaining flesh bumps. Gah I can't wait to get back to the gym now and prove to myself that I can still be awesome with these red marks and few remaining issues

[James Small]

James, your routine is water-only even if our approaches differ slightly. Water-only just means no skincare products of any kind; all the other variables are meant to be adjusted for the individual's needs. Only change it if you don't think that your skin is benefiting from it. I initially tried water-only as you are doing it, but found that it did not work for my skin (using my hands led to more peeling, and it made me too preoccupied with my skin). I then tried using just a washcloth and water, which again did not work. I would also adjust how often I'd wash. I eventually tried this method and found the one that worked well for me. I'd mostly just recommend my approach for those who really don't want to have to think about their skin or just want to really keep it as simple as possible. Part of my doing it this way is also that this was my basic method prior to developing acne, thus I figured it would be worth reverting back to

In that case this regime is perfect for me! I can't stand skincare products as they always clog my pores up. When I wash my face I barely let my hands touch my face, and then I let my face dry on it's own!

[froggy25f]

James, your routine is water-only even if our approaches differ slightly. Water-only just means no skincare products of any kind; all the other variables are meant to be adjusted for the individual's needs. Only change it if you don't think that your skin is benefiting from it. I initially tried water-only as you are doing it, but found that it did not work for my skin (using my hands led to more peeling, and it made me too preoccupied with my skin). I then tried using just a washcloth and water, which again did not work. I would also adjust how often I'd wash. I eventually tried this method and found the one that worked well for me. I'd mostly just recommend my approach for those who really don't want to have to think about their skin or just want to really keep it as simple as possible. Part of my doing it this way is also that this was my basic method prior to developing acne, thus I figured it would be worth reverting back to

In that case this regime is perfect for me! I can't stand skincare products as they always clog my pores up. When I wash my face I barely let my hands touch my face, and then I let my face dry on it's own!

me too i wash my face with the shower head over it without using my hands. but i use tissue to dry it after. but i heard that water evaporates and dries your skin. i duno if drying it makes any difference too?

[hina2011]

Ashley, I have been experiencing lot of itching in past two three days. Its like I cant even sleep. I am on water-only as you know, and also left the fullers earth spot treating before 10 days or more now. And my itching is mostly on my chin, where I have more pimples. I feel like scraching my face a lot, but I dont.. Every minute i keep thinking about it. How long did the itching last for you, I mean not this time, but the first time you tried caveman or water-only.. I am thinking, that my acne is so worse at this time of the month(which is usually the best time for me acne wise), then how would my face be before a week of my periods.. I am really scared now. I am definately not giving up the water only regimen, but really scared.. Anybody else also going through the horrible itching phase?
Also, whats up with these new bump like reddish pimples appearing everyday. Like Mosquito bites or chicken pox? I never used to get them before.
One more thing, since I dont use mosituriser now with SPF, and I travel to work everyday 30 minutes, I have been observing that one side of my face is really red and bumpy now with red spots all over. Because when I go to the office in the morning at 8:30, the sun faces my left cheek and in the evening, when I go reverse back home, the direction of sun also changes for sunset, so again my left cheek is attacked by the sun. My poor left cheek. Anybody experiencing the same red bumps with the sun on water only?

[KissDontTell]

I just couldn't deal with it anymore.

I cracked.

Today, I finally exfoliated. My skin looked absolutely disgusting, guys. Especially my forehead. There was no way in hell I was going to school with dead, flaky skin all over my face. As soon as I got home for lunch, I made a sugar + honey scrub and as gently as I could, scrubbed away at the flakes. It felt so good, oh my goodness. After I was done and I patted my face dry, I gasped. My skin looks and feels SO MUCH BETTER. It's not grey and dull anymore, and I feel like my pores can actually breathe now. I didn't get all the flakes off, but the majority of them are gone. I didn't want to damage my skin by scrubbing too much.

Anyway, that will probably be the last time I manually exfoliate. This summer I'm going to experiment with chemical exfoliants (AHA & BHA)
I'm still only washing my face with water. (:

Edited by KissDontTell, 05 July 2011 - 02:46 PM.

[Mrs. Grape]

James, your routine is water-only even if our approaches differ slightly. Water-only just means no skincare products of any kind; all the other variables are meant to be adjusted for the individual's needs. Only change it if you don't think that your skin is benefiting from it. I initially tried water-only as you are doing it, but found that it did not work for my skin (using my hands led to more peeling, and it made me too preoccupied with my skin). I then tried using just a washcloth and water, which again did not work. I would also adjust how often I'd wash. I eventually tried this method and found the one that worked well for me. I'd mostly just recommend my approach for those who really don't want to have to think about their skin or just want to really keep it as simple as possible. Part of my doing it this way is also that this was my basic method prior to developing acne, thus I figured it would be worth reverting back to

In that case this regime is perfect for me! I can't stand skincare products as they always clog my pores up. When I wash my face I barely let my hands touch my face, and then I let my face dry on it's own!

me too i wash my face with the shower head over it without using my hands. but i use tissue to dry it after. but i heard that water evaporates and dries your skin. i duno if drying it makes any difference too?

Why are you thinking so much into it? Grab a clean towel (or a clean face cloth if you'd rather not use a new large towel each shower) and just dry off like you do your body. Do you let your body air-dry? If not, then use a towel. The point of the routine is to basically not think so much about your skin, and concerning yourself with drying methods is not letting you do that. You just need to choose your main variables (ie how often to wash, where, and what water temp) and then go about your business.

[Mrs. Grape]

Ashley, I have been experiencing lot of itching in past two three days. Its like I cant even sleep. I am on water-only as you know, and also left the fullers earth spot treating before 10 days or more now. And my itching is mostly on my chin, where I have more pimples. I feel like scraching my face a lot, but I dont.. Every minute i keep thinking about it. How long did the itching last for you, I mean not this time, but the first time you tried caveman or water-only.. I am thinking, that my acne is so worse at this time of the month(which is usually the best time for me acne wise), then how would my face be before a week of my periods.. I am really scared now. I am definately not giving up the water only regimen, but really scared.. Anybody else also going through the horrible itching phase?
Also, whats up with these new bump like reddish pimples appearing everyday. Like Mosquito bites or chicken pox? I never used to get them before.
One more thing, since I dont use mosituriser now with SPF, and I travel to work everyday 30 minutes, I have been observing that one side of my face is really red and bumpy now with red spots all over. Because when I go to the office in the morning at 8:30, the sun faces my left cheek and in the evening, when I go reverse back home, the direction of sun also changes for sunset, so again my left cheek is attacked by the sun. My poor left cheek. Anybody experiencing the same red bumps with the sun on water only?

Ugh, the itching! I remember it lasted at least a few weeks. It lasted maybe almost a month on my back even when I stopped using shampoo recently.

When I started on this, I'd get different types of pimples when I'd be adjusting. YOu might just be purging, everyone purges differently.

If it's a problem, put something on the window to prevent the sun from getting on your face. Or wear a hat to cover up.

[Mrs. Grape]

I just couldn't deal with it anymore.

I cracked.

Today, I finally exfoliated. My skin looked absolutely disgusting, guys. Especially my forehead. There was no way in hell I was going to school with dead, flaky skin all over my face. As soon as I got home for lunch, I made a sugar + honey scrub and as gently as I could, scrubbed away at the flakes. It felt so good, oh my goodness. After I was done and I patted my face dry, I gasped. My skin looks and feels SO MUCH BETTER. It's not grey and dull anymore, and I feel like my pores can actually breathe now. I didn't get all the flakes off, but the majority of them are gone. I didn't want to damage my skin by scrubbing too much.

Anyway, that will probably be the last time I manually exfoliate. This summer I'm going to experiment with chemical exfoliants (AHA & BHA)
I'm still only washing my face with water. (:

How long did you go without exfoliating while on your regimen? I noticed that if I'd exfoliate, even if my skin looked better afterwards, it would get worse later on because I was exfoliating at a time when ym skin was still quite sensitive and was still adjusting to my routine. When I'd exfoliate, I'd get the same reaction. And I'd not get all of the flakes off. The next day they'd all be back because it dehydrated the skin, especially by not moisturizing afterwards. Hopefully exfoliating doesn't set you back at all though!

[KissDontTell]

I just couldn't deal with it anymore.

I cracked.

Today, I finally exfoliated. My skin looked absolutely disgusting, guys. Especially my forehead. There was no way in hell I was going to school with dead, flaky skin all over my face. As soon as I got home for lunch, I made a sugar + honey scrub and as gently as I could, scrubbed away at the flakes. It felt so good, oh my goodness. After I was done and I patted my face dry, I gasped. My skin looks and feels SO MUCH BETTER. It's not grey and dull anymore, and I feel like my pores can actually breathe now. I didn't get all the flakes off, but the majority of them are gone. I didn't want to damage my skin by scrubbing too much.

Anyway, that will probably be the last time I manually exfoliate. This summer I'm going to experiment with chemical exfoliants (AHA & BHA)
I'm still only washing my face with water. (:

How long did you go without exfoliating while on your regimen? I noticed that if I'd exfoliate, even if my skin looked better afterwards, it would get worse later on because I was exfoliating at a time when ym skin was still quite sensitive and was still adjusting to my routine. When I'd exfoliate, I'd get the same reaction. And I'd not get all of the flakes off. The next day they'd all be back because it dehydrated the skin, especially by not moisturizing afterwards. Hopefully exfoliating doesn't set you back at all though!

I couldn't tell you an exact date, but I haven't exfoliated since some time in May. That's a reeeeally long time for me, because I usually scrub my face about once or twice every week, like clockwork!
I hope that it doesn't set me back either. ): (but, I am expecting to have some sort of breakout this week, it's nearing that time of month....)