9 replies to this topic

[mm6mm]

this summer (july) i decide to stop using all products on my face. water only ... so i did that for a while... and i noticed that i wasnt breaking out anymore at all... but then i wasnt exactly feeling great about myself cause even though the acne was gone... the scars remained .. so obviously i know time will heal everything but i was impatient... so i switched things around a bit.. and what i did was :

am- caveman routine. (didnt wash my face at all..)
pm- rinsed face with water and smeared organic extra virgin olive oil all over my face

and obviously whenever i would shower id wash my face yadda yadda yadda.. but really basically what i did was let go of skincare completely...... EXCEPT at night .. i would religiously smear the olive oil all over every night... now the thing is...around the same time I made a few changes in my lifestyle:

- starting drinking organic ACV every day twice a day
- stopped using shampoos, and conditioner (starting washing my hair with baking soda rinse and vinegar rinse
- around September i forgot i had acne and i had stopped inspecting my face everyday thus i had without realized stopped picking my acne every day


so I have stopped using all chemicals on my body, hair, face, my motto is "you shouldn't put anything on your body that you can't eat."

so its been around 4 months that I've made all these changes in my life and as a result? Clear, healthy, glowing skin. Soft supple and firm skin (I use olive oil all over my body every night), and healthy naturally wavy hair with a bounce to it (with NO products whatsoever...)

I do eat everything though, that one thing I just couldnt compromise on. I love food and eat anything I see... I don't each much junk to begin with only cause I really cant stomach it but I definitly enjoy my food!! Since I couldn't compromise on my diet, I compromised on my skincare routine (or the lack of it ;-) ] and IT was DEFINITLY the best decision of my LIFE. I've never felt so great, so happy, so healthy, so STRESS FREE.. the acne was destroying my life.. I've previously suffered from acne all throughout my teen years, (maybe turning 20 has also stablized my hormones?) i dunno... so thank god im outta that nasty hormonal teen years.. and around when i was 16 i started using skincare products... and well I guess thats what made it my acne go from a 1 to a 10 .... but thank god for everything he has given me ... i feel very blessed...to realize i am (as is everyone i believe) naturally beautiful. god created us all beautiful and really we dont need any marketing companies to tell us otherwise.

ps) if ive had a really sweaty day and just water isnt cutting it i use a homemade castile soap (you can watch videos on youtube to learn how to do it yourself!)

i hope i helped someone and lots of love yours truly,
m&m

[FSAS]

what about to get make up off :/ i suppose make up isnt really a good thing to even put on your face but often I need it so i can face a day outside (as silly as that is its very true)..do you have any suggestions?

[mm6mm]

mm6mm, on 30 November 2011 - 11:20 PM, said:

so I have stopped using all chemicals on my body, hair, face, my motto is "you shouldn't put anything on your body that you can't eat"

Honestly, for your sake I wish I could say something like "just remove all your makeup with olive oil and a cotton ball and then rinse with water"

But, that didn't work for me. The whole point was to not touch my face at all during the day (unless its water in the shower) and just to rinse with water at night and to massage EVOO. But after your skin has adjusted to this regimen (there is a transition period) you won't ever feel the need to wear makeup anyway. (that's just my personal experience) and my dear, that just feels so LIBERATING. So to answer your question, if I were in your place I would give up the makeup for a few months and see how my skin copes on its own. Likely, you'll notice a big difference for the positive (think back when you were 8 or 9, your skin was probably clear right?)...

I'm sorry I really wasn't much help was I? =(

[jennifer36]

I've been thinking about a no chemical approach.. I'm too attached to my cleanser though. I love it! It's a natural cleanser so it's not too bad... Are you still 100% clear?

[mm6mm]

yes, I am..(thank god!) I've been 100% clear since September, I started this routine in July.. it took some time to transition but during since August i wasn't wake up everyday with new zits, in August I only broke out before my period. then in September i miraculously didn't break out before my period, and actually didn't feel any pre menstrual sympotoms at all.. which is unusual because I've been suffering with pms since the birth of my son.. (2 1/2 yrs back) .. i think the apple cider vinegar shots helped with this...my acne used to be at its worst the week before my period... and used to be at its "best" the week after my period... so it was like 10 zits the week before and 1 zit the week after...

but after making the few changes that i listed.. i am now 100% clear for the past 4 months... and its a healthy clear ... not the red splotchy clear that bp makes you... there isn't any "damage" and the skin on my face is now uber strong.. I think I also forgot to mention in my first post, that along with everything else obviously I drink vats of water (I've been doing that for years but it never really helped my acne but now that the acne is gone I can see that my skin is very supple I credit the suppleness elasticity to the water..filtered water of course from the 5 gallon blue bottles... I refill 3 bottles once a week.) I also drink around 6-7 cups of green tea (but that's cause I love it ... I don't think it did anything for my acne though ppl say it should..the reason I say that is cause i've been an avid tea drinker since i was 14) and obviously I sleep alot.. (like 9-10 hrs... =) I'm a stay at home mom... it has its benefits no one to report to in the mornings...

anyways!! lool thats alot more than what I intended to write but I hope it helps someone if anyone... I know I suffered alot... so my heart goes out to everyone.. just be patient and don't lose hope!!! even if it seems that not doing anything for your acne seems like giving up its actually the best thing for your acne!!

[Omnivium]

I am glad you got clear, but people with severe acne would not get clear just by stopping chemicals. There are a many internal things that can cause acne, like poor diet, improper digestion, food intolerances/allergies, and maybe even things like leaky gut and candida.

ACV looks interesting. Do you think ACV pills would work as well as the liquid?

[steven m jacobson]

yessir, this worked for me and it is nice to see it worked for you to, nice success story, great job.

[harlowefey]

Omnivium, on 08 December 2011 - 09:25 PM, said:

I am glad you got clear, but people with severe acne would not get clear just by stopping chemicals. There are a many internal things that can cause acne, like poor diet, improper digestion, food intolerances/allergies, and maybe even things like leaky gut and candida.

ACV looks interesting. Do you think ACV pills would work as well as the liquid?

Okay.. internal things. So the chemicals you are piling on your face are absorbed into your body, and then are internal. Hm.. just saying. Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude about it. But if you think about it, it makes a hell of a lot of sense. All the chemicals absorbed into the body by cleansers and moisturizers and this and that and eye creams.

I'm sick of it. I don't want to do this acne stuff anymore. I'm done with it. I'm not washing my face anymore and using ACV as a toner.. and then gradually weening off the ACV toner.. and I'll jus take it internally like i've been doing. It's been 9 years. 9 years too long and when I read all these people taking the no chemical caveWOMAN approach, it all makes sense. I'm starting my log.

[Omnivium]

harlowefey, on 10 March 2012 - 11:30 PM, said:

Okay.. internal things. So the chemicals you are piling on your face are absorbed into your body, and then are internal. Hm.. just saying. Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude about it. But if you think about it, it makes a hell of a lot of sense. All the chemicals absorbed into the body by cleansers and moisturizers and this and that and eye creams.

I'm sick of it. I don't want to do this acne stuff anymore. I'm done with it. I'm not washing my face anymore and using ACV as a toner.. and then gradually weening off the ACV toner.. and I'll jus take it internally like i've been doing. It's been 9 years. 9 years too long and when I read all these people taking the no chemical caveWOMAN approach, it all makes sense. I'm starting my log.

I didn't mean that chemicals are not bad for you. I totally agree that your skin absorbs chemicals you put on it, and that they can negatively affect your health. My point was that chemicals are not the only thing we need to worry about. I've learned that diet has a huge role in acne, and I'm sure there are other factors.

I just don't want people to get their hopes up for the caveman regimen and then stop using topicals, only to break out even more. Your acne might not be caused by topicals, and in that case, the caveman regimen would make your acne worse. If there is a topical that helps your acne, maybe you should keep using it until you don't need it any more. If you can clear your acne by changing your diet, then you will not need topicals.

If you want to do the cavemen regimen, maybe you can also go on a low sugar diet, and avoid grains and dairy. Those might help you not break out on the caveman regimen. I hope you have success with whatever you decide to do.

[JDA7876]

I'm Very EXCITED to share after over 10 years of suffering with acne, that for me and probably many of you acne is an allergic response to certain foods!! Yes foods cause acne!!! Western medicine may not agree but who cares what they think I don't have acne anymore!!!!! I was and am allergic to nuts!!! And chocolate a little too. Gave those up, plus did internal cleanse, plus ate fruits and sautéed veggies (with curry yum). I use a coconut derived dish soap on my face and Estee lauder calming serum after that. I am in heaven with my skin finally!!!! If I accidentally eat something I'm allergic to (chocolate or nuts) all I have to do is take a quarter of a clariton for a couple of days and my breakout will not appear!! That shows you acne is allergic response!! Don't suffer for over ten years like me. Also, refined sugar causes acne on the cheeks. Sugary beverages cause acne on the forehead. Stop stripping your beautiful skin with harsh chemicals and just stop eating nuts, chocolate, soy, dairy, I'm also gluten free. Enjoy your beautiful skin!!!!