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Bran88 - This is a decent idea, however I still think the only way to know if this works for your face is to do it with your face. I have had body acne, so I would assume it is very different from acne on the face. However, whenever I would first try something new, I would typically do the new thing with my forhead (since my hair covers it).
However, just like any experiment, you will never really know until you fully do it where you want to.
Mike59 - Good to hear. Hope you see results.
NewDae - Winter break is a great time to try this out. I wish you good luck, although I do not think you will need it. It seems like I am one of the few people here to saw results the next day, so do not give up if it is not immediate.
Sunset2Sunrise - It is NEVER too early to start back up. You simply broke down, and hopefully have learned from this mistake. Best advice I can give to you is to stop looking at yourself in the mirror and to stop thinking about acne by engaging yourself in activities.
Good luck to all of you.
@I am Snow: How severe was your acne before you dropped all your topicals?
I've been a proponent of the "Caveman Regimen" for quite awhile, having experienced the benefits myself on several occasions dating back to May when Waterwater's thread first sprung up.
However, even though I recognized its benefits, I've found it nearly impossible to follow through for very long. Having a social life, a job, or pursuing an education requires you to be interacting amongst peers. Maybe they won't notice what you notice when you look into a mirror, having not washed for a week; but it's difficult (for me, atleast) not to be extremely self conscious.
Believe when I suggest I've tried a TON of variations of water (warm/cold temperatures), no water, and topicals to try and determine a feasible regimen. Hell, I seriously washed my face with BUTTER for two weeks because I was researching the PH levels of various items and thought the slightly acidic nature of butter, combined with its relatively few ingredients, would produce results. It didn't cause any breakouts, fortunately, but it didn't improve anything, either. I suppose you can argue I gave up too quick but I became disgusted with the smell of butter and had to stop for my sanity.
I just keep coming back to not washing with anything. I'm convinced that years of washing my face with chemicals and using harsh topicals has created a condition that can only be remedied by avoiding any contact, of just about everything, on my face.
It just doesn't make sense that this redness of mine miraculously ends at the jawline and extends around the forehead. I know it's not rosacea because I've seen a dermatologist. Beginning today, since I have winter break, I've convinced myself to push no-washing as far as a I can. Even if I take breaks to wash my face/shave, I'm doing so using water to wash and a light amount of shaving cream to shave with.
Sometimes I seriously want to take people I walk past on the street and interrogate them on their skin regimen. Have you ever walked by someone, noticed they had a great complexion, and thought there's probably no way in hell they're using a cleanser/moisturizer/BP/AHA+ combo? We're so accustomed to a fall-scale attack on our faces that using only water seems too easy. Maybe it is; there are probably billions of people around this planet that do it everyday so it can't be that bad. And no I don't believe in the Western Diet influencing bad facial skin either, because there are plent of overweight people with great skin.
I believe irritation is the key to my dilemma, and many others adults as well.
The only way I can get away with not washing my face is by strictly eating a low carb diet that is about 70% low-sugar veggies including leafy greens and 30% fat such as flax and olive oil. If I eat crap, my skin looks like crap, and I must cleanse my face in order to look halfway decent. Healthy diet is the only thing that cured my acne.
I think my pores are just too clogged for this; all those "minature" bumps are now huge... so as opposed to begining this with a few red marks and pustules, I now have about 20+ large red bumps/red mark looking things all over my cheeks and chin. The pores on my cheeks are visibly clogged, so I'm wondering if before I start this regimen again I should try to unclogg them with salycic acid or something. If my pores were clean I don't think there would be a problem with this regimen, it's logical, and it makes sense, but right now I'm very stuck. I love the way my skin TONE looked on this, as now I'm once again back to the extremley red face, but I am not fond of these red things all over my skin. Also, my forehead has a ton of flesh colored bumps all over now. I don't know what to do... anyone have any advice??
*ignoring the advertisement...*
KingBeta - My acne was horrible. I would have atleast 15 pimples at a time, all were inflamed and larger than an eraser of a pencil.
*To the rest of you* - I am not advocating not washing your hair or taking showers. I usually end up taking two a day. I am here trying to tell you guys to forget about all your stupid medications and just go about your day like normal people, since that is what your goal is anyways.
Hmm... it's only been like a month that I've known about this place (thank God I found it too!) but this regimen is a bit appealing to me...
How long until you start seeing results? I really want to try this over my 2 week winter break...
Think 2 weeks is a good start?
I have extremely oily skin so I can't imagine going out to school without washing my face.
I'd have this oil slick on my face and people would be asking me wtf happened...
If you have oily skin, try using oil blotting sheets. You can get them in any store ... usually by the make-up or facal cleansers (not by the regular bar soaps).
I'd love to try this myself, but I have psoriasis and my skin has to be exfoliated once every week or 2. I use diluted rx steriod creams once in a while when there is a small flare up -- never more than 3-4 days in a row tho. I do avoid acne medicated creams --- I now use a tiny amount of mild lye soap on a wash cloth (never with my hands) ... just enough to slick up the skin and gently rinse under the shower (warm water, but not hot). Then use Kinerase moisturizer -- that is the only moisturizer that hasn't caused an acne flare up for me. But I've discovered to not use any product everyday. I'm starting to see that if I do slightly different things each day it helps to eliminate build up in my pores. My pores on my nose and inner cheeks and chin are huge and collect junk easily. It is kinda inevitable for them to get clogged, but I can prolong it by not applying stuff on my face every single day if I don't have to ... just every 2-3 days. I can get away with only washing my face every 2 days by using the oil blotting sheets ... but only if I'm on vacation or haven't put on make-up.
I am Snow- I know i'm not supposing to be thinking bout it and letting everything go, but i'm working on that still so just wanted to know if you could answer this for now.....
you said you let water and soap hit you...but that just means they "accidently" get there from just being in the shower and you aren't physcially washing with water on your own right? so its just a couple splashes here and there that hit parts of your face?
I am Snow- I know i'm not supposing to be thinking bout it and letting everything go, but i'm working on that still so just wanted to know if you could answer this for now.....
you said you let water and soap hit you...but that just means they "accidently" get there from just being in the shower and you aren't physcially washing with water on your own right? so its just a couple splashes here and there that hit parts of your face?
That is correct. Think back to when you were 12 (if you didn't have acne like you do now)... I know I never tried to wash my face. No, I am not purposely washing my face at all. Water does it it and I do not fret about it. I do not fret about anything anymore in regards to my acne.
I do get zits from time to time. I will admit, my skin does not look flawless.
My opinion is that the LARGEST factor in acne is stress and worry about acne. I have found that constantly telling myself "who cares" when I think about acne has helped me so much.
Good luck.
I am Snow- I know i'm not supposing to be thinking bout it and letting everything go, but i'm working on that still so just wanted to know if you could answer this for now.....
you said you let water and soap hit you...but that just means they "accidently" get there from just being in the shower and you aren't physcially washing with water on your own right? so its just a couple splashes here and there that hit parts of your face?
That is correct. Think back to when you were 12 (if you didn't have acne like you do now)... I know I never tried to wash my face. No, I am not purposely washing my face at all. Water does it it and I do not fret about it. I do not fret about anything anymore in regards to my acne.
I do get zits from time to time. I will admit, my skin does not look flawless.
My opinion is that the LARGEST factor in acne is stress and worry about acne. I have found that constantly telling myself "who cares" when I think about acne has helped me so much.
Good luck.
thanks, that was very helpful
I have noticed a pattern in that it seems the "no chemicals/washing" regimen works best for people with like inflamed acne/cysts. I haven't seen many people saying it helps blackheads and hyperproliferation.
I have both. When I use no products and just water I notice that my red/inflamed acne decreases. However, after only a day or so the amount of dead skin/clogged pores/blackheads is unbearable. My skin looks textured because every pore has a little black plug in it and you can literally scrape the mixture of dead skin/oil off my face. Its disgusting, so I eventually give in and use shit to unclog the pores.
Just don't know what to do.
I have noticed a pattern in that it seems the "no chemicals/washing" regimen works best for people with like inflamed acne/cysts. I haven't seen many people saying it helps blackheads and hyperproliferation.
I have both. When I use no products and just water I notice that my red/inflamed acne decreases. However, after only a day or so the amount of dead skin/clogged pores/blackheads is unbearable. My skin looks textured because every pore has a little black plug in it and you can literally scrape the mixture of dead skin/oil off my face. Its disgusting, so I eventually give in and use shit to unclog the pores.
Just don't know what to do.
I have both as well. It does not instantly help with blackheads. Let your skin work out its own problems. At first, this may take a while... but have faith. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I have noticed a pattern in that it seems the "no chemicals/washing" regimen works best for people with like inflamed acne/cysts. I haven't seen many people saying it helps blackheads and hyperproliferation.
I have both. When I use no products and just water I notice that my red/inflamed acne decreases. However, after only a day or so the amount of dead skin/clogged pores/blackheads is unbearable. My skin looks textured because every pore has a little black plug in it and you can literally scrape the mixture of dead skin/oil off my face. Its disgusting, so I eventually give in and use shit to unclog the pores.
Just don't know what to do.
This is the ultimate conundrum. If, by the account of many who have done this "caveman regimen," you have to endure the flakiness/deadskin/clogged pores for a better complexion can you put yourself through it? This is what has stopped me from going very far over and over again.
I believe what waterwater suggested in another thread, that clogged pores are actually beneficial because they're allowing the skin underneath to heal properly without subjecting itself to the chemicals of cleansers/topicals/etc. Almost like a scab over a wound.
I know there is truth to this. I'm the type of person who has a little bit of redness on the side of the nose (aside from the irritation around my face), and whenever I don't wash my face for several days it's the first area to show improvement. The redness always disappears, but in its place is a whole slew of clogged pores and whiteheads. The kind you could rub off easily. There has to be a connection here.
Even though I recognize what I have to do, it takes a significant amount of will power. Extending through today I haven't washed my face (or hair for that matter) for five days; earlier this afternoon I had second thoughts about entering the mall for Christmas shopping when I caught the right reflection of sunlight over my face and noticed all the shit accumulating. I did anyways, but barely.
I'm probably going to push this no washing bit to Saturday before giving in.
I will have to admit... I disagree with this whole "do not wash at all" thing.
I think you can have success with this, but it is really not needed... not to mention you all probably smell horrible haha.
I really do not think it is necessary to go to such an extreme.
Not washing only applies to the face, and by extension, the hair. I still take a shower.
It's easy to get by with not washing my hair since I have it buzzed down. I remember several months ago I had medium length hair and not washing obviously stood out. For these type of people (which just about includes every woman) you couldn't get away with not washing your face.
I usually don't wash with anything to give my face a break when I know I don't have anything to do for 5 (or so) days. It's nothing I could see myself doing forever since, for one, I have to shave; and two, the dead skin builds up to ridiculous levels.
Snow, I'm also different from many of the people here in that I don't have an acne problem -- but more of a redness/irritation issue. It's not rosacea, as I've seen a dermatologist, but almost like inflamed closed acne marks that BP/SA/AHA can't reach. I'm avoiding any contact on my skin to lessen irritation more than anything related to acne.
Not sure how long i've been doing this but my face still looks awful. It still breaks out and is red and everything like If I were using topicals or not. Seeing that none of this really helps, I may just do whatever. Don't think I will "wash" per se, but if I feel like applying emu oil or acv or whatever then I will. I just wish I hadn't been walking around like a red, bumpy freak all this time. I don't know about makeup, though. It just doesn't seem to cover up well anyways.
Snow- When you drink the acv can it make your stomach upset? Seems like I always wake up with mild heartburn when I drink the stuff. And yes I dilute it.
Anyone ever tried shaving with a razor and water. As in no shaving cream?
I am trying this again, but the last time I gave in cuz I had to shave due to obvious irritation and breakouts from the hair growing in (curly hair) so I shaved with shaving cream, skin got dried out, flakey, obvious circle of life here. Anyway I have been trying different shaving creams and methods and stumbled upon some internet postings saying that shaving with just water is possible, but you have to be careful.
Seems like it would irritate a lot, but it would be chemical free so maybe that would work?
Just wondering if anyone has tried it...
I'm trying this right now since I have a few days before I have to go to work and, unfortunately, it hasn't been an "instant fix" so I don't think I'll be able to keep it up. Maybe, though. I mean, my face was blotchy, itchy, and gross yesterday, but today it's just been a little flaky. Still, I doubt I'll be able to go makeup free by Monday. Scars and all. :/
It's too bad, though. This seems really promising.
My skin is obviously healing and benefiting from me leaving it the hell alone and only washing with water in the shower.
However, it's too important for me to look good everyday. I don't have time to hide out in my home until my skin is presentable enough for me to go barefaced to work or school.
I might take a couple of weeks off over the summer so I can give this a longer try. Hopefully five days of doing this will at least rebuild my acid mantle a teensy bit.
