I'm thinking of going full caveman after trying the water-only method and finding it dried me out too much. I have an oily T-Zone so I am a little worried about oil buildup and breakouts, so I'm still undecided.

If I shave and have bits of hair stuck to my face, what do I do to clean it off? I use an electric shaver and bits of hair tend to get stuck to my face because of my oil, so I tend to wash after I shave.

I don't ever take the time to post on the internet but I had acne for a long time and wish someone had told me about this earlier. I know this will help a lot of people and feel like I need to pass along the knowledge that made my skin perfect. I am male who suffered from acne for over 10 years. It started when I hit puberty and I used many different creams and lotions. I was obsessed with finding out what worked and spent a lot of time and money on different products. I used neutrogena on the spot and cetephil wash which worked really well for about 5 years. I had fairly clear skin but still got the occasional pimple and my forehead and nose were always really shiny. But it was better than using anything else including prescriptions that I used which included retin-A, minocycline etc. When the on the spot stopped working I thought I needed a stronger dosage and so thats what I did and each time my skin kept getting worse. So I went back to the On the Spot and my face still was getting worse. Around the same time I had a friend of mine who had really bad acne. He was younger than me and his face was all of a sudden a pizza face. His acne was horrible. I suggested to him that he use what I used but the guy didn't really give a shit and was too lazy to use anything or wash his face. His face kept getting worse and he still refused to use anything and after about a year I noticed his face was starting to clear up. I asked him if he used anything and he said never. A few months later and his skin looked perfect. Thats when I google "clearing acne by not using any products" and I found "the caveman" I started reading it and read the whole thing and remembered how my friends face went from being completely shit to perfect and it all made sense. So I started it and for about the first 4 months my face looked worse than it had ever been but I had proof from my friends face and from the posts here that made me stick to it. After about 4 months my face started to slowly clear. Now after nine months my skin is absolutely perfect no pimples and scars have faded. I haven't got a pimple in a few months. I didn't do the full caveman because I did take showers and washed my face with just water in the shower. It feels so good to go to sleep and not have to worry about if I missed putting on my medication or if I will wake up with a new pimple and walk around with an oily face all day. I hope this helps out a lot of you guys.

I have to say i completely agree with this person i just quoted. when i was 18 years old i had really bad acne, probably from puberty...i went to the derm and got it under control with cetaphil and epiduo after several months...then i stopped using the epiduo and my skin was just okay for another year or two...then i decided to try about 100 different cleansers and moisterizers which was not good for me. My face kept getting worse and worse to the point i never wanted to look in the mirror...then i went back to just washing with cetaphil and didnt break out as much but was still red and shiny and had acne marks...finally i got smart and just decided why am i doing all of this. i bet my friends i hang around dont do anything with their faces and they have clear skin! anyway i stopped washing and putting on lotions and my face didnt look great at first but as the months go by it gets better and better. i also try to eliminate sugars and never drink soda as best as i can as i have an assumption they are factors too. BUT SERIOUSLY people...dont go crazy with the washes and creams..i know everyone is different but think about the past...people have gotten by without using washes wayyy back in the day so why do we need them now? ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY...these companies are making you come back and back after the mess you up. I hope someone listens to this and i can help change some ones mind or keep someone motivated to keep up the water only and or caveman method.

I really wish I'd read this forum about 5-6 years ago. It would have saved me so much crap. I probably wouldn't have listened though...

I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION: what about the sweat??? if u dont wash urself and u sweat everyday, couldnt that cause sweat spots or whatever its called..or other nasty things?

i mean i understand if ur lucky to live in a cool enviorment, but what IF u live in a hot humid place like me.. OR u wanna do sports or train at the GYM???????

also.. does this regiment help at all with scars somehow?? and is there any special food i should eat??

I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION: what about the sweat??? if u dont wash urself and u sweat everyday, couldnt that cause sweat spots or whatever its called..or other nasty things?

i mean i understand if ur lucky to live in a cool enviorment, but what IF u live in a hot humid place like me.. OR u wanna do sports or train at the GYM???????

also.. does this regiment help at all with scars somehow?? and is there any special food i should eat??

Sweat won't directly cause acne. Sweat is actually an odorless liquid that consists of sodium chloride (salt) and a few other chemicals. It's the bacteria that live in your sweat that cause any kind of smell (which shouldn't occur on your face). The sweat on your face should either simply fall off your face or be reabsorbed. Or if you got that sweaty you can just wipe it off with a dry cloth.

Once your acid mantle/natural oils have been restored, those will protect you from any bacteria that attempts to grow on your face due to the acidity of the oil being produced. Bacteria + sweat that causes body odor or BO should only occur in areas such as the armpit or groin as they're the perfect habitat for such bacteria's. The bacteria that is found when you smell is often found in a lot of cheeses.

Weirdly I watched a TV show last night that gave me this knowledge...

 

I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION: what about the sweat??? if u dont wash urself and u sweat everyday, couldnt that cause sweat spots or whatever its called..or other nasty things?

i mean i understand if ur lucky to live in a cool enviorment, but what IF u live in a hot humid place like me.. OR u wanna do sports or train at the GYM???????

also.. does this regiment help at all with scars somehow?? and is there any special food i should eat??

Sweat won't directly cause acne. Sweat is actually an odorless liquid that consists of sodium chloride (salt) and a few other chemicals. It's the bacteria that live in your sweat that cause any kind of smell (which shouldn't occur on your face). The sweat on your face should either simply fall off your face or be reabsorbed. Or if you got that sweaty you can just wipe it off with a dry cloth.

Once your acid mantle/natural oils have been restored, those will protect you from any bacteria that attempts to grow on your face due to the acidity of the oil being produced. Bacteria + sweat that causes body odor or BO should only occur in areas such as the armpit or groin as they're the perfect habitat for such bacteria's. The bacteria that is found when you smell is often found in a lot of cheeses.

Weirdly I watched a TV show last night that gave me this knowledge...

hey dude, thanks for ur reply.. though i would still like to get an answer about scars/food.

im also in a grave dilema about this thing..

in the last 3 days i only used water to wash my face ( no soap or anything) and it made me have like 5 new acne spots.. and before that i had next to none as i had finished accutane..

so i wanna know if i should still continue or it means this thing suck for me and it wont work?! =(

is it possible because of the usage in all these acne soaps and creams and medications my skin is fucked for good and it cant handle anything by itself??? can it ever be fixed??

plz reply

hey dude, thanks for ur reply.. though i would still like to get an answer about scars/food.

im also in a grave dilema about this thing..

in the last 3 days i only used water to wash my face ( no soap or anything) and it made me have like 5 new acne spots.. and before that i had next to none as i had finished accutane..

so i wanna know if i should still continue or it means this thing suck for me and it wont work?! =(

is it possible because of the usage in all these acne soaps and creams and medications my skin is fucked for good and it cant handle anything by itself??? can it ever be fixed??

plz reply

I tried using water-only and it only dried me out (which lead to me breaking out like crazy), that's why I'm doing the complete do-nothing regimen now. I haven't had a single whitehead since I started.

This regimen isn't for everyone though, it depends on the cause of your acne. Evidently hard water and harsh products were the cause of mine. Maybe yours is an internal problem such as diet? It's all about trial and error, which can be really annoying

 

hey dude, thanks for ur reply.. though i would still like to get an answer about scars/food.

im also in a grave dilema about this thing..

in the last 3 days i only used water to wash my face ( no soap or anything) and it made me have like 5 new acne spots.. and before that i had next to none as i had finished accutane..

so i wanna know if i should still continue or it means this thing suck for me and it wont work?! =(

is it possible because of the usage in all these acne soaps and creams and medications my skin is fucked for good and it cant handle anything by itself??? can it ever be fixed??

plz reply

I tried using water-only and it only dried me out (which lead to me breaking out like crazy), that's why I'm doing the complete do-nothing regimen now. I haven't had a single whitehead since I started.

This regimen isn't for everyone though, it depends on the cause of your acne. Evidently hard water and harsh products were the cause of mine. Maybe yours is an internal problem such as diet? It's all about trial and error, which can be really annoying

truth is i care much less about the acne as i barely have any left, and worried alot more about the scars.. sadly i have alot of them =(.

ive decided to do the full caveman which is basicly not wash face at all right.. for a few days-week see how it goes.

the thing is im also tierd of using these acne soaps which dry me out cause me to always be uncamfortable with my skin.. if i can just let it go and rid any acne too its awesome.

wish there was something really effective for the scars =/

The scars left behind by acne are just as tough as the acne :/ I've decided to just accept mine for now until I ca afford treatments when I'm older...

The scars left behind by acne are just as tough as the acne :/ I've decided to just accept mine for now until I ca afford treatments when I'm older...

the thing is there is no good solution. all ways are so complicated, costly, and not even ensuring satisfying results. so fucked up =/.

Im on my 5th day on the hardcore caveman regimen, nothing except a dry towel touches my face, I have moderate acne, and a lot of red spots.
Already on my 3rd day I saw a difference in my face, there is a bathroom mirror in my university that because of the light position or whateve exposes all of my marks and all my facial problems, but now yesterday when I looked myself in this mirror it didnt look that bad at all.
I have two or three zits that are really small, that were there already before I started this regimen.
Im getting really happy with the results and I hope it continues this way and only get better and better.

I will do the hardcore version for 30 days, then Ill go back to using sunscreen and going to start washing my face once a day, water only.
Using an anti-acne sunscreen (contains salicylic acid) going to destroy this acid mantle again?

So I started doing the hardcore one 2 days ago. I've also played volleyball both days. I haven't touched my face with anything. And the sweat just dried on it. Are you allowed to wipe off the oil/dirt/sweat with a towel. Or are you suppose to let nothing not even a dry towel touch it?

I'm going to try this. I'm a girl, but I don't wear make up so I have absolutely nothing to lose.

I started out with minimal spots. I got the odd one here and there but it wasn't anything major. However, people still noticed and started to comment. It was then that I began to use products and began to scrub. From then on, my acne got worse with each month that went on. I've only ever got spots on my forehead and chin so only ever used products there. Until recently, I never used moisturiser on my cheeks and so they were clear. When I started, I noticed small breakouts. Should I carry on with moisturiser, I know that I would only worsen my skin.

I'm going to try this. I'm a girl, but I don't wear make up so I have absolutely nothing to lose.

 

I started out with minimal spots. I got the odd one here and there but it wasn't anything major. However, people still noticed and started to comment. It was then that I began to use products and began to scrub. From then on, my acne got worse with each month that went on. I've only ever got spots on my forehead and chin so only ever used products there. Until recently, I never used moisturiser on my cheeks and so they were clear. When I started, I noticed small breakouts. Should I carry on with moisturiser, I know that I would only worsen my skin.

u might have something to lose, because when i tried this it only made things worse. i think this is bad for people like me with extremly oily skin and blocked pores... but u wont know untill u try.

about the moisturiser - why the hell would u use it if u know in only worsen ur skin?

and if u really must use, u should try finding something natrual that doesnt worsen ur skin, u can try some oils like jojoba oil but they can also worsen (for me jojoba worsen my skin, but for some poeple its good) so u also have to check what is good for u.

Really looking forward to trying this over either spring break or summer (when im not in school) Theres so many damn approaches to this method tho. I will not wash my face for about 3-4 weeks If i can help it and then try wash maybe once a week or something. I'm also just getting tired of having to slather products on my face...

-Hopefully it will work for me thats the thing im looking forward to the most.

Hey so I'm a 16 year old guy with mild acne that's really been affecting my self esteem among other things and after being fed up with my acne after 2 years i came to this website for help and after hours of research came across this thread. Many seem skeptical or are against it while others have had great successes with this regimen, I am one of the skeptical but honestly there's not many other options left so i've decided to try out the regimen and will keep this page updated throughout my journey for anyone who is still reading. Wish me luck guys

Day 3: nothing has touched my face except for the occasional splash of water in the shower. I have seen little to no improvements, in fact maybe my skin has worsened a bit. There are a few small whiteheads that have sprouted and a large pimple on my left cheek as well. My skin has also gone from being generally dry to being extremely oily and my face shines like there's no tomorrow and it feels quite uncomfortable, but I do my best to not wipe it off. I wish to stick it out as people say that it will worsen before anything gets better, so maybe within the next few days minor improvements will be visible and give me a little bit of hope. Here are some pictures of my left and right cheeks, my main trouble areas.

About a week of the regimen and I've taken note that my skin no longer has that thick layer of oil around my face and it doesn't feel uncomfortable. My skin has acquired a sort of shiny, glow without the discomfort of a thick oily layer.Some of my acne seems to be going away these flat, red marks on my skin are being left behind where the acne used to be which I'm hoping will also fade. and while i still do get the occasional whitehead I've yet to had any major breakouts. The changes seem to be slight, however it's only been one week and I have high hopes that things will keep improving.(Ignore that pen mark on the left picture lol)

So I'm guessing you're not allowed to use makeup at all on this regimen? I would like to start as soon as possible but I don't finish school until May (six weeks out) and I'm not sure if I want to finish off the semester looking like a pepperoni pizza. If makeup is allowed, is it only organic? Do I have to just clean it off with water?

So I'm guessing you're not allowed to use makeup at all on this regimen? I would like to start as soon as possible but I don't finish school until May (six weeks out) and I'm not sure if I want to finish off the semester looking like a pepperoni pizza. If makeup is allowed, is it only organic? Do I have to just clean it off with water?

Allowed? Are there police?

Most of this caveman stuff s nonsense. not disrupting skin function with soap or cleansers is good. The no water, dead skin masks & & any other claims or rules are nonsense.

I haven't used and soap or cleanser except foot hand washing in several years. I wear mineral powder foundation. I wash with water & a cloth. And use oil to remove eye makeup.

Would love to hear how this works out. I wonder if part of the reason I have acne is because I got one or two spots, went ape shit and started treating the hell out of it, and then ended up just making it worse.

that is exactly what happened to me and im soo trying to fix it. that's why I started this. about 5-6 months ago I had perfect skin but I had maybe two tiny little pimples (not even) and I decided to use a cleanser by neutrogena on my face. it didn't bother me. until I bought this other scrub from neutrogena that was made specifically for oily, acne-prone skin. I don't have acne prone skin. I gave myself acne-prone skin. so I started breaking out from the sudden change of products. so I bought proactiv. it didn't do much for me and burned my skin like crazy. so I dropped it. cold turkey. and at the time I didn't know that you can't just stop benzoyl peroxide. so now my skin is soo bad. but I'm not sure if this is the right path for me. considering that even when I had perfect skin I didn't use anything at all. I used water but that was it. soo right now my skin is dry and dark and brown. it's dead skin and it looks horrible. I'm hoping this is a healing process because I fear that I might just be making it worse and once I take the dead skin off, I'll just have more acne.

Why is this called the Caveman regime? Why do we think that Cavemen didn't groom themselves or wash their faces? Also, why do we assume that they didn't have acne?

Every mammal has some sort of grooming ritual. Early humans probably did too.

Did anyone else get a bunch of whiteheads the first few days? They're almost grosser than big pimples and they're freaking me out please help

I'm doing a version of this regimen. I'm on day 8 now and things are going amazingly! I'm trying not to get too excited yet. The only thing I'm doing daily is wiping my face with green tea after I workout just for a teeny bit of exfoliation and to remove the excess sweat. So far, my results have been amazing. My skin looks great and it gets better every day. I have noticed 2 to 3 whiteheads but they're gone withina day or two. I'll post again in a few days with my progress. I am also a girl and I have been using a tiny bit of makeup. A few days ago I did use some honey to take off the makeup but I used makeup today (Just concealer) and I'm not going to wash it off. I think it will be fine because it was only a small amount. I'm planning on using honey on my face once a week and seeing how that goes this month. So far I am super excited because it seems like it's actually working!

Ok my skin got so much better and then worse

PLS HELP I WANNA KMS ACNE IS SO TERRIBLE I'M JUST A TEENAGER TRYING TO LIVE MY LIFE OMSJEHTJHHHHHH

I'm going to sp soon I can't have all this nasty red shit on my face why did @God do this to me I just wanna feel pretty again