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I also afraid like you when my acne increased day by day. I was very much sad to see all this but I clear up my face regularly because it removes to dead skin from your face & make it shiny. for problem you could take doctor's advice. this is not a method to remove acne friend.
you inspire me! I'm thinking of doing this "routine" I already quit concealing my zits with makeup up because i noticed that it breaks me out more. Now I'm using organic apple cider to clean my face,I'll see how it goes... But if i doesn't work out I'll probably go with this "non-washing technique" it makes sense to me. Plus it wouldn't surprise me if the big name companies put stuff that breaks out your face,i mean if your face is clear who are they going to sell thair stuff to?I also quit all the acne washing products. They do not work! THAT'S WHY WE ALL KEEP ON BUYING THEM!
So i realized that this regimen is pretty much shit unless you actually have acne. The irritation in my skin has gotten a little better since i started this, but not fully healed. I'm going to the derm sometime next week to get a cream and get this cleared up before i go back to school. Right now, My skin doesn't look bad but i'm not satisfied. My nose, inner cheeks, and middle of my forehead are still irritated, but my forehead isn't that red but not my skin color either. The derm i'm going to is supposed to be really good so i'm hoping she gives me something to get rid of the irritation and dead skin..which currently isn't on my face. I will check in from time to time and let you know what cream she gives me, if it's working or not etc. Good luck to everone who is trying this, I hope you guys get better results than i did.
As for me, I never had acne through my pre-teen and early teenage years (I guess I was more of a tom boy), but when I got to be like 15 or 16 I started buying into traditional beauty ideals... I started wearing make-up, washing my face, and using moisturizer. I didn't break out suddenly, but since then my acne has gotten worse and worse.
I didn't use anything on my skin for a month maybe (no soap, make-up, moisturizer, etc.) Now I've started occasionally soaking my face in sea salt or gently scrubbing my face with it. I only get it wet in the shower about once a week, and never worry about wiping or rinsing off sweat. My actual acne situation hasn't changed much; however, I've noticed that my skin's moisture/oil levels seem to have normalized. No more super-oily skin around my forehead and nose! Also, I have less whiteheads and clogged pores around my nose.
Anyway, I'm hoping with continued exercise, healthy eating, regular sun, and leaving my face alone, my body will heal my face. I am leaving for college soon though, so it's hard to have that kind of patience :S
I was like you as well, only I decided to wear makeup a few years earlier than you. I wish I hadn't decided to wear makeup, or at least not foundation, as my acne situation might not have been as it is today!
How long did it take for your moisture levels to balance out within that month? My face seems to be getting quite oily (although it's also very hot, so it could be sweat in there too), and when I look in the mirror I'll sometimes see little hairs stuck to my face
Do you only shower once a week then, or are you showering often but just avoiding getting your face wet? I seem to be getting more blackheads, but I don't think I really have any new clogged pores or anything.
I'm starting university in the fall myself, and I'm also going off of my birth control pills (which have never really aided my skin), so I know how you feel. Not looking forward to meeting new people with lots of acne!
Yessss, I read your original post, and it seems like we are in very similar situations. It didn't take long at all for my moisture levels to balance out. It's like as soon as I quit with the products my face wanted to normalize. I didn't keep a log, but if I were guessing, I would say it took about 2 weeks. It's hot here too, I work out, and I sun bathe, so I sweat a lot, but it doesn't seem to make my face oilier. I probably shower about once a week (I get my face wet but don't wash it). Yeah I know that makes me sound like a really gross person, but honestly I've been eating a really healthy diet and trying to live healthier and somehow I just stink less. Also, my hair is short, so I don't need to wash it too often. I haven't been consciously avoiding getting my face wet. As I said, I've been doing sea salt soaks. But if that doesn't start to help, I'm going to try avoiding water completely instead. I don't quite understand about the little hairs on your face though? I have hairs on my face but only the ones that are like growing there...
Hah, the thought of going to college with my face looking like this is thrilling. At lease I know I'll be making friends with people who aren't shallow! lol
I'm still on week one, although I've rinsed my face quite a bit. I've gone 2-3 days without a rinse, and my skin feels fine, but I do see mild flaking on my cheeks
I find that whenever I get hot, my face gets significantly warmer and I produce more oils. This has been this way since I started using products on my face. I also have a mild (self-diagnosed) case of hyperhydrosis, and have been prone to facial sweating since like, the 6th grade. So all of that might be contributing to my oiliness as well. I would shower less, but I just hate not showering after working out at the gym - all the sprays on the machines, the dirt and dust... gross! Plus, sitting and laying on the cleaner, I just prefer showering. But I didn't shower today, my skin didn't sting with the sweat on my face! The last time I went to the gym, my skin was stinging so badly with sweat on it. This is pushing me to go all of August without rinsing my face, even not just once a week. After the one-month mark, I'll rinse once every week or every two weeks, and then continue upping this until I find an amount I feel comfortable with. I've also noticed that I don't really stink too much, other than my arm pits a bit, but I was being really lazy with my Certain Dri, and when I lessen its use, I'll get stinkier and sweatier. Without my body washes though, I find I don't feel as sweaty, and my skin actually feels as soft as it does when I moisturize, but without the residue.
Lol by little hairs, I mean like.. particles, things in the air, getting stuck to my face. Like if you stand in front of a fan that is a bit dusty and are sweaty, you might have some particles on your skin. No one has said anything, so hopefully it's only I who is noticing.
I've been using water alone for my hair, and it's still pretty oily compared to when I'd shampoo (although for not shampooing in over a week, it's surprisingly nice). I think it's potentially contributing to my oily skin, since my forehead is the oiliest part of my skin, but maybe it's not related at all.
You might want to cut out the sea salt soaks, just because salt can be quite drying and even irritating, and if you are doing them often, it might be contributing to your breakouts. It would probably be best to not use any product, even something as simple as DIY salt water, just to eliminate any topical sources for breakouts.
Lol that's true about the friends thing! Although I don't really know how sociable I'll be if my skin is flaky, oily, broken out AND red (as my redness is not going awaaaay arg). I think I just need to stop being a pussy and say "Fuck it, it's just acne". I've seen so many guys with acne, even severe acne, who are all "la dee da" and go about their day with confidence, why can't I?
That's weird that your face stings when you sweat. My face used to do that--only when I used BP though. Haha, maybe it is just you noticing the little hairs and particles. I haven't noticed any of those on my face... And yeah, my forehead is oiliest too. It probably has to do with hair 
I totally took your advice and stopped using salt on my face. I didn't use anything--not even water-- for maybe a week, but my face didn't look any different. So yesterday I decided to try using honey on my face for a week to see if that helps it any. I really should have given doing nothing to it a little more time, but I'm losing patience with school about to start! My acne hasn't improved or even gotten any worse in so long. It just always looks the same-- always looks bad
Yesss, I agree! It's so great to just say, "Screw it, it's just acne!" Haha, I can do that most of the time, but then eventually I look in the mirror and that dredges up those acne insecurities that I tried so hard to get rid of
I saw your post about being sick... I hope you feel better!
So i realized that this regimen is pretty much shit unless you actually have acne. The irritation in my skin has gotten a little better since i started this, but not fully healed. I'm going to the derm sometime next week to get a cream and get this cleared up before i go back to school. Right now, My skin doesn't look bad but i'm not satisfied. My nose, inner cheeks, and middle of my forehead are still irritated, but my forehead isn't that red but not my skin color either. The derm i'm going to is supposed to be really good so i'm hoping she gives me something to get rid of the irritation and dead skin..which currently isn't on my face. I will check in from time to time and let you know what cream she gives me, if it's working or not etc. Good luck to everone who is trying this, I hope you guys get better results than i did.Hope the derm proves fruitful! Just out of curiosity, how long did you undergo this "regimen"? And what had you been using previously? I have been doing this for at least two weeks now, and I no longer feel irritation. My skin is still adjusting, but it looks no worse than before I started, and in general looks better acne-wise and the colour is more even. The only bad thing is that I have dead skin buildup in some areas, but it's not very noticeable unless you are up close. So maybe you just didn't give it enough time?
I did it for almost a year but i kept picking the dead skin off after like 2 months or so. My skin was just too damaged from everything. As for your progress, that's great! hope things keep getting better for you.
So i realized that this regimen is pretty much shit unless you actually have acne. The irritation in my skin has gotten a little better since i started this, but not fully healed. I'm going to the derm sometime next week to get a cream and get this cleared up before i go back to school. Right now, My skin doesn't look bad but i'm not satisfied. My nose, inner cheeks, and middle of my forehead are still irritated, but my forehead isn't that red but not my skin color either. The derm i'm going to is supposed to be really good so i'm hoping she gives me something to get rid of the irritation and dead skin..which currently isn't on my face. I will check in from time to time and let you know what cream she gives me, if it's working or not etc. Good luck to everone who is trying this, I hope you guys get better results than i did.
Haven't been on here for awhile but I think that me and you kinda have the same problem. This regimen did lessen the irritation on my face but everything you described is the exact same with me, if that makes sense? No acne just dead skin and redness and damaged skin pretty much. I've been to the derm about 6 times or so and out of all the things they've given me (read previous post) what has worked best for me is the Desonide cream and it's .005% but it helps alot with redness and dry skin and makes your skin look really soft and smooth. The only thing is that if you have fairly tan skin and my derm said that while using it your skin in that area won't be able to tan so the areas I used it where whiter than the rest of my face but smooth and not red, just a little oily. I haven't used it for a few days and being out in the sun and stuff has made my skin color match the rest of my face but it's just oily now and a little red so Idk what else to do. IMO the Desonide cream works good but I've realized it's only a temporary fix and hasn't cured my "condition." My derm also thinks that I have sebhoreic dermatitis which I said was caused by the Salicylic Acid and me overwashing a million times but she said that that's not possible and thinks there is an underlying problem, which I disagree with seeing as I've had perfect, clear skin before using that wash and severely drying and irritating my face with that product. Anyways, more than I wanted to write but oh well I hope this helps.
So i realized that this regimen is pretty much shit unless you actually have acne. The irritation in my skin has gotten a little better since i started this, but not fully healed. I'm going to the derm sometime next week to get a cream and get this cleared up before i go back to school. Right now, My skin doesn't look bad but i'm not satisfied. My nose, inner cheeks, and middle of my forehead are still irritated, but my forehead isn't that red but not my skin color either. The derm i'm going to is supposed to be really good so i'm hoping she gives me something to get rid of the irritation and dead skin..which currently isn't on my face. I will check in from time to time and let you know what cream she gives me, if it's working or not etc. Good luck to everone who is trying this, I hope you guys get better results than i did.Haven't been on here for awhile but I think that me and you kinda have the same problem. This regimen did lessen the irritation on my face but everything you described is the exact same with me, if that makes sense? No acne just dead skin and redness and damaged skin pretty much. I've been to the derm about 6 times or so and out of all the things they've given me (read previous post) what has worked best for me is the Desonide cream and it's .005% but it helps alot with redness and dry skin and makes your skin look really soft and smooth. The only thing is that if you have fairly tan skin and my derm said that while using it your skin in that area won't be able to tan so the areas I used it where whiter than the rest of my face but smooth and not red, just a little oily. I haven't used it for a few days and being out in the sun and stuff has made my skin color match the rest of my face but it's just oily now and a little red so Idk what else to do. IMO the Desonide cream works good but I've realized it's only a temporary fix and hasn't cured my "condition." My derm also thinks that I have sebhoreic dermatitis which I said was caused by the Salicylic Acid and me overwashing a million times but she said that that's not possible and thinks there is an underlying problem, which I disagree with seeing as I've had perfect, clear skin before using that wash and severely drying and irritating my face with that product. Anyways, more than I wanted to write but oh well I hope this helps.
Thanks for the information I'm just really hoping the derm gives me a cream that works and i don't have to go back 50 million times. I start school September 7th so i'm really hoping it clears up by then.
Well I'm suppoesed to be using it twice a day after washing along with this 10% Sodium Sulfacetamide lotion and I started using twice a day but thought it was too much so after a few days I went down to once a day and still got good results. Derm only said to use Desonide cream for 2 weeks on and one week off but the lotion I can keep using without having a break. I saw results within the first few applications of the cream actually, so within a day or two? It's weird though I will use it and get ok results but somehow think that all this stuff isn't good for my skin and keep wanting to do the caveman regimen because it's not a cure or permanent fix and just want to go "all natural" if you get what I'm saying? But anyways I hope this helps
Hey guys,
So, I made a post about this and have been doing some research on other boards. I came to this conclusion. This whole water only is a process and will probably only work for those who dont have sever acne. Which most likely a majority of people don't have. If you are using bp or salicylic acid you have to slowly wean yourself off. This could be a several month processand is necessary because your skin is basically addicted to these products. If you stop cold turkey you will break out worse then ever. Once off you might want to use something like apple cider vinegar to help balance your skin and return its natural ph level. Please google or look up benefits of apple cider vinegar. Ultimately this might take up to 6 months but hey thats how long accutane supposedly takes to work and wouldnt you rather do nothing and eventually never have to worry.
This info comes from a posts by jan carlo. PLEASE CHECK OUT HIS POSTS. I like water water and the ideas behind his and water only posts but think jan carlos has the right idea in helping your skin transition gradually back to normal.
I am like many who never really had acne then started using products for whatever unknown reason, for me salicylic acid, because i got one zit. I also think if you use salicylic acid or bp that remains on the face this makes the process take longer ie in a pad or lotion. If you simply use bp or salicylic in a wash itsd only on your skin for a few seconds and doesn't really have a huge effect. So, the weaning off process may take less time.
I have been using salicylic acid for years and believe it was never truly necessary. I weaned myself off and went into a month of water only. I broke out and believe this is because the transition was still too quick. I also think I need something to gently help the clogs unplug and remove dead skin cells to balance skin. Maybe something like cetaphil might work also but i like that apple cider vinegar restores the acid mantle and is natural. Also note you NEED ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. Anyway I will keep you posted on how this works. Ultimately the plan is to eventually wean off of apple cider vinegar once my face starts to normalize and use water only.
wow im glad this thread is still going on after two years! so ive tried this a couple of times. My first notice this works was when i broke my leg earlier this year. iwas in the hopital for two weeks and when i was released i had the best lookinskin ive had in like 8 years. when i got back i started to shower with warm water everyday and slowly i started to break out again so then i went back to usung some face wash. and got back in my old routine....
that lead to you know what
i guess i wasnt confident in the whole not washing thing because of the enviromental factors such as not being exposed to bacteria or sweat or dirt on my face while i was in the hospital. Since then ive quite smoking all together, quite the pain killers, and recently even stopped drinking all together i guess i thought doing all these things was bad for my skin. its been 2 weeks since ive had a sip of alcohol or a cig or weed or anything and i try to eat better.
WOW this might all be a waste if it wasnt fo me being realy healthy because my skin still loks like junk. by the way my skin has like 3 or 4 meduim pimples but has a bad texture to it.
by the way i go to bed early and get sleep.
the only x factor i have now to experiment with is mind over matter could it be a mindset?
im going to give up washing again now that i have cut out everything else in my life i thought could be the source.
I cannot handle withdrawing from acne medications for six monnths to fin out it doesnt work ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
after the first day i feel good, i can already see my pores closing up. i just wish theses experiments didnt take so long though. i think after using these face washes for 8 years was a huge waste of my time. Its almost like its a huge scam and im convinced dems know shit about skin. they put me on long term anti biotics ( wich i suggest nobody ever do!) it gave me this condition with my tongue cuz its not producing normal bacteria anymore.
So, in just 3 days since using apple cider vinegar(ACV) my skin is doing much better. I have gotten a few whiteheads but I think its just my skin purging a bit. They will come and go within a day and if I pop them them and apply the cider vinegar they last for about a day as well.
Im hoping, as I suspected before, my face just needs something to help ease the process of going from salicylic acid to water. I still believe even though I weaned my face off salicylic acid, which I applied everyday 3 times a day religiously for 5 years, my skin had a hard time adjusting.
Im hoping the apple cider vinegar helps normalize, balance, and restore the acid mantle to my skin. Once most of the congestion goes away i will then wean myself off of the apple cider vinegar and use just water.
Although its only been a few days on the ACV I am optimistic. Keep you posted.
I'm going to try this. I actually did this before (but only for about a month until I got antsy and started experimenting with other natural remedies like oil, salt etc) but I stopped and I think it may have worked if I gave it a chance. My face started to expolode in acne after going back to washing. Come to think of it, I used to have problems with moderate bacne but now I don't wash my back at all and it has cleared up almost 100% since I started. Oh how I wish I did the same for my face!
I have a SEVERE allergic reaction to BP including dizziness, headaches and itchiness ALL OVER my body. I'm desperate.
So because my acne got so bad recently I started wearing makeup again so I do have to wash my face at night. I'm going to slowly wean myself off the products I'm using now and off the makeup. In a couple of months I hope to be at a point where I feel comfortable enough to not wear makeup and then I can start this.\
Like I said I started the Regimen with the BP but found it was making me ill so I came off that immediately then started Salicylic Acid gel. This month I'll be weaning myslef off that and not wearing makeup on the days that I don't have to and therefore not washing my face. When I do wash (to get makeup off) I will be extra gentile.
Today is one of those days that I didin't wash and am not wearing makeup. My face feels oily and itchy. I think its very irritated from what I've been putting it through recently. Hopefully now I can give it more time to heal itself.
this is just my forehead at the moment. I won't show you the WHOLE minefield maybe later.
Today is one of those days that I didin't wash and am not wearing makeup. My face feels oily and itchy. I think its very irritated from what I've been putting it through recently. Hopefully now I can give it more time to heal itself.
I think that the itching is somewhat normal - I experienced it as well, but I have not used BP or SA for years, and when I did it was not as spot treatments. My skin was itchy the first few weeks I'd say, then went away. I exfoliated after the first month, which has made my skin oilier (but on my dry cheeks as well, so they are not as bad now) and resulted in itchiness again. It's almost gone now. It did cause me to break out though, from the irritation.
Yeah I started this no washing routine when I went camping the first week of June this year. That lasted for about a month but I did rinse my face with water when I felt the need. My face started getting better and then break out a little but I was comfortable for a while to not wear makeup. Then came the experimenting and with it more irritation and breakouts. As a result of that I started makeup again and therefore washing. I had never heard that other people were actually doing this but I thought "you know, I don't think tribal people have these problems with acne and they don't even have these products. Out of our whole human history these products are very new. Do we really need them?" So started my journey. But I failed. Time to try again.
When did you start developing acne? Was it before you started using makeup and products, or after?
Well my history with acne began when I was about 15. Back then it was a little better than it is now. Its been a rollercoaster ride since then (I am now 27). But it seems that I have had better luck when I don't pay as much attention to it. I think I did start wearing makeup and using acne products for a few zits around that time. I hope that I have FINALLY found the answer but I have a feeling that this will be a very long bumpy ride.
You might not want to try it out while you will be around people a lot. Your skin might go through weird and unwanted changes, and it will be easier to start it when you have a lot of downtime, at least for the first month or so as it will give you time to kind of.. get used to it.
That's why I WISH I stuck with this during the summer! Now I have classes AND work! It's going to be tough but I'm going to try.
Good luck with what you are currently doing, I hope that coming off the products slowly helps!
Thanks!!
Hey everyone. I just got back from the Derm about a half hour ago. He says it's seb derm. He told me to get head and shoulders and wash my face with that in the shower. He also gave me Desonide cream which i'm picking up tomorrow. Idk maybe i'm wrong, but if you guys have the dead skin buildup and red irritated skin, it could be seb derm as well but everyones skin is different.
Hey everyone. I just got back from the Derm about a half hour ago. He says it's seb derm. He told me to get head and shoulders and wash my face with that in the shower. He also gave me Desonide cream which i'm picking up tomorrow. Idk maybe i'm wrong, but if you guys have the dead skin buildup and red irritated skin, it could be seb derm as well but everyones skin is different.
Yea, this sounds kinda weird but I've noticed I have this little patch of dead skin behind my ear and it's seb derm and I haven't used any products there ever so I'm thinking that the Salicylic Acid face wash that I used alot irritated and dryed my skin giving me seb derm. And I've come to the conclusion that some people are more prone to seb derm and I guess I'm one of them and that's why not all people develop seb derm from products like you and me, if that makes sense? And the desonide works good but I don't think it's very healthy for your skin and I used it for about once or twice a day for a little more than a week and skin looks better but I only use it when I have to now as kinda like a once in a while thing but haven't used it for about 2 weeks and no dead skin has returned. I have been using this 10% Sodium Sulfacetamide Lotion after washhing once a day too and besides face being a little red and oily there is suprisingly very little to no dead skin buildup anymore. Only downside is what I mentioned earlier about redness and oilyness which is pretty noticeable but I'm pretty sure it's because I wash my face everyday and somewhat strip my oils causing my skin to produce more oil but that's pretty much it. Anyways, yourworstnightmare, I think me and you have the same problem especially after the derm diagnosed you with seb derm just like they did to me. Haha I always write waaaay more than I plan to but oh well, I hope you find success with help from your derm.
hmm i dont think this regimen would work well for me because i started developing acne without using any products from what i can remember.
Also i have a question. 47 pages is awfully a lot of pages to read through, so can someone generally summarize what the routine/method everyone is doing on this thread? Is it working?
I recently started the acne.org regimen. (about a week ago) and so far i seem to be pretty clear (just massive PIH). i just wanted to know everyone's thoughts on nothing washing face routing.
Hey everyone. I just got back from the Derm about a half hour ago. He says it's seb derm. He told me to get head and shoulders and wash my face with that in the shower. He also gave me Desonide cream which i'm picking up tomorrow. Idk maybe i'm wrong, but if you guys have the dead skin buildup and red irritated skin, it could be seb derm as well but everyones skin is different.
Yea, this sounds kinda weird but I've noticed I have this little patch of dead skin behind my ear and it's seb derm and I haven't used any products there ever so I'm thinking that the Salicylic Acid face wash that I used alot irritated and dryed my skin giving me seb derm. And I've come to the conclusion that some people are more prone to seb derm and I guess I'm one of them and that's why not all people develop seb derm from products like you and me, if that makes sense? And the desonide works good but I don't think it's very healthy for your skin and I used it for about once or twice a day for a little more than a week and skin looks better but I only use it when I have to now as kinda like a once in a while thing but haven't used it for about 2 weeks and no dead skin has returned. I have been using this 10% Sodium Sulfacetamide Lotion after washhing once a day too and besides face being a little red and oily there is suprisingly very little to no dead skin buildup anymore. Only downside is what I mentioned earlier about redness and oilyness which is pretty noticeable but I'm pretty sure it's because I wash my face everyday and somewhat strip my oils causing my skin to produce more oil but that's pretty much it. Anyways, yourworstnightmare, I think me and you have the same problem especially after the derm diagnosed you with seb derm just like they did to me. Haha I always write waaaay more than I plan to but oh well, I hope you find success with help from your derm.
lol your posts are always helpful, so it's okay that you write more than you plan to. But you're right about some people being more prone to seb derm, it just sucks that we're one of them. I noticed my skin is a little oily after putting the Desonide on. It's not as red, so that's good. My only problem is the redness so when that goes away, i'll be happy.
OK, I have taken this regimen up. I have not let water touch my face for 2 weeks now. I have seen an improvement in acne, my pores appear smaller, and my oil production has drastically calmed down. However, I am still stuck with the HORRIBLE skin tone that brought me to take this regimen up. Before starting this my skin tone was red, unlike the rest of my tan body (due to harsh chemicals over the years and over washing my face). After 2 weeks, instead of being red like it usually is, my skin is pink the redness has subsided but my face is now pink. Pink and VERY pale. I was wondering if anyone had a similar result?...and when should I see the skin on my face start returning to its natural skin tone, like the more tan skin tone on my neck?
It's been 2 weeks and the only actual results I see is my nose and forehead. The redness on my cheeks got a bit lighter but that's about it. I think it's because when I used the SA on my face, my cheeks is where I put it the most. I put it on my nose a lot too but not as much. My forehead I didn't really touch which is why it's clear besides two small pimples. I have to go back the 7th of October so I'll see how my face looks by then.