Acne.org Products
I decided to not take a shower for a month...I'm only putting jojoba oil on my face because of how dry it is.
I think my skin can def. go a month without touching water.
I still recommend cold water splashes, it helps in the shedding phase, if not oil can cling on to dead and loose particles which isnt good, because bacteria likes that. Cold water from the tap will not hurt you any bit.
I stopped washing my face 11 days ago. I didn't seem to have any initial breakout or excessive skin issues like dryness or flakiness, but I did pick at my face a lot. I used jojoba oil and Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay masks every few days. I have taken pictures of my face with the flash on so lighting is consistent, most days, and it looks like my acne has gotten worse. not that there are more breakouts, but my face is really spotty, like there are a ton of red marks everywhere (there always is). I don't know what's up. it could be hormonal too, because I am probably going to start menstruating soon. so I guess I will wait it out and see what happens after that.
I really hope my acne goes away though. I don't want to damage it with soaps, but I don't want to just sit back and not do anything about it.
I stopped washing my face 11 days ago. I didn't seem to have any initial breakout or excessive skin issues like dryness or flakiness, but I did pick at my face a lot. I used jojoba oil and Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay masks every few days. I have taken pictures of my face with the flash on so lighting is consistent, most days, and it looks like my acne has gotten worse. not that there are more breakouts, but my face is really spotty, like there are a ton of red marks everywhere (there always is). I don't know what's up. it could be hormonal too, because I am probably going to start menstruating soon. so I guess I will wait it out and see what happens after that.
I really hope my acne goes away though. I don't want to damage it with soaps, but I don't want to just sit back and not do anything about it.
11 days is nothing, compared to the years/months of damage done by chemicals. For me, there was an initial breakout period, where all my red marks resurfaced as whiteheads, a sign the pores were finally healing the proper way. Sex/masturbation was also my huge problem. Once I cut sex/masturbation back to once every two weeks and started using water my skin cleared up in no time (about 1 month) and it has remained clear for 2 years straight. There is hope. You should rinse your face in the shower though, with warm/cool water, do not touch your face and let it air dry, no towels, as even those can irritate it.
11 days is nothing, compared to the years/months of damage done by chemicals. For me, there was an initial breakout period, where all my red marks resurfaced as whiteheads, a sign the pores were finally healing the proper way. Sex/masturbation was also my huge problem. Once I cut sex/masturbation back to once every two weeks and started using water my skin cleared up in no time (about 1 month) and it has remained clear for 2 years straight. There is hope. You should rinse your face in the shower though, with warm/cool water, do not touch your face and let it air dry, no towels, as even those can irritate it.
I am getting more whiteheads, so apparently that's what is happening with me too. I recently started masturbation again, and I was thinking that is what is contributing to what seems to be a worsening of my skin compared to how it was doing initially. I was actually going to read up on that today. I'll have to remember to not dry my face when I get out of the shower too. I'm thinking about trying the oil cleansing method, but I'll wait for that one. How often do you rinse your face with water?
11 days is nothing, compared to the years/months of damage done by chemicals. For me, there was an initial breakout period, where all my red marks resurfaced as whiteheads, a sign the pores were finally healing the proper way. Sex/masturbation was also my huge problem. Once I cut sex/masturbation back to once every two weeks and started using water my skin cleared up in no time (about 1 month) and it has remained clear for 2 years straight. There is hope. You should rinse your face in the shower though, with warm/cool water, do not touch your face and let it air dry, no towels, as even those can irritate it.
I am getting more whiteheads, so apparently that's what is happening with me too. I recently started masturbation again, and I was thinking that is what is contributing to what seems to be a worsening of my skin compared to how it was doing initially. I was actually going to read up on that today. I'll have to remember to not dry my face when I get out of the shower too. I'm thinking about trying the oil cleansing method, but I'll wait for that one. How often do you rinse your face with water?
I rinse it whenever I shower, or just splash it with cold water throughout the day if I want to or if I sweat. It is usually only morning and night. I would recommend staying very clear of oil. I tried it, it broke me out like no other, and I have seen more people say it broke them out than cleared them up. Masturbation definitely has something to do with it, if not all of it.
Please take a read as they discuss hormones and the reason why teens get acne (from sexual hormones), I never got acne until I started masturbating:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php/topic/308838-the-acid-mantle/
I rinse it whenever I shower, or just splash it with cold water throughout the day if I want to or if I sweat. It is usually only morning and night. I would recommend staying very clear of oil. I tried it, it broke me out like no other, and I have seen more people say it broke them out than cleared them up. Masturbation definitely has something to do with it, if not all of it.
Please take a read as they discuss hormones and the reason why teens get acne (from sexual hormones), I never got acne until I started masturbating:
http://www.acne.org/...he-acid-mantle/
I use jojoba oil whenever I want to moisturize my skin if it's dry/flaky, or after I blow dry my hair because it dries my face. it doesn't break me out as far as I can tell. but I read reviews for the OCM and I don't want to risk a terrible breakout if I can avoid it. I don't think I need to start doing a ton more stuff to my face in order to make it healthy and normal again.
For me masturbation could have been the start of my acne, but I went about a year without masturbating and I still had acne. but I was on prescription pills and creams that never helped at all, only irritated my skin and probably other stuff in my body more, so that most likely contributed to my acne remaining. Most recently, starting in November, I washed my face with African black soap every day 1-2 times, and though it is a natural soap I was just irritating my skin more. SO, I came across the no-washing thing, tried it, my face was clearing up finally, I started masturbating again, and now my acne is getting worse. gonna stop that now and see what happens.
I rinse it whenever I shower, or just splash it with cold water throughout the day if I want to or if I sweat. It is usually only morning and night. I would recommend staying very clear of oil. I tried it, it broke me out like no other, and I have seen more people say it broke them out than cleared them up. Masturbation definitely has something to do with it, if not all of it.
Please take a read as they discuss hormones and the reason why teens get acne (from sexual hormones), I never got acne until I started masturbating:
http://www.acne.org/...he-acid-mantle/
I use jojoba oil whenever I want to moisturize my skin if it's dry/flaky, or after I blow dry my hair because it dries my face. it doesn't break me out as far as I can tell. but I read reviews for the OCM and I don't want to risk a terrible breakout if I can avoid it. I don't think I need to start doing a ton more stuff to my face in order to make it healthy and normal again.
For me masturbation could have been the start of my acne, but I went about a year without masturbating and I still had acne. but I was on prescription pills and creams that never helped at all, only irritated my skin and probably other stuff in my body more, so that most likely contributed to my acne remaining. Most recently, starting in November, I washed my face with African black soap every day 1-2 times, and though it is a natural soap I was just irritating my skin more. SO, I came across the no-washing thing, tried it, my face was clearing up finally, I started masturbating again, and now my acne is getting worse. gonna stop that now and see what happens.
You are on the right path, I wish you well and the best of luck. It worked for me and it also works for others, I hope it works for you to.
I'm trying this...it's been just under a week.
The first 3 days sucked to say the least. Tons of white heads, but they're healing up nicely and no new pimples!
I've been debating going to the derm for antibiotics, but at this rate, I may not need to!
Nice work man, keep it up!
I found this thread through google and I really have to say, I think it may have just saved my acne problem.
I started struggling with acne in highschool, but it was mainly just a couple pimples here in there. I didn't start to really notice a problem until I was 19 years old. So either my acne became way worse, or scars we're piling up. Either way, my face was molested by acne.
I'm 21 now, and up until a month ago I was STILL struggling with acne. I would wash my face twice a day everyday and STILL get friggin' new acne the next day. I've used everything, Proactiv, other BP brands, Salcylic Acid etc.
Now here is where it gets interesting. I've now come to realize that I think I have been over washing my face. Because as an acne sufferer, you are conditioned to wash your face twice a day every day. Doing this was drying this crap out of my face. Granted I was using water that was probably way to warm (borderline hot) and not using moisterizer as much as a I should have. I had it in my head for some reason that drying out my acne would help. Pretty sure it was giving me acne.
Anyway, after reading this thread roughly one month ago I decided to take the plunge. What did I have to lose? Everything I tried just didn't seem to work.
So Dec. 31 2011, I washed my face for what would be the last time in a long time. (My current regiment is neutrogena salicylic acid face wash, olay toner, and ponds cream to moisterize).
Much to my surprise, after an entire week my acne was mildly better. I produced less pimples, and my overall complexion looked better. There was quite a bit of a dead skin, so I finally gave it another wash.
Now today is exactly a month to the day I started this. This month I washed my face 5/6 times total. Last month, I washed my face probably 60 times (twice a day..). THINK ABOUT THAT
KEEP IN MIND Even on days where I wasn't washing my face, I have been using generous amounts of toner daily, I figured the alcohol would kill any surface bacteria that would cause any acne. I basically replaced face washing with toner pouring Lol.
Yes I have been showering anywhere from daily, to every 2/3 days. I haven't let the water hit my face in my showers.
Right now, my skin is 100% smooth and acne free (except for the ugly red scars).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've almost reached the conclusion that I may have been causing most of my acne (possibly all of it) by over washing my face... but who knows.
Anyone with a similar story to mine, should really give something like this a try.
I should add though, I could have added a couple more washes. 5/6 worked well, but maybe 7 even 8 would be ideal.
Twice a week perhaps.
Hi, I signed up on this forum because of this thread. I have been doing this regimen for about 2 weeks now. Just to tell you a little bit about myself, I'm a 24 year old female who has struggled with pimples since I was about 19. Up until about a year ago, most of my pimples would be only around my jawline, leading me to believe it was hormonal (which I still believe some of it might be.) But starting about a year ago, I began to break out on my cheeks and forehead, just small pimples. The only area I got big ones was on my jawline. I continued to wash my face twice daily, and apply moisturizer, although I've always been switching my products, since none of them were satisfying for more than a week. I've only tried BP once, and found out I was allergic to it, which is probably a blessing in disguise! Ive rarely used products with SA in it, as my skin would just dry out terribly and it wouldn't help my acne. So basically, I've never ever used harsh products on my face, yet I'm STILL breaking out. Now I'm thinking it may be because I just wash my face way too often. I also notice that my skin tends to be better in the summer, which is probably because my face is not so dehydrated.
Anyways, to give you an account of what has happened while I have been on this regimen. The first few days were amazing. I felt so good about myself, that I didn't even feel embarrassed to talk about it with my dad. He even told me my face looked clearer on the 3rd day. Over the course of 2 weeks, I've only washed my face 3 times. I have to admit, I haven't felt dirty or anything while not washing. The only reason I have washed is because of how rough my face has felt. And honestly, every time I wash my face, it just feels oily and irritated the next day.
Well now it's day 13, and I feel kind of miserable. My face broke out yesterday with lots of little bumps all over my cheeks and jawline. It may just be because I started my monthly yesterday, but it's still discouraging, because I'm just afraid it may be because of the regimen. I have a horrible habit of staring at my face and picking at it, which I'm sure does not help. what I have noticed though, is that I haven't gotten any more huge pimples on my jawline. They are only little ones. And I do feel like the quality of my skin overall is getting better. Just it's taking a long time!
I'm going to keep updating here every day, as long as I am still having problems. For me, it feels better to let it all out. I hope my post wasn't too long.
Okay to update my progress. While on this regimen, towards the end of the day, I would feel really warm on my face and oily. Up until yesterday, I would just leave it alone and go to bed, thinking that was part of the healing process. Well yesterday, I broke down and ran my face under the water for a few seconds, hoping it would relieve the irritation. I got amazing results. The oil on my skin acted as a natural moisturizer, and soaked up the water after a few minutes. Normally after I wash, I have to rush to my moisturizer before all the water evaporates on my skin. But what I'm finding is that our natural oils are meant to be that moisture barrier, and also to help absorb additional moisture. Oh, and all the grossness I felt on my skin before rinsing went away. I felt smoother and more hydrated.
This morning I woke up with all the red marks like before, but no new pimples. The tone of my skin looks much better too. I am planning to rinse with cool water nightly from now on. So far, this regimen is working for me! 
I've never really been on forums before, so if I'm not allowed to double or triple post, just let me know just I'm really excited to update my progress. I'm really starting to believe that there are many people my age out there who think they have acne. But that it's just that they're distressing their skin and causing it to overreact.
I've washed again with water last night. I just turned my shower water to cool for a second and rinsed my face off. This morning it feels more even and there are no new pimples! I have several red marks that will take a while to heal, and my face still feels much rougher than I wish it would be. I have to force myself to refrain from picking, because I think that could cause new pimples to sprout really quickly.
Yesterday I rubbed my neck for a minute just randomly. I was surprised to discover that my upper neck, the only part of my neck that I washed with my facial cleanser twice daily, was flaking! I tried to rub off skin lower than that, but it wouldn't flake. I believe that's because it's healthy, and hasn't ever been over washed.
I'm really excited to be watching my face clear up! 🙂
I wish I had found this thread earlier! I could have been free of acne for the past several years. This is my 16th day on this regimen, and I'm finally seeing the results I want. I think everyone over 21 should at least give this a try. No ones skin should be overproducing oil in their 20s or 30s, unless it's allergy related, or, of course, because they wash too often.
Last night I rinsed my face with water like I've started doing every night. This morning I woke up and rubbed my fingers over my forehead. Usually my fingers will come back with a bunch of oil on them. But this morning, it was completely dry! The same for my cheeks and chin. Since I live where it's dry in the winter, Im almost thinking I'll need a little moisturizer after I rinse at night.
But I have to say, this regimen has worked wonders for me. It was hard at first, because it got worse before it got better. And I can imagine It would be even harder for those who have been using harsher products than I did. But it's worth every minute of those horrible times when I felt like my face looked worse than ever.
I still have a few red marks from past scars, but even those are going away quicker on their own than when I was spot treating them. I still pick at the dead skin...must.stop.doing that!
So I hope this is an inspiration for anyone out there who was in the same condition I was. Our skin was meant to take care of itself. We shouldn't disrupt its natural processes!
I don't think I'm going to need to post here anymore, unless something horrible happens to my skin, but I just want to say, my skin is looking GREAT. I haven't been free from active pimples in over 5 years. This regimen is a miracle. AND, it shows that our skin itself is a miracle, and on any healthy person, should do exactly the right thing without our help.
My skin is still rough looking and will need much time to heal. But at least now I know it's healing! Before Id think, okay, that pimple is going away, now my skin is healing. But the next day I'd wake up with a couple more new ones. Now I wake up in the morning and my face feels fresh. I didn't even go look in the mirror to make sure I was presentable this morning. I knew I was. Because I am not having the stress of new pimples every morning.
I have a lot of dead skin on my face, and if I get close enough to the mirror, I can see it flaking in a lot of areas. But I just need to leave it alone and realize that most people don't look at me that close. Now I'm waiting for the day I can start putting some bare minerals makeup in some Places, like my cheeks. (bare minerals washes off nicely under water.) but maybe i won't even need the makeup for those areas if my skin heals all the way!
I'm stil a little self conscious about my skin when people look at me, but not because of Pimples anymore! And the dead skin will heal on its own. I really hope other people read my story and try this out for themselves! Good luck 🙂
Wow, much respect and luck to all of you who are trying this!
I always thought about stopping with using chemicals on my face. I'm currently using Benzoyl Peroxide on it for about three years...My acne is very light, although it seems to get worse these days but that's probably because of the temperature outside (-10C /14F). I'm wondering how you people stopped with using chemicals and other products, did you just stop cold turkey using the products?
I always thought that putting harsh chemicals on my face is bad, but I'm really to scared to stop using Benzoyl peroxide and wash my face once or twice a day
.
The BP is probably making your skin worse, specially in that cold of weather. I stopped cold turkey, yes it was odd at first, but I had motivation to do it. It wasn't because I thought it was going to rid me of acne, at the time it was light acne anyways, but I just didn't want to depend on products anymore, a more natural and free lifestyle, not hippy or anything, lol, I still wash my hair. I just stopped and with the first 2 weeks my skin felt so much better, not much different from an acne stand point but it just felt natural, didn't feel dry, didn't look dull. It was about 1 month after I quit cold turkey that I started to see my acne fade away, and I was also not masturbating during this time, because I was heavily training and weight lifting that I need all the energy I could get. For me my two largest acne problems were chemicals and masturbation/ejaculation. It is a whole lifestyle change but one I am very glad I found. Good luck.
The BP is probably making your skin worse, specially in that cold of weather. I stopped cold turkey, yes it was odd at first, but I had motivation to do it. It wasn't because I thought it was going to rid me of acne, at the time it was light acne anyways, but I just didn't want to depend on products anymore, a more natural and free lifestyle, not hippy or anything, lol, I still wash my hair. I just stopped and with the first 2 weeks my skin felt so much better, not much different from an acne stand point but it just felt natural, didn't feel dry, didn't look dull. It was about 1 month after I quit cold turkey that I started to see my acne fade away, and I was also not masturbating during this time, because I was heavily training and weight lifting that I need all the energy I could get. For me my two largest acne problems were chemicals and masturbation/ejaculation. It is a whole lifestyle change but one I am very glad I found. Good luck.
Nice to hear it works for you! I'm already trying to stop with masturbation/ejaculation so I might even try top stop using products for my acne...
@bobbi- I'm curious as to why you think using hot water on my face would help. I would be a little hesitant to do that, because dont you think the hot water would easily strip the natural oils off my face? Since its winter here, my face is leaning toward the dry side anyway. Its like the different between washing butter off your fingers with hot or cold water. It won't come off unless you use hot water. At this point, I'm wanting the dead skin gone, not the oil.
Just an update: yesterday my face was bothering me a lot with all the dead skin. But I honestly think it was worse because I could NOT stop picking at it all day. The more I picked at it, the more irritated my face felt. Does anyone have any tips on how to refrain from picking? D:
I have a couple new pimples, but they are small ones. And when I look at my face in the natural light, it looks so much smoother and healthier. It's still red and rough in spots. But I can tell the bad skin is working its way out! oh and the new pimples from yesterday have already come to a head! And hopefully will be dried up by tomorrow morning
Yes, you want the oils and don't want the dead skin. However, like you said, washing with hot water will take off oil and dead skin together. A hot shower will help the flaking of the dead skin, the reason you have dead skin is because your skin isn't functioning properly, as in not shedding on its own, instead it is building up. You need to rid the dead skin or it could cause some issues, as in more blocked pores. I have no clue what the progress of your skin is and what it looks like so it is hard for me to tell what is happening. If the hot water does strip the oil do not get worried, it's not like it's going to cause you any harm. You skin will just produce more oil to replace it, that's how the skin works. Properly functioning skin will not have issues with hot water, I take hot showers on a daily basis, I couldn't say that though when I had acne. Another major concern is water pressure. You already have sensitive skin, so if you have a high powered shower head that could strip away more than your want to and dry you, and irritate your skin. Try to use an ordinary shower head with normal to low pressure, nothing crazy like a steady stream.
So I chickened out and did not use hot water on my face last night. I'm still not convinced it would be better! I'm probably exaggerating when I say the dead skin is really bad. It isn't too bad...just on the places where I had big pimples before. I don't think it is clogging my pores much. It's kind of like if you try to pick at the dead skin on a scab, it will just be red and raw underneath, and eventually form a new protective layer. I really think that if I left the dead skin there, and didn't pick at it, it would heal even faster than it is now.
This morning, my face is almost glowing. It's only been 18 days, so I'm not expecting better than I see. But my inner cheeks and nose are clearing up nicely. My jawline is taking a bit longer, mostly because that's where all the scars were, and where hormones may still effect me. And where, or course, I pick at the most! D:
I really hope this thread stays alive, it saved me from my bad skin!
In that case yes, you are correct do not take hot showers then. I thought you meant your whole face looked dry and flaky. When you say scab, you are 100% correct, and you should leave those alone, allow them to heal on their own. Good job and in the future once you achieve 100% clear skin, try out hot water, it shouldn't affect you, unless you have rosacea or something then it could be an issue.