My question is... how do you know when the kefir is fermented enough to drink? and can I put the rest in the fridge if I don't finish?

 

You can drink it at any time. If you drink it too early it will be too sweet, full of sugar, but it would still have live good bacteria in it. If you drink too late, then it turns into vinegar and it's yucky. I would say you probably want to drink it when it's about 80% fermented. It's just a matter of taste. Probably the best way it ferment it until 60% and then stir it up and pour out the liquid into a secondary container for secondary fermentation. Then you add fruits for flavor or whatever and let it go the rest of the way for taste.

Today's my 3rd day of drinking water kefir (I've been drinking 500ml each day) and I really like the taste I must say... I'm not seeing any results particularly just yet but it does seem to make me a bit gassy (but OP mentioned that'd happen when you first start). I'm not getting any new zits though, just some whiteheads on my chin and it's that time of the month for me at the moment. Just a question, did water kefir help with your whiteheads (if you ever had any), aquapurity? cause they are my biggest enemy... I am just SICK of whiteheads :/

 

Gassy is GOOD! Your have to let the process complete. It will take about 5 days or so and then the gas disappears forever.

Well, I sat my store bought water kefir out for three days. Today, which is the third day since I sat the water kefir out, I tasted the water kefir. It tasted basically like vinegar. The closest thing I can compare that taste to is apple cider vinegar.

 

Yes that sounds perfect. As long as it changes to vinegar then you know it's alive because the bacteria are consuming the sugar.

 

Great! I'm so excited to hear that! I'm happy to know that I did not spend $16.50 on a bottle of that stuff for nothing, 'cause it's not cheap!

My son is not a poster, so I will post for him...

He cut out dairy/fast food/processed food long ago and tried many retrictive diets for his facial acne. He has tried the water kefir for a week now and I think the face rash is gone. If the redness is gone, I think new acne will not break out.

That said, he is eating more carbs since he feels the water kefir is working...cutting out carbs has been hard!

Is anyone feeding the "grains" the molasses, calcium or trace elements one sees for sale? I can imagine the creatures cannot live solely on sugar.

Is anyone feeding the "grains" the molasses, calcium or trace elements one sees for sale? I can imagine the creatures cannot live solely on sugar.

 

I found that a tablespoon of molasses made the kefir grow fast so I think the minerals in molasses help a lot. Also you can add a piece of eggshell once in a while and the bacteria will eat the shell... provides calcium.

Hi guys so it's been about 2 weeks since I've started drinking water kefir 500ml every day. I'm not seeing any amazing results, I still get whiteheads but not seeing really inflamed pimples... I squeezed and picked a few whiteheads around my chin so it looks a bit blotchy. I'm still going to keep drinking it cause it's good for your health and tastes good. I'm not really feeling gassy anymore which is good I'll keep you updated. Have a nice day all!

Hi guys so it's been about 2 weeks since I've started drinking water kefir 500ml every day. I'm not seeing any amazing results, I still get whiteheads but not seeing really inflamed pimples... I squeezed and picked a few whiteheads around my chin so it looks a bit blotchy. I'm still going to keep drinking it cause it's good for your health and tastes good. I'm not really feeling gassy anymore which is good I'll keep you updated. Have a nice day all!

 

Candice,

This was my response on the thread entitled "Probiotic, A Breakthrough In Controlling Acne". It's one of the newer threads about probiotics on these message boards, so you can find it pretty easily if you want to. What I wrote below has been my experience after 5 weeks of taking water kefir. Please keep in mind that I had changed my diet for several months, as well;

"

While I have not been putting probiotics on my skin, I've been drinking this brand of water kefir for about 5 weeks now. I don't know if it's solely because I've been taking the recommended dose of water kefir a day, or because I have changed my diet from a low-glycemic (think South Beach diet) to a Paleo diet a few months back, but I no longer have the crazy, wet-looking oil puddles all over my face (even without makeup, I began to develop these in my early '20's...makeup just made them worse). I don't have issues with digestion anymore (I was very irregular...sorry if that's TMI, but that's how poorly my system functioned), and as I got older, I began to develop worse and worse menstrual cramps and pre-menstrual symptoms with each passing year.

My hormones were an absolute mess due to diet, lifestyle choices (too much drinking socially/smoking socially, not enough sleep. I don't drink at all anymore, except for the occasional sip of red wine or champagne, and you couldn't pay me to put a cigarette to my lips again), stress and I already had a genetic predisposition toward acne (my dad...he is 53, and still sometimes gets little pustules).

Cutting out gluten, dairy, and I believe taking a probiotic have been near-miracles for me. I still get acne-bumps around that time of the month, but they are nowhere near to the monsters I took topicals for, and antibiotics to get rid of. And the prescribed meds definitely didn't take care of the excess oil on my face, irregular digestion, uneven moods, and horrible menstrual symptoms (I'm talking waking up out of my sleep at 2:30 A.M. due to the feeling of my ovaries being ripped apart with pain, and not being able to go back to sleep after 4 Advil liquigels and 2 hours later. NOT good!)

In my opinion, trying a probiotic is very worth your while. I think taking it has contributed to solving issues in my body that I didn't even know how to fix. My advice is to think seriously about making changes to your diet as well (as in, cutting out cow's milk as much as you possibly can). Sorry about all of the parenthetical info. I was just writing hastily, and didn't feel like going back and editing.

Hope this helps!

Cherry"

Hello, and this is for real. I feel pretty confident that this will be one of the best posts you have ever read relating to the disease you get to wear on your face every day: acne.

THIS MAY SOUND LIKE AN INFOMERCIAL BUT IT'S NOT. I'm a real dude and I have discovered, after all this time, the closest thing to a magic bullet for acne that I have ever found, EVER. Please let me share it with you....

I'm a 34 year old male. I have struggled with acne for 20 years and, yes, I have visited this site many, many times looking for solutions.

I have tried EVERYTHING. I mean EVERYTHING. 20 years is a long time to try...

-putting all kinds of weird chemicals on my face to help heal, including slathering myself with benzoyl peroxide.

-trying megadosing on every supplement known to man.

-desperately trying extreme things like coffee enemas, liver cleanses, ANYTHING TO MAKE IT GO AWAY.

I'm coming back to the forum to give back to the community. I don't know why this took me 20 years to figure out but it did, and I think this will help you.

Here is what I DO NOT HAVE for you: I don't know how to heal acne that has already formed... and believe me, I have tried everything. The only thing that has ever really worked for me is time, and that sucks big time.

HOWEVER...

Here is WHAT I DO HAVE FOR YOU: For the first time in my adult life I am completely, and I mean COMPLETELY, free of acne. Did you hear me? I said ABSOLUTELY, COMPLETELY FREE OF ACNE. Since I began doing what I'm about to share with you my acne has completely, fully, totally, summarily disappeared. I mean GONE. I have had no new acne whatsoever form for about five months now since I began doing what I'm about to share with you.

First, a little background: understand that in all of my testing and calculations over 20 years, I've estimated that my acne problem was 70% due to dairy. This may not be true for you but it was definitely, definitely, definitely true for me.

So when I would drink dairy kefir (a yoghurt-like dairy drink), I would definitively break out within a couple days, just like I would if I ate any other dairy, like a pizza or what have you. It was weird because I felt like my digestion was better but then I would break out, so it was confusingly good and bad at the same time.

THEN I DISCOVERED SOMETHING AMAZING:

There is such a thing as WATER KEFIR. Totally non-dairy.

That's it.

Forget ANTI biotics. You need PRO biotics.

Kefir is a strain of about 20 species of bacteria and yeast that are healthy for our guts and it dates back thousands of years to the Caucasus mountains. "Water kefir" is a distinct offshoot of that "diary kefir" strain that has gotten used to eating basically sugar water instead of milk. It's the best way to get probiotics without dairy!! You basically just buy a starter culture for about ten for fifteen bucks. You need a large jar too, like a half gallon jar. Then you just feed the kefir culture some sugar and some dark sugar like coconut palm or molasses for extra minerals or some dried fruit. Depending on recipe it takes 24-48 hours to make a batch and then you drink it. In the first week or so you will be really gassy because all the good bacteria are eating all the extra food matter inside of you, so you want to drink it at night or on the weekend, but after that initial period the gas disappears. I will not provide any further detail which you can google for yourself (search for: "water kefir") except I will say that the best source that I bought "water kefir grains" starter culture from was localharvest dot org.

That's it. My acne literally stopped forming within about a day of drinking water kefir. My skin has had a chance to calm down and heal and it looks better than it has ever looked in my adult life. I still have pitted scars all around my temples from the trauma, but I guess those will just be my battle scars. I hope to save your from that.

If water kefir does not work for you, then I recommend that you do some hardcore research into probiotics and find some that work for you and take A LOT of it. Like I've been saying, after 20 years of personal scientific testing and research on myself, I have finally arrived at the conclusion that it's the state of your internal fish tank that is the key. I even found one scientific article published by at pubmed where scientists were theorizing that there is a gut/brain/skin "axis". (When the embryo is forming, there is some tissue that separates, and one half becomes the brain, and the other half becomes the gut/intestines. So this is what leads to the idea of a "gut/brain axis" where the health of your gut plays a role in the healthy functioning of your brain. So the article I mention extends this idea and says that there is actually a "gut/brain/skin axis"!! Amazing eh? So the idea is that the health of your gut may DIRECTLY influence the health of your skin, and in my experience this seems to be precisely true.)

Also, I definitely recommend you do some general research into fermentation and the history of fermentation because it will blow your mind and change your view of the world and this stupid "anti" biotic paradigm.

I can't help but feel incredible anger towards the medical community for obfuscating this information. What evil bastards to derive benefit from such suffering. And I can't help but feel betrayed and hurt.

Please comment on what you find in your experimentation.

Here is to your happy fish tank!

Best

Mac

 

Hello. I came upon this topic about 2 weeks ago and was very interested in water kefir because I also have been suffering from acne/cystic acne for many years. I've given up on antibiotics and chemicals and want to do this the natural way.

So fast forward to today (about 2 weeks later) and I've made my first batch of water kefir which I tried today ( I added mint after I drained my grains). I love it and I'm really hoping it will make a difference with my skin, especially combined with trying to cut out dairy and gluten.

My question is: How much should I be drinking per day or week? I drank about half of my 1/2 gallon jar of my batch yesterday, but I'm curious as to what the amount was that you were consuming.

Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention. I'm so happy for you that you were able to cure your acne I really hope I have as much luck as you did!

Thanks !

Hello you!

First I want to say that I'm still new with water kefir(started 1 month ago), so please bear with me. I think most would agree with me, that there is no "right" amount for one person to drink. However you should start with small doses like, half a glass of water kefir a day for a while... just to see how your body reacts. I overdid it and ended up with mild diarrhea, which is not nice.

Hello you!

First I want to say that I'm still new with water kefir(started 1 month ago), so please bear with me. I think most would agree with me, that there is no "right" amount for one person to drink. However you should start with small doses like, half a glass of water kefir a day for a while... just to see how your body reacts. I overdid it and ended up with mild diarrhea, which is not nice.

 

Thanks Kasper Larsen I agree, I guess it depends on the person and if they're just starting out or not. I think I was just looking for a general idea since I'm very new to this and really have no idea. So since my first batch was ready two days ago, I've just been drinking about a glass a day. My second batch will probably be ready later today and this time I added blackstrap mollasses to see if my grains would grow. Can't wait to try it. Keep it up everyone. Remember that some people may see results in as little as a week while others may need weeks/months to see/feel the effects. I'm also just happy for now knowing that I'm doing my body good by drinking this.

No problem mate. I agree - Water kefir is a wonderfull drink, I can't help but feel better after a drink of it. I can tell already that my digestion has improved a LOT, and my skin seems to have gotten a nice glow from it

Hello you!

First I want to say that I'm still new with water kefir(started 1 month ago), so please bear with me. I think most would agree with me, that there is no "right" amount for one person to drink. However you should start with small doses like, half a glass of water kefir a day for a while... just to see how your body reacts. I overdid it and ended up with mild diarrhea, which is not nice.

 

Thanks Kasper Larsen I agree, I guess it depends on the person and if they're just starting out or not. I think I was just looking for a general idea since I'm very new to this and really have no idea. So since my first batch was ready two days ago, I've just been drinking about a glass a day. My second batch will probably be ready later today and this time I added blackstrap mollasses to see if my grains would grow. Can't wait to try it. Keep it up everyone. Remember that some people may see results in as little as a week while others may need weeks/months to see/feel the effects. I'm also just happy for now knowing that I'm doing my body good by drinking this.

 

I drink a tablespoon a day, and it seems to be working really well for me. This is the amount I have been drinking since June, and it seems to be ideal so far.

BUMP, by the way.

I wanted to bump this topic to see if anyone else out there is having success with water kefir. Also, I think that the Acne.org message board newbies could benefit from this thread.

I've been following this thread for a while but haven't tried it yet. I wanted to know if anyone from Australia has tried this and could suggest where I can get the grains here in Australian stores - or is the only option to buy online?

I've never used this product re my acne, but a friend of mine made me a nice fruit smoothy with it once. xx

Bought water kefir after i saw this thread. Theres no way water kefir can break you out. Actully pro biotics is one of the steps to get 100% clear. Can't wait to try the water kefir tommorrow. It has been growing for 3 days now.

Is water kefir the safest way to go? Or does the yogurt like kefir you can buy at the grocery store work as well?

I've actually bought water kefir from ebay and been making it for the past 4 days and it has, the OP stated, stopped my cystic acne from forming.

I let it ferment for 2 days, at which point it gets effervescent, and drink 24 oz for the whole day on an empty stomach in the early morning.

I had a couple questions regarding making your own water kefir for those of you who seem to have the process down (sorry if these have been answered already, didn't look through the whole thread):

1) Are the kefir grains reusable after you make your first batch of water kefir? Do they ever become unusable?

2) How do you know if you are making your water kefir correctly?

3) Where did you buy your kefir grains initially?

I had a couple questions regarding making your own water kefir for those of you who seem to have the process down (sorry if these have been answered already, didn't look through the whole thread):

1) Are the kefir grains reusable after you make your first batch of water kefir? Do they ever become unusable?

2) How do you know if you are making your water kefir correctly?

3) Where did you buy your kefir grains initially?

 

1)yes if they look unhealthy I might pick a few out, but they multiply over time so you'll always have some.

2)It'll be less sweet then the original sugar water you started with and might taste a little vinegary, or tart.

3)ebay

Thanks! One more question for y'all. I'm currently prescribed on doxycycline, when should I consume the water kefir so it does not counteract the doxy? I take the doxy twice a day.

Hi Folks! I am a 32 male. I have tried everything under the sun for riding myself of acne. I am due to go on Roaccutane (AGAIN) when I next meet my derm. First I want to try Water Kefir! I just ordered some today and will pick it up tomoro or thursday. I dont plan to alter my diet - I dont drink a lot of milk anyway but I drink a little. I just want to see if Water Kefir alone can cure my acne before I meet my derm in 2-3 months.

I will let you know how I get on.

Cheers,

Gerard

Hi Folks! I am a 32 male. I have tried everything under the sun for riding myself of acne. I am due to go on Roaccutane (AGAIN) when I next meet my derm. First I want to try Water Kefir! I just ordered some today and will pick it up tomoro or thursday. I dont plan to alter my diet - I dont drink a lot of milk anyway but I drink a little. I just want to see if Water Kefir alone can cure my acne before I meet my derm in 2-3 months.

I will let you know how I get on.

Cheers,

Gerard

 

Best of luck!

*Bump* I just want to know how everyone is doing with this? I was thinking about trying it myself, but I bought some brobiotics years ago and it made me break out severely, so I'm not sure if this is the appropriate way to go for me. Personally, I can't conceive of any difference between water keif and probiotics. It's all the same stuff and there's no science showing any of it is different.

Next, I will cut out diary and possibly beef. I've already stopped drinking milk, but I've been eating protein bars, which has whey in them. I'm going to cut that out as well.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents and say probiotics can DEFINITELY break you out if you have SIBO. They are perfectly healthy for normal people but a large portion of acne sufferers actually have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. The small intestine is normally almost sterile and when bacteria enter it for multiple reasons (low stomach acid, slow transit time, problems with the illoceal valve, after food poisoning) then it creates problems. They say a huge percent of people with IBS symptoms actually have SIBO. The bacteria end up eating your food before you can break it down leading to nutritional deficiences. The bacteria also produce harmful endotoxins which damage the gut lining and create leaky gut which in turn creates food intolerances. Gut health is very much linked to acne, but for people with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth adding more bacteria to the mix is a bad idea, even if it is good bacteria. I suggest trying this because it will no doubt work for some people, but if it starts breaking you out stop, because it is only going to make your situation worse.

OK folks so back in January I got my water Kefir! I was planning to simply add water Kefir into my life and report back with my findings. But I want to let you all in on a little well known secret - Acne is caused by poor nutrition. If you want to rid yourself of acne go on the Paleo diet! If you want to cure your acne, start eating Paleo foods and remain 95%-100% Paleo; fruit, vegetables, meats and fish for at least 40 days. What have you got to lose??

I have suffered from acne for around 15 years. Thats how long I have been putting on a brave face when what I really wanted to do was to punch the guy looking back at me in the mirror. I have tried Antibiotics, Roaccutane, Laser, Benzol Peroxide and a list of other creams. Some of them worked for a little while but the acne always came back stronger and more resilient than ever. Each new cream gave me fresh hope until finally my face exploded again and my confidence with it. Around a year ago I was diagnosed with Rosacea. I thought ok, so Ive got acne Rosacea, lets fix it. Again, I tried everything but nothing worked. Then one day recently the lights came on!! Let me explain; I went to pick up my Water Kefir from a holistic nutritionist in Dublin. I sat chatting with her and her husband for a couple of hours. She told me in no uncertain terms that acne is caused by the toxins taken in by food and drinks (causing inflammation). She said the only way to stop it is to start eating the right foods and to avoid the toxic stuff. Her words got me googling. I started looking for the many articles on food that I had dismissed in the past based on the advice from professionally trained dermatologists who apparently know way more than I do. My searches lead me on to the Paleo Diet. I have followed it for the past 2 months. The results are remarkable!! No more checking for spots in the mirror, no more concealer, no more hiding, no more angry mornings, no more spots.

I hope you find this useful. This is me signing off from acne once and for all! Ive got clear and so can you. The food and pharmaceutical industry is lying to you. I promise you this! I've got nothing to gain from telling you this. I'm not selling anything and I want nothing from you.

Slainte

OK folks so back in January I got my water Kefir! I was planning to simply add water Kefir into my life and report back with my findings. But I want to let you all in on a little well known secret - Acne is caused by poor nutrition. If you want to rid yourself of acne go on the Paleo diet! If you want to cure your acne, start eating Paleo foods and remain 95%-100% Paleo; fruit, vegetables, meats and fish for at least 40 days. What have you got to lose??

I have suffered from acne for around 15 years. Thats how long I have been putting on a brave face when what I really wanted to do was to punch the guy looking back at me in the mirror. I have tried Antibiotics, Roaccutane, Laser, Benzol Peroxide and a list of other creams. Some of them worked for a little while but the acne always came back stronger and more resilient than ever. Each new cream gave me fresh hope until finally my face exploded again and my confidence with it. Around a year ago I was diagnosed with Rosacea. I thought ok, so Ive got acne Rosacea, lets fix it. Again, I tried everything but nothing worked. Then one day recently the lights came on!! Let me explain; I went to pick up my Water Kefir from a holistic nutritionist in Dublin. I sat chatting with her and her husband for a couple of hours. She told me in no uncertain terms that acne is caused by the toxins taken in by food and drinks (causing inflammation). She said the only way to stop it is to start eating the right foods and to avoid the toxic stuff. Her words got me googling. I started looking for the many articles on food that I had dismissed in the past based on the advice from professionally trained dermatologists who apparently know way more than I do. My searches lead me on to the Paleo Diet. I have followed it for the past 2 months. The results are remarkable!! No more checking for spots in the mirror, no more concealer, no more hiding, no more angry mornings, no more spots.

I hope you find this useful. This is me signing off from acne once and for all! Ive got clear and so can you. The food and pharmaceutical industry is lying to you. I promise you this! I've got nothing to gain from telling you this. I'm not selling anything and I want nothing from you.

Slainte

I agree with you that a clean diet (heavy in veggies, fruits, fish and the occasional animal product) helps with acne. My experience has taught me that gluten and dairy are huge culprits in causing acne and the overproduction of sebum (dairy especially causes facial oil spills). However, I also believe that taking probiotics regularly is helpful. It keeps the gut balanced.

Honestly, I think a combo of a clean diet, regular exercise, probiotics and minimal stress in life is the key to the fight against acne. Personally, I don't believe there is a true "cure", but my experience has taught me that maintaining a clean lifestyle is the best way to keep those pesky lesions at bay.

OK folks so back in January I got my water Kefir! I was planning to simply add water Kefir into my life and report back with my findings. But I want to let you all in on a little well known secret - Acne is caused by poor nutrition. If you want to rid yourself of acne go on the Paleo diet! If you want to cure your acne, start eating Paleo foods and remain 95%-100% Paleo; fruit, vegetables, meats and fish for at least 40 days. What have you got to lose??

I have suffered from acne for around 15 years. Thats how long I have been putting on a brave face when what I really wanted to do was to punch the guy looking back at me in the mirror. I have tried Antibiotics, Roaccutane, Laser, Benzol Peroxide and a list of other creams. Some of them worked for a little while but the acne always came back stronger and more resilient than ever. Each new cream gave me fresh hope until finally my face exploded again and my confidence with it. Around a year ago I was diagnosed with Rosacea. I thought ok, so Ive got acne Rosacea, lets fix it. Again, I tried everything but nothing worked. Then one day recently the lights came on!! Let me explain; I went to pick up my Water Kefir from a holistic nutritionist in Dublin. I sat chatting with her and her husband for a couple of hours. She told me in no uncertain terms that acne is caused by the toxins taken in by food and drinks (causing inflammation). She said the only way to stop it is to start eating the right foods and to avoid the toxic stuff. Her words got me googling. I started looking for the many articles on food that I had dismissed in the past based on the advice from professionally trained dermatologists who apparently know way more than I do. My searches lead me on to the Paleo Diet. I have followed it for the past 2 months. The results are remarkable!! No more checking for spots in the mirror, no more concealer, no more hiding, no more angry mornings, no more spots.

I hope you find this useful. This is me signing off from acne once and for all! Ive got clear and so can you. The food and pharmaceutical industry is lying to you. I promise you this! I've got nothing to gain from telling you this. I'm not selling anything and I want nothing from you.

Slainte

I agree with you that a clean diet (heavy in veggies, fruits, fish and the occasional animal product) helps with acne. My experience has taught me that gluten and dairy are huge culprits in causing acne and the overproduction of sebum (dairy especially causes facial oil spills). However, I also believe that taking probiotics regularly is helpful. It keeps the gut balanced.

Honestly, I think a combo of a clean diet, regular exercise, probiotics and minimal stress in life is the key to the fight against acne. Personally, I don't believe there is a true "cure", but my experience has taught me that maintaining a clean lifestyle is the best way to keep those pesky lesions at bay.

congratulations,but generally you are wasting your time telling others on here,I found my cure after 10 years of isolated big cysts,which was down to granular mixes,sauces,like pot noodles,gravy granules,cup a soup etc,a certain chemical ingredient triggered my condition,so your diet would work on me unless I had something like coffee granules or a schwartz mix in sauce as well.