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I am a female college sophomore and athlete. I have fair and sensitive skin with mild acne, blackheads on my nose/chin/forehead being my main problem, with 4 or 5 red pimples (not whiteheads) throughout the month that tend to linger for a while. My skin tends to be oily yet dry or flaky, and for that reason I have exfoliated 2-3x per week. For several years, I have washed my face religiously twice a day, applying moisturizers, serums and BP or SA. I use organic facial products yet still washed 2x per day, no exceptions.
I currently (and will continue to) take a daily women's multivitamin, 500mg Vit C, 50mg Zinc, 1300mg Evening Primrose Oil, and an Omega 3-6-9 complex.
Two days ago, I decided to try the "caveman"/"water only" method. Although I wouldn't not consider myself a severe acne sufferer, I am tired of the constant and perpetual cycle of searching for the latest and greatest miracle acne product. So, I figured "why not try to stop altogether?" Here, I plan to give an account of my experience as I try this method for 30 days.
I will not wash my face at all with any cleansers of any kind (no, not even after workouts)--yes, the thought does make me cringe a little. The only time I plan to have my face in contact with water is if any happens to drip on my face during showers, and will rinse with cold water 1-2x per week just to feel refreshed if this does not irritate my skin. If I encounter the feared "dead skin mask" that many caveman regimen users have experienced, I plan to gently exfoliate with cold water and a muslin cloth. I will not obsess over small amounts of water touching my face, nor will I allow the dead skin to remain for weeks. No moisturizers, sun screens, soaps, oils etc. No touching, picking, or popping..Here goes..
Day 2:
My skin is less oily than day one and the tone is very even. I got 15 mins of sun yesterday and have a nice glow today. The slightly red acne marks that I had on my forehead and one on my chin before beginning this regimen are seeming to fade. I can tell that the blackheads around my nose and chin appear to be coming to the surface (possibly purging?) which is bothersome but I will let it be. There are many very small skin-tone bumps around my chin and forehead. Two very small whiteheads appeared on my forehead but are barely noticeable. I believe this is just an initial breakout as my skin adjusts. My boyfriend said that my skin looks tan and healthy, although it is not as soft and feels slightly oily. I have no flaking or dryness. Overall, my skin tone seems to be improving already and the clogged pores seem to be coming to the surface. I am drinking 60 oz of water today (more than half of my body weight in ounces). For the water, I bought a 3L bottle and added 2 sliced lemons, 1 sliced cucumber, and 15 mint leaves which I let steep in the refrigerator overnight. It is refreshing and hydrating, and will hopefully speed the detox period. Hoping for continuing improvement!
Any comments about your personal experience or suggestions are welcome!
I wish you the best of luck. I've been living like this for a while now (up until the point I started doing chemical peels) and I can honestly say, (personally speaking) it's the best decision you can make for your skin (It's just too bad it doesn't accelerate the healing of marks). I'm also heavily involved in sports and I believe that this "regime" and sweating go hand-in-hand. If/when you do sweat post-activity, just dab/press (not rub) your face with a clean towel. As for the water you're drinking, a little tip; if you have the patience, leave the water you intend to drink out in the open (obviously in a safe place where things like flies can't reach it) for a day, that way most of the chlorine will have evaporated by the time you're ready to drink.
Green tea is your friend, do not neglect the green tea.
Interesting in regards to the water/chlorine.
I am assuming you do this everytime you drink water now? You could always purchase a water filter, but it could get a little expensive I suppose
Regards to showering, do you just shower with water that comes from your shower tap, or do you use a filter?
Interesting in regards to the water/chlorine.
I am assuming you do this everytime you drink water now? You could always purchase a water filter, but it could get a little expensive I suppose
Regards to showering, do you just shower with water that comes from your shower tap, or do you use a filter?
Yeah, I have a brita filter, which I fill up (takes about 20 seconds). Once that' s done, I empty the contents into a wide bowl/container and leave it to sit in the kitchen for at least 24 hours (I close all the doors and place a food net over it). It tastes a lot better to me that way and I have enough to last me the day. The filter that filters chlorine is expensive I assume, hence why I'd rather just do it myself.
For showering, I had to shell out for a water filter. I can't shower without constant flowing water.
Apologies for hi-jacking your thread OP 
Great tips, thank you! I hadn't considered letting the chlorine evaporate out since I typically buy bottled water (although who knows what they put in it) so that is a great idea, and wouldn't mind getting a filter for the shower! Love green tea, I plan on starting to substitute it more often instead of my weekly coffee splurge!
Seeing improvements already throughout the day, some post-acne marks have dried up and flaked away, but otherwise no flaking or dryness anywhere--just very even tone and less oiliness than yesterday! Tossed out all of my SA and BP products!
I currently use Ponds evening soothe wet makeup removing cloths to remove my eyeliner and mascara at the end of the day, but they're a little harsh to use on a dry face and sometimes burn my eyes. Any suggestions on wet cleansing cloths or makeup removing oils that are gentle but still get the job done?
Day 3:
Not much of a difference since yesterday. Does seem like everything in my pores is coming to the surface as expected, but I assume the blackheads will subside sooner or later. No dryness, itchiness or flaking, just pretty normal skin with some oiliness in the T-zone area. My skin tone looks great! Bought some jojoba oil for an eye makeup remover. I even created my own shampoo out of Dr. Bronners castile soap, distilled water, 2 tsp jojoba oil, and a few drops of tea tree and peppermint oil to further reduce the amount of chemicals coming into contact with my skin. Worked out today and have not even rinsed my face with water--still looking like good results!
Day 6:
My skin seems to have completely balanced itself, it is not dry nor oily, unless I have been out in the heat or working out quite a bit. Just letting whatever water that happens to get on my face during showers seems to be working great, otherwise I don't wash with cold water daily unless I want to splash my face to feel refreshed every couple days. The shampoo with Dr.Bronners castile soap was leaving a waxy residue on my long, fine, blonde hair so I switched to just using diluted baking soda as shampoo and diluted apple cider vinegar as conditioner and adding a couple drops of peppermint oil to both for a nice fresh scent. Going product free feels great! Any little spots or acne marks on my face are almost completely faded now, and the blackheads are smoothing out. I've been taking my daily vitamins and drinking at least 50oz of water a day. I also just purchased a juicer to help me get in some fruit/vegetable nutrients on busy days! Really liking the caveman so far!
Day 8:
I started the caveman regimen last Monday--one week ago. I cannot believe how well my skin has taken to this regimen and is now 99% clear. I exfoliated lightly with a cool, damp cheesecloth again today to help with any blackheads on my chin/T-zone area and that helped with the small about of dead skin buildup. Overall, this has been an incredibly smooth transition. My skin is normal, and even on the verge of dry, while it used to be very oily in the past. I have very few blackheads and no new pimples whatsoever. My skin tone is even, smooth, and looks healthy. I don't fret over getting some water on my face in the shower or rinsing with cold water once or twice a week. I haven't observed if my skin looks better with zero water or with just cold water splashes, but not stressing about it and avoiding water for the most part seems to be working great. I almost don't feel the need to continue posting, as I have zero acne besides some blackheads that I believe will go away with time. I will update on any positive or negative experiences I encounter as time passes. Also, loving the BS/ACV on my hair. Going natural feels and looks great!
Day 13:
Nothing new to speak of (which I would say is a good thing)!! I got one small pimple on my chin yesterday that is almost gone now. My skin is not dry or oily, it seems just right-- which is the best part for me because I used to have quite oily skin. We'll see if it stays that way when summer rolls around! My skin tone is very even and seems to be improving still. I have had zero breakouts or issues, the only blemishes on my face at all are 2 or 3 marks that are almost faded. The only thing bothering me at this point is the blackheads on my nose and chin, but I feel those will go away with time or I could add in some jojoba oil to those areas after a month or two. Also have been looking into a water filter for the shower, I know my area has very hard water. Otherwise, the BS/ACV rinses on my hair have been working pretty well, but I am still tweaking the recipes to get it just right. Yay for clear skin!