I have started a modified caveman regimen today. I only rinsed my face with some lukewarm water in the morning and patted it dry with a clean tissue paper. Nothing else. My face has been oily today but I used some clean tissues to blot everything. My skin is combination and right now I'm close to my period and my exams and I'm stressed......also, I have a few burned patches on my cheeks and I treat them with Avene cicalfate and my skin improved in two days like in one week so it's amazing. But those areas are very itchy........and I already see two small red pimples forming, even though it's just the first day.
I plan on washing my face only with water 2 times per week and exfoliate lightly with a cellulose sponge or a mixture of yogurt and nutmeg or bee pollen every two weeks. I really want to know your opinion on this matter, please...
Also, do you have any advice?

A little update: I changed my mind and decided to try the drastic approach, meaning that I will not wash my face. At all. It has been 4 days already and I must say that I'm a pool of oil and all kinds of pimples here and there (one blind pimples here, two whiteheads here, a few blackheads somewhere else) My skin is certainly improving and my pimples come to surface rather fast but I guess I cannot say anything after only 4 days

On 6/10/2016 at 2:06 AM, jess95 said:

Hey there! I've been doing the caveman regimen for almost 3 months! No water has touched my face! I still have some breakouts but my main concern in all the dried up oil flakes on my face. They just aren't coming off on their own. I'm thinking about lightly scrubbing them off with a dry washcloth... but I don't want to disrupt the healing process. Do you have an update? You are the only person I have found that has documented going so long with this regimen! Thank you xx

Hey @jess95. So sorry for my late reply. I haven't logged into the site for a while!

Firstly, well done! 3 months is an awesome achievement with the caveman!

I may be too late to help you out with this now, but I'll give you my opinion anyway just in case

A dry washcloth is quite a harsh method of removing skin, it is much better if the skin is softened first. I realise this seems counterintuitive when you have been avoiding water for so long, but the most important thing about skincare is to be extremely gentle. In future, I would recommend taking  a warm shower, keeping your face out of the stream of water but allowing the steam to gently soften all the dry skin. Then using a soft, clean washcloth soaked in warm (but not hot) water. Lay the washcloth over your face until it cools slightly, again this will soften the dry flakes on your face, then use a very gentle wiping motion to remove the dead skin that is ready to come away.

I would say it is important not to get carried away here and start scrubbing, although that may be difficult, the skin that is ready will fall off easily, and removing the skin that isn't will only upset your face. 

If you'd like to read it I have made a more recent post here with further updates on my skin care and diet now:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/356222-i-finally-healed-my-acne-with-pictures

On 5/24/2016 at 9:16 AM, lisamay9 said:

Hey JLopez, are you still on the caveman regimen? I just started it the other day (posted about it here) and am wondering how often you "wash" your face with water (I say "wash" for lack of a better word... splashing, I guess).

Also, was your skin oily during your no-wash regimen? If not, how long did it take for the oiliness to subside?

Thank you SO much for documenting your experience, by the way. I related very strongly to your first post and all your descriptions of anxiety surrounding acne. It really is a traumatizing condition 

Hey @lisamay9.

Thanks for your reply. I'm glad you could relate to my first post. This forum is great for finding people who have been thorough similar experiences. You're not alone here. Acne definitely sucks but we can fight it!

While I was on the caveman I never washed/splashed my face with water. It was important for me that no water touch my face at all. Even water can disrupt the pH balance of your skin. Of course this is only what worked for me - I have read peoples caveman experiences where splashing with water worked well for them, but since starting the caveman, my skin became very dry, and water only dried it out further.

My skin stopped being oily about 2/3 weeks in, if I remember correctly. The only thing making my skin oily was the over-use of very drying acne products. It is quite common for people with acne to believe they have dry skin when it is in face oily. Acne products and harsh chemicals dry out the skin so excessively that it can be forced to over produce oil. The caveman regimen balanced my skin, and returned it to it's natural state, which, in my case, is dry.

I hope this was helpful in some way! I have written more about my skin care and diet now in this post if you would like to read it: