I have been suffering with acne ever since I started puberty. My daily routine went as follows until the age of 16:
Diet: Gluten, salt, sugar, milk, whey, other acne prone sufferers' worst nightmares.
Sleep: Midnight to 7 am, sometimes staying up later (Under 8 hours of sleep every night)
Exercise: Some sport conditioning every other season, not very active.
Face care: Very hot showers with me letting the water hit my face throughout most of the shower, exfoliating with a scrub 3 times a week, never moisturizing, face was extremely dry at first then oily which influenced whiteheads like you couldn't believe. I changed my pillowcases once every other month. I touched my face pretty often because I was insecure about my acne and was so impatient I just had to check if a pimple was still there by touching it.
After many countless days of research I saw how unhealthy my routine was and I changed my ways to Proactiv, while not letting the water in the shower touch my face, and eating slightly healthier by eating less which cleared my acne and I was the happiest person alive until I couldn't afford it anymore. I thought since I didn't have have acne and had a decent routine I wouldn't be prone anymore.
Anyway, my new routine goes as follows and my acne is still pretty bad, it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be but that's not surprising as I'm 18 now and my routine is near perfect:
Diet: Eating breakfast as soon as I wake up, a few servings of raw vegetables and fruits, 2 peanutbutter sandwiches with whole grain bread, 2 cups of cranberry juice, 2 cups of green tea, at least 8 cups of water, not eating right before bed, chewing up food until it becomes a paste so my body has no problem digesting it.
Sleep: 10:30 pm to 7 am
Exercise: 5-6 days a week at the gym in the morning from 730 doing cardio and muscular endurance exercises (sweating a lot)
Face care: Mild hot showers with no water hitting my face, exfoliating once a week because my face seems dry from the passed winter, cleansing every morning after the gym and at night, and moisturizing after every cleanse and exfoliation. I change my pillowcase every other day and I sleep on my back but I move in my sleep. I NEVER touch my face unless it's for cleansing/ exfoliating/ moisturizing. I also don't let anything else touch it, not even a phone because I put the speaker up to my ear and hold the phone outward.
What am I doing wrong?
How would not cleansing or moisturizing help?
Your body is natural, chemicals are not. It works for me and millions of others.
Yet millions of people cleanse and moisturize to combat acne effectively. I see your reasoning, but it's just something I'm going to have to try and hope benefits my skin.
Hmm. If you're exfoliating with a scrub, stop. Use a chemical exfoliant such as AHA (Glycolic Acid) or BHA (Salicylic Acid). Start washing your face with cold-warm water, not the slightest bit hot. Cold water is anti-inflammatory and keeps the pores closed throughout the day.
Finally, relax. Stress is a contributing factor to many peoples acne. Don't restrict yourself too much, it's not worth it and probably won't be all that beneficial.
I hope you finally work out what's causing your acne. It's a shame that your determination and efforts are going to waste.