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Caveman Regimen Log

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 04/29/2013 3:18 pm

Hello!

I thought rather than blogging each day about my journey on the caveman regimen, I'd make a thread so I can share my progress each day. Previously I did the 'water-only' regimen, but it dried me out so much that I caved in and went straight back to using a cleanser and moisturiser. Tap-water is full of chemicals, so giving that up to makes sense to me.

This time I've decided to go full caveman, meaning I will do absolutely nothing to my face. I mean there's no proof to say that cavemen didn't wash their faces now and then in the local river/lake, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't their top priority. I found that the time in my life that I was the clearest (although still prone to getting the odd pimple), I didn't wash my face as often. Even since I began using harsh cleansers twice-a-day and treatments, my skin has been dreadful. It's oily, highly acne-prone (due to the oil) and very sensitive. For the past few months I've been taking a very minimal approach to my acne which is working great, but I think going the whole hog will transform my skin completely. Plus, it's the cheapest regimen that I've ever been on!

I've been reading 'The Love Vitamin' blog and Tracy (a student holistic dietitian) that blogs on the site is also on this regimen. She had pretty severe acne and then decided to take an holistic approach to healing her acne using products such as Manuka Honey and Jojoba oil alongside improving her diet. She also now does nothing to her face and her results have been pretty amazing (her skin is flawless) and the key to that is her skin no longer produces excess oil (to compensate) and her 'acid mantle' is restored. You should really check out her blog/YouTube channel. Her goal is to cure acne, not treat it.

Day 2

So it's day two and I haven't done anything to my face for the first time since I was around 10 years old. It still feels relatively clean and the oiliness isn't all that substantial. It's just as oily as it is normally, but less dry in areas that previously were. It feels calm. I have no current actives, just healing/scabbed ones from a breakout I had a couple of days ago.

There's nothing much to note right now other than my skin feels exactly the same as it normally would at this time of the day. Not extremely oily nor extremely dry, just...right? Admittedly, it does look a little shiny, but not unnaturally shiny. Often my skin sometimes looks that stripped of oils after cleansing that it's just deathly looking (pale, dry, damaged), it never glows, but today it is glowing.

I'm thinking over the next few days I'll have a lot to post about as my face adapts to not being cleansed. I'm sure it's not all going to be sunshine and roses, but I've tried everything for my persistent acne and my skin generally seems better when I leave it be. I'm just one of those that are drawn in by product advertisements claiming miracle cures...no more!

Hopefully this works out. I know it's not for everyone, but it's worth a shot. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy following my journey on this regimen! I'll try keep things a little briefer in the future...

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 04/30/2013 3:24 am

Day 3 (AM)

Instead of waiting until the end of the day to do a full update, I thought I'd let you know what's going on right now. I just woke up and my skin didn't feel oily or dry/irritated, so I crept over to the mirror hoping that I hadn't broke out and guess what? I didn't. Not a single new whitehead on my face and the ones that were healing are almost gone.

Today I need to shave so I'm a little concerned about what I do there. I have an electric shaver, but hairs tend to get stuck to my face. Do I just wipe them off with a tissue? Leave them there?!

All-in-all this regimen is working out pretty well for me. It's reducing my oily skin (the cause of my acne) and helping my skin work out how to heal itself again. I'll give another update at night if I suddenly break out with 23423424 spots or something. biggrin.png

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(@tricky)

Posted : 04/30/2013 3:37 am

^^^ good luck. I tried this about a year ago and was fine for the first 4/5 days.. my skin improved massively, but then started to get bumps under the skin and within a week broke out terribly.

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 04/30/2013 4:47 am

Thanks. May I ask what your acne was like beforehand? Mine is pretty mild and I usually get whiteheads when my skin produces tons if oil or if the corners of my nose get dry/irritated.

 

Also, can anyone give me advice on shaving with an electric shaver? I don't want that to spread too much dirt around on my face...

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 04/30/2013 10:45 am

Day 3 (PM)

I won't make a habit of doing 2 or more updates a day, but I felt today would be the day that I felt how my skin would feel naturally since it hasn't been washed for almost 4 days.

What I've learnt from doing this regimen is pretty surprising. My skin isn't oily or really all that combination, it's normal. My skin isn't over producing oil, nor is it under producing it. I think this would be the same case for a lot of people if they just gave their skin a chance to breath. I have also learnt or opened my eyes to the fact that our skin is an organ, it has a duty to protect. All the things we do to our face (cleanse, moisturise etc.) is built into the skin by nature. The oils on our skin act as a barrier and compounds in our oil have anti-bacterial properties. Using products (with a massive list of toxic ingredients) cannot replace the effectiveness of what around body can do by itself.

If we give our skin a chance, it will perform its duties.

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/01/2013 1:18 am

Day 4

Okay so this morning I still haven't got any new breakouts. My skin just feels exactly the same, which is the main thing that I've learnt on this regimen. If you leave your skin alone...it just remains consistent. Not too oily and not too dry - well that's the case for me anyway.

It's pretty crazy the thought of ME not washing my face for 4 days. If you knew me, you'd know why. I usually have all my products lined up ready to use each day, morning and night and I am completely religious in their application. Now they've all been put away, I don't feel tempted to use them at all. Whether I used products or not, my skin feels the same as it would without the whole tight feeling after cleansing and tingly/cool feeling after moisturising.

I just really hope this works out for me and starts to feel more 'normal'. Right now I'm still slightly uncomfortable with not washing my face, but I don't even feel dirty so it's just due to my morning and night rituals.

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/01/2013 4:16 pm

A little update before I go to bed. My nose is a little itchy (which it always is due to my sinuses) and from touching it a lot it has gotten a little red and I have two very tiny almost unnoticeable (what I think are) blackheads.

 

I've heard this is normal for a while on this regimen and some people use an egg white and tissue method to removing them. Basically the egg whites turn the tissue hard and then you peel it off and out pop the blackheads.

 

Other than that, my face still feels the same. Which is boring me as I kinda want to feel change...idk what I was expecting!

 

Night :)

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/02/2013 4:01 am

Day 5

Well it's day 5 and a drop of water/product hasn't touched the surface of my skin. Wanna know the good news? I haven't developed a single bit of acne since I started this regimen. My skin isn't dry, my skin isn't oily, I don't even have to think about it anymore. It's pretty liberating.

Obviously this won't work for everyone. It works for me because my acne is evidently caused by water and chemicals. For some it may be completely internal and no matter what you do on the outside won't effect your acne whatsoever (although not touching your skin is always beneficial).

I wish I did this regimen years ago (would have saved me some scarring and money!), but I was addicted to the products and believed the claims of many acne 'cures'.

I'll eat my words if I breakout at some point! ;)

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/03/2013 1:12 am

Day 6

Yet again I have woken up with no breakouts. I have slight flaky skin near my nose, but you'd have to use a microscope to see it!

The only thing I am missing is that fresh feeling that you get after washing your face. I know at some point you can go back to using water without you breaking out, something to do with the fact your acid mantle is restored after a while and it takes things a lot more to break you out.

I'll only ever use water if I do go back to cleansing. I'll definitely never use a cleanser that I've purchased! I want to give it at least month before I wash though....or if I get amazing results, maybe not at all?

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/04/2013 5:26 am

Day 7

I have a whitehead! It's only a tiny one like I'd usually get around my nose...I blame my itching and touching. Oh well, I'l soldier on through it and just let my skin be. I can't expect complete miracles from this, although I haven't broke out on my chin at all since starting which is amazing for me.

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/04/2013 10:14 am

Today I had to shave (not the first time since I've been on this regimen) and as usual I had little hairs stuck to my face, so I decided that I would implement a small splash of warm water into my regimen every now and then. I can't see why it would make any difference, I just don't want to go around with visible dirt on my face or feeling overly grubby.

So technically I'm not 'full-caveman' anymore, but I still refuse to use products! I knew that I wouldn't not wash my face forever, it was just a matter of time and when I felt it was necessary. Today I found it very necessary.

For somebody that washed their face with a cleanser religiously day and night, applied moisturiser and was just a crazy hygiene freak - it's a huge leap forward. This has also inspired me to try the 'no-poo' method in order to wean my hair off products too. Basically I'll shampoo my hair with a baking soda and water shampoo and then an ACV conditioner and then slowly move to just using water only.

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/05/2013 4:29 am

Splashing my face with water yesterday has definitely irritated my skin and it feels really dry and itchy. Ugh.

My skin just hates everything!

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(@hitea)

Posted : 05/07/2013 7:40 pm

Hey there-- I'm interested in trying this even though it really freaks me out not to wash my face with anything. I'll need to go makeup-free/cleanser-free/everything-free soon because I'm joining the US Army as an Officer and I won't have the time to worry about my skin--especially the line of things I use every morning and night...

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be following your progress! Right now, I've begun to give up my cleansers and am just using grapeseed/jojoba oil to remove my makeup at night. I just splash my face with water in the morning. I'd love to do nothing, though. haha :)

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(@sum1killme)

Posted : 05/08/2013 6:31 pm

I started this yesterday, I looked in the mirror at school and I realized how damaged my skin was from all the products, it was horrible.

 

Except I wash my face with water only then tone with acv and started putting on Shea butter to heal the damage done to my skin.

 

I woke up this morning and all huge cyst were no longer inflamed and turned into regular zits. I feel strange with all these whitheads on my face, I never get them, only inflamed cyst. Idk hopefully it will get better with time.

 

Good luck dude.

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/09/2013 4:26 pm

Thanks for the responses :) I'm glad others are giving up the products!

 

I had a slip up and I'm starting this again. Even using water breaks me out now...idk what to do anymore! :/

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(@tricky)

Posted : 05/10/2013 3:22 am

^^^ have you tried bottled water, rather than tap water?

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/10/2013 3:51 am

^^^ have you tried bottled water, rather than tap water?

I tried filtered tap water from my refrigerator and that still dried me out a little (although not as much). I'm just stumped on what to do now...my acne isn't severe, but it just won't go away. When I don't use water, I don't break out (so it seemed from the last time I tried it).

:S

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(@hitea)

Posted : 05/10/2013 6:51 am

Are you using water just because you need to get the hair off your face after shaving? Why not try just a dry cloth to dust yourself off? Do you use water to shave or do you use an electric razor? Sorry, I'm a lady and don't need to shave my face so I don't know much about it lol but I definitely can't imagine dry-shaving...ouch.

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/12/2013 9:28 am

Are you using water just because you need to get the hair off your face after shaving? Why not try just a dry cloth to dust yourself off? Do you use water to shave or do you use an electric razor? Sorry, I'm a lady and don't need to shave my face so I don't know much about it lol but I definitely can't imagine dry-shaving...ouch.

I use an electric shaver. Yeah I could use a dry-cloth, but my face gets a little oily so the hairs kinda...stick?

It would be so easier being a girl on this regimen...

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(@hitea)

Posted : 05/12/2013 4:58 pm

Are you using water just because you need to get the hair off your face after shaving? Why not try just a dry cloth to dust yourself off? Do you use water to shave or do you use an electric razor? Sorry, I'm a lady and don't need to shave my face so I don't know much about it lol but I definitely can't imagine dry-shaving...ouch.

I use an electric shaver. Yeah I could use a dry-cloth, but my face gets a little oily so the hairs kinda...stick?

It would be so easier being a girl on this regimen...

Not at all easier! I'm trying to figure out how I can modify it so that I can still wear makeup. It's nearly impossible!

As of right now, I'm using an oil mixture at night to get the makeup off and then not doing anything in the morning except putting my makeup on. My skin is already improving.

Also, you could try using a face brush (or one of those super soft-bristled baby brushes) to get all the little hairs off that stick. It seems like that would be the best option. You can get them cheap at a drugstore. Or here's the one that I sometimes use to exfoliate a little: http://www.sephora.com/face-complexion-brush-P0096

My boyfriend said that's what he'd use if he couldn't rinse his face with water.

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(@LewisS)

Posted : 05/12/2013 5:04 pm

Are you using water just because you need to get the hair off your face after shaving? Why not try just a dry cloth to dust yourself off? Do you use water to shave or do you use an electric razor? Sorry, I'm a lady and don't need to shave my face so I don't know much about it lol but I definitely can't imagine dry-shaving...ouch.

I use an electric shaver. Yeah I could use a dry-cloth, but my face gets a little oily so the hairs kinda...stick?

It would be so easier being a girl on this regimen...

Not at all easier! I'm trying to figure out how I can modify it so that I can still wear makeup. It's nearly impossible!

As of right now, I'm using an oil mixture at night to get the makeup off and then not doing anything in the morning except putting my makeup on. My skin is already improving.

Also, you could try using a face brush (or one of those super soft-bristled baby brushes) to get all the little hairs off that stick. It seems like that would be the best option. You can get them cheap at a drugstore. Or here's the one that I sometimes use to exfoliate a little: http://www.sephora.com/face-complexion-brush-P0096

My boyfriend said that's what he'd use if he couldn't rinse his face with water.

Thanks! Yeah, I never thought about makeup...I hold my hands up, I was wrong!

That's brush seems perfect, I'm going to get one as soon as I can. Talking about makeup, I'm going to start wearing Clinique's gel bronzer for men (for scarring and my ultra pale face). What oils do you use to remove makeup?

Thanks again :)

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(@hitea)

Posted : 05/12/2013 5:24 pm

Are you using water just because you need to get the hair off your face after shaving? Why not try just a dry cloth to dust yourself off? Do you use water to shave or do you use an electric razor? Sorry, I'm a lady and don't need to shave my face so I don't know much about it lol but I definitely can't imagine dry-shaving...ouch.

I use an electric shaver. Yeah I could use a dry-cloth, but my face gets a little oily so the hairs kinda...stick?

It would be so easier being a girl on this regimen...

Not at all easier! I'm trying to figure out how I can modify it so that I can still wear makeup. It's nearly impossible!

As of right now, I'm using an oil mixture at night to get the makeup off and then not doing anything in the morning except putting my makeup on. My skin is already improving.

Also, you could try using a face brush (or one of those super soft-bristled baby brushes) to get all the little hairs off that stick. It seems like that would be the best option. You can get them cheap at a drugstore. Or here's the one that I sometimes use to exfoliate a little: http://www.sephora.com/face-complexion-brush-P0096

My boyfriend said that's what he'd use if he couldn't rinse his face with water.

Thanks! Yeah, I never thought about makeup...I hold my hands up, I was wrong!

That's brush seems perfect, I'm going to get one as soon as I can. Talking about makeup, I'm going to start wearing Clinique's gel bronzer for men (for scarring and my ultra pale face). What oils do you use to remove makeup?

Thanks again smile.png

A tan (or a fake, safer one via bronzer) can definitely reduce the appearance of scars-- it's why so many girls use it on their legs and thighs-- to hide any hip-growing-induced stretch marks! :P So, I think a gel bronzer would be a fine choice to hide scarring. I use a mixture of ~50% jojoba oil/~50% grapeseed oil with a couple drops of tea tree oil. I rub a quarter-sized amount into my skin and then wipe it all off with tissues. Then, sometimes, when my skin seems a little reddish or if I don't think all the makeup is off, I'll do the whole thing again but with straight up virgin coconut oil. Then I go to bed. Good stuff.

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