Not Washing or Water Only

Did this. HATED it and I don't have acne. I merely have congested skin...or HAD I should say. Soap was invented hundreds of thousands of years ago. I personally need something to break the surface tension so that the oil built up in my pores can be released. You only need to wash your face 2x a day. Forget the treatments and toners & stuff. I think SA and BP are the reason so many of you are still struggling. Get a bar of soap, and a washcloth. Use that and a gel like aloevera or nicinamide gel (I can have 5% niacinamide compounded at a pharmacy or you can buy a gel called Metazine 5%) and scrub with brown sugar a few times a week. (NOT BROWN SUGAR & LEMON JUICE UNLESS YOU WANT CYSTIC ACNE) Long to short: YOU'RE TRYING TOO HARD, BUT DON'T STOP CLEANING YOUR FREAKIN SKIN.

My spiritual Auntie saw I was breaking out and told me that a Dermatologist told her one time to only use water to wash my face...I looked at her like she was crazy lol I said no cleanser?!! WHAT! She said yes no cleanser just luke warm water. I kinda didn't listen to her to be honest then my face started breaking out even more! So I was texting my best friend about my breakouts and she said the same thing that she stopped using products on her face because it would dry and irritate her face, she was like just wash with warm water. I completely agree with her about products irritating and drying the skin I was experienced that using products with Benzoyl in it. We have similiar skin types so I decided to try that to see if that will make a difference. I will also use astringent, tea tree oil, aloe vera from my mom's plant (use these every other day)...drinking nothing but water and taking hair, skin, nails vitamins along with D3 vitamins. It's not just about working on the outside of your body but also within. I'm thinking about documenting my progress on doing this through video not sure yet but I'll let ya'll know my update in about a month.

OMGGG!! this truly works!! I've had acne ever since I was 15 and i used to try so many products on my skin due to breaking out so much. I tried changing my diet, used natural soaps, exfoliated and did tons of skincare routines. I used to spend so much money on expensive cleansers which just made my skin worse. I've skipped cleansing my skin and now i just wash my face with water, moisturize and drink tons of water. My skin is looking so good!

After using numerous different cleaners including Clinique, Liz Earle and natural soap, I came to the conclusion that they were only irritating my skin. After washing with commercial products, my skin dry and red. I have not used any products at all on my face for three days and my skin is looking better than ever. All I do is wash my face in the morning and evening with warm water and try to avoid over washing. You may think it's too early to post a review but the results are so incredible that I thought I must!

I am 18. My skin type is combination. I have had acne since I was 12, varying from under the skin pimples, to white/blackheads and now cystic acne. It has been a very stressful time for, as I am sure it for everyone else with acne. After a breakdown, I decided to stop doing anything to my face, apart from a splash of water everyday. I dont use makeup, moisturizer, toner- nothing. At first this was a struggle, especially not wearing makeup. However I soon learned that no one else really cared or noticed. After 2 weeks, I HAVE HAD ONLY ONE PIMPLE. amazinggg. This is vast improvement- before I would get at least 1 a day. I feel as if my skin is rebalancing itself after years of using all types of scrubs and cleansers. One issue- dry skin is building up. However this could be pro, as less germs/bacteria are able to get into my pores, thus reducing spots. However I am going to now incorporate my clarisonic mia once a week, just to reduce dead skin. Anyway if you are reading this in desperation or as a final solution- do it!!! You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain! good luck :)

I had super clear skin as a teenager and once I started having babies, my skin went nuts. I started picking at my face to get rid of the blemishes, or when I was bored, or when I was stressed out by three tiny kiddos and needed an escape. The more I picked, the worse it got. Even when I could force myself to not pick, my skin looked and felt like sandpaper. I used everything possible. Fancy washes, fancy creams, fancy makeup, fancy volcanic ash exfoliants, etc. Some things did actually help the acne but would dry out my skin. Fast forward 6 years (I'm now 28), my skin still looks atrocious. I was talking to a coworker the other day and she was like "A friend of mine uses water and a clean wash cloth and swears by it." I was horrified but at this point, I have nothing to lose. With the exception of my face, I am pretty hippy with body care. Homemade, local bar soap on my body. No-Poo in my hair. Why not? Let's give this a try. I am on Day 5 of "washing" my face with cool water only and not only is my acne clearing up, but my skin is the softest and smoothest that it's been since I was super young. I do still wear some makeup. Not because I feel like I have to but because I like makeup. I remove it with some coconut or jojoba oil at the end of the day and then rinse with water. I am still seeing a dramatic improvement!!!! Give it a try! I have been completely surprised but the results so far.

I've been on caveman for 5 months (only washing my face with cool water once every 2-3 days). Here's my background: Around the age of 18, I started to get bad acne, I mean really bad. I went on accutane 3 times. Still came back. Low self worth, depression, etc. Went on a number of diets, blood type diet, paleo, vegan, alkaline, candida, you name it. Still had acne. Started to get psoriasis + eczema + sheborric dermatitis + rosacea after the 3 rounds of accutane. Wanted to kill myself, thought I looked like a freak. Non-existent social life by this point. The entire time I was always washing my face at least once a day. Used only natural products too (e.g. apple cider vinegar, manuka honey, etc). Still, had all these skin issues. Felt nervous every time I didn't wash my face. Had anxiety about eating new foods in case it broke me out. Realized I had some really unhelpful stories about my skin, and that the need for control was the cause of all my stress (both physical and mental). Read a quote somewhere that doing more of the same will only get you more of the same - if you want to see a dramatic change, often times the solution is characterized by simplicity and elegance (and, will also seem counter-productive - even outrageous). The caveman routine will go against all of your mental conditioning - so much BS we've been taught to believe without realizing or ever questioning. So I decided to go full caveman and not wash with anything but cool water, every 2 days. Here's how it went: End of week 1: A new sense of freedom, more free time as I wasn't spending 2 x 10min per day on my routine. Started to break out a bit but nothing major. End of month 1: Random little clusters of pimples on my chin, but they seem to go much quicker End of month 5: Basically 99% clear. Anytime I get a new pimple forming, I'll purposely not wash my face for a couple days and most of the time it will never surface. I feel so much more in touch with my skin, like it's thanking me. Since starting caveman, I never broke out any more than I already was. In fact, less, and the frequency between the breakouts decreased significantly (starting caveman, at times I could have maybe 10-15 active pimples - after 2 weeks, I'd have maybe 5 on a 'bad' day). I also did not look in the mirror for the last 5 months as I wanted to fully detach myself from the need to control my appearance, realizing I'm only doing this for myself (this I found very helpful). After about 3 weeks, the psoriasis + eczema + rosacea disappeared and never came back. 1.5 months in, the sheborric dermatitis went as well. By month 3, I still had acne (mild), but by this point I didn't care about it. I felt more and more at peace with the way my skin was, realizing that it's perfect the way it is in this very moment. You'll find yourself having a deep sense of connection with yourself, and this realization (well at least for me personally) that we need to be kinder to our bodies - they've gotten ourselves this far, why abuse and punish it with chemicals, the need for control, and constant washing ? Seriously, one of the best things I've done. Do the caveman. You won't regret it.

I've tried many different facial cleansers with differing success. Some irritated my skin, others made my acne worse, and others would clear my acne up, but leave me with dry skin, despite being marketed for people with sensitive skin. I decided to ditch facial cleansers all together and try washing my face using only water, once or twice a day. Right away, I noticed that not only was my skin clear, but it no longer felt like sandpaper! Flaking was down to a minimum and improving quickly as well. Fast forward one year later and my skin has never looked better. I get the odd pimple or two every few months, but these disappear within a couple of days. My skin looks healthy and soft. Washing your face is a highly personal thing: you have to keep trying different products/methods until you find what works. In my case, the solution was to stop using cleansing products. I believe every person who struggles with acne should try this method for at least a few weeks and see what happens.

I was very skeptical of this method. I did a lot of research and read a lot of reviews before trying it. What really drove me to try it was the fact that, since I was about 12 years old, I've been trying different chemical and natural cleansers to try to control my very oily skin and get rid of my acne. I also tried different moisturizers/sunscreens, always wearing a hat in the sun. Nothing has really worked. It only added constantly flaking and sickly-looking pallor to my facial skin. I'm now 26, and over the years my acne has fluctuated between mild and moderate, with occasional flare-ups of perioral dermatitis. Pimples always took forever to go away and they left behind hyperpigmentation. My skin is always best when I'm on an antibiotic, but since experiencing how antibiotics mess with my body, I would never take them again just to treat my acne. It should be noted that I've never worn heavy makeup except for special occasions like being in a wedding party. I used to daily wear Neutrogena's sunscreen, powder foundation, and blush, then cut down to sunscreen and blush only, then stopped wearing sunscreen and makeup altogether a couple years ago. These changes were attempts to let my skin breathe and hopefully improve it. If it helped at all, the results were minimal. My point is, if I still wore sunscreen and makeup, I might need something stronger than water to clean up. If I have to use sunscreen or makeup nowadays, I'll try using raw organic honey to get it off. That's what I had been using as a cleanser for over a year until now. My method has always involved washing my hands before washing my face, and washing my face before brushing my teeth--no saliva or toothpaste residue on my hands. So, after washing my hands with Dr Bronner's tea tree liquid soap for the antibacterial properties, and rinsing it off really well, I now wash my face with cool or slightly warm water, repeatedly splashing my face and rubbing all over with my fingers. I can feel my facial oils on my fingers, and I wash the parts of my face that are prone to flaking last, distributing the oils there. Lastly, I pat my face dry with a towel that I use only on my face and that dries thoroughly between uses. I do this twice a day--when I wake up and before bed. I've been using water only for almost 3 weeks now and my skin has never been better. I still get pimples, but they surface quickly, I pop them, and they go away without scarring! No more huge, red, angry, blind pimples. No more tiny, red, itchy pimples around my nose and mouth. Much less flaking, and I anticipate that the flaking will disappear entirely if I continue this method. It's awesome! My husband and others have commented on how good my skin looks lately. I'm no longer embarrassed by my pimples, because they're not very noticeable and I know they'll go away quickly without leaving behind a scar that takes months to fade. Judging by the comments, maybe this method doesn't work for everyone, but it sure is working for me. Why has no dermatologist ever suggested that I try this? Maybe because water is basically free while acne products, medications, and facial procedures cost money and contribute to their business. Obviously, hormones have played a role in my skin problems, but since trying this method, I'm convinced that if a dermatologist hadn't said, 'Stop using bath soap on your face, but replace it with these expensive cleansers, toners, moisturizers, etc.,' pimples would never have been a big deal in my life. If they'd said,"Stop using bath soap on your face. Try using water only," I might've been feeling confident about my skin for the past 14 years of my life, and I could've saved a lot of money.

Up until the age of 23 I had very clear skin with an occasional pimple just before my period. I used to wash my face twice a day and sometimes put moisturizer at night if my skin got too dry. Everyone complimented me on my skin. After I graduated and I started working, I started getting acne rapidly on one spot. I didn't do anything about it because I trusted my regimen and I hoped that it would go away naturally. But it still kept appearing in one spot and I started getting a bit more concerned. My skin since then has gotten worse and has become extremely sensitive even though I didn't change my regimen. It still wasn't as bad as it is now Slowly, I started switching to anti-acne products and ended up buying more products in the hope that I would go back to the skin I had. Around 2 months ago, I stated an intensive acne care regime. Just after I used a face mask, BAM! I got 4 more pimples. It was alarming because everytime I used a more expensive or new anti-acne product, I would immediately develop acne. So I went natural and I gave into all sorts of anti-acne regimens. NOTHING WORKED. My skin just kept getting worse. I decided to go to one of the best dermatologists in my city and he prescribed myocycline for 3 weeks and 2.5% BP gel for my already inflamed acne and an anti-pigmentation cream for marks. I continued to use sunscreen and moisturizer. None of it really worked on my skin. When I was younger, my acne would subside in a few days but my acne now persisted the more I used any sort of product. I started observing my dad's skin and asked him how his skin is so perfect even though he is out in the sun everyday, most of the day. He told me he does nothing to his skin (I live in hot, humid weather). I started researching more and realized that your skin is an organ too. Do you rub your organs with chemicals and peels and scrubs? Noooo! You have to leave them alone. So I decided to stop all products, chemical and natural because even natural products would irritate my skin. I realized that my skin is meant to be left alone. Since the last 5 days I have only been splashing my face with water, twice a day. And, WOW. My skin is smoothening out, my acne has already subsided and come to a head, pigmentation marks are fading, and even though I live in sticky, humid weather, my skin has actually become less oily! I am happy!