Not Washing or Water Only

Before: Face: Mild Acne (2-5 active pimples and 1 cysts every other week) - High inflammation Body: Severe Acne (Follicultitis) with about 5-20 pimples and 3-8 cysts - High inflammation - Affected everywhere: Chest, shoulders, sides, lower back, buttocks (the worst place ever) I have tried washing frequently and ended up with dry-oily bacne. I have tried not showering as frequently, and ended up with oily bacne. I have tried "non-comedogenic" washes/lotions/moisturizers on my face and body, only to have more breakouts. I have tried eczema washes and gentle soaps and cleanser, to no avail. I have tried washing my face multiple times a day or just every other day, both different, yet acne prone results. Tried head and shoulder as a wash, anti-fungal washes, BP washes, Anti-bacterial washes, and for dandruff, both my acne and dandruff get worse. Shampooing with typically sold shampoo, causing large scalp folliculitis. Sports washes made my skin itch and break out. Antibiotics improve face acne/redness and INCREASES body acne/redness!!!! (Like doubled or tripled breakouts!!) Currently Face: Occasional small pimples (1-2 per week) that go away in a day or two, no cysts. Low inflammation. Scarring FINALLY healing from my moderate acne days. Easily cover the tiny zit or two with concealer, but most days I am fine bare faced. Smoother skin, less oily, and only slightly dry. (Also dark circles under eyes went away since upping my water and sleep a bit) Body: 1-2 pimples per week (small) and no cysts, and low inflammation. Scarring and post-inflammatory marks fading. Less oily and dry, smooth and perfect balance rather than being oil AND dry combination. What I do now: Shower 1-2 times a day. Short showers, 3-5 minutes. Only use non-dyed shampoo. Use cool to lukewarm water. Only use dr. bronner soap in the groin and "crevasse". No body wash or conditioner. Lightly splash cool water on face. Never wash my face or use moisturizer. I change bed sheets a few times a month. Two weeks without changing MAX! Guzzle water. Like 12-24 glasses of tea, coffee, or water. (I used to drink 5-10 glasses) I use baking soda to wash clothes, or occasionally get expensivish unscented hypoallergenic detergent My new "routine" actually saves me time and money (TONS OF $$$), along with clearer, softer, and smoother skin. I feel comfortable with my partner rather than opting for a shirt to cover zits. And apparently, I am "angel-soft", have "beautiful skin" and smell "extremely clean". Little does he know I used to have horrible acne covering the entirety of my body a few months ago. I wish someone had told me about this technique sooner! I have wasted so much money and time to literally make my skin red, dry-oil, inflamed, and prone to infection.

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.

Ok, long story short - I've been dealing with adult acne for 6 years. I (like so many others,) have tried EVERY product under the sun. AHAs, BHAs, benzyl peroxide, all natural products, every acne fighting line every made. I've tried changing my diet, increasing water intake, drinking lemon water, taking every supplement under the sun. I was on doxycycline and other topicals for a year. Although, this did eventually clear my acne, - as well as destroy my stomach and make me allergic to the sun - once I went off it the acne slowly started coming back. Fast forward to two weeks ago. My sister came over with these Lush Fresh Face Masks. They had clay in them and are designed to draw out your pimples. Boy did it work. Too well. I woke up Monday with literally 15-20 giant pustules covering the bottom half of my face. I looked like I had a beard of pimples (I'm a girl, btw.) I was devastated. I couldn't leave my house. I had to get a medical leave from work because I couldn't bare to be seen. My boyfriend was totally unsupportive and I'm currently staying at my parents house, at the ripe age of 26. It literally destroyed my life. I became so despondent, I just said EFF it. Nothing works. And I stopped wearing makeup and washing my face. All I do is take a cloth and warm water and gently scrub/ wash and ta-da. That's it. I've been doing this for a week now and I can't believe my eyes. By no means am I "cured." I still have red marks, but they are fading more and more each day. I've gotten maybe one or two new pimples, which I believe are remnants of my last mega-breakout. They even look better, though. No nasty whitehead, no soreness or itching. My face no longer feels oily an hour after washing. It's amazing. Seriously, give it a try. Even if you think it's hormonal, which I'm certain mine is (I get a period maybe every month and a half, two months.) I would recommend trying to cut back on carbs and sugar while doing so. But I am amazed. If you have nothing to lose, give it a go. And despite all the hell I went through from those masks *Mask of Magnaminty, and one of the garlic tea tree ones, I'd even recommend doing one before hand to help draw out all the gunk which your face most certainly will purge. If you can bare to be seen and/or afford time off. Give it a go.

I am 15 started getting acne from stress in 7th grade since i squinted the entire year I put tons of sh*t on my face from honey baking soda sugar olive oil and used benzoyl peroxide pads with scacaid acid however you spell that sh*t and different cleansers that were clogging my pores anyways so i started this regimen about 4 months ago water 3 times a day but when of it because my skin tone was good but i still had acne and i was clogging my pores. Then i watched some youtube videos and i only shower in the morning and never wash my face and i had clogged pores at the beginning but trust me keep going i have tried this for 3 weeks and my skin is looking great just keep trying and you will get worse with alot of dead skin at first but thats because it is healing your skin i will post in another review in a couple of weeks i still have some pimples

oh my lord. so far so good !! I am so happy. im 15 years old and my acne is moderate. Nothing was working recently so i tried this! I wash my face two times a day with warm water only and sometimes just use a bit of Cetaphil moisturiser before makeup. My skin is better,no spots,MUCH less reddness and irritatation and my acne scars are much less visible. i guess i should just let my skin be and not interrupt her business :-)

Cold water once a day is the only thing that has ever cleared my skin. I sometimes think that maybe I can do better and then I switch to like some Olay, Neutrogena or high-end acne product for a while and it never works. Always makes my skin worse, and if it has acids in it, they dry my skin out and break it out.

I am 22 years old, and have had acne and hyperpigmentation on my cheeks and forehead for the last 6 years. I had tried so many things, including Dan's regimen. I settled on using Dan's BP, with Cetaphil moisturizer and cleanser, and these got me somewhat clear for a while, but never cleared my acne 100%. Previously I had doing my facial routine twice a day, and for the longest time I thought that I had extremely oily skin, as it would literally take 4 blotting sheets to soak up the excess oil on my face. Now I realize that BP was actually causing me to overproduce sebum, rather than to control it. It worked at first but after 4 years, I think it has much less of a positive effect on my skin now. I noticed that my skin did not heal quickly, causing hyperpigmentation. I believe now that BP kills the acne bacteria, but in turn, damages the skin's natural ability to heal and function normally. I tried to quit BP twice in the past, using natural remedies, and I also had one previous crack at the caveman method. Both times, I broke out like crazy, as if I was going through withdrawals, and therefore I quickly switched back to BP. This last time, I decided to do a water only wash, but only in the morning. The whole point is to allow your skin to get back to a point where it can function on its own, without interference from other chemicals or excessive washing. Initially I went through a period of very dry skin, which was such a contrast to the permanent shine of excess oil that I had been dealing with before. My skin was just fine for maybe a week. About a week and a half to two weeks in I started breaking out intensely. Little red spots on my forehead and whiteheads all over my cheeks. This difference though was that these came to a head and healed much faster than before. Still though, my skin looked about 2x as worse as it had before. I was so close to quitting at this point. Cut forward to about 20 days, I feel as if my skin is much more healthy. It still feels dryish and tight with some excess oil production, but I am getting almost no new breakouts now, and if I do get some, they are very small and not irritated, much different from what they were before, and they heal fairly quickly. I really am seeing a difference. My hyperpigmentation that previously took months to lighten, seems to be lightening up as well, strangely. I did try the PURE caveman method once before, with no water whatsoever, and this did NOT work for me, so again, this may not work for everyone. In addition I don't think this will necessarily work if you are 16-18 and in the height of puberty, as I really think that my hormones are pretty balanced at 22, and my acne is now different than it was when I was that age. I will keep you all posted! I have high hopes.

I've done hours of research. Never ever have a read a legitimate success story fom topicals. Take a hot shower and use your hands after softening up your skin under the water for about a minute. Keep anti bacterial hand soap in hand and just wash your hands in the shower with the soap. Slough the dead skin cells with your hands only you will feel your hands accumulate the oil. Please stop using cleansers they just disrupt your skins natural pH which is better at defending acne than any cleanser. Spot treat if you have to but I suggest 1 month of oral antibiotics to get you going if you have anything more than mild acne. Stick with it be patient and don't touch your face at all costs.

Think like a caveman. There are only lakes, rivers and oceans for you to bath in right? There are no cleansers, moisturizers and whatever else these skin care industries make. The oil produced from your body on your skin is actually good and healthy. Your body does a fantastic job keeping out harmful bacteria and other micro-organisms. Respect your body. "If you wont eat it or drink, don't put it on your skin." Basically, there are many types of "caveman regimens" over google. But i believe that splashing your skin with cold water is the best way to go. Think about it, cavemen would sometimes swim or bath in lakes and rivers, which are cold, not hot, and not warm. Goodluck! Persevere!

omg i have tried a lot of products, a lot of natural routines (ESPECIALLY), and not washing my face with water has literally saved my skin. when i tried to go natural with yogurt, it helped my skin but i still got pimples. i tried the washing with water only, broke out lmao. epsom salt, same thing. i tried this natural tea tree oil serum, that helped my skin the most at the moment, but I was STILL GETTING PIMPLES. then, one day, i was lazy and i didnt wash my face at all (NO WATER). when i woke up, my pimples literally disappeared. i continued for a week and all my pimples VANISHED. literally VANISHED. my skin is 100% clear now. my forehead no longer has little bumps. the only thing i do now is a moisturizer every 2 days after i take a shower so my skin wont be so dry. and every week i use yogurt to gently exfoliate...but the main thing that fixed my skin was NOT WASHING WITH WATER. TRY IT!!! btw i have mostly dry skin with oily nose and sometimes oily tzone. idk if this would work with oily skin, but i no longer have oily forehead either.