Today is an optimistic guest post from Love Vitamin reader, Nicole, who discovered through the help of my blog and my successful “caveman regimen” experiment that she was causing her own acne with the products she was using.
She beautifully describes how the (seemingly) simple act of dumping her beauty products in the bin cleared her skin and set her free.
It is a question I dared not ask myself for too long a time. Am I inadvertently causing my own acne? It was, after all, something happening to me (wasn’t it?) a cruel and senseless affliction I played no part in, except to carry it around shamefully on my once flawless face.
It shouldn’t be shameful. I know. Yet I walked around hanging my head in as much shame as if I was wandering around public in my underwear. I didn’t want people to look at me. I became adept at speaking to people without looking them in the eye.
Yet let it be clear that there is nothing shameful about acne. The myths surrounding un-cleanliness and excessive chocolate consumption have been debunked again and again. No. We are not dirty, greedy people. We are people with a health imbalance that is no more shameful than any other. Yet many of us treat ourselves as though we have the plague.
I was emotionally plagued. Acne has a clever knack of slowly taking over your whole life, if you let it of course. I let it, time and time again.
My mission in life became a quest to banish it completely. And forever. I decided to do whatever it takes. So I waged war on my own face, a war that was bloody and relentless. If this dermatologist couldn’t help me, I would find another one. If this topical treatment didn’t work, there were shelves and shelves more. Medication? Why not? The doctors and pharmaceutical industry must know what they are talking about after all.
As it turns out, they were unconsciously colluding with my efforts to make the whole affair a heck of a lot worse.
The Discovery of Acne Mechanica
You may not have heard of acne mechanica. I hadn’t either. Yet stumbling across a post about it was like a million tiny lanterns flickering in the dank caves of my despair.
Acne mechanica is acne caused by the occlusion of pores, often by clothing, cosmetics and skin care products themselves. Scientists in 1975 even caused acne lesions by putting band aids over sections of people’s faces. Why hadn’t I known about this? I couldn’t believe it.
My war against acne had mainly comprised of assailing it with this cream or that and covering it up obsessively with concealer at every corner. I began to wonder if I had, indeed been occluding my pores and inviting the dreaded pimples to materalise.
I thought back to when it had all began. I had visited a dermatologist for some tiny, strange looking bumps all over my forehead. In retrospect, I now believe they were simply millia, caused by the heat of a recent week spent in Greece. They would probably have gone away happily all on their own. Instead, the dermatologist offered me lazer treatment (which I thankfully declined) and some rather strong gel, which she recommended putting all over my face each night for three months. Within less than a month, I had developed a rather virulent case of acne.
I kick myself now for not realising sooner. Yet many of us have been led to believe that the ‘experts’ are to be trusted and that we shouldn’t question their methods. Granted, my experience was a particularly and perhaps uncharacteristically bad one and there are many truly spectacular experts all over the world. It would also be foolhardy to suggest that all acne has such origins. Correcting nutritional balances and balancing hormones works wonders for many people. Hormones, deficiencies and underlying allergies or medical issues simply weren’t the cause of my own pain.
I would implore you, particularly if you are suffering from a sudden bout of adult acne as I was, to consider that what you are using to combat your acne may simply be perpetuating the cycle. I invite you to take the four week challenge (yes, it is terrifying) to forgo all your lotions, potions and concealers and allow your irritated skin to heal.
The skin is our largest organ and it needs to breathe. The pores are there for a reason. Occluding them truly invites acne and other infections to throw a party.
The Immense Courage to Let Go of the Products
Going ‘naked’ requires a great deal of courage and generous lashings of trust. It you’re anything like me, you will throw your concealer into the bin and get it out a number of times before letting the garbage truck finally take it unceremoniously away. You may even walk longingly down the skincare aisle at every available shop and opportunity, wondering if you should just try this one new facial wash, just once. Water alone, you reason, surely can’t clear those monsters on your face, can it? Yet, if you are brave and stick to your guns, you might just find that it can.
So, what is the science? The outer protective layer of our skin, known as the acid mantle, is designed to keep opportunistic bacteria out of our unsuspecting skin cells. Chemicals applied to the skin can remove this mantle, making it highly susceptible to infection. Even natural products can strip our skin of this vital protection. Couple this with occlusion and subsequent blocking of the pores by leaving chemicals, such as concealer, on the skin and you have clear-skin suicide.
It will take you a good couple of months to rebuild your acid mantle. Where acne is concerned, it would seem, patience really is the most prized of virtues, Yet, only a month after throwing all of my beloved products away, my acne was almost gone.
Another month later, all I had to show for my battle were a few hyper-pigmentation scars and a shaken ego. I can’t even begin to describe to you the joy I now feel when I look into the mirror and see the image staring back at me. I feel like myself again, as though I lost my face for a year and now have it back.
Nicole
I could never have imagined that acne would take the bottom out of my self-esteem so virulently and send me spiralling so haplessly into so giddy a despair. I now feel like I have come back to myself and all because I threw a few chemicals into the bin.
Muster the amazing amount of courage you have within your heart and allow your miraculous body a little time to heal itself. I can think of only one thing you have to lose.
Check out Nicole’s blog Wholeness Pilgrim, which is a place for souls on a journey toward wholeness.
Great post! I recently ditched the chemicals for good and I’m using the oil cleansing method in hope of finally cleaning my skin more naturally. I can’t let go of the make up yet when I leave the house. Maybe if I had a few breakouts but right now my skin is recovering from a crazy detox reaction to quitting proactiv and using oils on my face. I have hope. Maybe ill try water only for a while. We’ll see. Thanks for the inspiration.
I’ve recently discovered that makeup and other products are the major cause of my acne(after suffering from it for nearly 20 years!). Mineral powder doesn’t cause breakouts, so I wear it. My skin is better when I don’t wash it, so I just don’t wash the makeup off. I have virtually no acne right now. So, you may be able to still wear makeup and do the caveman – provided you can find a makeup your skin doesn’t react to! This can be tricky – I really would have never suspected my makeup and cleanser were such big culprits. In retrospect, the only clue I had was that I react (with sneezing and red eyes) to external allergens, such as perfume, pollen and mold.
Don’t give up Nicole…..from one Nicole to another! The skin does tend to go through a healing crisis for a while, but my experience is that it certainly passes. I also tried oil for a while but found that my skin responded most to the Caveman Regimen, which for me meant two months without anything (even water…..scary, I know) and now just a splash of water each morning and evening. I still often wear mascara and continue to remove that with oil. Hope this helps! Sending you strength and peace for the journey x
A post with perfect timing. A friend and I were actually discussing our skincare routine today. We both wanted to find a much gentler cleanser. Most cleansers just irritate my skin.
I would love to take the challenge. I do have a couple questions though:
1) After working out, do you just rinse your face or leave the sweat on it? I had a dermatologist once tell me that sweat is actually really good for the skin. He did a culture on his own sweat and found beneficial bacteria and limited the growth of bad pathogens.
2) Would it be best to cold-turkey or gradually move into the regime?
Thanks!
Hi Lola,
On the caveman regimen article, people ask in the comments constantly about the sweat thing… I’m never really sure what to say, as I don’t scientifically know whether sweat is good or bad fro the skin. All I know is my own experience and I just leave it on, or if I was REALLY sweaty maybe just lightly towel it off… but yeah… it’s never been a problem for me, or bothered me, or my skin.
As for going cold turkey or gradually… again, I’m not really sure, because everyone is different in how their skin reacts to changes in their skin care. There’s probably good arguments for both.
did you use soap at all?
Not any more. I know this sounds strange, but our skin really doesn’t need all of those chemicals. I now use only water and my skin hasn’t been this clear for years!
It is honestly worth giving it a go. I would try it for at least eight weeks to see the real benefits x
I’m now on the 19th day of the water method and I’m astounded on how clear my skin is. I can’t believe I was causing acne with those ridiculous products for a good 7 years.
All I have left are the scars.
I’m tempted to try to lighten them with kitchen items like lemon and honey, but it’s probably best to let time heal those wounds!
Yay! So awesome!! *big hugs*
Thanks Nicole (and Tracy!) Great post- I recently tried dropping everything (face wash, S.acid, BP etc) and was doing the ‘honey wash’ followed by Thayers unscented witch hazel with aloe… gave it 4 1/2 weeks then caved. My skin was getting worse and worse and I went from being mostly clear (but chained to chemicals) to wanting to hide under a rock. I couldn’t take it anymore. I’d love to go caveman someday but maybe I need to take baby steps in that direction. Right now just trying to get my face back to where I was- then maybe I’ll give it another shot. Its pretty bad when you go to work and people are actually asking you what happened to your face (on a daily basis) “Jeez you’re breaking out real bad- what happened to you?!” “You stressed? your face has gotten super oily, swollen and covered in zits. Gross” I think its the worst though when people just stare at you. Really quickly takes its toll on your self esteem.
Two questions: does anyone know if shaving your face has a similar impact on the acid mantle ? And second: does anyone know of a site similar to this or ‘crunchy betty’ that is geared more specifically toward guys/male-issues? I”ve taken alot of great advice from the Love Vitamin but I’ve struggled to find a “Mr Love Vitamin” or “Crunchy Ben” that would reveal more natural regimens for guys who need to shave regularly and also want to take care of their skin and be low maintenance and acne free as possible?
Thanks!!
Hey Tim, I’m sorry to hear of your unfortunate experience with quitting the products 🙁
As for a Mr. Love Vitamin… I’d say maybe… this guy would be your best bet? http://howtoclearyouracne.com/
There’s also David from Acne Erasing Secrets: http://www.youtube.com/user/acneerasingsecrets
I’m not sure if they are specifically guy oriented, but they are dudes, so they’ll probably appeal to what you need.
Thanks Tracy! No need to be sorry though, I’m not upset that I gave it a first shot and I certainly haven’t given up yet. Getting off years of various chemical products feels like trying to get down a very steep mountain – I can see where you and other people are at and know its possible to get there, but I just have to find a safe way down the mountain to get there. I think realizing I can’t just cold-turkey quit everything is equivalent to “i cant just leap off the mountain top to get to the bottom” I’ll get there for sure, I’m very grateful for your site and videos (and readers that you attract) – very VERY encouraging. I cant thank you enough for that encouragement and faith that it can be done.
And I don’t mean to make it sound like guys NEED their own site, but I feel like its hard to figure out certain things . It just seems like by shaving you’re chained to an unnatural chemical regimen. Something in my gut tells me that there IS a simpler easier way and I’m just missing it. I’m definitely going to check out those links though!
The guys in the caveman regimen article comments suggest using an electric razor set at not the very closest setting
Nicole, do you happen to have a source for the study about scientists in 1975 causing acne by putting Band-Aids on the skin? I’d be curious to check that out.
Congrats on finding a solution! I’ve dropped all chemical products too and am much happier and better off for it.
Sure. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/123732
So glad you are having such success with the no-products thing too! x
Thanks so much! I’ve always used little Band-Aids to keep from picking at breakouts, so reading this was kind of a “goddamn it” moment for me. This is good to know, and makes a lot of sense.
I want to do the caveman, but I enjoy moisturizing. About 9 months ago, I had clear skin but I was using BP. I gradually got off it and went natural but I broke out really bad. I still get pimples, it seems something pops up at least around a couple (2) weeks. My skin care regimen is a clay and apple cider vinegar mask, msm soap, jojoba oil, and msm cream.
So I guess Im just looking for advice. Am I doing to much? Also, can I moisturize on the caveman and how does the caveman do against scars?
Hey Drea, I think msm is a detoxifier, pulls the toxins to the surface of your skin, so maybe your breakouts will subside eventually 🙂
Cavemen didn’t moisturize 😉
I felt the same way about the stuff for awhile because every derm I ever had always pushed moisturizer really hard. BUT, when I dropped it, my skin regulated pretty quickly and I got a LOT less oily. When I went full caveman, my greasy face totally subsided after just a couple of days. no longer have oily skin! Just my situation, but thought I’d let you know.
Thank you to both of you for the info. I actually think I have pretty normal to dry skin that’s all. Do you know how well caveman does against scars?
For me it depends on the kind of scarring. I have a couple of small indented ones from my severe acne days a few years back, and those haven’t really changed – I can’t say I really expect them to, but who knows. However, the caveman does seem to help my red marks/hyperpigmentation go away faster. Because I’m not picking or irritating, the marks are a lot less obvious and fade faster (a few days as opposed to a few weeks).
I just recently discovered that my make-up was wreaking havoc on my skin. I had previously simplified my skin care regimen to a gentle cleanser and my skin was looking clear everywhere except the areas that I wore concealer during the day…I started to develop red marks(like small indented scars) that seemed to refuse to heal. Recently I also began to notice that after applying make-up my skin started to become itchy–which is when I stopped using the make-up altogether. I am now on day 3 and can already see a significant difference and am hopeful things will continue to improve.
I would urge anyone dealing with ‘chronic’ breakouts to take a close look at what skin care and make-up products are being applied–you may just identify a major contributor to your skin issues.
I’d like to share that I’ve recently dumped almost all of my skin care and makeup products for the reasons stated in this article, and have seen (slow) mild improvements. I was slathering BP as well as a topical antibiotic (both for about a year), moisturizer, and foundation on my face everyday! Needless to say things were clear for a while but eventually wreaked havoc.
I stopped using BP, the antibiotic and the moisturizer about a month ago. My skin is going through detox right now, so I’m breaking out some. Be ready for that if you are going to dump your guarded skin care products! I didn’t think about my foundation causing me problems until I read the ingredients (chemical city) and noticed how itchy it made my skin.
I’m not brave enough to do caveman yet, just been washing my face with water and a washcloth once a day. I also use Thayer’s cucumber witch hazel sometimes. Since I’m breaking out I still use concealer (switched to an organic mineral concealer for the time being) so I can’t say I’ve completely ditched my products. I’m not brave enough to walk around with zits all over my face for another 4 weeks.
I guess I’ll need to report back when I have a few more weeks under my belt because I’m still having breakouts however, my skin is much healthier looking overall (more color, less dry, vibrant and not itchy).
It takes awhile to get the skin back, it has to moisturize itself with its natural oils, this can take some time depending on how dried out it was by skin care products. Good luck and stay with it. I also say to let watch air dry, if you get water on it.
To be product and cosmetic free is eventually my goal too. My experience might help some of those that are stuck on BP. I was on it for 8 years. Every time I tried to get off it, I broke out so I went back to it. Come to find out, the BP damage is what causes the skin to break out after you quit it, so it is kind of inevitable. I weaned off it over 4 months, got down to every 4th day, then went into the caveman for 6 weeks. My face still broke out horribly (the worst it has ever). It is just now coming out of the chemical withdrawal and slowing down (I quit BP January 1st). My husband read it takes 6 months for all the cells to rejuvenate in the skin layers and throughout the body. It has almost been 6 months now. I have been using natural soap and antioxidant serums with green tea and vitamins c, e, and b3. I have a ton of hyper-pigmentation now, some scarring, and I am still breaking out a little. Acne sufferers do need to have patience! I don’t wear makeup and it is hard. I got asked if I had Lupus a few weeks ago. It is improving little by little. My suggestion for anyone coming off BP is to go very slow. Wean off BP onto natural products with antioxidants (to help repair skin) and then if the caveman is your goal, wean off natural stuff and onto it as well. Don’t shock your skin, it has been through so much being on BP already. Thanks for the article, Nicole! And thanks for the blog, Tracy! I’ve found so much valuable information on clearing acne naturally thanks to this blog.
Going caveman has been absolutely the best thing I have ever done for my skin, my sanity and in a weird way my spirituality.
I remember reading something recommending a similar sort of thing in a raw food book a while back and I thought, ‘that is ridiculous they obviously don’t understand that I have a deep internal imbalance and I need to be constantly fighting to try and fix it or it will just get worse and worse’ I tried lots of different diets and swung pretty close to an eating disorder. I tried just about every single natural acne treatment and nothing really helped. This is after about 10 years of fighting with my skin using more extreme methods and 2 years since becoming a bit more knowledgeable and coming off the pill and trying to heal it naturally.
It is so depressing when you are trying really hard to be healthy and your skin just looks terrible. I’m not a religious person at all but remember praying and praying for clear skin, not getting it and feeling like no one was listening. I find it so interesting and inspiring that as soon as I stopped trying to desperately fix the problem myself and attempted to have a bit of trust it started to get better on it’s own.
There are a few things that I have noticed that might be helpful for other people. On a lot of the forums it seems like it goes really well for people for a bit and then it all seems to go wrong and they’re back to square one and they think it’s not for them and give up and try something else. I would say stick at it a bit longer because I think for me hormonal changes the few days before and after my period began to make really obvious difference where as before it was bad all the time so those changes weren’t so noticeable. I’m taking DIM as well so I hope that this will diminish over time. Also in my experience it’s best to be really brave and do pretty much the full no wash caveman. Anything else is still messing with the acid mantle and you’re not giving it a proper go. I’m an all or nothing kind of person though, I guess that might be a bit too extreme for some people especially if they are coming off the heavier stuff.
If anyone is on the fence I say go for it! Your body is amazing. It knows what to do to fix itself much better than you do.
P.S sorry this is such a long comment!
Hi Tracy,
Just wondering, where do you stand on the topic of facial steamers? I’ve just recently ditched all of my products except a mineral concealer, but have crazy crazy blocked pores which keep leading to acne. So I started washing my face with just water when I take a shower and a gentle silicone exfoliating thing, then steaming it every couple of days. I feel like if I don’t clear the pores with the steamer they get out of control really really quickly.
Hi Lovely,
I’m not really for or against facial steaming… for some people it really irritates the skin and dries it out and it’s a bad scene. For others, it really helps! If you think it helps prevent acne from forming, then go for it 🙂
Cheers for the input Tracy. I would say, for me, it’s actually been a bit of a miracle breakthrough in clearing my skin, it’s really really helped, as I was actually starting to get what I would describe as boils, at the age of 27, for the first time in my life… eugh, and now I’m almost clear again. It’s really been a good crutch in getting rid of the products.
Though, I am one of the few people who had a major nightmare with oil cleansing, so maybe it’s just my freak skin that likes it! Good one of chopping the dreads by the way, Your hair looks in really good condition. I totally felt your fear beforehand, I had EXACTLY the same apprehension when I chopped mine (they were waist length!) last year and had to deal with 2inch long hair. Though it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Keep up the good work! x
Thanks! I’m loving having let them go! Feels great 🙂 And my short hairdo has really grown on me!
I have tried many many things to clear my acne. I started with chemicals and face washes. Then I tried natural store bought face washes. After that I tried numerous natural things such as honey (turned out I was allergic to it topically!) Oil cleansing, apple cider vinegar and the caveman. For me everything was just too harsh. My skin would become dry and on the caveman my pores became clogged and my acne got worse! So after all was said and done I started using plain outmeal. This exfoliates the skin (gently!) and provides moisture to dry skin so no moisturizer is needed even for irritated skin. It is so gentle and so basic and natural that this was the best option for me. I don’t wear makeup anyway because i figure if guys don’t then why do women strive so hard to mask their faces? The combination of these two have made my skin the happiest it has ever been. If you are too scared to try the caveman maybe try this super gentle cleansing. I started washing morning and night and now it has become once a day to every other day.
This article is a good reminder to *keep at it*. I decided to start the BS/ACV hair routine AND the caveman regimen at the same time…. it’s definitely easier to ignore my hair during the “gross detox stage” than it is to ignore my face. The hair hanging on my forehead is causing it to break out as well(Im on week 3 of caveman/BSACV). I’ve broken down once and used a sulfate face wash because of my dirty factory job with parts covered in oil and metal shavings, and the oil does soak through my gloves. My face itches randomly throughout the night from hair blowing on it etc, and I can’t just go to the bathroom and wash my hands every single time to itch it.
So I guess my question is, what does the caveman regimen suggest for getting actual dirt/oil/other yucky things off your face? Am I really supposed to just leave it there? or rinse with water only? Seems like water doesn’t remove the part oil at my job at all, but I was really hoping to go full-caveman with zero product use.
Hi Courtney,
I’m not really sure what to say in situations where you get visible dirt/oil from outside sources all over your skin… because, I mean, most regular ol non-acne prone people would wash that off in the shower, right? your co-workers probably do? It’s a tough question. I really don’t know. I mean the thing about the caveman is that the point of it is to build up your acid mantle and your skin’s own natural protective barrier, so in the end, if you do get dirt and bacteria on your skin, it’s not a big deal because the protective barrier is keeping it from irritating your skin. But how to get from point A to point B without washing while getting that on your skin every day is a tricky question, unfortunately I don’t know the answer!
Hi there,
I actually do not have acne, but my skin is super hypersensitive and is irritated easily. It is like classic thin fair skin (no freckles so it is almost transparent).
I can manage washing products though. I used to wash my face twice a day with water only or with a washing cream or make up remover or even soap. As long as I do not use them too much (twice a day or more) I am fine.
The point is, anything else irritates it. And by anything I mean touching it with hands, accidental scratch, wind, cold, dry air, change in products, wrong bed sheets. I noticed that make up protects it though. I just do not like to wear make up. So I came to the conclusion that since I wash it everyday it is stripped of its protective layer and cannot protect itself. Hence, I want to go caveman. Actually I am a caveman everytime I do not have to leave a house or Im visiting family etc. But I have some questions:
1. When I do caveman out of laziness, after few days my skin just looks horrible. No pimples or something, it is just so pale like as if I was sick. I suddenly have circles under my eyes, skin is rough and without life. All my pores are black, totally clogged, not bumpy though. And then my skin starts to be flaky and when you touch it it starts to scrape.
a/ will this go away if I stick to the regimen eventually? or my skin will be like this every month or every other month for couple of days?
b/ what about blackheads and clogged pores? is there a way how to keep them clean while being cavemen?
c/ how to exfoliate dead skin cells in cavemen regimen?
2. How to wash? I mean, I need to wash my body otherwise it starts to stink and if I do not wash my body once or twice a week with a shower cream I have pimples on the areas with thin skin (upper back and shoulders, neck, decolt, arms). So, how to wash my face? I know you propose Manuka Honey, but since I am not sure if I am allergic (since I was a kid I just do not like to eat honey), is there anything else that could be used for washing?
Basically, if anyone knows what to do with clogged pores and dead skin cells in a gentle way (so far I was just squeezing blackheads on my nose – it goes out easily and my nose can stand all of these physical forces paradoxicaly :)), please share your wisdom :).
Sorry for such a long comment. I know many of you are struggling with acne and need answers on much more severe questions. But I also believe many of you have won some struggles already and might have some ideas to share.
Good luck to all of you.
Hi Ana,
It’s normal that your skin on the caveman is going to look pretty bad for a while while it heals itself. Mine went through some pretty weird, bumpy flakey yucky phases. Eventually it begins to look totally normal. I’m not really sure about blackheads if you’re really prone to them. The caveman is the caveman… you dont do anything, at least for the first while. No washing, no exfoliating. Eventually after you’ve let your skin heal, you might try using jojoba oil on it as it may help you to dissolve any clogged pores.
As for your body… you can do caveman on it or not! It’s up to you. If you get less body acne when you wash with soap then so be it. I use Dr. Bronner’s to wash my body, or just water. To wash your face…. well… if you want to wash your face, you aren’t doing the cavemen regimen that we’re talking about! But if you do want to wash your face, someone suggested soaked oatmeal as a great natural face wash/gentle exfoliant that works really well especially if you have blackhead prone skin.
You can also try this trick for blackheads, although I’m not sure how many people have had much success with it: https://thelovevitamin.com/8823/cheap-easy-natural-blackhead-solution/
Thank you Tracy for your quick response. So if I get it right it goes like this:
1. you do nothing for a month
2. after the skin got back to its normal functioning (after a month or does it take longer?), you start to wash it once in a while…
or not? you never ever touch your face anymore? till the end of your days? and if yes, that initial phase goes away forever? it never comes back? (like…when your skin produces new cells and the old ones die, they do not pile up on the surface?) and we do not need to get the pollution in air and dust and stuff like that out of the skin?
I also forgot – what about sunscreen?
I have to have some protection due to my hypersensitivity and also due to a little amount of pigment in my skin (as I said, almost transparent). I even wear lipstick everyday — If I go just with a lip balm my lips get burnt. I could go with mineral powder or something (physical pigments) but I do not feel comfortable with make up especially in summer.. and then, if I do not wash my face I do not want the old make up to start to decompose and expire on my skin. Is there any trick how to protect your skin from sun if you are outdoor for longer than 30min?
It is so simple.. caveman regimen.. yet it still brings so many questions 🙂
Hi Ana,
Well, when I did the original experiment, my aim was for a month. And in maybe a little longer than a month, my skin went through a bunch of weird phases and then normalized itself. For some people it does take much longer than that. Mind you, I was already using natural gentle things on my skin for a couple years by then. It’s probably harder for people coming straight off chemicals.
After the month, I never washed my face ever again, because I never felt a need to. But maybe you will want to. It’s up to you to see what your skin does and what it wants. If you get dirt all over your skin every day, then it might want to be washed, I’m not sure! Also, I live in a pretty clean area without pollution, so I can’t say how pollution factors into it (as I do hear that pollution can and does affect acne and skin for some people)… my thinking though is that the dead skin mask/acid mantle once it’s built up would protect your pores from this dirt and bacteria so that it can’t hurt you.
As for the dead skin… yes it does pile up and it is there… but for some reason after the first healing stage, you just can’t see it and your skin looks totally normal. Sometimes my skin does look a little flakey around my eyebrows and things, but not anywhere near the same thing as during the healing phase. So I just put a little bit of jojoba or extra virgin olive oil on my face every once in a long while if it’s looking a bit dry, and it takes care of it easily!
As for sunscreen, I don’t have a great answer for that either. 99% of the time, I wear a hat that shades my face, or if I don’t, I just find shade after a half hour in the sun. I only once put sunscreen on my face since starting the caveman, when I went skiing. Put it on four days in a row without washing it off… I was nervous about it…. but for me, it was no problem.
Lol, I know, this whole thing does bring up a lot of questions. I really need to do an epic caveman FAQ!
Thanks a lot Tracy for your patience answering same questions over and over again 🙂 (I vote for an epic caveman FAQ :))
So, I will start with a “preparing phase” first (natural care and minimized) until the summer ends, and I will go full caveman in fall.
Thanks again and best wishes
heya nicole & tracy ! So holy moly, this article hits it right on the head with my personal acne story. I had fine skin all through high school and then with the discovery of a few inactive bumps on my forehead..i went absolutley bat shiite crazy on my poor skin. bha’s, aha’s, bp, scrubs, sooo much money, to the point where I completly DESTROYED my acid mantle. At that point, I remember covering up my mirrors at home because my skin didn’t even look alive anymore. terrible. It’s so funny how you can have a problem in your life, any problem, and you manicly obsessivly treat it without stopping to think about the reality! like hmm hey maybe I should just chill out and relax. Is spending hours of researching and tons of moneys really going to clear me up? What about the people who don’t have access to the internet to find the right products?? aaaand then bam! it hit me, ME MYSELF & I have turned this tiny skin issue into like the main focus of my life. it’s really kinda sad, but it happens in life..with any issue. Life is hard to figure out, and to cope, people do things to distract their minds..this is called “mortality salience”. I’ve literally spent 2 years focusing on my stupid face. And i’m done. aaand guess what? everyday my skin is happier :)aaand everyday my mind is a bit clearer and more apt to get interested in pro active things, interested in actually “living” as corny & perhaps emo as that sounds. cheers to tracy and to this guest post by nicole :)) with so many unanswerable questions on dis spinning life, it’s soo important to keep your mind busy with positive, fresh things. If you don’t, that’s where feelings of depression and low self-worth start to creep up and manifest into alll kinds issues. xx
Hi Kristin,
I’m so happy for you that you finally discovered what was going on and managed to turn it around for yourself 🙂 Way to go my friend!! I agree there are so many spinning thoughts, possiblities, and questions that it’s easy to spin into despair and anxiety unless we make the point to focus on the good. I’d never heard of this mortality salience thing, just looked it up. Very interesting!
Definitely a good point about chilling out and relaxing. Its been quite a journey since I decided I wanted better skin and a more natural way to take care of it. I’ve definitely gone through the “freak out about it wayyy to much” stage since dropping chemical products. Despite researching it all in advance, I did all of the ultimate no-no’s: #1 I tried quitting everything cold-turkey after 10 years of BP, SA and everything else #2 I expected it to work after only 4 weeks #3 my skin went mental and broke out like crazy but i didn’t know WHY because i had been trying a few different new methods (or maybe it was just detoxing) #4 became even more erratic with trying new ‘natural cures’ and became fully consumed by my acne and spending all my free time reading tons of forums #5 ran back to soap and chemicals to try to get back to where i was 2 months before
my skin is now VERY ANGRY with me. i haven’t decided a clear path from here yet, just trying to take it day by day.. but I think I’m going to have “chill out and relax” be my next step. and whatever I do, pick ONE THING and give it time to see if it works or doesn’t before trying another thing.
its funny, half of me is mad at myself that I’m figuring this out and dealing with it in my late 20’s, but at the same time I don’t think I would’ve been brave, calm, mature or trusting enough to do this 10 years ago.
Hi Tim,
Thanks for sharing this.. I think I might make an article with these points… classic mistakes and no-no’s when switching from chemicals to natural. Thanks!
wonderful article!! the people at NY Times need to visit this site
Tracy, Nicole, etc this made me want to rage war on conventional dermatology!!!
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/younger-children-seek-an-acne-cure/#postComment
Thanks Krista!
Yeah that article is sad. I’m glad that when I have kids, I’ll help them out by being the acne ninja. Hopefully they listen to me… hahah. I’ll be like “but kids commmonnnn… it is/was my whole career! Mama knows best, yo!”
“Put down that candy and Wii controller kids! Lets eat some fresh food and play outside!!” No wonder children are getting acne younger and before hormones come charging. Lifestyle is what is causing it!!
I want fighting articles like that to be my whole career… we should go on a holistic clear skin ninja crusade!
Hi Tracy, I just want to say ever since I started watching your videos and reading your blog I have really worked on changing my attitude toward myself and I’ve started forgiving myself for developing acne, so thank you! Anyway I just wanted to ask for you and/or Nicole’s advice when it comes to starting the caveman regimen. I have been using just Cetaphil and tea tree moisturizer but even that irritates my skin now, so I definitely want to go full caveman and quit all products and base makeup but I’m just so scared of people staring at my face and my friends seeing my acne/my true skin. It’s still pretty red and marked up from picking, it’s definitely not the worst but I don’t feel like I have the courage to face everyone at my job and in my social circle knowing that they will see everything. I feel like the beauty industry just conditions people to want to fix everything immediately and I’m definitely guilty of that when it comes to trying to fix this problem but I know from previous experience that not using any products heals my skin so well. I just never gave it enough time and I started it when I didn’t have to see people. I know my acid mantle is basically nonexistent at this point so I need to start as soon as I can otherwise it’s going to get worse. Thank you for creating your site and videos, everything you talk about really helps someone like me. I still sometimes get so upset thinking about how pretty I would be if my skin wasn’t so awful but it is a long journey and I”m trying to be easier on myself. I seriously appreciate this whole movement you have brought to the YouTube community and your online presence.
Hi Arielle,
It’s so great that you’re putting effort into being easy and forgiving yourself. It’s so important – because it’s like we have this horrible problem, the last thing we need is someone hating on us for it… but we all do this to ourselves all the time!
I know how incredibly difficult it is to face people you know without makeup on, especially if they have never seen you without it. I don’t have any easy fix except just do it because there is really no other way to get comfortable with it. If you ever want to feel less self conscious around these people without makeup, you have to go through the pain and uncomfortableness that comes with just doing it. I never used to think I would be able to do this until I did it. And it’s totally hard at first, but as time goes on, it really isn’t so bad and you realize how far you’ve come.
https://thelovevitamin.com/3213/what-is-your-relationship-to-makeup-could-you-ever-let-it-go/
Tracy, I feel I need to put in my two sense finally on this topic. I really should put this on the caveman regime topic too, but those threads are really long and this is the most current for the people who really need to hear another success story.
So hear it goes! I’m a 36 yr old mom of 4 who has battled serious acne since I was 9 years old. It has been devastating to my self esteem where I would stay home from school when I was younger because it looked so bad. I would also not look anyone in the eye or I would pull my hair over my face to hide myself. I started washing with all sorts of medicated products, went to dermatologists to be put on harsher meds, and finally at the age of 19 I was put on accutane because I was a serious picker. Well long story short, my acne came back after about being clear for about a year. My hormones probably have’nt helped either from 4 pregnancies too. During all this time I was still washing with “gentle” products, exfoliating (because we are taught that our skin needs help to get rid of the top layer of skin so it won’t get clogged), and putting topical PB or SA 2 x a day. My last bout of products were from a very expensive brand called Jan Marini and I have also used another popular brand on the web with another acne following/website and regime that Tracy has mentioned that has the followers slather on a thick layer of bp 2 x a day.
I have been reading your blog for awhile and finaly decited to give the caveman regime a try. I was tired and financially strapped with shelling out about $100 dollars every 6 weeks for still having acne. I told my husband what I was going to do and looked for his support because I was scared of letting go of the products and control and what that might do to my skin or mental status. I even asked him if my acne got really bad if he would still love me:( That is so sad for me to say, but acne has stripped me of joy and acceptance fo so long because of childhood teasing, that I felt if my face became so difigured with acne my husband wouldn’t love me. He of course said “you cant be serious” to my pleas and said all the great supportive things, so I was ready to step out of my shell and face this challenge.
Having acne for almost 20 years and no product has helped “control” it, not even washing with raw and manuka honey, I began questioning everything that has been ingrained in me. I’m a skeptical person by nature, but because I still have acne at my age I thought that maybe I have been creating my problems all along. I was anxious to start this experiment so i didn’t taper or wean off all the bp or SA like is advised, but I was willing to take the risk of a massive purging I guess to see how my skin reacted.k I started the hard core caveman regime, no water touching my face, no washing, no makeup, nothing, on April 1st of this year, and it has rocked my world! I also stopped washing my hair with regular shampoo and started making my own shampoo bars that only use twice a week too. So I have done a complete overhawl on my perception of clean. I have only rinsed my face twice the whole time. Once after 30 days and the second time was yesterday. During the first 30 days my skin broke out with some minor congestion…still way smaller than what it would do before I stopped washing. It is like the dead skin “heals” anything under it or protects it so it has a chance to heal. What ever it does it blows my mind! It is a still a little nerve racking when I’m wetting and gently taking off the skin mask I have accumulated, worried what I might see; but what I’m finding is so confusing in such an amazing way. My brain logic would assume my skin can’t “breath” under all the layers of skin that has accumulated and would look all angry and congested, but it doesn’t!!! It is so happy and soft that I run around showing my family my beautiful skin! That is a complete 180 from what I used to do of not letting people look too close. My facial tone and texture are amazing now compared to the redness or raw look my face used have. I still might get a tiny white head here or there but they are so small and disappear so fast instead of a massive cyst or inflamed pimples that take forever to go away. I should also mention that I exercise about 4 x per week and eat ALL foods in moderation.
One of the best things I have learned from this journey is to let go and let the body try and do what it was programed to do. I also never touch my face now, which has been my cryptomite because as a woman who is a little older I also have been getting extra hair on my chin that I would pick at and then they would get infected and create a vicious cycle of pain and embarrassment. I thought I had folliculits for the longest time, but now I realize that I didn’t. I still have the hair but it is not getting stuck in my pores anymore. I had been creating the problem with over washing/product use, and picking. I’m amazed that by just letting go and not letting water touch my face I would have more confidence in my appearance. Sometimes I worry if people can see all the dead skin on my face, but I soon forget that because I remember that I have no sore spots on my face anymore that would bring much more attention. However, morning time can be a bit more flaky, but it does blend in during the day. 😉
I’m so sorry this post is so long, but I really wanted to put out my story for those people who are in their 30’s or older with acne who have maybe lost hope. I have read over and over again what people have posted on the caveman regime and too much product use, looking for someone’s story that I could relate to. I have had to but together little bits and pieces that I could relate to and the rest was sheer faith and luck that this could be even possible for someone with my acne history.
Give this idea of letting go of products and not washing your face for at least 30 to 45 days and see what happens!
Letting Go,
Melissa B.
Oh wow Melissa, that is SO AWESOME!!! 😀 I’m so happy you decided to take a leap of faith and it worked out. What a relief after all those years of acne. Thank you for sharing your story so that other women can benefit 🙂
Tracy,
Thanks for this blog and great info and experiences sharing. I have a question, maybe others experienced this too or you encountered this before: I’m doing caveman for about a year now. Since I started, I normally rinsed my face with water during showering and washing my hair (2-3 times a week). a couple months ago I tried no water / no rinsing, and my face started to stink.. Very weird, but my 3-year old told me this and my husband pointed this out several times, that it was some kind of “rotting skin” smell or something. so eventually I started rinsing my face as before, 2-3 times a week, and the stinking ended.. maybe this is connected with some other issues that I may be having or just a personal thing. Anyway, just wondering if you had any ideas on this or if anybody mentioned this. is this something that would go away eventually?
Hi Val,
Hmm very interesting! I haven’t had this problem, and so far I don’t think anyone else on the site has mentioned it that.. well, I kind of feel like maybe someone else did, but I can’t quite remember. Do you normally have a strong body odour (like underarms, etc?)… if so, I can see why the buildup of skin and sweat might start to smell… unfortunately I can’t say if that would just be a phase or if it would go away after a time! Did you find you had quite the visible “skin mask” when they noticed this smell?
thanks for such a quick response, Tracy 🙂
Well, to be honest, my face looked pretty normal, not that much of a “skin mask” I’d say perhaps better than when I do rinse it with water. About body odour: if I’m physically active, I do get odour (not that strong though). Maybe that’s really my sweat stinking.. kind of gross, but thanks anyway for your feedback 😉
I don’t wear makeup and don’t use acne products but I still have acne and acne scars. What should I do?
I tried to do the cavemen thing before because it makes perfect sense. It also makes sense to me because I see acne in women more who usually put more stuff on their face as opposed to men who generally don’t care and put nothing on their face. I tried putting away my facewash but I couldn’t. Some people have their coffee to wake them up and I have my facewash. The ones without the chemicals and stuff make me feel not as clean but I know they are not supposed to, it’s the bad chemicals that probably make me feel ‘clean’. I realize it is all marketing but I can’t put it down. I have tried. If I don’t put on face wash in the morning I can’t see well driving to work or school. I feel unawake, gross, and like I touch my face even more. I just have a bad day. And I am not the type to hold onto things or to feel like I need it, so I know it looks like an excuse. But I am not one to make excuses for my own benefit. I support others, have two jobs, and go to school and rarely do things for myself. I guess I’m ‘addicted’ to my facewash even though I only use it in the morning. I admire you a lot for doing all of this stuff. You’v been to hell and back dealing with this and actually spread education to help others. Ily tracy!!!!
It’s super hard to let go. There’s a lot of emotion behind it. I totally understand x
hi Tracy n Nicole..thanks so much for yua advice..av been struggling with severe acne for the past four months,tried everything but nothing seems to be working..I now want to try the caveman regime as a new year resolution and hope it works…how long does it take to work and if my dust lands on my face should I wipe it off or just let it settle there?