Not Washing or Water Only

I have had acne for about four years, and though its severity has differed during different periods, its never really gone away. I, like most people have tried every concievable cleanser, diet, and regimin to no avail. Out of frustration I just kind of stopped and was shocked at the results. My skin suddenly got clear in about a week. I do still get occasional pimples but they disappear without leaving those annoying red marks, and much sooner than they ever did when I was applying creams, lotions, and cleansers. I think its natural to want to attack a humiliating problem like acne actively, but once i started letting my own body heal the problem itself, it did magnificently. this might not work for everyone, but if you feel like youve got nothing to lose, I challenge you to try it for a while. It worked for me, after years of trying absolutely everything else. I think most of us sufferers have extremely sensitive skin, so sensitive in fact even unmedicated cleansers marketed for sensitive skin (I tried cetaphil with no results) may create problems. I simply don't use anything on my face and it has NEVER looked this good.

I am stunned, relieved, and happy. I was one of those people who was obsessed with my skin. I always had very mild acne off and on since age 16. I had been mostly clear with a little BP or Benzaclin but then was prescribed Accutane for "persistent acne" when I was 19, but I really wasn't a candidate at all for the drug. BIG MISTAKE with lots of tough lessons learned. I wish this site would've existed then so that I could've researched it more. Anyway, after Accutane, my skin became extremely sensitive to everything--the sun, cleansers, lotions, and acne products. I was clear using Benzaclin for a few years, but didn't want to put antibiotics on my face anymore. That's when I started trying everything--diet limitations, candida cleanses, aspirin masks, zinc masks, baking soda, olive oil, vitamins, EVERYTHING. But, my skin wasn't happy. It was the worst my skin had ever been (moderately severe) and I was in my late 20s. My fiance at the time also had tempermental skin and was a Dr. He had researched Dan's regimine, did it, and had success with it. But, then, he just stopped...everything. He got clear with water only and just "not thinking about it". So--I tried it and also had success. It was a difficult transition because I could NOT imagine not washing my face with Purpose and not having that clean feeling. But if you've ever been sensitive to fragrances, soaps, detergents, or anything like that in the slightest and/or are older than 25 (not a teenager anymore)...this could be the answer. There used to be a thread pinned about this as well, but I can't find it now. It was really helpful to me because it talked about how we all over-cleanse. I think this water-only routine works because your skin needs a balance of good and bad bacteria, natural oils, etc. and most acne-prone skin is sensitive and doesn't really react well to exfoliation, chemicals, etc.

Cystic acne nonstop since i was 15. Face scarred badly, but cysts and zits stopped with diet and NO MORE CLEANSERS. Caveman is the way to go. Sometimes even washing with water will upset my skin, so I just dont wash it at all anymore. Like other say, you do build up excess skin, so a wet soft washcloth will do fine. I don't moisturize or apply anything to my face or body at all. I also only wash my body and hair with water, soap and shampoo twice a week. You won't smell if you're eating healthy. I feel that high cardio workouts also work to exfoliate my skin. When I feel too dirty, I run up a hot shower and let my pores open up with all the steam ( I do not let the water touch my face, as it is so sensitive, even the chlorine upsets it) I do stress that your DIET will determine your success. I have always had overeating problems as well, so when i indulge, I break out, still at 26. FOODS TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE ------------- SUGAR -------------- keep in mind that simple carbs ( white bread rice pasta cereal etc) turn into sugar in the body, so you must cut those out too. Complex carbs ( beans, brown rice, pasta, bread is not great, but not as bad as the white stuff) just make sure it says WHOLE wheat. I've had the best skin of my life eating WHOLE food without red meat. Chicken and fish, whole veggies and ABSOLUTELY NO SUGAR and MINIMAL SODIUM intake (sodium increases redness and inflammation in the body... especially your face). Side note... chemical manufacturers are not looking out for you... Living in capitalist America should be your first clue... These people just want your money and will exploit your biggest insecurities. They want you to slap harmful chemicals on your face, clog your pores with makeup, eat yourself into a blimp, because they know the body will expunge it all through your sweat and zits, then you'll go running to them because they offer "cures". ?Me and many more fell for their tricks and paid dearly for the lack of knowledge, with scars. Do yourself a favor and feed your body well, treat it well, encourage it, work it out, and love it. Change your habits and drop negative people around you so you can begin to HEAL. I am still battling food cravings, still giving in, still breaking out occasionally, but it feels amazing to know that I can be free of this curse. Hope you try this, and spread it to everyone in need. Good luck.

The best thing you can do for you your skin is " don't do anything " .... if you leave your acne alone , drink green tea every day , drink 4 liters of water per day , sleep 8 hours every night , avoid smoking and drinking alcohol , change your pillow case every 5 days , avoid dairy foods , take care of your hygiene and .... i mean , just live in a healthy and NATURAL way like our grandparents did and your dream for a perfect glowing skin will come true ... good luck ♡♡♡

I've had cystic/moderate acne for the past five years (ages 14-19) and I can honestly say that there is nothing better you can do for your skin than simply doing nothing. My long acne story short: the past five years, up until the past 3 months, I had used a ton of products from Clearasil to tea tree oil to facial masks however the only product that worked was Epiduo. I had clear skin for a year with epiduo but it made my skin so dry and sensitive that I couldn't go 3hrs without a moisturizer. As such, I stopped using all skincare products completely and it has worked. I let some water touch my face each morning in the shower and that alone is my entire skincare routine. I also physically exfoliate once a week due to the build up of dead skin cells. I used to get huge cystic acne but I haven't had a cyst since I started washing with water. That being said, after I stopped using products I had an initial breakout period where my skin got very dry but it soon began to regulate itself. If you are reading this review don't waste any more of your time or money on acne treatments. Leave your skin alone for a few months and see the difference it will make. Stick with it.

I have had cystic acne for over FOUR YEARS! That's a long time. 😂 I was only ten years old when it started, which is just great right? Here's what cleared my body (and face) acne. 1. Wash only with water. No soap. Body, and face! 2. Shower (water only!!) in cold or lukewarm water. Hot water drys your skin out, and opens the pores to bacteria, which will obviously make it worse. 3. Drink PLENTY of water. Distilled or bottled water is best for you, and your skin. I drink about 6 bottles of water a day, though I'm trying to drink more recently. Keep yourself hydrated! 4. NO TOUCHING. Picking, popping, poking, or scrubbing will only make your acne worse. Hands off! :) 5. Get plenty of rest, and go to bed and wake up at the same time. It's easier said than done, but try your best. 6.EXERCISE! Sweat it up! Rinse with water after a good workout, but don't stop exercising. It's good for your skin as well as the rest of you. :) 7. And above all else, just ignore your acne. I know that's hard to do, (believe me I know) but don't let it bother you. Lots of people have acne, even though those people are conveniently the people you don't know. I promise other people have it. I did, and not stressing about it helped the most. Leave it alone and use your time doing for others instead of worrying about your skin. Whenever you are tempted to worry or pick, just find something to do that will bless someone else. Think about somebody other than yourself for a while. There are far greater problems in this world than acne, even though acne can be very debilitating for your confidence. Good luck!

Hey guys, TOO EARLY TO REVIEW yet, I've actually just started doing this about 6 days ago now for my acne. I will update in future when I have a good review of how it treated my skin. I just want to mention something though, I notice a few people saying this "broke me out", "doesn't work" etc... and that may be true however PLEASE keep in mind you cannot judge how your skin is reacting to something until at least 6 weeks into something. Reason being is the natural length of average cell cycle from what I've been told is 4-5 weeks... so technically, it is expected to see some sort of a "purging" as dead skin sheds and clogged pores from underneath finally come to a head. So far, this regimen is working so well for me. PROS: facial redness is better by at least 85 percent if not 90, no new breakouts.... only thing I am noticing is some really tiny hard bumps in certain areas and I'm 100 percent sure this is the skin pushing blackheads out. I also notice how GREATLY reduced my oiliness is. like wow. my forehead used to be shiny within the hour after washing with cleansers, now its maintains itself with hardly any oil for the whole day, and my face doesn't feel tight either. CONS: I won't lie, it will seriously feel like your face is unclean when you wash once a day with water. here's the key though... It might feel incredibly dirty or oily but keep the water splash to a minimum. I made the mistake of rinsing my face with water more than a couple times when i was in the shower last night with really warm water. Total mistake, you get out and as soon as you pat your face dry you suddenly realize how much oil came off and its too dry. SUCH a delicate balance as your skin adjusts to running its own show. So if your skin is dry- stick to cold water splashed a couple times. if you are noticing its really oily, slightly warmer will wash away most of the oil but again it doesn't need to be more than 5 secs worth of splashing. Sorry i know this is specific, its really about feeling your skin out. One last thing, I have a lot of tiny tiny clogged bumps on the left hand side of my mouth. They are only noticeable if I press my tongue in this area and look in dim lighting (so seriously not at all noticeable to ppl) but they've been there forever and annoy the heck out of me. I'm obviously expecting to see a big breakout by the 4th week mark when they finally cycle through to a head so like I said best not to judge until 1.5-2 months in. I know its a while but rome wasn't built in a day: your skin needs the time to balance itself, shed off its layers naturally and push whatever is in the skin out on its own. I am washing with cool water every evening once a day, and using a konjac sponge (natural very soft plant material, packed with vitamins) every 4-5 days to **lightly** aid the shedding. Ill be decreasing this to once a week soon and eventually working off to nothing. I'm only doing this because i used to exfoliate everyday with chemical exfoliants so my skin is seriously dependent on exfoliation. It would be a Freddy Kuger mess if I didn't slowly tapper off :P **Update day 14! Skin tone has returned to how it was pre acne, breakouts are only in area of my face that had clogged pores, everything else is clear and no new acne has formed in other areas since this regimen. Only complaint is that dead skin does build up fast so I'm still exfoliating lightly with Konjac every 3 days, 4 if I can push it. Due to dead skin skin does feel rougher but I'm anticipating this will disipate with time. Starting a blog on my journey so check it out if you want more daily type details of skin changes and stages

I've had severe cystic acne since I was 20, it's been about 11 years now. I've tried everything under the sun, spent thousands of dollars and nothing worked. My skin is extremely sensitive. The last few months I have started washing my face with water and a clean white face cloth. With the white color cloth I can wipe off the coverup makeup until I dont see the makeup on the cloth. I have to admit it was scary in the beginning, so I took cephalexin (my face meds) for the first week or two. After that I ate healthy every day (fruits and veggies), drank water and washed my face with water and a face cloth 2x a day. After a few weeks I noticed that my face was no longer red and my face matches the rest of my skin tone! I have had a few minor pimples since then but they heal much more quickly. I highly recommend trying this method. I think since I no longer irritate my pores with chemicals they got smaller, no longer inflamed and were able to heal properly.

I've had acne since I was like 13. It progressed to cystic acne in highschool and it truly sucked. I was trying everything and it seemed like there was no hope for my skin and i was just that unlucky guy. Luckily around my Senior year my skin started to get alot better due to me changing my eating habits and drinking alot of water daily but I was still getting pimples every now and then. Fast forward to right now I'm in college. I stopped using cleanser completely, due to me just running out of it and i figured I'd try to go without washing my face for awhile and see what happens. It's about 2 weeks now and my skin is fantastic. I haven't broken out in like a month so (knock on wood it continues) all I do is in the morning while I'm in the shower I'll let the water run on my face and rub with fingers lightly. After I get out I splash with cold water in the sink to close my pores. I haven't used moisturizer during this period but I will start due to the cold weather coming. I've previously had very oily skin but during this period of washing only with water my skin has been even and i cannot be more happy. I encourage you to try it out and see if it works for you. What do we have to lose? We already obviously have acne lol. ALSO CHANGE/WASH YOUR PILLOW CASES ATLEAST EVERY 5 DAYS. This will help alot. AND DRINK LOTS OF WATER

Ok this post might be a little long, but please just hear me out. I got started on birth control at a pretty young age, like 14, and ever since then I've had relatively clear skin despite a few little pimples here and there. I'm 21 now and I just recently got married so I had my birth control removed and my face got really pissed off at me. I had cysts and whiteheads and nasty angry pimples all around my mouth, chin, and cheeks. They have always stayed away from my forehead and sides of my face for some reason. Anyway, this sucked. And I freaked out and tried everything. You've heard the story. Been the dermatologist twice and nothing really seemed to help, and if it did it only left me with nasty side effects that weren't worth it. So anyway, one day I got really upset at the way I looked and was discouraged that nothing seemed to help my face and I just quit washing it for about a week. The first couple days I was in such a depression I didn't even shower. I sat on the couch day and night and just sulked. To my surprise though, my face looked a lot calmer and the cysts were starting to disappear, and my face wasn't as oily as it normally was. In fact, it wasn't hardly oily at all. Weird..... Then it hit me. When I was in basic training for the Air force, we obviously never had time to wash our faces, and so I went an entire two months with taking very quick showers and never putting any chemicals or products on my face.... and I remembered how clear my skin was. I had never seen it so perfect. Granted, I was always exercising every day and eating extremely clean, and there was no opportunity to drink alcohol or any other thing that tempts us in daily life. But still... You get the point. Products = bad. Water = good. Ok, so after remembering this and seeing the quick results of just my couple days no shower I looked up on the internet if not washing could actually clear your acne, and I came across this. It's been two weeks now, and my face is clear. I still get the occasional pimple, and one time I got one on my cheek where they are harder to heal, but as far as cysts go I haven't gotten one in a couple weeks. My skin tone has begun to even itself out too which is crazy. Pretty much this is what I do.... I shower in the morning and I use a wash cloth and gently rub on my face. That's it. Warm water, washcloth, boom done. After I get out of the shower I do nothing, I do my hair and my normal routine, sometimes I put on some makeup, and I go about my day. At night, I will take my makeup off with a baby wipe and then just splash some warm water on my face. If I wore makeup, I will again take a washcloth and just rub gently to make sure all the makeup is gone. About 3 times a week, I will use a cotton ball with a couple drops of tea tree oil and water and just rub on problem areas, but lately my face has been so clear I haven't had to do this. I just did this in the beginning when I was still trying to get over my big problem pimples. I also drink a lot of water, green tea, and I exercise. My diet isn't bad either. I still eat pizza and cupcakes on occasion too but I try to incorporate as much fruits and veggies as I can. I'm really not sure if this will work for everyone, but I think all these acne companies really just want your money. If their products really cured acne, they would go out of business. And as far as all natural products go, they still had a tendency to make my face dry which only caused more problems. And I always think about my husband too... he never uses anything on his face and he has perfectly clear skin. Soooo crazy I have never thought of this before! I also want to point out that I thought my acne was all hormonal. I thought my hormones were just out of whack from getting off birth control after being on it for so long, and that eventually they would go back to normal. I thought that the reason my acne would never go away was because it had to do with something internal that was going on, but after using this method I know that's not entirely true. Maybe I really don't have acne, maybe I'm just allergic and sensitive to all these products!!???? Sorry if I rambled, I'm just excited. Lol.... anyone should try this if they don't have anything else to lose.