DAY SEVEN: breaking the rules, partially for the better

Hello all (cue crickets),

Before I dive into anything I will fill you in on the status of my skin as of this morning:

• no new zits
• a few zits disappeared
• a few zits dried up and fell off (haha this is true!)
• a few zits are just dried up
• I HAVE A MASK OF DEAD SKIN ON MY FACE
• My face feels like sandpaper
• My forehead and nose are covered in clogged pores
• My cheeks are soft, still with zits, but soft
• MY ARMS, BACK,  AND CHEST are so soft. The "rash" of clogged pores is gone and there are just a few bigger zits on my arms and back that are slowly but surely drying up! Yay! Thanks caveman! (Note: I'm only washing these parts with water, just letting the shower spray over them. Before the caveman I was SCRUBBING my skin with a loofah everyday with soaps and backne washes)

Moving on.
So it has been seven days of no washing, or rather, it had been seven days of no washing. I just broke a rule 5 minutes ago. And before that I already was breaking another. Let's start from the beginning:

On day 3 I was itching to pick those zits (no new ones had formed since not washing my face [WOW!], just the original ones) and I gave into picking them. Well just one or two. Anyways, that opened the gate to face picking. Here and there I'd touch or scratch my face, nothing drastic, but nonetheless breaking the rules. I also might add that these zits I picked were dried up things! Almost not even pus! So thank you caveman regime -- you are working! I just have to stop picking to reap the benefits.

That was one rule broken. And as of tonight that rule is back in full force. I am nipping it in the butt.

Second rule that was broken 5 minutes ago, today on day 7, was: washing my face with water (gently).
First off: why did I do this? Well I read on some other fellow caveman's post that she did not think that the caveman would work as effectively if you had been using harsh chemical products before starting it. She advised "use only water to wash your face for a month and then begin the caveman". This got me thinking. The last thing I used on my face was a chemical moisturiser (it had 2% somechemicalthatkillsbacteria) and my theory is this: if I haven't washed my face since, then the moisturiser is still present and probably lurking in the layer of dead skin, seeping into the new layers of skin underneath.
Also the makeup that I have been wearing for a week (everyday caking more on in places that rubbed off in the night) had started to look like Play-Doh. That's the only way I can describe it. I just wasn't looking human.
ON TOP OF THAT, on two days that I didn't get enough sleep during this past week my face was noticeably dryer and later in the days my forehead would have a stinging sensation, as if I had used an antiseptic on it; and this, I can only hypothesis, is due to the moisturiser.

Thus, I washed my face.
I was afraid I'd end up with a raging desert face. But instead now 10 minutes after the washing with water, my face is merely as tight as it has been on those two days I didn't get enough sleep. I also might add that "yay" my Play-Doh makeup came off and A LOT of dead skin came off. When I was patting dry I noticed the dead skin was like that of a sun-burn's, and I almost started rubbing the dead skin off all over my face with my finger/towel, but I used what little willpower I had and backed away from the mirror. I can only imagine what break outs that irritation would lead to.

Anywho, I'm happy with my rule breaking. I plan on splashing my face with water again next weekend. Until then, no more picking and back to my old rules.

I will update next weekend. Or sooner if something drastic happens before then.

If you haven't noticed: I am quite happy with the caveman. It is meeting my expectations. I have full confidence that my skin will be normal for once in my life (since age 11) after this. The only doubt I have is that it might take more than a month, but that's understandable because I've been molesting my face with harsh chemicals, my nails, and towels twice a day for 10 years!
All in all, no new zits have been forming and the old zits are shrivelling up; the main thing I was hoping for.

Have a great weekend!

-Cavewoman

P.S. I'll post some pictures next week, hopefully when I can see a difference. Right now there's no noticeable difference on my face, just a lot of dead skin and feeling healthier. 

DAY ONE

Hey folks,
So last night was the last face washing for a while! I woke up today and put on makeup without washing my face -- I felt grimy. Throughout the day my skin did not get dry or oily, though. The clogged pores on my forehead seemed to have gotten slightly more irritated as the day went on. Other than that nothing really seems to be happening. I won't be washing my face tonight; going to bed with face makeup on. To me, going to bed unwashed is worse than going though the day unwashed, so this will be challenging. Hopefully I don't see a monster in the mirror tomorrow.
-Cavewoman
Here are some pictures.

Forehead

Cheek

Back

An explanation

WHAT IS THE CAVEMAN SKIN REGIME?

The caveman skin regime has been around for quite some time. It is a regime that requires one to become like a caveman by not washing their face, ever. Everyone has what is known as an acid mantle, which is a slightly acidic film on the surface of their skin acting as a barrier to bacteria, viruses, and other potential contaminants that can cause infections such as acne. The idea is that by washing your face you are stripping your face of its acid mantle and causing your pores to be unprotected and prone to infection. Often during the caveman regime you will "grow" a thick layer of dead skin all over your face because you are not washing a layer of dead skin off every morning and night.

WHAT IS MY GOAL FOR THE CAVEMAN REGIME?

• To heal existing acne
• To balance skins oils so my skin is not oily or dry
• To gain back my natural acid mantle
• To stop having to wash my face like an OCD person and never getting anywhere
• To stop stressing over acne
• To have my acne under control and maybe even permanently gone

WHO AM I AND WHAT IS MY SKIN LIKE?

• Age: 21 
• Sex: Female
• Bad Habits: I've picked my face since I was 11 in hopes to get rid of the acne, it now has become a bad habit that I do when I am stressed. I am at ease when my zits are replaced by flat scabs. I have been OCD about my skin ever since I first had acne at age 11: I can not go to sleep without washing my face and I can not start my day without washing my face. If anything touches my face that I haven't okayed I am very distressed as I think the dirt from the foreign object might get in my pores and cause acne. Finally, I've scrubbed my skin raw on many occasions causing scabbing (aiming to scrub the acne right off).
• Lifestyle: I exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet (whole grains, a lot of veggies esp. leafy greens, a lot of fish, almost no dairy, no junk food [I'll have a bite here and there] ), I am a student, and have a job I attend to 3 times a week. I live on the coast: mild winters and mild summers. 
• Skin: Blackheads all over my face (used to be only my nose and forehead until a year ago when I scrubbed my face raw with a towel for a week). Scrubbing and picking my face causes my acne to spread and my blackheads to become irritated and grow into whiteheads -- sometimes cysts. I sometimes get little clogged pores on my chest, upper arms, and upper back that I also pick and scrub and make worse. The skin on my face has been dry for years (probably due to the cleansing) and I must moisturise daily, sometimes three times a day (moisturise wears off, apparently) otherwise I will get irritated bumps all over flaky dull skin that causes "wrinkles" to form around my mouth and on my forehead. My face will get extremely dry even if water touches it and after moisturising my skin is very oily. I have never had a healthy glow (not oily or dry) since I began washing and moisturising my face at age 11. I have never had bad acne, and I think if I never picked and just let my acne heal on its own without cleansing two times a day my skin would be fine... perhaps beautiful.
• Current Skin: At the moment my upper back, upper arms, and chest are covered in little bumps and scabs. My face in covered in blackheads, clogged pores, some scabbing, and a handful of whiteheads. The skin on my body is not oily or dry -- "normal". There are dots of pigmentation all over my cheeks. No potholes or indentations from picking (HOLY COW I AM SO THANKFUL). 

WHAT PRODUCTS HAVE I USED IN THE PAST (AND THEIR EFFECT)?

I won't list them all (about 30 things) because they all had the same effect: drying my skin out. I will say though that I have used my fair share of "chemical commercial products" and natural products (e.g. coconut oil, just water, honey). 

WHAT ARE THE RULES OF MY CAVEMAN REGIME?

• No washing my face for a month, not even water
• If I accidentally get water on my face in the shower once in a while, that's okay
• No picking -- it will probably interefere with the process if I do (this will be the hardest part) 
• I am allowed to wear non-comogenic makeup to cover the acne 
• I am not going to clean my face of the makeup (there is a layer of dead skin that builds up during the caveman regime anyways) 
• However, if I wear eye-make up I may use makeup remover (olive of jojoba oil) to get it off
• At most, I may rinse my back, arms, and chest with water (unlike my face because the skin is not oily nor dry)
• After a month, I will gently rinse my face with water (shedding the skin)

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG?

• To hold me to the regime (I will post at least once a week)
• To inform people on my experience with the caveman regime (I will post pictures)