Should I Try This: The Caveman Skincare Regimen

Posted by Alexandra C. | Thursday December 5, 2013

I've dealt with my fair share of acne issues. I've chronicled them in various articles here, here and here and yet, despite how many masks and spot treatments I try out, it never ceases. It's just something I try and deal with on an ongoing basis. Essentially, my skincare routine is a balancing game: trying to figure out the perfect mix of drying and moisturizing.

You might remember my skincare routine article from a few years back, it was extensive to say the least. I'm not ashamed to admit that I like my products. But lately the amount of products I own has been piling up and I can't keep up. So I started downsizing, and I've actually got it down to a pretty decent number and a simple regimen. Notice the difference? Here's the kicker: from a huge amount of different products to a few key ones, my skin isn't much different. In fact, I might even go as far as saying that it's better.

I've been thinking a lot of minimizing, downsizing and keeping it simple (also saving money too!) and in my research, I found out about 'the caveman regimen'. Perhaps this is what gave Betty and Wilma their glowing skin?

What did a caveman skincare regimen consist of? Nothing. And that's exactly what this method tells you to do. Yup, nothing. The theory is that your skin has something called an 'acid mantle' which protects it from bacteria. This acid mantle is slightly acidic with PH of about 5.5. It continues, saying that most of what we use on our faces strips this acid mantle. Therefore allowing bacteria to invade and creating acne. The solution to this is to simply let your natural oils replenish themselves by doing nothing. In fact, it even recommends letting as little water as possible to touch your face. At night, it's suggested to sleep on a clean towel over top of your pillow so that bacteria doesn't come in contact with your face.

Also - no makeup. None. GASP.

Now, this concept terrifies me. The potential of breaking out without my trusty cleanser and my benzoyl peroxide is so. scary. I don't know whether it's just the idea of breaking out or breaking a long time habit (I've been a skincare product connoisseur since high school) that makes me so worried. Am I alone in this? My nerves are only somewhat soothed by the fact that many people report having better skin or almost no change. The one change that I read about coming up for many people is 'dead skin mask'. Ugh, yuck, right?

Dead skin mask, from what I understand is basically a layer of dead skin that hasn't been exfoliated. It isn't extremely noticeable but it doesn't exactly feel like a baby's bottom or anything. According to some, you can exfoliate this away every month once the skin renews.

I don't know about this one chicks, I need some advice. Have you ever heard of this? Would try it out? Are you as terrified as I am? Let me know if you think I should try this!

(via reddit.com, thelovevitamin.com)

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12 Comments

	on December 14, 2013 scamp101 1,285 said: I have been doing nothing for years. Just because I have been a stay at home mom and with no where to go or nobody seeing me, so about 90% of the time, I do absolutely nothing! No cleansing, no makeup, no moisturizing...nothing. In my thirties, my skin has never been better! I used to wear tons of makeup and use every skin care product I could get my hands on. When I used all that stuff, I used to have terrible acne.
	on December 11, 2013 jl13 2,919 said: I do this, it's called the weekend. Is that long enough to regain balance?
	on December 09, 2013 Steffikah 9,295 said: I've done something similar to this before and had a good experience. I didn't break out and my skin felt soft and balanced as opposed to its current relatively dry state. The only things I didn't do were not exfoliate and I did wear eye makeup. Granted, it was only eyeliner and mascara, no shadow.. and I took that off every night with an oil free remover... but other than that, yeah I'd say this method works. Kudos to the girls who dare to go bare... I say nay nay!
	on December 09, 2013 ellstar 5,069 said: I definitely try to switch it up, as my skin is sensitive and can get used to/sick of certain cleansers and moisturizers. But for my skin, I wouldn't be able to "do nothing", too dry, but I do try to minimize my useage of masks/exfoliants, anything harsh.
	on December 09, 2013 mamaluv STAFF said: @curlysue10: I agree, it is a vicious cycle. And while I do wear a little BB or CC cream for evening out my skin tone, I mainly wear makeup for enjoyment and because my blonde eyelashes and eyebrows would otherwise blend right into my face. I don't know if I ever would go 100% makeup free. As it is I generally wear minimal makeup regularly and full paint on special occasions only.
	on December 09, 2013 rachified 290 said: It's never a bad idea to experiment or test different things out to find what works best for your skin and body. Afterall, we all work differently, right? The problem is finding the right time to go on the make-up detox - weekends? holidays? I've personally found experimenting on a dietary level to produce some effective results. Cutting out dairy has always worked in terms of freeing up my skin, but then again, it's not for everyone.
	on December 09, 2013 curlysue10 7,326 said: I agree with you Alex, this sounds interesting yet terrifying. I have definitely heard that with all of our cleansing and moisturizing we strip our skin of its natural oils (same as we do to our hair, hence shampooing less being better apparently) but it is a vicious cycle we have created. It would be impossible to not cleanse if you put make-up on because you would have to wash it off. If we didn't wear make up we would have nothing to wash off theoretically. The problem is that many of us are unwilling to stop wearing make up because we don't love the look of our skin. BUT according to this though, we won't have beautiful skin that we will love if we don't stop stripping it of it's natural oils. GOSH! What's a girl to do?
	on December 09, 2013 takoda 28,648 said: I haven't heard of this, but I have heard that less can be more. I've had the same problem for many years, but since I stopped washing my face twice a day and using all the masks and scrubs, my skin has improved. I don't wear makeup everyday, so I don't have to do a big time cleansing job every night. I started just giving my face a good wash before bed, splashing some water over my face to get the nights sleep off in the morning and using a mask ever once in awhile. I haven't had a mayor brake outs in a few months since I started this, but I can't say for sure if its because of this change, or if my body has just changed. I wouldn't go as far as this says to do, but using less is worth a try.
	on December 06, 2013 Alexandra said: I have a friend who suffered from severe acne for over 12 years now. She has tried everything, and when I say everything, i mean EVERYTHING! - Accutane/ dermatologist - Chinese Herbalist regime -Naturopath -lotions and potions - all natural/ products - etc. etc. etc. They pinned down her abnormal skin issues to her hormone levels, which could be true. More recently (over the past 1 month, she has done NOTHING)-- no makeup, no cleansers, no lotions, no strict eating (veganism, etc etc), NOTHING. Her skin is now doing better than it has in over a decade. The only thing she does is splash cold water on her face every now and then. It's really amazing! I think it's worth a try!
	on December 05, 2013 Jo999 4,347 said: hmm sounds a little strange