Cutting out skin care products improves skin?

[bertiebow]

Really curious about what others thing of this. I have had mild acne for about a year and have tried various things to try and fix it. When I was younger I was lucky enough not to get teenage spots and so never really bothered about my skin, just used wipes or baby lotion as make up remover and splashed my face with water in the morning.

I've been reading quite a bit about people who have cured their acne by cutting out all skin care products. Seem like a lot of people have pretty drastic success with letting skin heal itself e.g. here - www.acne.org/not-washing-or-water-only-reviews-1202/

Has anyone else tried this?

Rivercam - I just use water!! So do the dc. I also use a natural bristle brush, and I give my scalp a good scrubbing/scratching in the shower. It's been nearly a year since shampoo touched my head. I wouldn't go back. The only real difference now we've 'adapted' to no shampoo is that our hair now attracts way more mystery fluff - you can't see it on our hair but the evidence is there on our brushes.

I am thinking of concocting a home made hair conditioner or a spritz with essential oils just because sometimes it's nice to feel pampered or smell fabulous (my hair smells of 'nothing' or 'very faintly like hair' now apparently).

Best thing ive found is a hot steamy bath and a flannel i just sit and scrub my face with hit water snd the flannel till the spots deflate and clear out and then cold water to seal up my pores again its a wonderful feeling they come back about 2 days after though i have terribly oily allergic probe skin products only ever made it worse for me

Rivercam sorry I didn't mean we don't use ANY body care products we just quit using products with dubious chemicals in them!! We DO use soap/toothpaste/deodorant etc still - I use olive and black soap mostly - gives my dc the itches though, they usually just use water unless I splash out on MooGoo stuff for them (luscious, just absolutely luscious). I make clay based toothpaste and I use 'pitrok' type deodorant (works for me thank god). We use coconut oil, aloe vera and bentonite clay on our skin too.

That's pretty much all we've used this year (steep learning curve!), just to see if it was possible to survive – next year I will be making soap/shower gel/body lotion too as going 'chemical free' has worked really well for us. We make our own because the buy-able stuff which fits our requirements is too expensive for us. I must sound utterly bonkers though, and I keep our unconventional chemical free tendencies a secret mostly

Can I ask why you've chosen to do that bus?

I used to have acne. I stopped washing my face altogether, no water no nothing, and it is all gone. Sounds disgusting but a lot of people have had success with the Caveman method as it is known.

Do you use make-up at all? If so do you just apply on top of the old stuff?
What about your hair and body skin, do you not wash them either?

Best thing for me after 20yrs of dermatology are glycolic acid- liquid gold and staying away from mineral oil and Shea butter
Cleanse with Clinique ttdo balm or la Roche physiological gel
Liquid gold at night 1-2 times a week
Kate Somerville goat milk moisturiser

This works better than years of medical interventions and now I can finally go make up free

AllPizzas - I spent too much time on the internet It all began with health concerns; I discovered the paleo/primal eating philosophy and tried it as others were claiming success with it for 'medical' conditions - it worked miracles for us and really got me thinking about what we put in/on our bodies...which led me to where I am now, for us it turned out to be a positive change so we're running with it.

I wash with plain water and slap on a bit of Olay day cream every morning. Make up wise I just wear liner and mascara, maybe a bit of lippy. I take this off with a Tesco value wipe.

I'm 51 and have great skin, completely clear and just a few fine lines.

I'm aghast when I read some of the skin care threads, I think people put far too much stuff on their faces, it cannot be good for your skin.

I also wonder if putting on a sunscreen every single day is really necessary. Unless you're outside for longer than 20/30 mins at a time, I don't think it is, (if it's a boiling sunny day then that's different)

I'm sure people are clogging up their skin with all this "stuff" but I expect the big skin care companies are delighted!

My skin is naturally dry sensitive. However I find the less products I use the better it is. I use argan oil and a moisturiser. I only use cleanser if wearing make up. Otherwise I just wash with water. My skin is the best it's been.

Hello Toys - my brother lives in Stockholm and I have given him a liquorice amd mustard based shopping list for when he comes over at Christmas. What is the name of this product you mention so that I can ask for some? TIA!

So nice to find this thread, I thought it was just me, howling at the moon.

I do wear sunscreen every day though. I burn easily, have very fair skin and am prone to moles and warts.

I agree, floisme, this is so interesting! So much advice is based on doing more when you have problem skin, but it seems often that it's better to do less. Most of the bloggers and dermatologists that get recommended on here are always pushing quite an interventionist approach to cure acne, no one ever just says 'leave it alone for a bit and see how it goes'.

I have bought some pure olive oil soap and am aiming to stop using foundation so I don't have to do too much to my skin to take it off at night.

I've never done much for my skin for 40 years - seriously never. Never wore make up, face got wet in the shower that was about it.

So at 40 when I still had acne I got fed up and did more - however I think in my case I think I'd proved cutting back wasn't the way forward!

However although I do have a full routine, I'm still pretty lazy and do it just about often enough to stop the spots coming through. And I still don't wear makeup every day.

If I did have acne, I would totally still be in the 'face gets wet in the shower' category

I like doing the routine and learning about ingredients is fun but I honestly can't say I've ever noticed another woman's pores look huge or that someone's skin looked dehydrated which I firmly believe is a marketing myth or any of the stuff we give ourselves grief over every day on S&B.

Ooops - If I didn't have acne

Hi there Ruby,

It's called Lactacyd or Lacto line (Lacto line is cheaper, but the same thing). It's really great and has multiple uses, so you're not going to lose by getting some. You can buy it from a pharmacy or supermarket.

Magic thanks!

I used to suffer and still do occasionally but I'm def an advocate for more is less. My skincare consists of two things, baby shampoo for cleansing and bio oil for moisturising. I know using oil should be a big no no but it doesn't clog pores like a regular oil does

I don't use anything on my face. I don't wear make up so have nothing to wash off, don't moisturize or use sunscreen except if I'm going to be out all day when it's very hot/bright or if I'm on the water. The closest to a wash my face gets is when I shower, but I don't put shower gel on my face, so it's just water plus a bit of shampoo I guess.

I wouldn't describe my skin as particularly great, but I've no problems with it either. Have never really got spots as a teenager or since, just sometimes on the bridge of my nose where my glasses sit. I expect I have a few wrinkles (am mid forties) but I don't have an issue with that, I tend to see wrinkles as a sign of getting old and getting old as acquiring wisdom.

All I use on my face is water, and occasionally a bit of moisturiser. If I've been wearing make up, which I don't very often, it gets taken off with a fragrance free mild cleanser and then I rinse my face with plain water. My skin is clear with only a few fine lines & I am 51. I'm definitely in the put as little on your skin as possible camp because my skin is extremely sensitive, and it seems to be working for me.

Gluten free (and Paleo) eating has completely transformed my skin. Started Paleo diet for other Health reasons, and I didn't expect the skin changes - random rashes, keratosis Pilaris on arms and legs, facial spots - to disappear but they did.

For hair and bath, I use Dr.organic products (Holland and Barrett sells them), all gentle and good.

Just wondering about people who say they just clean with water, have never worn make-up and have great skin, have you always had clear skin- so no need for intervention and never needed to start wearing make-up to cover imperfections.

AllPizzas I had acne as a teenager, bad enough to take antibiotics long term, so certainly haven't always had good skin. It's been clear since the acne finally disappeared, thank goodness. I do have lots of freckles, but I decided long ago to embrace them & I don't feel the need to cover them up.

The other reason I don't wear make up is because my skin is so sensitive it reacts to most brands, and I'd rather be bare faced than have itchy, red skin. I also react to cleansers, sometimes even if they are unscented. As for the lack of lines, I'm just fortunate. It's down to genetics (thanks mum & nan) and to keeping out of the sun.

I use the Elemis cleansing balm which is fab for me. The oil works with dirt and skin oil to clean the skin. I don't see how water can get rid of that. Our London water is so hard that there is no way i would just use it on my face.

Never needed to start wearing makeup to cover imperfections

Just never occured to me that I should cover up imperfections to be honest. My mum didn't wear makeup, my dad didn't wear makeup, no-one at school wore makeup, I work in a field (medicine) where not wearing makeup is very common.

So no my skin has never been perfect until I took action age 40 but it just never occurred to me that I was supposed to cover up.