6 month update on the Caveman Regimen

I know six months have gone by since my last post. I definitely meant to update more regularly...

So anyway, onto my progress thus far.  About six months ago I started the caveman regimen and stopped washing my face with anything besides water.  It took a relatively short time for my acne to clear up and I was ecstatic about the results.  It soon became obvious that my biggest issue would be dealing with the dead skin build up.  Over time there was a clearly noticeable buildup of dirt on my nose and chin.

As stated in my previous post, I started doing biweekly exfoliation.  I didn't notice any adverse reactions or setbacks which leads me to believe that the typical month long wait for exfoliation is unnecessary or that everyone's skin heals at different rates.

Additions to the Regimen

My original regimen was leaving my face alone completely for a week and then exfoliating at the beginning of the next week.  The dead skin buildup was a lot better after the exfoliation, but I was noticing that my skin was looking dry.  I used to think that my original skin type was combination/oily, but letting my skin breathe showed me it's true nature.  I actually have slightly dry skin.

I wanted to add a moisturizing step to my regimen.  The caveman regimen is supposed to rely on your body's defenses to heal itself, but I think there is a point at which you can start giving your body a little help again.  I decided to try using a Shea butter and almond oil mixture.  I had previously researched the oil cleansing method before and had actually tried it, but my skin was too damaged by soaps and chemicals for it to have any noticeable positive effects.  However, my skin was healthier now so I thought it was at least worth a try.
One morning about three months into the experiment, I put a dime sized amount of Shea butter in my hand and a few drops of almond oil to soften it up.  I rubbed it between my palms to warm it up until it became translucent.  Then I massaged the mixture into my face for a couple minutes.  For the final step I used a fresh washcloth and warm water to gently pat off the excess oil and gently wipe off any dirt build up.  The only noticeable adverse affect was a slight sheen to my face for up to 2 hours, but eventually the oil absorbed into my skin giving me a nice healthy glow.

Overall what I have learned is that skin heals in stages.  I was so obsessed with finding a miracle cure for my acne and I was actually making it worse.  When I stopped letting it rule my life, it cleared up.  Now it is onto the next step: scar healing.  Over the next few weeks I am going to try natural scar healing remedies like honey and yogurt. Whichever I chose to try first will be added to my regimen for a few weeks because I feel that it takes time to know if something is working.  I'll post here with the results.