How to Detox Your Skin

We know the saying, ‘you are what you eat’ and yes, certain foods can harm your skin – from the overconsumption of alcohol to the intake of salty foods, it can not only make you sick but cause your skin to age rapidly. Detox diets, regimens, and supplements are supposed to rid your body of toxins acquired from food, lifestyle or the environment. Detoxing can also improve your overall health and performance while promoting weight loss.

When we think of a detox, this can be as simple as no alcohol for 2-3 months or no carbs or sugar in your diet for a specific amount of time. This will give your body time to repair itself. Many moons ago when we heard about detoxing, it generally related to some kind of rehab. Someone in a really bad spot having to be chemically treated to break an addiction with drugs or alcohol or something like that. While the idea of moderation is still prevalent, the absence of chemicals is what is important to note.

The moment you decide to begin a detox, you should first establish the reason you are doing so. Is it to lose weight? Is it to help your skin feel and look more supple? Are you tired of breaking out every day or are you just feeling like a detox is needed? There is no set schedule or one size fits all when it comes to detoxing. You have to research to find out what works best for you and your body. If you find yourself struggling with the following symptoms, then it may be time:

• High Cholesterol or Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Constant Dizziness
• Unexplained Breakouts or Scarring
• Face Redness or Itching
• Bloating

There is no specific number for how many times a year you should detox. However, as a general guideline, it is good to listen to your body. Maybe you need a boost and your skin looks dull. So, let’s say you’re ready to begin. How do you detox your skin from the inside out? A skin detox diet is a good place to start. You can start by getting on a regime that is aimed at improving your skin, but overall, it will improve other ailments as well. We discussed in depth the benefits of infused water, but there are others.

A VEGAN DIET: As a clean beauty brand, this is highly encouraged—if only for a few months. This is a chance for you to remove some of these foods from your diet aka the worst offenders to your skin and health. Meat is known to slow down your digestive system and increases bad bacteria in your gut. Alcohol reduces the amount of zinc and magnesium in your body and is toxic to your liver. Caffeine dries out your skin and increases the toxins in your body. Salt dehydrates your body and slows down the detoxification process.

Do eat: Avocado which is rich in potassium and absorbs the good fats and cleanses the liver and bowels. Water consumption is imperative to flush out toxins. Hydrate and cleanse your internal organs—aim for at least 2 liters per day.

A JUICE CLEANSE: The best way to get the good stuff in without the pressure to commit or see the leafy foods you have to consume, is, of course, a good smoothie. Here is one that we recommend. All you need is:

• 2 stalks of celery
• ½ cucumber
• 1 ½ cm of ginger
• ½ cup of parsley
• 1 green apple
• 2 cups of spinach

Lemon water works well, too. Be sure to follow this up with a good detox for your skin externally. Exfoliation is necessary for any good skincare routine, but even more so while detoxing as toxins will naturally come to the surface and exile through your pores. Exfoliating helps remove them along with dead skin cells to make way for new, detoxed skin.

Still have questions? Schedule a virtual consultation with Anakarina today.

Written by Venus
Photo by Anna Tarazevich