10 Ways To Detoxify Your Skin At Home

The environment that we live in is full of toxins that are not ideal for our bodies. The oxygen that runs through our bloodstream to the food that we intake is contaminated. Added to that some of us cannot give up on junk food, this further suffocates the largest organ of our body that is our skin. And not to forget all the chemicals that we put on our skin to enhance our appearance such as make-up, perfumes, and sometimes that residue of the laundry detergent on our clothes penetrates the skin.

It gets difficult to eliminate all of these from our lives and that is when a detox seems to be the savior!

A skin detox means dedicating time to removing all toxins, pollutants, and dead skin cells and restore your skin back to how it normally looks — if you detox right, it may look better than ever.

1. Drinking Enough Water

Drinking enough water can aid your skin from many problems.

A way to flawless, glowing, and hydrated skin is to drink 8-10 glass of water throughout the day as dehydration can leave your skin saggy, flaky, loose, dry, and dull.

You can add flavors of your choice to plain water to make drinking fun. Here are some options:

• Lemon: Rich in vitamin C, lemons boost skin collagen and therefore repair the damaged skin cells fast.

• Strawberries: Rich in antioxidants, strawberries can protect against early aging and bring a natural glow to your face.

• Cucumber: Good source of vitamin B5, C, and K, and anti-inflammation.

• Mint: Have anti-microbial properties that soothe the digestive issues.

• Cinnamon: Leads healthy blood flow to skin cells, and makes you radiant.

2. Cleansing the right way

If you have the right skin-care regime then skin detox is just another word for you. Cleansing in the morning and before bed-time removes the accumulated dirt and debris of the day leaving your pores unclogged.

Choose the right cleanser based on your skin type for example if you are a dry skin type then choose an oil-based cleanser or if you have an oily skin type then choose a gel-based cleanser. Take your skin type quiz here.

Your face and body don't need to accept the same type of ingredients because the skin in our face differs from our body.

3. Skin exfoliation

Exfoliation removes the layer of dead skin cells from our face and body. Although exfoliation is a body mechanism due to age and environment factors it may slow down which can result in the ineffectiveness of skin-care products, dull complexion, and other skin issues.

You can choose to exfoliate your skin either chemically or physically.

Chemical exfoliation can be done through AHAs and BHAs (alpha or beta hydroxy acids) or scrubs. You can also formulate your body scrub at home by mixing sugar, honey, coffee, and lemon or gram flour and curd.

Physical exfoliation can be done by dry brushing or with the help of a naturally occurring scrubber such as the loofah.

Remember not to over-exfoliate, skincare experts recommend exfoliating once or twice a week.

4. Add clay masks to your routine

Clay masks have been there since ancient times and they have a wide range of benefits. It removes impurities from our skin, heals skin, promotes skin firmness, removes oiliness, prevents acne, and unclogs pores.

You should implement a clay mask at least once a week in your regimen. But ensure that you do not overuse of clay masks as they can dry out your skin.

Here are some clay masks you can try are:

• Bentonite Clay: Good for extremely oily skin, can remove excess sebum and remove toxins from the skin like a magnet. It is best suitable for acne.

• Fuller’s Earth Clay: Absorbs oil and impurities, removes hyperpigmentation because of its mild bleaching properties, and boosts blood circulation.

• Kaolin Clay: This comes in a few different colors-white, yellow, red, and pink, all of which vary in their abilities. White Kaolin clay is gentle and great for sensitive skin.

• French Green Clay: Exfoliates and boosts blood circulation. The green color of the clay is the effect of decomposed plant material and iron oxide.

5. Treat your skin with steam

Steaming can open up your pores and remove the dirt build-up. This is a good time to remove blackheads as they soften and become easier to extract.

Steam increases blood circulation and delivers oxygen.

Steam can also be hydrating as this generates oil production naturally moisturizing your body.

It increases the absorption of skincare products as steam increases skin permeability.

Make your steam treatment exciting by adding in some herbs and essential oils. The entire process can be very soothing and uplifting.

You can use warm towels or home face steamers.

6. Apply products that fight pollutants

Incorporating an SPF double up skin protection from UV rays and environmental transgressors.

Micellar water also helps in lifting dead cells and pollution.

7. Indulge in a detoxifying bath

A warm soak for 15-20 minutes will open your pores and remove impurities.

Bath salts improve cleansing and aid in exfoliation. Some common bath salts are Himalayan pink salt, Epsom salt, etc.

8. Choose a healthy diet

Detoxification is not something that is attained by the external process but internal too. Having a diet rich in anti-oxidants will remove chemical compounds and will reflect on your skin.

You can start by cutting down on your intake of refined sugars as it reduces skin collagen production and skin elasticity. The worst of them are sodas, flavored drinks, and packaged snacks.

There are healthier alternatives like honey and natural juices.

Implement healthy fats in your diet as fats help in vitamin absorption, keeps your hormone balanced that promotes better skin and hair. Some such examples are salmon, olive oil, and nuts.

Eat lots of alkaline-rich food because if your diet consists of only acidic food this will disrupt the mechanism of your body. Alkaline-rich food promotes healthier skin and hair. Some of them are-broccoli, kale, spinach, watermelon, etc

All these will promote blood circulation and flush the toxins out of your body.

9. Sweat it out

Exercising is the best for any detoxification program. Exercising creates blood and lymph circulation which allows for the skin to flush out toxins through its pores.

Running, walking, bicycling, dancing and swimming are all gentle and low-intensity aerobic exercises that are good for detox.

10. Hot Oil Message

Hot oil massages and extremely soothing and relaxing for your skin. This also helps in detoxifying skin by stimulating blood circulation.

Ensure the oil is mildly heated. This will promote smooth and glowing skin and remove dead skin cells.