Your skin is the largest organ of your body, so it deserves some extra love every now and then. This is especially true because pollutants and other such factors can have negative impacts on the skin, contributing to dullness.
While there’s not much you can do about such contaminants, you can improve the condition of your skin through certain processes — Enter, skin detox.
“A combination of a healthy routine, correct lifestyle choices, skin rejuvenation and detoxification procedures can restore your radiance”, sayings Dr. Jaishree Sharad, a reputable cosmetic dermatologist.
If you’re ready to detox your skin and feel (and look) your best, keep reading! We’ll share how to detox your skin from inside out in all ways possible.
What Is Skin Detox?
The environmental damage your skin is exposed to everyday contributes to the build-up of toxic substances. Mainly, this is due to the chemicals in dirt, pollution, and makeup clogging your skin pores. At times, hormonal disorders and unhealthy diets may be to blame, too.
This results in clogged pores, which are dull and sensitive, and may lead to acne. Consequently, you may experience inflammation, blemishes, and redness on the skin.
Skin detox is when you remove impurities, toxins, and dead skin cells to improve the condition of your skin. This means cleansing, treating, hydrating, and brightening your face — and other body parts.
A skincare routine that regularly involves detox can limit the damage caused by toxins. Following it religiously can also reverse the harm done. Skin detox is more about protecting your skin from outside elements, and resultantly, getting rid of dirt and congestion. Detoxing your skin also restores its pH levels.
However, the process may require a tad bit of patience, as detoxification may result in breakouts as the skin’s condition improves. But just with the right skincare regime, you can make it through the process and come out with clearer, brighter skin.
Healthy Foods That Promote Skin Detox
There are multiple foods that promote skin detoxing — they restore the missing glow of your skin and flush out all toxins. Certain foods hydrate the body, having similar effects on the skin. Additionally, the digestion of foods occurs in the gut, and gut health can have significant impacts on the skin detoxification process, too. Some of the most notable healthy foods that promote skin detoxing are listed below.
Avocadoes
Avocadoes are loaded with antioxidants, eliminating harmful toxins out of the body. Regularly consuming them makes the skin soft and supple.
Garlic
Garlic is rich in sulfur which helps neutralize toxins until they find a way out of the body. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, helping to reduce the inflammation of acne.
Berries
All sorts of berries are packed with nutrients and are high in antioxidants (especially vitamin A and C). These allow the skin to heal itself and protect it from free-radical damage.
Turmeric
Turmeric consists of anti-inflammatory components and antioxidants, working as a natural detox. This helps soothe inflammation while providing glow and luster to the skin.
Apples & Other Fresh Fruit
Apples are packed with fiber and are high in water content. This means they help with hydration, thus cleansing the skin. At the same time, they flush out toxins and gradually add glow to the skin. The same applies to other fresh fruit — in fact, substituting the sugar content in your diet with fresh fruit is an integral part of a detoxifying diet (and for maintaining optimal gut health).
Vegetable Juices
Vegetable juices hydrate the body and contain plenty of antioxidants. They are also rich in fiber, getting rid of toxins and protecting the skin from oxidative stress. Consuming vegetable juices regularly adds a healthy glow and radiance to the skin. Consider incorporating cucumber, beetroot, orange, and pomegranate juices. You can also whip your favorite veggies up into a smoothie.
Lemon and Ginger Drinks
Ginger and lemon tea — or a chilled drink with lemon juice and ginger zest — have massive detoxifying properties. Lemon flushes out toxins while ginger is rich in antioxidants and promotes blood circulating at the surface of the skin, resulting in a natural and healthy glow.
Water
You heard it right! Water is one of the essentials of a skin detox diet. This is because drinking water flushes out toxins from the body and improves skin tone. When it comes to skin detox, hydration is key!
Others Ways To Detox Your Skin From Within
In addition to following the right diet, there are multiple ways to detox your skin from inside out, as listed below:
- Double-cleanse your skin. The first round of cleansing should be with an oil-based cleanser to get rid of surface contaminants, followed by a cleansing cream to get rid of any remaining impurities.
- Steam your skin pores. Allow steam to penetrate your skin and cleanse pores. As a DIY steaming process, boil a pot of water and hover your face over it.
- Exfoliate regularly. Use a mask with beta-hydroxy acid or alpha-hydroxy acid to exfoliate your skin. Aim to repeat the process once daily.
- Focus on morning skincare. Every morning, cleanse your face, moisturize with a skin detox moisturizer, and apply sunscreen with an SPF value of over 40.
- Practice stress relief. Stress interferes with the skin’s retention of moisture, resultantly dehydrating it. To allow optimal hydration and flow of nutrients to the skin, assign a portion of your day to practice stress relief, through, for example, meditating.
- Exercise sufficiently. Exercising increases blood flow. According to Marmur, “by increasing blood flow, a bout of exercise helps flush cellular debris out of the system”, thus promoting skin detox.
Foods That Negatively Impact Your Skin
There are multiple foods that can have adverse impacts on your skin — you better avoid these if you’re in for a thorough skin detox. These foods include, but are not limited to:
- Sweet treats decrease good bacteria, cause inflammation, and contribute to acne.
- Dairy products and meat slow down the detoxification process.
- Caffeine increases the content of toxins in your body.
- Salt leads to dehydration and can hinder the detoxifying process.
Conclusion
Skin detox is an essential part of skincare regimes; it helps flush out toxins and restores the original glow of the skin. Consume the healthy foods listed above and incorporate the other ways on how to detox your skin from inside out into your lifestyle for quick and effective results. So, what are you waiting for? Detox your skin and look your absolute best!
