Our complete 10-step skin detox guide will walk you through exactly how to achieve a healthier, brigher complexion.
Your skin is the largest and arguably most overlooked organ in your body, and that alone is enough reason for you to give it a little extra love from time to time. Skin buildup, such as pollution, makeup, oil, dead skin cells and bacteria, sits on your skin, clogging your pores and causing a lackluster complexion that’s more sensitive, volatile and prone to breakouts. If your skin seems extra dull, is breaking out, or just seems off, it might be time to consider a skin detox.
Detoxingyour skin means removing as many of the impurities, toxins, pollutants and dead skin cells as possible to cleanse, treat, brighten, hydrate and soothe your skin back to its optimal condition. If you’ve yet to try a skin detox, it’s probably time. But before you start, some tips to keep in mind to boost the skin detoxification process. If you can, incorporate them into your daily routine.
Read on for our step-by-step skin detox guide for a brighter, healthier, glowing complexion. We suggest a week-long skin detox cycle, every 3 months or so right before bedtime. Think about enjoying this and making it a relaxing self-care ritual. Take your time, enjoy the process and de-stress!
The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily water intake of around 91 ounces if you’re aiming to flush toxins from your system. So try to drink at least ten glasses of water a day to get your skin detox started from the inside out. Get plenty of water and try to steer away from alcohol and all sugary juices at all costs while detoxing you skin.
The use of apple cider vinegar for detoxification goes back thousands of years. Apple cider vinegar is known to help your PH balance get back to an alkaline zone, which gets your digestive system back in order, keeps your energy higher from natural resources and is naturally stimulates the detox of your liver. Swap out your morning cup of coffee for a morning detox elixir: you may miss that cup of joe, but your body will adjust and you will eventually feel healthier and cleaner in the end.
Cleansing should be a daily habit, of course, but no matter your typical skincare routine, a skin detox requires doublecleansing using a high quality cleansing cream. The first part of your double cleansing routine will help remove makeup, dirt, excess oils and pollution from your skin, while the second part will help remove any remaining impurities that are left on the surface of your skin.
Use a gentle exfoliating formula like an enzymatic powder. The goal is to slough away all the pollution, makeup, oil, bacteria, dead skin cells and toxins that you are purging from your skin.
After your double cleansing, with squeaky clean complexion, exposing your skin to steam is great way to allow your next ingredients to penetrate and clean out your pores of as much grime as possible. Bring a pot of water to boil, then transfer the water to a bowl. Hover your face above the bowl and drape a towel over your head to concentrate the steam to your facial pores for about ten minutes.
Your hyaluronic acid, vitamin c, retinol or tea tree can be applied now that your pores are open, clean and ready to absorb the active ingredients. Vitamin C especially, is a great detoxing agent. Rich in antioxidants, vitamin C scavenges free radicals- pesky environmental aggressors that can cause things like fine lines, wrinkles, dull skin and other premature signs of aging to occur on the skin. So, protecting - and detoxifying - the skin from them can be beneficial in the fight against premature skin aging.
Your skin detox wouldn’t be complete without keeping your skin's moisture levels balanced. Opt for a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid designed to help lock water into the skin, helping you get to optimum hydration levels. Follow up with a microalgae essence to recharge and hydrate the skin. Algae adds moisture to the skin by improving the cell membranes plus contains multiple antioxidants, essential amino acids and omega-three fatty acids to detoxify the skin.
It’s time for a detoxifying, leave-on, anti-aging face mask to help revitalize your skin from impurities build up, and reveal a radiant complexion in the morning. Take advantage of the balm-like texture to deeply massage your detoxifying mask into your skin circling the area around the eyes and using movements from the center outwards. Leave on all night and wake up to radiant skin, ready to take on the day.
When you wake up, your morning routine during a skin detox includes cleansing, boosters, moisturizer and sunscreen, in this specific order. Your moisturizer and sunscreen not only keep you skin protected from sun damage throughout the day, but also provide a barrier against environmental aggressors like pollution.
What you put into your body affects your skin as much as what you put on it, so it’s important to adapt your diet to your skin detoxing goals. Stay off dairy products, fried foods, and sugars, which are all pore-clogging and skin-dulling, for the duration of your detox. Instead, opt for lots of alkaline-rich fruits and veggies like pears, broccoli, kale, watermelon, and bananas. Alkaline minerals (like calcium, magnesium, and potassium) keep skin strong and healthy fats from foods like avocados and nuts will have you glowing from the inside.
Just like a nutritional detox, a skin detox allows you skin to reboot. Detoxing stimulates a healthier environment for your skin, fostering collagen and elastin development, boosting cell metabolism, increasing cell turnover and improving the skin barrier.
