The best and easiest weekend skin detox
I remember when I did my first detox, a ten-day brown rice fast. I was nineteen at the time, infatuated with macrobiotics, and craving purity of both the physical and ideological kind. How hard could it be to just eat brown rice all day? While I didn’t starve, the monotony did get to me. I settled into a kind of brown rice trance. Everything started to look beige, but I diligently mastered the art of contemplative chewing. I had a lot of time on my hands, and noticed the odd compulsion to start cleaning and sorting through everything. I took extra time brushing my teeth, scrubbed the bathroom spotless, and started dry brushing my skin again after a several year lapse.
That’s exactly what a good detox does: it inspires you to get your house in order mind, body, spirit and purge the old, unnecessary, and unhealthy.
Here, we’ve laid out some quick methods to flush out stubborn toxins and wake up radiant come Monday.
Day 1
EVENING
Set the tone: Get rid of loose ends, old newspapers, and any kind of visual clutter. If you can, shut off your computer for the weekend. Commit to focusing on the internal, and create a calming, soothing sanctuary to support the cleansing process. Buy flowers, light a candle, and sink into how relaxing lack of stimulus can be.
Stockpile: A great way to clean out your body and clear up your skin is by eating fresh, organic foods. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and processed and refined foods. Brown rice is optional, but do load your fridge with:
Pineapple (great for the digestive system)
Apples and Pears (for liver and bowel)
Broccoli and Carrots (liver and bowel)
Beets, Leeks, and Greens (for the liver)
Fresh Ginger (for digestion)
Fresh lemon (to alkalize the body and break down mucus)
Purify: Water is your skin’s Girl Friday: it hydrates your cells, protects your organs, and speeds the elimination process. Although tap water is safe, it may not be ideal. Chemicals, pesticides and heavy metals can leach from soil into water sources. Invest in a water filter for cooking and drinking the taste may even inspire you to drink more water, always a boon for the complexion. We love the ease of the Culligan under the sink drinking water system US-EZ-4 EZ Change ($73).
Day 2
MORNING
Wakeup call: Rise and shine with some hot lemon water. We know it’s not quite the same as coffee, but drinking hot lemon water first thing in the morning very hot water mixed with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice aids digestion and encourages elimination. Plus, lemon juice, taken internally, is renown to be a great skin cleanser and can help minimize acne. Feel like your skin is getting greasy? Dilute some lemon juice with water and use as an energizing face toner.
AFTERNOON
Sweat (out) the small stuff: Gentle yoga, a brisk walk, or an easy bike ride help flush toxins out of your body. Combine your exercise session with several rounds of deep, conscious breathing (think diaphragm) and you’ll stimulate your lymphatic system as well.
EVENING
Brush, soak, glisten: Get into the routine of dry brushing your skin, which is one of the most effective ways to turbo charge your lymph. It’s best to dry brush before a shower or a bath, as the scrubbing removes dead skin cells. Using a vegetable fiber brush expressly for the body, starts at your extremities, and with circular strokes make your way to your heart. (Working towards the heart encourages blood circulation.) Stay away from your face, but don’t neglect your feet and hands.
Follow up with a warm bath, adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Rehydrate your skin with a body cream or oil packed with essential fatty acids like jojoba to boost skin lipid content. Try Ren Damask Rose Ramnose Biosccharide Body Cream, 6.8 oz; $44;) with jojoba and rosehip oil; ramnose, a skin soothing sugar; and the exhilarating scent of Damask rose.
Day 3
MORNING
Get your scrub on: Treat yourself to an easy, DIY scrub that works like a charm on combination skin. Blend a couple teaspoons of instant, uncooked oatmeal with a few almonds in the blender. Mix with a touch of water to make a paste, and apply to your skin in gentle, circular movements. Avoid your eye area, and rinse off with warm water. The almonds make for an effective exfoliant, while the oatmeal soothes and protects.
AFTERNOON
Product Purge: Now is a great time to go through all your beauty products, check expiration dates, and examine the labels for toxic chemicals such as parabens, phthalates, and petrochemicals. Most skincare now has a symbol on the packaging for how many months it will last until expiry. Throw away the stuff you don’t use, has expired, or contains the nasties you want to avoid putting on your face and body.
EVENING
Spa finale: Wind down your detox weekend with a quick face steam, followed by a nourishing clay mask. For the steam, put some very hot water in a bowl and then position your face over the bowl. Drape a towel over your head and the bowl so the steam doesn’t escape, and stay there for about 10 minutes. Follow with a clay mask to absorb excess oil and toxins; we love Talulah Pacific Seaweed Purity Mask (2.5 oz; $25).
By Elizabeth Marglin
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