How to detox your skin naturally

Your skin is the largest and possibly most underappreciated organ in your body. That alone should be reason enough for you to pamper it from time to time.

Pollution, make-up, oil, dead skin cells, and germs build up on your skin, blocking your pores and leaving you with a dull complexion.

Build-up on your skin can also make it more sensitive, volatile and prone to breakouts. If your skin is looking dull, breaking out or simply does not seem right, it is time to think about a skin detox.

Skin detox helps you cleanse, treat, brighten, moisturise, and soothe your skin back to its optimal condition. It removes impurities, toxins, pollutants, and dead skin cells.

Have you been cleansing your skin once – either in the morning or evening? In the interest of detoxing, it is time to up it to twice a day. Double cleansing (cleansing twice in the morning and evening) is an effective approach to removing all traces of make-up, dirt, dead skin cells and pollutants from the skin.

Poor skin cleansing can cause congestion, breakouts and dullness. Failing to remove all of the deep-seated debris from your pores renders much of what you apply thereafter essentially ineffective – including your pricey serums. 

Oil-based cleansers that dissolve dirt and penetrate deeply into the skin are effective first-cleansing options. After the first cleanse, you can use a water-based cleanser such as micellar water. Try CeraVe’s Hydrating Cleanser, which contains essential ceramides to help nourish the skin during the cleansing process.

After cleansing your skin, steaming is a great way to open up your pores and allow ingredients to penetrate. Steaming can also be effective in removing blackheads, providing hydration for dry skin and promoting blood flow to plump up your skin.

Luckily, steaming is inexpensive. You can simply boil water in a saucepan and hold your face above it with a towel over your head. Hold your face over the steamer for about 10 minutes for the best results.

Alternatively, you can buy a facial steamer specifically designed for skincare purposes. Read and follow the instructions on the steamer. It will guide you on the type of water, temperature, and how close to hold the steamer to your face. Steaming should feel good – if it feels too hot or irritating, stop.

Avoid steaming if you are prone to redness or rosacea or have broken capillaries on the skin. The heat can worsen redness since it promotes more blood flow to the surface of the skin. You should also approach steaming with caution if you have eczema or sensitive skin.

If your skin looks dull and lifeless, a detox face mask might help. Formulated with powerful detoxing ingredients such as purifying clays and exfoliating acids, face masks withdraw impurities and toxins from your pores. This helps restore your skin’s natural glow and keep zits and blackheads at bay.

To get the best results, do not leave on your clay mask until it is dry. Dilute the mask with warm water and leave it on until it is soft, not fully dry. Letting a clay mask dry on your face can strip off its essential oils. While a weekly facial mask works fine for regular use, you should ramp it up to every other day for the duration of your detox.

Health experts recommend drinking at least eight glasses of water daily. While this is the daily recommendation for removing toxins from your body and staying hydrated, few individuals rarely get this amount. Many of us also drink dehydrating beverages such as coffee and alcohol.

When you are on a skin detox, try to avoid dehydrating beverages and increase your water intake. You can swap your morning cuppa for moisturising and skin-clearing green tea or a nutritious soup. Your skin will benefit from the inside-out detox and hydration.

If you have been indulging in fast food, it may have taken a toll on the appearance of your skin. Dairy, added sugar, fried foods, and artificial preservatives can make your skin dull and bloated. For a skin detox, take a vacation from these foods.

Instead, load up on alkaline-rich fruits and veggies such as broccoli, kale, cucumbers, bananas, watermelon, and pears. The alkaline minerals in these foods, such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, which are key in building healthy skin, hair, teeth and bones.