Fashion

7 Ways To Detox Your Skin In Winter

by Emily McClure
Portrait of woman drinking tea in sunlight.
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When it comes to detoxing your skin, everyone tends to think that you have to give something up, like fatty foods or sugars. While these can be good suggestions, depending on what you're trying to do, there are plenty of ways to cleanse your system without giving anything up. In fact, at times it's better to have the opposite perspective and think of what you can add to your lifestyle to help your body detoxify. For instance, while eliminating sugary drinks is helpful to your skin, adding leafy greens and lean protein can be just as beneficial. It's all about balance when it comes to healing your skin properly.

Wondering what detoxifying your skin even means? Basically, it's about removing any pollution buildup or waste from your system in order to improve your overall health. As your skin is one of your largest organs, it's important to focus on keeping it as clean and free of toxins as you can. While this may sound like a challenge, it's actually not that hard. By changing small practices in your lifestyle, you can completely transform the way your body feels and looks. Just by adding simple measures into your daily routine, you can help your body flush out any impurities, which will leave your skin looking radiant. Wondering what you can do to make this happen? Here are seven ways you detoxify your skin without giving anything up.

1. Invest In A Clay Mask

Indian Healing Clay, $5, Vitamin Shoppe

Think of clay as a perfect suction cup. Basically, it has the power to remove any dirt, oil, heavy metal, or pollution that has gotten trapped in your pores. According to Dr. Dennis Gross, a New York City based dermatologist, in an interview with Prevention, "Clay's negative charge attracts the positive charge of the impurities and pulls them toward the skin's surface, where they're whisked away when you remove the mask."

2. Exfoliate Daily

Cleanser, $6, Ulta

Instead of using an abrasive scrub once week, reach for cleanser that pulls double duty by removing dead skin cells as well as unclogging your pores. Cleansers with glycolic acid are perfect for this as they micro-exfoliate the skin without the irritation of a scrub, according to Refinery 29. This way all of the impurities in your skin are being pulled out and buffed away without causing further sensitivity.

3. Keep Hydrated

Jesse Grant/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

While it may seem like a no-brainer, many of us don't drink as much water as we should. Keeping our body hydrated allows our internal functions to operate properly, according to EverydayHealth. For organs such as our skin and kidneys that help to remove toxins, a hydrated body is essential for proper detoxing.

4. Eat Green

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

If you haven't already included leafy greens into your diet, you may want to start. Foods such as kale, cilantro, and spinach can help to remove heavy metals from fat cells as well as give the body much needed fiber, according to TheNest.com. These foods are essential for anyone looking to flush toxins from their system.

5. Get Your Beauty Rest

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It's time to hit the snooze button, because getting a full eight hours of sleep is one of the best ways to flush out toxins. According to The Washington Post, when we sleep, our brains are working hard on cleaning out waste and its byproducts from our cells. So, when lose precious sleep, our body is still holding on to all of that waste. This is what leads us to feeling out of sync, groggy, or cranky.

6. Try A Detox Tea

Tea, $3, Thrive Market

Many of these teas contain antioxidants that help to support healthy kidney and liver functions, which are integral organs that remove toxins from our system. While tea alone isn't enough to detox your entire body, according to Shape, it does help contain antioxidants that help to reduce oxidative stress and free radicals from pollution.

7. Use A Brush With Your Cleanser

Clarisonic, $199, Sephora

In order to kick your cleanser up a notch, try using them with a brush. According to cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson, adding a brush into your cleansing routine helps to make your products more effective at removing nanoparticles of pollution.

Healthy skin is glowing skin. Amp up your current beauty routine by including healthy lifestyle actions that improve the purity and healthy of your skin.

Images: Getty Images (2); Courtesy Brands