These 5 Ingredients Are The Best For Detoxing Your Skin

With so many skin-care options available that offer to purge your skin and rid it of all impurities, I have to wonder: Can you actually detox your skin? After all, skin isn't really like your other organs that filter out bad stuff you put in your body. Right? To get to the bottom of how your skin helps detox your various systems, and what your skin care can do to help, I emailed with a couple of experts.

Dr. Clarissa Shetler and Christine Falsetti, PhD, founders of C2 California Clean, and Tara Pelletier, co-founder of Meow Meow Tweet, all let me know that, yes, you can detoxify your skin, but it doesn't exactly happen in the same ways other organs detox. Pelletier explains that excreting waste is one of the main physiological functions of the skin. So when other organs such as the liver get overwhelmed with cleaning and filtering, it may pass off some of the work to other organs including skin (which is why you may have noticed extra breakouts a couple days after having those extra cocktails). However, what you put on your skin isn't what does the detoxing, says Pelletier, but it can help "support the skin in its natural detoxifying process."

How this works, Pelletier explains, is certain ingredients that "cleanse, exfoliate, and tone the skin not only wash away environmental toxins like pollution and bacteria, but they also act to recalibrate oil production and cell turnover which in turn helps the skin go about its normal functions more efficiently." Curious what some of these ingredients are? Here are five that will help draw out the negative effects of stress, pollution, and whatever you may put in your body, to reveal healthier skin:

1. Clay

MMT Face Mask, $30, Meow Meow Tweet

Popular for its detoxifying properties, Drs. Shetler and Falsetti explain the reason clay works so well to clear out your pores is "because it attracts metals and impurities due to its magnetic charge." The best way to use this ingredient they say? As a face mask.

2. Chlorophyll

Chloro Plasma Purifying Mask, $80, Perricone MD

Chlorophyll is another great natural cleanser, say Drs. Shetler and Falsetti. They explain that it helps remove dirt from both on and under your skin, and it even "acts as an antioxidant and protects skin."

3. Yogurt

Greek Yoghurt Advanced Nourishing Sleeping Facial, $46, Korres

Whether you like to DIY or want to find a product with natural benefits, Drs. Shetler and Falsetti recommend trying a yogurt face mask. Yogurt, they say, is great for cleansing, preventing acne, and will leave your skin with a radiant glow.

4. Coffee Extract

Caudalie Instant Detox Mask, $39, Sephora

Besides being an antioxidant, relieving eye puffiness, and preventing cellulite production, coffee extract "stimulates circulation in the body, which supports detoxification," say Drs. Shetler and Falsetti. Between the yogurt and the coffee, you really can have your breakfast and wear it too.

5. Salt

Bobbi Brown Instant Detox Mask, $47, Bobbi Brown

Even though salt isn't always the healthiest ingredient to put in your body, it can actually work wonders when used on your skin. Drs. Shetler and Falsetti explain, "Salt has great moisturizing properties and actually creates a stronger moisture barrier on the skin when used as a detox ingredient. This helps to effectively reduce pollutants from settling into your skin." Who knew?

Because even if your skin care isn't actually doing the detoxing, it's always nice to have a little help.