7 Amazing Ways to Detox Your Skin

Detoxing our skin of impurities and toxin build-up is something that we feel is really beneficial to the way our skin looks, and our overall health. If you are looking for a completely natural skin glow, with the added bonus of feeling invigorated and energised; then read our 7 amazing ways to detox your skin which include:

• Infrared Saunas
• Dry Body Brushing
• Drinking Water
• Bath in Dead Sea Salts
• Turmeric & Apple Cider Vinegar
• Charcoal Face Masks
• All Over Body Massages

Detoxing the skin helps to cleanse it from unwanted impurities and substances that have accumulated over time, and removes toxins to achieve healthy, clear skin. The other great thing about detoxing using the methods below is that you will also notice a difference to how you feel, as these treatments benefit health in many other ways as well as clearing skin. It is the perfect 'me-time' activity with the added bonus of being very cleansing to our systems.

Infrared Saunas

Steam rooms and saunas have been known and used for many years to relax and detox the skin and body. In recent years though infrared saunas have taken over from traditional saunas as they are so good for our systems in many ways, including by detoxing skin. An infrared sauna works to reproduce the effects of being in the sun, without the usual risks that we know about from being in sunlight and ultraviolet rays. The sun produces both visible and invisible light, and one of the invisible spectrums is infrared rays. These invisible infrared wavelengths make the sun feel warm, whereas the ultraviolet wavelengths make it bright. Scientists have established that infrared waves are beneficial to the human body because they are easily absorbed. Once absorbed they work on stimulating the lymphatic, immune and cardiovascular systems, and are also great for detoxing as they help to remove toxins. Infrared does all of this without any of the harmful rays of sunlight. The other benefit of infrared saunas is that they are quite comfortable and enjoyable to use, unlike traditional saunas that can be uncomfortable to sit in for a long period of time as they are so hot, and they often cause tiredness afterwards. Infrared saunas are thought to detox our systems and skin of even long-term highly toxic materials that have accumulated in our systems like heavy metals, nicotine and chemicals. Add to this the huge revitalising benefits to skin of increasing cell turnover, balancing skin-tone, hydrating and removing damaging and ageing free-radicals.

The nice thing about an infrared sauna is that you can purchase them and have your own personal one to use at home on a daily basis. They do have a price tag attached, but it is nothing like the cost of a traditional wooden sauna heated from stones. in recent years personal infrared saunas have become much more easily available and with this have dropped in price. If you love a sauna then it is definitely something that is worth looking into.

Dry Body Brushing

We love dry body brushing as it is a simple, free and natural way to exfoliate and detoxify skin. Dry body brushing detoxifies skin by removing dead skin cells and aiding lymphatic drainage, the later is achieved because dry body brushing increases blood circulation and promotes the lymph flow and drainage. It makes your skin look great as it unclogs pores in the exfoliation process. As it also stimulates the nervous system it makes us feel invigorated afterwards. Most of us have a dry body brush lying around the house somewhere, if not they can be purchased for a few pounds, the only thing to take care of is to ensure that the bristles are natural, and always dry body brush in the direction towards the heart.

Use the body brush in sweeping movements from head to toe in the direction of the heart, and always miss out the face, as a body brush is too harsh for the face. Instead use a natural cleansing milk like our Nakin Advanced Cleansing Milk and remove with a muslin cloth, this will exfoliate the face gently and effectively. Then follow with a natural face toner like our Nakin Purifying Face Toner. The skin is one of the biggest detox organs in the body, after the liver and kidneys. So dry body brushing really conditions skin and is actually the best natural treatment for cellulite. To body brush do not use any oil and brush on skin in long sweeping strokes always towards the heart.  For areas of the body above the heart then brush down from the shoulder and neck, and below the heart brush upwards, including the feet and legs. For the arms sweep upwards towards the shoulder.

Drinking Water

Drinking lots of water really helps to keep us hydrated and healthy, as well as cleansing our systems. Surprisingly there has been a lot of controversy on how effective water is at detoxifying. Edzard Ernst who is professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University told the Guardian newspaper that detoxing is a bogus treatment that allegedly detoxifies your body of toxins you’re supposed to have accumulated. He says that if toxins did build up in a way that the body couldn’t excrete, you’d likely be dead or in need of serious medical intervention. “The healthy body has kidneys, a liver, skin, even lungs that are detoxifying as we speak,” he says. “There is no known way – certainly not through detox treatments – to make something that works perfectly well in a healthy body work better.” We understand the theory Professor Ernst is stating, and it is not specifically related to water, but more to the whole detox market and products around these; which have exploded in recent years. But the point is that water really does help in the detoxing process, and we all know this as we have seen what happens when we have not drunk enough water. This is described nicely on Everyday Health’s website. They say that if you don’t drink enough water, your kidneys do not have the amount of fluid they need to do their job properly. “If the body does not have sufficient water, then metabolic wastes will not be removed as efficiently as they should,” explains Amy Hess-Fischl of the University of Chicago Diabetes Center. “In essence, the body would be holding in toxins instead of expelling them, as is required for proper health.” We know that when we drink enough water we feel good and our skin looks good. So this is why water makes our list of top ways to detoxify skin. It’s free and easily available too.

At Nakin we do recommend drinking a good mineral water when possible as they do contain some amazing nutrients in the form of minerals, which can be really revitalising to us.

Dead Sea Salts

The Dead Sea is a very special place. It is also known as the Salt Sea and sits between Jordan and Israel. It is special because it is 10 times as salty as most of the rest of the ocean. This high salinity creates a harsh environment for marine flora and fauna, and this is why it is called the Dead Sea, since a lot of life cannot survive in the environment. But for humans the dead sea salts have many detoxifying and other health benefits, and this is why they are harvested. You can purchase dead sea salts from most pharmacy, health and beauty stores. Be sure that they are 100% natural salts from the dead sea, and with a high Magnesium content. It is the Magnesium in the salts that have such amazing properties. Magnesium is superb at detoxifying and cleansing the skins epidermis. This is because it promotes cell metabolism, and also assists in healing damaged and irritated skin. Just add the dead sea salts to a bath of water as per the directions, and then soak for at least 20 minutes to achieve the benefits. It is deeply hydrating and anti-inflammatory. It also contains sulphur which is anti-bacterial and cleansing. Dead Sea salts gently exfoliate skin at the same time for smooth, calm and healthy-looking skin. Their skin cleansing and conditioning abilities make them great for anti-ageing too. They can be safely used with other products, like our natural skincare range, with all the face products you need for an anti-ageing skincare routine.

Charcoal Masks

Charcoal face masks are a 100% natural way to draw impurities deep from within skin. The thing we love about charcoal face masks is that they offer instant benefits and used with the right daily natural cleansing products like our natural cleansing milk and purifying face toner, they will help to keep skin clear and fresh. They work by the charcoal drawing bacteria, toxins, chemicals, dirt and other microparticles to the surface of the skin. The charcoal is so good at detoxifying that it then absorbs the dirt and grime that it has drawn out, and so the unwanted dirt and debris goes away when the mask is taken off. Charcoal masks help to achieve a flawless complexion and are particularly good at reducing black heads. Apply using a brush for an even precise application and use this mask once a week, or twice if you have very congested skin and lots of blackheads. The nice thing is that after applying the charcoal mask to your face, most people can see their pores opening as the charcoal is like a detoxing magnet and there are instant results of beautifully clean detoxed skin after use. Once your skin is beautifully clean it is then more ready and receptive to receiving face care such as Nakin’s award winning natural skincare range.

Take Turmeric & Apple Cider Vinegar Supplements

Some foods and supplements help to aid our systems in a variety of ways, and we love turmeric and apple cider vinegar for detoxing skin and offering many other health benefits at the same time. Remember to always seek medical advice before taking supplements though. Turmeric helps to achieving a glowing complexion. The curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, it is cleansing and detoxing but also has powerful biological properties. It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for years, but is now popular in the mainstream health environment for a variety of health conditions. These includes for treating coughs, pain, inflammation and is even thought to help heal some serious health issues.

Apple cider vinegar has been the best kept secret for a long time with those in the know, but recently it has been gaining lots of press as a great health supplement for detoxing and bloating, and even weight loss. Medical News Today list the following benefits of ingesting apple cider vinegar as aiding weight loss, curbing appetite, balancing pH in the body, helping to regulate blood sugar levels, reducing cholesterol, aiding digestion, delivering gut and body loving probiotics and enzymes, healing skin conditions and helping to remove toxins from our systems. Sounds pretty amazing to us. Always seek medical advice before taking a supplement, and search for a natural high-quality option, as there can be a huge difference in the quality and performance of different supplements.

All Over Body Massages

An all over body massage has to be one of the nicest ways to detox your whole body. They can be costly but are worth the cost and can be a nice treat after following all the other detoxing steps in this article. Many people turn to massage therapy to reduce stress and help relax; however, clinical studies find that there are significant health benefits associated with massage. For detoxing, massage works by stimulating the muscles and lymph tissue which pushes the blood and lymph fluids around. Pushing these fluids around helps to get them to the detoxifying organs quicker than they otherwise would get there and therefore out of the body faster than they usually would. The American Massage Therapy Association say that massage can help reduce symptoms of an array of conditions as well as boosting a person's immune system functioning.

Massage increases blood circulation and it helps the body to heal on a cellular level by providing nutrients to tissues and helping the body to heal naturally. Massage also works well because when muscles in the body receive a deep massage then the activity of proteins known as cytokines reduces. These cytokines cause inflammation and pain, so reducing them then helps us feel better. At the same time massage helps to increase the levels of proteins that signal the muscles to produce mitochondria. Mitochondria are cell structures that provide energy and also help muscles recover from stress and activity. Facial massage is also important and helps to clear and condition skin. Always use a natural face oil like our Nakin Revitalising Face Oil for the extra benefits of the nutrients from plant oils. These days there are all sorts of home tools for personal massage and many receive great reviews, this can make having a regular massage an affordable detoxing option.

We hope that you enjoy detoxing your skin with our easy and amazing methods. For more information about Nakin and our award winning cruelty free natural anti-ageing skincare, all made in the UK then visit www.nakinskincare.com