The start of every year should be a joyous occasionuh, we lived!but instead were suddenly bombarded with news items and press releases about detoxing. Juice cleanses, insanely restrictive diets, more exercise than weve ever done in our lives packed into a single weekthese are the types of things we face immediately following the new year. Say it with us: No. Fun. At. All.
Instead of suddenly losing our minds in a frenzied attempt to lose the five pounds we gained in between Thanksgiving and New Years, lets think short-term. Lets think realistic. We asked four expertsone skin pro, one hair pro, one nail pro, and one yoga prowhat we can do now to make healthier moves and, yes, detox our beat-up bods without being totally ridiculous. One does not simply become yoga-doing, guitar-playing, coffee-sipping Gisele Bündchen overnight, you know.
Joanna Vargas, celebrity facialist and founder of Joanna Vargas Salon and Skincare Collection
A green juice a day definitely keeps the skin clean and glowing. Eating healthy is obviously good for many things, but if you want glowing skin, its more important to have a good diet than you might think. I find that the best skin diet is one that involves eating veggies of different colors for every meal and sipping a green juice every day. There is really no substitute and it works for everyone.
If I have a client who doesnt eat salad or drink green juices, I direct them to
to buy liquid chlorophyll. It tastes like mint, and it oxygenates and cleans the skin. Youll see a huge difference in your skin in a matter of days.
You can also try making a detox facial mask at home by mixing one mashed ruby red grapefruit with cooled, cooked oatmeal and a cup of milk. This treatment is loaded with antioxidants, and the grapefruit helps purge toxins to stimulate skin renewal while the oatmeal, which is packed with vital minerals, helps replenish skin and calm inflammation. The milk is dual purpose: the lactic acid exfoliates and it soothes.
Corey Powell, colorist at Sally Hershberger Los Angeles
Hair toxicity starts with the elements like smog and air pollution, but water makes a big difference. Your shower has plenty of chlorine in it, and thats not great for your hair. Styling products and certain shampoos can leave behind toxins in the hair and scalp. Also, if you have a poor diet (lots of fried foods, not enough vegetables or water) or if youre on medications (like thyroid meds), it can add to toxicity in the body, which most definitely affects the hair.
You can tell your hair is toxic because it lacks elasticity: Its brittle, lacks flexibility, and just doesnt bend as easily, or at all. Other signs are dullness and a lack of shine, lots of flyways, and just general lack of softness and manageability.
In order to detox your hair, youll want to remove the residues and toxins that are causing distress. There are certain shampoos that are great for that, like Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo ($57). Also, if you want to go the natural route, create a detoxifying hair treatment at home by mixing equal parts lemon and aloe vera and smooth it on your hair before you shampoo. It helps to alkalize your hair, which resets > <
