How to Detox Your Body & Skin

It’s time to rethink the detox. Long seen as a quick fix to reboot your body and skin, it’s gained a reputation as a one-and-done practice we follow every January. But, to truly get the benefits of a skin and body detox, it’s important to support your lymphatic system all year round. This built-in detoxification system never stops working, so why only address it once a year?

That’s why we’ve created an easy-to-follow skin and body detox that fits into your regimen with ease. No fad diets or lengthy rituals – just simple, healthy changes that keep you ‘detoxed’ from head to toe. Keep scrolling to boost your body and detox your skin, so you can feel lighter and look brighter from one season to the next…

6 tips for a body detox

A range of wellness trends have been claimed to detoxify your body, from 5:2 fasts to juice cleanses to activated charcoal. But, the truth is, your body is already built to manage and eliminate toxins – your job is simply to support that process by living well and taking care of yourself. 

So, to ensure your body can detox itself effectively, follow IRÄYE’s healthy practices. These are quick and easy changes that you can start making today…

1. Drink plenty of water

One of the best ways you can support your body detox is by keeping hydrated. Drinking around three litres of water per day is key to aiding digestion, boosting absorption of nutrients, and flushing out toxic waste. Increasing your water intake also works to improve the quality of your skin, hair and nails, helping you to glow from the inside out.  

2. Give your body time to rest

You know that a good night’s sleep is beneficial to your mood and focus, but did you know that your body does much of its healing work while you rest? This is the time when your skin repairs itself – making a night-time skincare regimen essential – and it’s also when your detoxification system deals with the waste that’s built up throughout the day. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body doesn’t have time to remove toxins, and over time they accumulate. So, aim to get seven to nine hours of rest per night to support your body and mind.

3. Reduce your salt and sugar intake

Eating too many sugary foods can harm the organs responsible for purifying your body, such as the liver and kidneys. Meanwhile, eating high levels of salt with not enough water may cause your body to hold on to excess fluid, while triggering the release of an antidiuretic hormone that prevents detoxification. So, aim to reduce your intake of sugar and salt (while still letting yourself enjoy treats), and focus instead on antioxidant-rich foods packed with vitamins A, C and E.

4. Engage in regular exercise

Make movement part of your day, every day. By keeping active, you not only improve your sleep and mood, but you also help to reduce inflammation markers in your body. This inflammation can negatively impact how your detoxification system functions, so by dialing it down, you give your body a better chance of flushing out waste and protecting itself from diseases. 

5. Try a lymphatic drainage massage

If you suspect your body is holding on to excess water and not detoxifying itself effectively, try giving yourself a body sculpting lymphatic drainage massage – especially during winter. “When it’s cold, the blood vessels in our skin constrict, they become tight, and they do not lose as much water as they should, and so the lymphatic vessels cannot be activated and become sluggish,” explains Professor Michael Detmar, co-founder of IRÄYE Skincare. 

“We also tend to do less physical activity in winter, so there’s less muscle activation of lymphatic function, and many of us drink less water in the winter than in summer, so our body is less hydrated, which reduces the function of lymphatic vessels.”

By manually activating your lymphatic system with a firm yet gentle massage, you can counteract these effects while also elevating blood circulation. Start by smoothing The Shaping Body Cream onto limbs. Powered by the LYMPHACTIVE™ Complex, it supports your lymphatics, while goldenrod soothes your skin, and horse chestnut relieves the sensation of heavy legs. Apply the velvety lotion from the ankles up to the buttocks, and then from the wrists up to the shoulders, using swift sweeping motions that encourage trapped lymph to drain away. For boosted results, you can also team The Shaping Body Cream with the Body Gua Sha, a massaging tool that encourages deeper drainage by further breaking down fluid retention.  

6. Do a digital detox

We’ve talked a lot about healthy practices that detoxify your body, but living well means taking care of your mind and emotions, too. So, why not embrace a digital detox? You don’t have to cut out screen time completely, but reducing exposure to blue light has been shown to have a positive impact on sleep and, in turn, mental well-being. 

Meanwhile, reducing the amount of ‘doom scrolling’ you do can be helpful if you find you feel low after browsing Instagram. It’s time you can replace with mind-kind activities, like reading a book, going for a walk or simply resting. Try adding time limits on your phone for apps you commonly overindulge in, and start unfollowing and muting accounts that tend to trigger negative thoughts and emotions. 

How to detox skin in 5 steps

While many of the healthy lifestyle updates above will benefit your skin – such as drinking more water – you can also detoxify your pores with a lymphatic-activating skincare regimen. Here’s how…

1. Start with double cleansing

One of the quickest and most effective ways to ‘detox’ your skin is with a cleanser, but you don’t need a harsh, stripping formula to slough away impurities. Instead, use a gentle wash, like the Cream-to-Foam Cleanser, to purify and nourish your skin. Its luxurious lather will melt away makeup, dirt and oil for a fresh canvas. 

Then, embrace the art of double cleansing. While a single cleanse is enough for the morning, a two-phase ritual is vital for ensuring you go to bed with clear, detoxified pores. The first wash will tackle surface impurities, like foundation SPF and oil, while the second wash will work deeper to ensure every last trace of dirt is removed. 

2. Support your lymphatic system

Your lymphatic system is responsible not just for detoxifying your body, but for also removing toxic waste and easing water retention in your skin. So, supporting this system is key when you want a smoother, more sculpted complexion – and it becomes even more vital in winter, as Prof. Detmar explains. 

“Our skin becomes dry in cold weather,” he says, “which means it’s more easily irritated and more easily bombarded by microbes, putting a lot of stress on the lymphatic system.” This is one of many reasons why IRÄYE created the LYMPHACTIVE™ Complex, the world’s first beauty technology to support your lymphatics, with a Swiss-patented blend that powers every product in our portfolio. 

From the Radiance Firming Serum to The Cream to the Eye Revive Cream, these anti-ageing formulas are designed to activate lymphatic vessels, giving you an overall tighter, brighter look. Make them a part of your daily regimen to give your lymphatic system the support it deserves. With brightening vitamin C, line-smoothing Bio-Retinol and plumping hyaluronic acid, they work in tandem to deliver youthful radiance. 

3. Protect skin with antioxidants

Free radicals are an ever-present challenge for your skin, triggered by sun exposure, air pollution and even the water you wash your face with – to name just a few aggressors. They wreak havoc on your skin cells, breaking down the collagen that’s crucial to smooth, tight skin and, in turn, leaving your complexion vulnerable to premature fine lines, wrinkles and sagging. 

But, thankfully, there are ways to prevent this damage. Antioxidants are crucial to a skin detox, as they forage and neutralise free radicals to lessen their impact. One of the most potent antioxidants of all is vitamin C, and the richest natural source of this vitamin is the Kakadu plum, which you’ll find in Radiance Firming Serum and The Cream. By layering the two, you get a day and night dose of vitamin C that works to shield your pores from everyday aggressors, while bestowing skin with a vibrant and energised glow. 

4. Apply the IRÄYE way

Giving your skin a detox isn’t merely about the products you use; your application technique is also key to sweeping trapped fluid away. So, apply Radiance Firming Serum and The Cream ‘the IRÄYE way’, with lymphatic drainage practices in mind. For each product, follow these simple steps:

1. Begin by smoothing your serum or cream from the centre of your forehead out to your temples, using the flats of your fingers in a sweeping motion.

2. Next apply a dot to the tip of your nose and massage it across your cheeks and out towards your eyes. Repeat this gesture with swift, gentle strokes.

3. Finish by applying your serum or cream to the centre of your chin, then glide it along your jawline and down onto your neck.

4. At the base of your neck, use your fingertips to massage in small, circular motions. Then gently grasp your ears and lightly massage them. Tap the contours of your face with fingertips to complete your regimen.  

5. Keep your regimen consistent

The best skincare regimens are consistent, so commit to using cleanser, serum, face cream and eye cream morning and night to reveal a more luminous complexion. Combined with better sleep, more water and daily movement, your skin and body will have everything they need for an effective detox.