6 Holiday Detox Essentials for Skin, Mind, and Body
Deep-clean your skin and spirit. In collaboration with Beautycounter.
After a very busy fall—when good skin care and smart food choices go out the window along with my routine schedule—I’m truly pumped to be off an airplane with a full weekend at home to relax and do a little detoxing. Detox means different things to different people, but for me, it means a deep cleaning, especially for these poor pores of mine. And that means a lot of skin care from the clean beauty brand Beautycounter.
So, on top of getting in a workout and switching some of the bad food habits that have crept in (I have very serious thoughts on tea versus coffee), I have an at-home facial routine using a few specific types of product. My go-tos right now include Beautycounter’s peel that exfoliates while I sleep, and face oil that makes me look like I’ve never done a bad deed in my life.
But what I find really smart about Beautycounter formulas is that they don’t just ban ingredients blindly or based on rumors; they screen everything they use—whether it’s synthetic or natural—to find the non-toxic options. They are pretty rigorous about safety as well as gathering ingredients from responsible sources, like organic farms, that you can feel good about buying. A detox of the conscience, as well, if you will.
More on my fall detox below.
1. Wake Up Looking like an Angel with an Overnight Peel
The “wow” moment with the Beautycounter Overnight Resurfacing Peel is when you rinse your face in the morning and your skin feels insanely soft and smooth. It uses the gold-standard acids like glycolic, lactic, and malic, but I don’t get any stinging feeling because it’s formulated to exfoliate gently and slowly over the course of hours. By morning your skin looks and feels super fresh, and it’s also ready for nourishing product on top.
2. Jump On the Matcha Bandwagon
Growing up in Seattle meant I was a coffee fiend starting in my teen years (true!), but when my acupuncturist convinced me to try a month on matcha instead of coffee, I found that a huge amount of my nervous energy was gone, and I slept more soundly. When I’m traveling a lot, I sometimes sneak in coffee here or there, but now that I’m at home detoxing, I’m back on the matcha wagon with MatchaBar Classic Matcha.
3. Deep Cleanse with a Luxe Balm
Two reasons why using an oil-based cleansing balm like Beautycounter Cleansing Balm is part of my detox: One is because it allows me to massage my skin while I apply it (you use it on dry skin), and the other is because of the oils that lift out dirt and who-knows-how-old makeup out of my pores. It seems contradictory at first, but really nothing removes grime better than oil-based cleansers. I always rinse thoroughly using a hot wet towel, or, if I really need it, I’ll double-cleanse.
4. Smudge the Heck Out of Your Place
Yes, I totally do the sage smudging thing. I’ll light up a bundle (I like to buy them from Energy Muse in California) and slowly work my way around my apartment, imagining bad vibes or bad memories from myself or visitors vanishing away—almost like an eraser. To be honest, though, I don’t think you have to be a “believer” to get benefits from a ritual like this. Even if it’s a placebo effect, my apartment feels more light and relaxed after I smudge—I’ll take that any day.
5. Massage In a Face Oil That Makes You *Glow*
This Beautycounter No. 1 Brightening Facial Oil is made up of several natural oils blended together. The end result contains a lot of vitamin C, which brightens skin over time. I like to massage it in, focusing on my jawline. I think massaging your skin can make a world of difference, especially if you make it a daily routine. The benefits of circulation and lymphatic movement seem to accumulate over time, and I find that when I’m doing it regularly, my skin is way more resilient when I do have to pull a late night.
6. Get Sweatin’
Sweating is essentially the most basic way to detox—if you’re just purging a negative mood. What I love about these super breathable Girlfriend Collective LITE High-Rise Leggings in Plum is I can wear them on a run down by the Hudson River in fall, or they can come with me to a super-sweaty hot yoga class. Plus, they’re made with recycled materials, which, like Beautycounter, helps me feel really good about what I’m buying as well.
