Sunday, November 1, 2015

Halloween Detox: 3 Steps to Revive Your Face and Body

david sims vogue march 2011

It’s possible, dare we say likely, that you woke up this morning with traces of meticulously applied fake blood affixed to your neck and a series of depleted candy dishes artfully askew after last night’s costume fete. No matter. A new day is here with a corresponding clock change—you gained one hour of beauty sleep—so why not continue to detox? To come down from the sugar high, New York City nutritionist Keri Glassman, R.D. advocates four days of healthy vegetable-rich simple foods. To revive your skin, Los Angeles–based superfacialist Kate Somerville suggests a full slate of exfoliation techniques to remove glitter, dyes, and makeup followed by the application of vitamin-rich moisturizers. Here are three steps to flight inflammation, unclog pores, and even boost your immunity now that Halloween has come and gone.

Feel the Hydration

Both Somerville and Glassman champion water as the most important first step to reviving your skin and detoxing your body. Glassman recommends supplementing your daily eight glasses of water with lemon and a dash of cayenne. “Lemon is an amazing powerhouse for detox and liver support,” she says, while the cayenne will add a spicy kick that may boost your metabolism. Any way you decide to drink it, “Staying hydrated is incredibly important for flushing out your system.” Water will also help revive overworked skin, says Somerville, which, because of sugar- and alcohol-caused insulin spikes, may be experiencing increased oil production and the growth of pore-clogging cells. For external hydration, she uses DermalQuench Liquid Lift containing water-based hyaluronic acid to quench parched skin cells and seal in moisture.

Food as Fuel

Glassman advises her clients to avoid liquid-only cleanses, saying “Instead of starving your body, I believe in feeding and fueling with nutritious, natural, and unprocessed, real foods.” Glassman advocates for a four-day run of green smoothies (made with spinach, almond milk, half a banana, and chia seeds), followed by crunchy salads featuring a rainbow of veggies, sunflower seeds, and avocado oil, and the nori rolls she makes with avocado, cucumber, hummus, and tofu (sharing her recipes on her website). Try to enjoy a nourishing meal every three to four hours, snacking on more veggies, green tea, half an avocado, half a grapefruit, or a handful of almonds in between. The meal plan is meant to combat post-indulgence bloat, settle the digestive tract, and revitalize your body from the inside out. Somerville wholeheartedly agrees, favoring a diet rich in leafy greens because they’re water-dense and help to rehydrate skin from within, making fine lines less noticeable.

Get Moving

Increasing blood flow to encourage detoxification is also key to a successful post-holiday restoration, aptly starting on All Saints Day. Externally, Somerville recommends what she calls a double cleanse for faces and necks to remove the remnants of heavy theatrical makeup, dyes, and glitter. Steam loosens eyelash adhesives and softens makeup. It also promotes circulation of blood in the face and neck and begins the healing process. Two to three times a week, Somerville uses a washcloth and a gentle exfoliator like ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment with lactic acid, papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin to remove dead skin cells while rosewood and cinnamon extracts to stimulate micro-circulation. Internally, Glassman says exercise is a known antioxidant and recommends daily yoga to aid in recovery. Perhaps this quick revitalizing regime will even lead to some new habits.

The post Halloween Detox: 3 Steps to Revive Your Face and Body appeared first on Vogue.

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