Detox 101: The Basics of Detoxing Your Body

Depending on what kind of crowd you roll with, detoxing can be popular with you or something new but either way, it’s not a new concept. People have been detoxing their bodies for years and for most, it’s a necessary—and sometimes evil—time. I love detoxing though. The first one that I did was when I was in high school. We fasted on apples and oranges during the end of the year. It was hard and required discipline but I made it the week successfully! Since then, I’ve truly loved the detox process.

My Detox Testimony

As I’ve shared here before, I struggle with a disorder called Hidradenitis Supportiva. There’s no cure and the only way to deal with it is through surgery, antibiotics, and other holistic means. I’ve found that through detoxing, I have less flare ups. I’ve tried all the detox methods that I’m discussing here and, while I prefer some over others, I’ve experienced success with all of them.

So what does success look like for me? No flare ups, clear skin, weight loss, and improved digestive functionality (that’s adult code for regular pooping). Weight-loss has been a side effect as well since after the detox my digestive system is running in tip top shape.

How To Tell If You Need To Detox

Are you more tired than normal? Is coffee not doing it for you anymore? Are you experiencing more breakouts? Have a lot of mucous building up? Not feeling so well?

These are all signs that it may be time for you to detox. A detox when seasons change help to prevent sickness and reactions to allergies as they allow your body the time it needs to build up its immunity. It rids your body of unnecessary mucous and toxins that can lead to you becoming sick and more tired.

Methods of Internal Detoxing

These are all methods that I’ve tried myself and have gotten some kind of success with.

The Master Cleanse Diet

This is also known as The Lemonade Diet. This was big in the early 2000’s and the Hollywood stars would swear by it to lose weight. It’s called the lemonade diet because for a minimum of 10 days you drink nothing but a drink that’s made with cayenne pepper, lemons, distilled water, and grade B Maple syrup. This is a hard cleanse but incredibly effective. I’ve done this a couple of times in my lifetime and each yielded great results. By the end I felt lighter, more energized, and ready to make positive changes in my life.

Green Smoothie Cleanse

This was made popular a couple of years ago as well. This is another 10-Day cleanse where you consume green smoothies with a variety of different recipes as well as teas that will aid in elimination. This one I liked because I love smoothies. I did find it to be effective but not as much as the Master Cleanse.

Juicing

Juicing is probably my favorite. I did a 60-day juice cleanse for my 30^th birthday that was truly phenomenal. I don’t mean juices in the sense of apples and all the delicious fruits. I mean juicing things like fennel, spinach, kale, ginger, and other veggies that are nutrient dense. Green juices have become a favorite of mine after watching “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”. I have the juicer from this documentary and I love the fact that I can use the pulp to create casseroles and quiches.

Equinox Cleanse

This one is NOT popular at all. The only way I know about this is because an elder of mine had us do this my first year of college and this worked like a charm. It’s a 1-week cleanse where during the day you eat 3 apples and a handful of green grapes. Throughout the day you have 1 salad made with mustard greens, leeks, and lemon juice. This was the hardest cleans that I’ve ever done but it was so necessary. After the first day I was releasing mucous and I was one of the only ones in my dorm not to get sick that winter.

Additional Information on Internal Detoxing

People can sometimes find going on a detox daunting and it can be! Start off slow with 1-2 days at a time to see how you feel after that before making a commitment of a week or more. Understand that these methods aren’t for everyone! Some additional daily things you can do to detoxify your body are:

• Drink hot water with lemon in it every morning
• Take a tablespoon of Cider Vinegar

• Add turmeric to your food
• Eat clean
• Detox teas

When detoxing, make sure that you choose fresh and organic items to use.

Methods of External Detoxing

For some, it’s just too hard to do an internal cleanse but that doesn’t mean you can’t detox your body!

Detox Bath

Mix Epsom Salt, Lavender EO, and some Tea Tree EO and soak in a nice, warm bath.

Deodorant Detox

Do you know how bad the normal deodorant is for your body? That’s another post for another day but as someone who struggles with infections, this is one of my favorite products. You can snag some of this here along with some of the deodorant detox soap. This works better than regular deodorant and is better for your body too.

Dry Brushing

This is more of an exfoliator but it’s helped my skin so I figured I would share! Make sure that you’re using an all-natural body brush. You brush the skin lightly while it’s dry prior to bathing. This leaves your skin way softer than pre-brushing and helps to remove the surface level toxins.

I love the way that my body feels after a good internal or external detox!

Are you into detoxifying your body? What methods do you use?

**Please note that I’m not a doctor and you should consult a doctor for any medically related issues you may have. This is based on my opinion and results.**