Detoxification 101: The Skin (Part 3)

Hello friends,

I promised to write a post on the skin being one of the largest elimination organs, so here it is! Please refer to my detoxification post and the liver detox post for more details on detoxification. 

The skin is the largest organ. Yes, the biggest!

Its function is to protect everything else that’s underneath; which means that we need to show our skin constant love and care. The skin also helps to control our body temperature.

Source

The skin is made up of 3 layers:

                The top layer - epidermis (what you see)

                Middle Layer –  the dermis, houses nerve endings, blood vessels, oil glands, sweat glands, collagen and elastin

                Third layer – this is where you can find the subcutaneous tissue (fat).

So now that we’ve quickly gone over the layers, let’s talk about how we can keep our skin healthy via detoxing. 

The epidermis is what we can see, but what we cannot see is the formation of new skin cells. As new skin cells push their way to the epidermis, old skin or dead skin cells slough off.

Did you know that a typical skin cell has a life cycle of about 2 weeks? In fact, we lose about 30,000-40,000 skin cells per minute, every day.

So what does the skin have to do with detoxification?

The process of detoxifying :: removing toxins:: removing impurities::cleansing.

Again, the skin is the largest organ. It is a major detoxifying organ, because it excretes waste via sweat. Also, the skin acts as a respiratory organ- it is porous; it breathes.  For instance, one of the side effects of going through any detox often involves skin blemishes. This is a sign of the detoxification process-toxins being expelled through our pores. Our bodies are constantly cleansing and removing waste, but there are many things that we can do to help that process run more smoothly.

 

Important note: The skin is a reflection of our insides. In other words, the skin reflects the health of our large intestines and other organs. (this is why daily bowel movements are so important for me). There is  definitely a connection between the large intestines and the skin. When the body has a difficult time removing waste through the colon (i.e. bowel movements), the body finds other avenues to get rid of that waste. And that pathway is usually the skin (gross right!). Pimples, blemishes, acne, cysts all surface as the body tries to get rid of waste. Some people can eat whatever and still have perfect skin, that is not the case for me. My skin is not perfect at all, but it has definitely improved.

It is of utmost importance that we keep our intestines clean. Make a conscious effort to get as much water, veggies and fruits as you can will definitely help to do just that. If you’re being with me for a little while, then you know I do this via my delicious green smoothies. (link ) In summary, a clean large intestine reflects healthier looking skin, but this is just 1 way of keeping the skin clear. There are many other ways:

1.  Skin Brushing – I’ve never tried this yet, but I hope to do so in the near future. Dry skin brushing is easy to do and the health benefits are amazing. Dry skin brushing improves blood circulation to the skin encouraging the lymphatic system to release toxins and to drain any trapped metabolic waste, thereby, keeping the blood and other tissues clean. Also dry skin brushing reduces cellulite and puffiness. Most visibly, dry skin brushing sloughs away dry, dead skin to help reveal new skin cells. 
2. Sweating- a great way to detox the body and release toxins and waste. Sweating is good; this is why I’m against deodorants that prevent sweating under the arms for long periods of time. Infrared saunas are especially great for this method of skin detoxing. They encourage sweating and claim to improve circulation and to eliminate heavy metals in the body.   
3. Exercising- is not only great for the skin, but for overall health. I love cardio workouts for this reason. I get to sweat and my heart gets a great workout.
4. Baths- not just any bath- A detox bath will definitely assist the body in the elimination of waste and toxins. Ingredients like Epsom salt, baking soda, bentonite clay, essential oils, like lavender, tea tree oil etc. are key to most detox bath recipes.

** These are just some ways to encourage your body to detox via the skin. Please share any other skin detoxification tips. We can all learn from each other. 

I hope this helps,

Help with the Oil Cleansing Method + Happy New Year

I'm currently researching the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM). I am definitely leaning towards this method to keep my face moisturized, prevent the overproduction of oil and reduce breakouts.

Has anyone tried the oil cleansing method? If so, what advice would you give?

As 2012 comes to a close, I wish all of you the BEST that the New Year has to offer. To all my followers, thank you for all your support and continued support on the blog. I started this blog as a means to learn, relearn and share the many facets of health and wellness. Although, this blog is small, I'm grateful for what it is today and the community that has formed as a result. Thank you to all of you who ask questions, comment, like and share my posts. Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!

 Happy New Year!

Lavender Infused Coconut & Shea Body Butter

Yesterday was the perfect day to be a mixtress! It rained/snowed all day, which means ideal weather for me to stay in. 

I bought a small vial of lavender essential oil and wanted to use it in my next body butter recipe. My last batch of body butter ran out. You can find it here. I experimented by using different quantities of shea butter, cocoa butter and coconut oil, which is indicative in these two batches.The one of the right includes more butters. The batch on the left includes more coconut oil.

I no longer use store bought lotions for my body. Whipping up my own batch of oils and butters is all I need for healthy, moisturized skin. Oh, did I mention that lavender essential oil smells heavenly!

Detoxification 101: The Liver (Part 2)

In my previous post, I explained what detoxification means and why we detox our bodies. 

In order to really comprehend detoxification, I think it is important to understand how our bodies naturally detoxes itself. In this post, I will go into further detail about how the liver naturally detoxes our bodies. In addition, I will discuss various foods and herbs that help the liver function optimally.

via pinterest

Introduction

The liver is the primary detoxification organ in our bodies. Along with the kidneys, the liver does a great job of processing chemicals and toxins via sweat, urine and/or feces. This is why I'm so anal (pun intended) about making sure I have bowel movements every day.

How the liver works
The liver detoxifies harmful substances, both internal and external. Most of the toxins that enter our bodies are fat soluble. The liver's job is to convert  these fat soluble toxins into water soluble substances that can be easily excreted from the body via sweat or urine. The liver also filters the blood to remove toxins and unwanted chemicals. The liver is the body's main purification and cleansing system. For this reason, it is important that our liver remains healthy, so we can remain healthy or have optimal health.  You can check out this post, where I discuss some foods that help the liver cleanse.

There are many ways in which you can assist the liver: 

1. Fresh vegetable juices
2. Foods high in leafy greens. Green smoothies allow me to consume as much leafy greens as possible, without sacrificing taste.
3. Bitter greens, such as dandelion and other herbs. For whatever reason, the liver loves bitter foods. Bitter greens and herbs stimulate the liver to produce bile, which is necessary for good digestion.
4. Avocados (my favorite)
5. Add more cruciferous greens, i.e. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage etc.
6. Exercising especially yoga is great for overall health. Exercise increases blood circulation throughout the body and helps the body to relax and to sweat out the toxins and waste.

http://liliashealthbook.blogspot.com

**Again, you don't need to be on any special diet. To aid my body in its natural detoxification process, I just give my body what it needs to re-energize, rejuvenate, and build. 

I think one of the main reasons we engage in detoxification is because we are often overfed and undernourished. So by engaging in a so called detoxification diet, we begin anew; feeding our bodies with the much needed nourishment it needs.

Our bodies have the ability to naturally heal and cleanse itself. Mother Nature has provided us with all the herbs, plants, and foods it needs to do just that. Eat your fruits, eat your veggies, drink tea, exercise and your body will respond nicely.

** Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or nutritionist. Everything you find on my blog is based on my own knowledge, opinion, and experiences. It never hurts to supplement with your own research as well.

I hope this helps. Please share what you do to help your detox and cleanse itself. We can all learn from each other.

Have a happy holidays. Merry Christmas,

Detoxification 101 (Part 1)

What does it mean to Detox?

Detoxification is a process by which your body releases massive amounts of toxins that have been accumulated in the body, while providing it with nutrients, water and oxygen. Toxins in the body take many different forms, such as aches, pains, inflammation, illness, disease etc.  These unwanted toxins are a major sign that our bodies are undernourished and oxygen deficient. 
 

Detoxification takes time and full detoxification can take months, sometimes years. It is important to note that a special diet isn’t a must to experience detoxification. However, we do need to change our eating habits if what we have been putting into our bodies is less than ideal. A diet that consists of mostly plants is sufficient to begin a detoxification process, and most importantly, to ensure that your body is always engaged in detoxification and healing.

With assistance, we all can provide our bodies with what it needs to heal. Mother Nature provides more than enough to help in this detoxification process in massive amounts of plants, herbs, and plants. 

For example, I have made it my mission to always have fruit or vegetable with every meal and drastically limiting meat in my diet. This way, I am making sure that I am flooding my body with the necessary fiber, vitamins, minerals and water needed for tissue repair, healing, detoxification, and daily bowel movements. 

In my opinion, detoxification should be on going.  It is a lifestyle change. You can’t detox for 3 days only to go back to old, unhealthy habits. It just doesn’t make sense. 

Detoxification means many things for different people. There are many ways to detox the body, but first, it is important to know why you need to detox and how. 

Only you can truly know if your body needs a tune up. However, experts in the field recommend a detox program for symptoms such as unexplained fatigue, sluggish elimination, irritated skin, allergies or low-grade infections; bags under the eyes; a distended stomach even if the rest of your body is thin; menstrual difficulties; or mental confusion.

Your body has 6 major detoxification or elimination channels:

1.  Liver
2.  Skin
3.  Kidneys
4.  Intestines (colon)
5.  Lymphatic system
6.  Lungs

** In upcoming blog posts, I will discuss each of these major detoxification channels. So stay tuned**

If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts or experiences on detoxification, please feel free to share them in the comments. We can all learn from each other!

P.s.This was a requested blog post and I'm more than happy to share what I know.
I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or a specialist. I'm just one individual sharing what I know and my experiences.

All images from Pinterest.