Start Afresh

Don’t restrict yourself to a physical detox. New year calls for a complete overhaul… mental, spiritual, even digital.

Detoxing is our body’s way of recharging itself, just like a cell phone. The same way a cell phone slows down when there are too many applications on it cluttering the space and RAM, our body slows down when it is cluttered with toxins, tensions, thoughts, pressures of even everyday life. Deleting the applications that you don’t need will speed up your phone and removing unwanted toxins and pressures from your body will relax and rejuvenate your body leaving you feeling energetic and ready to tackle anything.

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In a natural process, our body detoxes itself every day through the liver and kidneys. However, even the ancient practices of Ayurveda and Chinese medicine systems recommend making a determined effort to detoxify the body on a regular basis.

Detox means cleansing your blood. Detoxification works on the cell level of the body and therefore it is effective. A detox program can help you uplift your mental as well as physical health in a way that you will never stop receiving compliments for the glowing skin and healthy hair.

Detoxing helps by regulating the body hormone levels, controlling the body weight by sorting and exporting fat, reducing cholesterol, cleansing the blood, improving circulation and refueling the body with healthy nutrients.

A simple detox diet and exercise routine done under the guidance of experts can help your body feel refreshed in mind and soul. To detoxify your body, include plenty of fibers in your diet, increase your intake of Vitamin C. Ask your doctor about how much you can take.

Drink lots of water every day without fail. Carry a bottle of water with you and keep sipping every few minutes. Do deep breathing exercises. Keep stress at bay and focus more on positive things in your life. Sweat in a sauna to remove waste from the body through perspiration. Opt for detox spas to remove toxins from your pores. Exercise regularly.

There are many harmful toxins in our surroundings today in air, water and land and the fast emerging concern worldwide is the lack of Digital detox among the population. There are many kinds of detox routines that you can do to get your mind body and soul in shape.

Water Detox

Water is the solution to many problems. A water detox is the best way to start with the detoxification process. It is simple, effective and cost saving. Drink a minimum of eight glasses of water every day. You can add some ingredients such as blackberry and orange, watermelon and mint, cucumber and mint, lemon and lime, orange and lemon and basil, lime and mint to water to make detox water and add it to a water detox jar which can make the water alkaline.

A water detox diet of simple three days and you will see the change in your mood levels, skin complexion, digestion and mood and energy levels

Skin and Hair Detox

Our skin and hair bear the direct brunt of the external environmental factors as they come in direct contact with them. Therefore, a periodic detox of skin and hair is recommended to keep them healthy and beautiful. Also known as the beauty detox, these kinds of detox help rejuvenate your skin and hair giving them a kind of rebirth.

The first step is to disconnect your skin and hair from everything. Go without makeup and hair products for two days, wash just with water. The next step is to treat your body to a relaxing spa. Keep in mind that you only go to a certified spa centre and opt for detoxifying spas such as seaweed spas, lymph drainage massages, and algae spas etc. You can also use some exfoliating masks of charcoal, clay, mud, vitamin C etc. These scrubs and spas will help remove the dead cells from the skin and clean from deep inside.

Dermatologists also recommend going for regular fractional carbon dioxide laser treatments, chemical peels and PRP treatments that reverse the signs of ageing, tighten the sagging skin, remove dark circles under the eyes, remove the fine lines around the cheeks, eyes and foreheads. You will end up with a glowing and brand new skin.

A hair spa helps make it stronger, healthier, and thicker. Follow the simple tips

Start by shampooing from the nape and work towards the hairline. This will cleanse the follicles

Put the hair dryer away, let your hair dry naturally

Use dermatologically tested and recommended serums to nourish the hair

Use deep treatments like Keratin once a week to nourish the hair

Don’t be afraid to use the natural fixes

Wardrobe Detox

What you wear reflects and affects your mood greatly. If you are dressed well and comfortable, you feel happy and rested. The basic three steps to a successful wardrobe detox are remove, recycle and reinvent.

Our environmental footprint goes a long way in helping us detox. Studies have shown that millions of tonnes of clothes go in the landfill every year. Your wardrobe detox should help you reduce this wastage.

Remove the clothes and shoes and other items that you have not worn for a long time. The ones that you absolutely love and wear should go back in the wardrobe immediately. For the rest of the pile recycle and reinvent by experimenting with various styles. Not only will you love the new styles you will also feel good about yourself too.

Digital Detox

Offline is the new luxury. Every day in our life, we are surrounded by screens all round us. We carry our phone in our pocket, we depend on the GPS of the car to take us where we want to go, smart devices at homes send us reminders for things to do so we don’t have to remember etc.

Every once in a while we need to put down the screens around us and pick up our life, so do some spiritual maintenance. A digital detox is a period of time during which a person refrains from using any electronic devices such as smartphones, computers, iPad, kindles smart TVs etc. Digital detox is a great way to reduce stress from our daily lives and focus on live social interactions in the physical world.

Digital detox is the way to go to cleanse your mind of the pressure and stress of social media in your life. The first step to digital detox is to declutter your phone. Remove the applications that you have not checked in a while, filter the WhatsApp groups that you don’t participate in. Plan the period that you want to detox in. Let your friends, family and co-workers know that you are going on a Detox. Enlist their help and this way they will not feel offended when you don’t reply to their messages instantly. Make a list of things that you want to do when you are on detox such as gardening, revamping your room, going on a holiday, taking up a hobby etc. Log off the social media accounts. Limit yourself to the screen time every day and slowly reduce the time. Leave your devices at home when you go out. Put electronic devices out of reach so that you are not tempted to pick them up. Meditate and relax your mind to help it declutter.

34 per cent of people of the age group 16-24 years in the last year have taken some form of digital hiatus. A simple digital detox will leave you feeling energetic and refreshed. Statistics have proven that people who have opted for digital detox in their lives have found the experience liberating, see a boost in their productivity, have better decision making abilities, spend quality time with family and friends.

Therefore, if you have not yet tried detox then this is the right time to take the plunge into the chemical-free, healthier and non-digital world for some time.

Dr. Rinky Kapoor is a cosmetic dermatologist and co-founder of The Esthetic Clinics, located in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata, and a Consultant Dermatologist, Cosmetic Dermatologist & Dermato-Surgeon at Fortis Hospitals, Mumbai. She has done her Fellowship in Dermatology, Dermato-Surgery & Lasers, National Skin Centre.