DIY skin detox for summer

Get rid of dry, flaky skin and be summer-ready by following these do-it-yourself (DIY) steps to make your body look beautiful.

Sweat it out: 

Sweating is our body's natural way to discard toxins. Take a brisk walk, go for a morning jog, take up power yoga, exercise in your local gym — do whatever it takes to make sure you sweat. Lazy girls can opt for the sauna or steam room at the gym.

Eat right: 

Dump those packaged and processed foods from your fridge. Stock up instead on fresh vegetables and fruits. At least once a week, make sure you eat only fresh veggies and fruits of different colours —oranges, cucumber, guava, apples, broccoli, zucchini, red and yellow pepper, carrots and watermelon to name a few. Including different coloured items in your diet ensures that various vitamins and minerals are consumed.

 

Scrub off dead cells: 

Use a mixture of honey, oatmeal, curd and fine sugar as a mask on your body. Leave it on for at least 30 minutes and then scrub off gently. You could also use a pre-packaged body scrub. Squeeze a small quantity on a loofah and use gentle circular movements all over your body to scrub off dead skin cells. Follow it up with a shower and apply an intensely nourishing but non-sticky moisturising lotion. Avoid going out in the sun directly after a thorough scrub. It's best to scrub before you retire for the night.

Drink to cleanse: 

Make water your best friend. Avoid drinking packaged fruit and vegetables juices — even if they promise to be sugar-free and preservative-free. For your fix of natural juice, take a few pieces of beetroot, cucumber, bottle gourd and a few leaves of spinach and blend in the juicer.

Have a shot of wheatgrass juice every morning if possible. Try combinations of different vegetables and fruits in your juice to suit your taste. You'll see a noticeable difference in your body, skin, hair and nails when you drink two glasses of mixed juices every day for two weeks.