Total Body Beauty Detox

[sidebar] Every day, your body does battle with environmental pollutants and toxins—and your looks are the ultimate losers. "Minerals in tap water can dull hair, pollutants can dry out skin, and carbon monoxide and ozone can damage your complexion's protective barrier and lead to aging, redness, and irritation," says Dennis Gross, MD, a dermatologist in New York City. It's enough to make anyone crawl inside a BPA-free plastic bubble. Fortunately, experts say a few small changes to your diet and beauty care routine can give your hair and skin a detoxifying beauty boost. Here's how:

Detoxify Your Diet
Although there's no proof fasting or expensive detox pills or drinks improve your looks, your diet does affect your skin. And new evidence shows changing the way you eat can help clear up acne, keep your skin firm, and even improve your smile.

• Pick proteins wisely. "Hormones in traditionally produced dairy, poultry, and meat may contribute to acne," says Katie Rodan, MD, a dermatologist in the San Francisco Bay area. "My patients who eat those less frequently—or at least choose grain-fed beef and poultry and organic dairy—often notice their skin looks better."
• Cut back on sugar. Refined sugar causes a process called glycation, which can damage the collagen and elastin that keep skin firm and youthful, according to pharmacist and homeopath Margo Marrone, owner of the Organic Pharmacy. Try all-natural stevia, an easily digested herbal sweetener that doesn't trigger glycation, according to board-certified dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, MD, an adjunct professor of medicine at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine.
• Eat for alkalinity. Cleansing your body from the inside out isn't all about what you can't have. Kimberly Snyder, a Los Angeles nutritionist and author of The Beauty Detox Solution, says she sees a big improvement in her clients' skin and hair when they eat more alkaline-forming foods, such as parsley, almonds, kale, pears, lemons, and apples. "If your body is too acidic, which can happen when your diet is unbalanced, it leaches the alkaline minerals, such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, that allow us to have strong, healthy bones, teeth, and hair," Snyder explains.

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Clarify Your Complexion
Once you have things running smoothly on the inside, it's time to focus on revitalizing your skin from the outside. "As the sun gets stronger, the skin naturally thickens with more oil and dead skin—a feature called hardening—so late spring is an ideal time to begin the deep-cleaning process," Dr. Gross says.

• Start fresh with clay. To remove pore-clogging sebum and skin-drying heavy-metal residue from tap water, Marrone suggests applying a clay mask, like Ren Pore Minimizing Detox Mask ($34; renskincare.com). "Clay's negative charge attracts the positive charge of the impurities and pulls them toward the skin's surface, where they're whisked away when you remove the mask," she says.
• Exfoliate daily. Rather than scrubbing vigorously once a week—and irritating your skin in the process—Dr. Rodan suggests doing the deed daily to slough away the dead skin cells that dull your complexion. "Switch to a cleanser with tiny exfoliating particles," she says. "They should be so small you can't see them, but you can feel them when you wash." Try Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Detoxifying Scrub ($7; drugstore.com) or Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish ($22; benefitcosmetics.com).
• Detox with chelators. "Our skin absorbs heavy metals every day, and they can diminish the health and beauty of skin," Dr. Gross says. Worn daily under moisturizer, a serum with chelators, such as Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Hydra-Pure Firming Serum ($95; dgskincare.com), counteracts these effects. "Chelators are a class of ingredients that detoxify existing buildup and prevent new damage," Dr. Gross explains.
• Keep skin pure. Once you've got a clean slate, so to speak, maintain it by applying a moisturizer with sunscreen and antioxidants, such as Bliss Fabulous Face Lotion with SPF 15 ($35; blissworld.com), every morning. The antioxidants neutralize free radicals that damage skin, according to Dr. Rodan. The sunscreen...well, if you don't know what that does by now, you have been living in a plastic bubble. Still, the importance of SPF can't be understated: "If you go outside unprotected, there's no point in taking anti-aging measures, because the sun is the biggest source of inflammation, premature aging, and free-radical formation," Dr. Rodan says.

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Revive Your Hair
Thanks (or no thanks) to arid winter weather, hair often looks dull and dry, according to Elizabeth Cunnane Phillips, a trichologist at the Philip Kingsley Trichological Clinic in New York City. Strands also grow more slowly in winter due to slight seasonal fluctuations in our hormone levels, so you may trim less frequently, leaving more damage. Use the steps below to bring your locks back to life.

• Exfoliate your scalp. Clear the way for healthier hair by using an exfoliating scalp treatment to remove dead skin cells. "They can build up around hair follicles, just like they do on your face," Cunnane Phillips explains. Try Philip Kingsley Scalp Mask ($8; philipkingsley.com), which features exfoliating salicylic acid.
• Remove residue. "People tend to wash less frequently in the winter, which is a big mistake," according to Cunnane Phillips. At the end of winter, remove styling-product residue that can cling to hair even after regular shampooing by washing every day for a week with a sulfate-free, nondrying purifying shampoo. Try Redken Nature's Rescue Refreshing Detox Shampoo ($16; redken.com for salons), which features moisturizing aloe vera.
• Prevent mineral buildup. Tap water often contains minerals that can build up on your hair, according to Dr. Gross. If you have hard water (find out at water.usgs.gov/owq), Cunnane Phillips recommends a water-softening filter, like Jonathan Product Beauty Water Shower Purification System ($95; jonathanproduct.com). Another option: Switch to a conditioner that has chelating agents to prevent mineral buildup. Try Malibu CWell Water Action Conditioner ($13; malibuwellness.com), which also prevents damage caused by chlorine, making it a great conditioner to use through the summer.

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Freshen Up Your Smile
It's not your imagination: You do grin more as the weather gets warmer. "Cold tightens your facial muscles, so it takes more force to smile, and we end up doing it less in winter," explains Irwin Smigel, DDS, a celebrity cosmetic dentist in New York City and creator of Supersmile. Use these tricks to get your teeth ready for the big reveal.

• Do a dental deep cleaning before whitening. Teeth benefit from exfoliation too. "The process may remove some surface stains, and it makes whitening treatments more effective," says Dr. Smigel. The best way to do it is with a prewhitening gel, like Supersmile Professional Activating Whitening Rods ($50; supersmile.com), that deep cleans the surface of your teeth and lays down ingredients to help whiteners penetrate better.
• Whiten up. Next, use an at-home bleaching kit, which will be more effective, thanks to your prep work. Crest 3D White 2-Hour Express Whitestrips ($36; drugstore.com) have a new no-slip adhesive that creates a better seal so you can whiten in less time. Want an all-natural whitening option? Snack on strawberries. "They contain malic acid, which acts as an astringent to remove surface discoloration," Dr. Smigel explains.
• Eat right to stay bright. Whether or not you whiten, your diet can affect the look of your smile. "Pigments in things like ketchup and soy sauce cause stains," Dr. Smigel says. So steer clear of them, or eat spinach, broccoli, or lettuce before consuming stain-causing foods. "Those vegetables have mineral compounds that form an invisible, undetectable film over the teeth that can prevent staining," explains Jeff Golub-Evans, DDS, a cosmetic dentist in New York City. Other good eats for a great smile: celery, carrots, and apples. "They're high in cellulose, a starchlike compound that acts as a natural abrasive, cleansing teeth and removing surface stains," Dr. Golub-Evans says.

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