5 easy ways to detox the mind and body

Come January, the indulgence from Christmas quickly catches up with us and feeling sluggish paired with rainy dark nights can be a tough combination for maintaining balanced wellbeing. At times like these (not to mention the added stresses of being in lockdown), we want to equip you with the tools to help maintain a balanced lifestyle so we’ve compiled our top tips for a January detox for the mind and body.

Tip 1 – Give yourself a dry brush body exfoliation

A dry brush exfoliation can be done in the morning before you shower and it takes only seconds. This will eliminate dead skin cells and allow the skin to detox. Dry brush exfoliation also improves lymph and blood circulation and decreases puffiness. An added benefit is that the gentle pressure is calming to the nervous system, helping promote relaxation.

Tip 2 – Detox in the bath or shower

Cleanse your body and clear your mind with our new Detox pampering spa-at-home range now available to purchase at Marks and Spencer’s. Using 100% natural fragrance, the powerful combination of eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils will help rejuvenate and rebalance the senses, to bring about feelings of positivity and stir your body and mind into action for the day ahead.

Tip 3 – Hydration hydration hydration

As temperatures plummet the central heating gets turned up higher and this can lead to our skin becoming more sensitive and drier. Water is the key to good hydration (that’s eight glasses a day), but you can also make other changes to your lifestyle by swapping one cup of coffee for green tea (which we love for its great anti-oxidant effects). There are now a whole host of handy APPs which send us reminders to drink a glass of water – see if you can commit to drinking your daily intake of water for a whole week.

Tip 4 – Prepare the skin

To have beautiful, glowing, young and healthy looking skin, you should follow a daily skin care routine and before attempting anything you need to prepare the skin. A good quality cleanser and toner will help prepare and revitalise the skin. Gentle cleansing is a must, you need your skin barrier to be as healthy as possible so that it can retain vital moisturiser. As a rule of thumb if your skin feels tight after washing it is likely that the cleanser you are using has disrupted your skin barrier. Skin should feel calm and hydrated after washing, if you are reaching immediately for your moisturiser you may want to consider a gentler cleanser.

Tip 5 – Cheers to a healthier new you

Giving up alcohol for a period of time can help to reset any bad habits which might have snuck in over the festive period. By reducing alcohol consumption, you can expect to sleep more deeply, improve concentration and it can also lead to weight loss as part of a healthy balanced diet. If you tend to have a drink on the weekend, why not plan ahead and diarise some fun activities which don’t involve alcohol.

Just a little extra tip which costs nothing

Regular exercise is as essential for healthy skin as it is for a fit body. Manually, moving your muscles also whips your face into shape.

Facial massage has so many benefits, it increases microcirculation, getting blood and all the nutrients we need to our skin cells, it assists movement of lymph fluid, which is our secondary waste disposal system and helps rid the skin of toxins, so have a go at it and don’t forget to drink plenty of water too.