I Tried a "Skin Detox" — and My Skin Has Never Looked Better

Over the last few months, my skin has been on a journey — and not a great one. After getting a laser treatment on my face, I ended up having a second run-in with contact dermatitis, and due to the medicine I used to try to clear it up, I then had a serious case of steroid acne all over my face and neck. When I started introducing all of my typical skin-care products back into my routine, my skin had a total freakout. I knew I wanted to give my face a break and treat it with extra care, so I did some research and decided I would try out a skin detox.

I based my skin detox loosely on a POPSUGAR 30-Day Detox Challenge, but I switched out a few things and ultimately picked and chose based on what I thought would work best for me. Ultimately, the process involved examining all of the things I was using on or around my face, like makeup, makeup brushes, skin-care products, etc., and deciding how I could best optimize the health of my skin. It included swapping out old products for new products, cleaning products I was planning to use in the future, and thinking about what kind of sustenance I was putting into my body.

Keep scrolling to learn how I did my skin detox and what the results were.

First, Throw Away Old Beauty Products

I started by going through all of my products and tossing out everything that was expired. Experts suggest throwing away anything you've had open for more than a year, and although I'm ashamed to admit it, I've had the same bronzer for the last 10 years. (I don't wear makeup very often, so it takes a while for me to use something until it's finished, and I hate wasting products.) Still, I knew that if I wanted to get back in my skin's good graces, I was going to need to get rid of all of the products that could be irritating it.

Reassess Your Skin-Care Lineup

Next, I took a good, hard look at the products I was using and made decisions on what needed to be switched out and what could stay in the long haul. I've been using the same moisturizer for years, and there's no way I could part with it. I also decided to stick with my tried-and-true cleanser.

I'm a huge fan of using tretinoin (a prescription-strength Retin-A), but after not using it for over a month, I knew I needed to ease back into using products that could potentially cause dryness and skin flaking. I started out using it just once a week, and then eventually built up my tolerance.

Clean Your Makeup Brushes

I then gave all of my makeup brushes and beauty sponges a thorough clean and tossed anything that looked like it was on its last leg. I'm sure you can imagine that if I've held on to a bronzer for 10 years, most of my makeup brushes are even older. I also cleaned off my eyelash curler with a cotton swab and makeup remover, which is something I legitimately had never cleaned before, and the amount of gunk that came off of it was genuinely shocking. I also sanitized all the products that touch my face frequently, like my phone, my headphones, and my pillowcases. I also added a monthly reminder in my calendar to make sure I was cleaning my brushes and tools on a regular basis.

Examine What's Going in Your Body

Although my skin detox was mostly centered on the things I put on my skin, I tried to pay attention to what I put inside my body as well. I tried to add as many different antioxidants into my routine as possible, whether with skin care or food. I am a pescatarian and already eat fairly clean, but I made sure to add a healthy serving of foods like berries, avocados, and green leafy vegetables into my daily diet. I also bought myself a water bottle with time markers on it so I could keep better track of my daily water intake.

Overall, I'm extremely happy that I decided to do a skin detox. I found some great products to add into my routine, and I've also made some great changes to my diet that have been helping my skin both look and feel better. I would recommend this experiment to anyone who is looking for a change in their skin-care regimen — or just needs a healthy reset from the inside out.