When it comes to detoxing—we bet that juice cleanses and rigorous exercise regimes are the first things that spring to mind.

But while these may be great ways to support your body’s ability to detox, what about our skin? In the same way our bodies (and minds!) can benefit from a regular detox or refresh, so too can our skin. But with so many myths and misconceptions swirling about how best to go about it—and why it’s important to detox our skin in the first place—we thought it best to turn to the experts.

Here, we chat with HydroPeptide’s lead esthetician, Erin Larson, on the facts and truths of detoxing…

Firstly, what does it actually mean to detox your skin?
There are loads of myths about what detoxing actually means. For example, we don’t mean we are pulling heavy metals or “toxins: out of our skin. In fact, the word toxin is heavily overused and often it’s just to scare people! Usually the word isn’t even defined as a specific ingredient or set of ingredients. But in the skincare world, to detox essentially means removing physical dirt, debris and excess oil that accumulates on our skin, neutralising free radical damage with antioxidants, helping to feed our skin with prebiotics and probiotics to rebalance its delicate microbiome and protect our complexion from external aggressors like sun damage and blue light. By taking these steps, we can ensure that our skin becomes healthier, and functions better.

Recommended product: HydraFlora Probiotic Toner Essence with prebiotics and probiotics to nourish skin.

What are some of the ingredients you should avoid when trying to detoxify your skin?
You really want to steer clear of abrasive scrubs or brushes—even if it feels counterintuitive. Also stay away from ingredients that strip the skin of its healthy oils, like harsh cleansers.

Why do we need to detox our skin?

The truth is that our skin is exposed to pollution and environmental aggressors on a daily basis—whether due to car pollution, blue lights from our screens or even lifestyle-related stressors like a poor diet or forgetting to remove our makeup at night. Unfortunately, too, all of these things can contribute to build-up on our skin and less than optimal cellular health. Detoxing, however, can help to ameliorate the symptoms caused by these aggressors and support skin to function at its best.

Recommended product: Somnifera Root Mist to protect skin from damaging blue light.

How often should we detoxify our skincare routine?
All the time! Just as we’re exposed to damaging aggressors regularly, we need to be combating their effects regularly, too.

Recommended product: HydroActive Cleanse wipes quickly remove makeup and pollutants from skin whilst collagen peptides aid in your skin’s natural collagen production.

What are some other things we can do to protect our skin from environmental stressors like pollution and UV rays?
The first step is to protect our skin from sun damage by using sunscreen every day and cleansing every evening to ensure our complexion is clear and healthy. Using screen protectors that block blue light can also be helpful as is incorporating skincare products that are specifically formulated to detox skin on a cellular level.

At HydroPeptide, we’ve developed a complete range to do just that! Find out more about our Detox Collection here.