11 Simple Detox Routines You Can Do At Home
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Simple Detox Routines to Do At Home
Our body has fantastic in-built detox mechanisms through the lymph drainage system, kidneys, liver and skin. The brain has its own pathways that it clears out at night by filling up with cerebrospinal fluid and then draining away to clear out any buildup and waste.
All of these are supported by leading a healthy lifestyle full of nutrient-dense foods, good quality sleep, regular exercise, minimisation of external pollutants (through pesticides in our food, harmful chemicals in our cleaning and beauty products, water and air contaminants), and the effective management of stress.
The skin has its own detox systems through the sloughing off of dead cells and sweating, although this is more minimal in levels of detoxification in comparison to the other mechanisms, it’s still useful nonetheless.
In addition, all cells, organs, tissues, bones, blood etc. go through their own regeneration process, and by way of autophagy, clear out any damaged cells so they can operate at their best (this is a process that’s also assisted with fasting).
Read on below for 11 simple detox routines you can do daily at home to help support your body’s natural detoxification pathways, increasing your energy levels and supporting your immune system in the process too!
1. Get good quality sleep hygiene
Sleep literally cleans out the brain and is the only mechanism it has for doing so. Every single other part of our body is also rejuvenated during this process. 7-9 hours of uninterrupted, good quality sleep is absolutely crucial to ensure it can be done properly.
This allows for at least 5-6 sleep cycles of roughly 1.5 hours each, and about 2 hours of deep sleep cumulatively. It’s also important to allow undisturbed REM sleep (in which we dream) for another 2 cumulative hours. Noise, light, stress, alcohol, and hormonal imbalances can all disrupt this vital process so make sure you’re addressing them all correctly! Check out our guide on How To Build The Perfect Nighttime Routine for some ideas.
2. Go upside down
Exercising regularly (at least 30 minutes 3 times a week), especially including detox yoga poses, aerobic and anaerobic exercise, and rebounding (trampolining) all increase the oxygen levels in our bloodstream, lower blood pressure, decrease cortisol levels and activate the lymph drainage system. Inversions in particular are extremely beneficial for helping to get the lymph system moving!
3. Dry body brush
Dry brushing helps not only the lymph drainage system, which doesn’t have its own pump (much like rebounding does), but also the exfoliation of skin cells ensuring that only healthy ones are available for skin barrier protection and full sweat functionality. Aim for at least 5 times a week, start at your feet and take long strokes towards your heart and then down your back. A brush with natural bristles (such as this one) and a long handle is best so you can reach your back easily and the strokes are as long as possible. I LOVE dry body brushing, it calms and invigorates me at the same time!
4. Ingest chelating minerals
Sticking to whole foods and loading up on antioxidants in general already supports your body’s detox pathways- aiming for 10 fruits and vegetables a day if possible is best! You’ve heard it before and I’ll say it again, lemon water is excellent for firing up your digestive system, as is apple cider vinegar, and great at getting things “moving” (getting enough fibre is also essential to ensure proper bowel evacuation daily). A dash of each in room temperature water first thing in the morning will work wonders.
Additionally, parsley, cilantro/coriander, chlorella and spirulina are all chelating minerals because they have the ability to bind to heavy metals and pass them along through to the colon unabsorbed, where they can be flushed out. Of course, it goes without saying that you should also drink water at least 8 times a day (filtered if possible, or herbal teas such as green tea, which also offer their own host of benefits). Other supplements that are useful in assisting the body’s natural detox pathways are milk thistle for the liver and glutathione for cell regeneration (sulfur-rich food such as broccoli assists your body in its own production too).
5. Meditation + breathwork
Meditation has been shown to cleanse out the brain, similar to how the cerebrospinal fluid does at night, help release emotional trauma, which would otherwise be stored in the body, regulate our stress response, thus lowering the inflammatory damage of cortisol and adrenaline, lower blood pressure and help improve the immune system. Read our guide on How To Mindfully Meditate if you’re interested in learning more! Processing emotions properly is being shown more and more to have a positive effect on the body’s functionality by ensuring an optimal mind-body connection.
For this aspect, journalling can be extremely beneficial- check out our post on gratitude and free-flow journalling for how we do it. Even eating with a negative mindset has been shown to inhibit nutrient absorption by up to 80% (this makes sense when you consider that up to 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gut)!
Additionally, many of us don’t breathe properly, using only superficial chest breathing. Practicing deep, diaphragmatic breathing can help to fully oxygenate your blood and is an excellent stress mediator for when you need it on the go. I simply like to inhale consciously into my belly for a count of 6, then exhale for a count of 6 and repeat 5 times- even once will calm you down instantly. There are many other methods, such as box/square breathing, yogic breath, alternate nostril breathing etc. which you can read more about here. Sam has been loving Wim Hof’s method recently!
6. Do hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy is very effective at strengthening your circulatory system and getting your lymph drainage system moving. Through the process of vasodilation and vasoconstriction, we can “exercise” our veins, and the warming process of a bath also helps draw the blood to the surface, aiding its transportation. An easy detox bath is made with Epsom salt/magnesium flakes (which increase muscle and joint relaxation) sea salt, and/or essential oils, baking soda and apple cider vinegar.
For extra heat and added circulatory benefits you can also add ginger. Regular baths, or saunas and steam rooms if you’re lucky, have been proven to lower cardiovascular complications by up to 28%! Plus they’re incredibly relaxing and can, perhaps as a byproduct, increase your immunity (read our post on How To Support A Strong Immune System all year long for more tips). On the other end of the spectrum, finishing your bath or shower with a cold burst has shown to have numerous benefits, again through the process of vasodilation/constriction. For optimal results, you should aim to have a cold shower at least 5 times a week for at least 30 seconds.
7. Oil pull
While studies have been minimal on this process, we know that those who have higher levels of tooth plaque are at significantly higher risk of heart disease. Conversely, those who use coated “satin” floss (which contain toxic PFAS, as do most non-stick pans) are at higher risk for kidney cancer and other complications. Dentists agree that swishing anything around your mouth for 20 minutes is beneficial for the microbiome, but small studies have shown coconut oil to be slightly more effective because of its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties (plus it tastes yummy)!
On the other hand, you should limit the use of harsh, alcohol-based mouthwashes as these can have a drying effect on your mouth tissues and disrupt the natural bacterial balance, and even “natural” ones that use tea tree and other essential oils are best avoided because these are too antibacterial and end up killing the beneficial microbes too! As a plus, coconut oil is also said to whiten the teeth, which is always a nice bonus. Tongue scraping can also help get rid of harmful bacteria, such as Mutans Streptococci and Lactobacilli which cause bad breath and tooth decay.
8. Clean up your products
As our largest organ, potentially up to 64% of what is put on your skin can be absorbed by it, depending on the molecular size and chemical structure. This can be thought about on a simpler scale with the nicotine or contraceptive patch, or corticosteroid creams, and you can quickly see how fast absorption can be!
Getting rid of harmful toxins such as parabens, fragrances and other chemicals needs to include cleaning and laundry products too, which can either be inhaled or absorbed by the skin through contact (along this line organic fabrics and natural dyes are a great option too). Many popular ingredients are known to not only be endocrine (hormone) disrupting, but also mood inhibitors, linked to higher rates of mortality and can have tumour and cancer-causing effects. To get started, check out our post on how I make all my own natural beauty products here! When cleaning up your products, this should also include ditching plastic, especially when dealing with food and liquids, as well as PVC shower curtains and flame-retardant furniture.
9. Go organic + load up on these
To take some of the weight off of our kidneys, among other reasons, it’s useful to try and go organic as much as possible- using the EWG’s Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen is a good place to start. Up to 900 different pesticides and herbicides exist, some containing potential hormone-disruptors and carcinogens, and these can then be found in our urine samples. While going organic doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be totally free of pesticides, because minimal cross-contamination is allowed and so are “natural” pesticides, it can decrease the burden by up to 4 times!
Clay cleansing is also said to assist the absorption of harmful compounds (but not charcoal which absorbs the good stuff too), and cutting out sugar, alcohol and processed foods will decrease inflammation levels, aiding the overall functioning of our organs. Additionally, loading up on cinnamon, fenugreek and other diuretics such as dandelion, ginger, burdock and liquorice root all help the flushing out process, these can easily be added to juices to make a healthy detox drink. Probiotics are also great for gut health and can help rebuild the gut lining, making it less permeable and prone to absorbing harmful materials. Don’t forget to watch out for high mercury levels in fish too!
10. Get your vitamin N
Time spent in the sun and Nature is being increasingly shown to be fundamental to our health. Apart from the 20 minutes of sunshine we need daily (without suncream on at least 70% of your exposed body with a UV rating of at least 4), for the creation of the vital hormone-like vitamin D, we also need to make sure to keep our Vitamin N topped up by spending enough time in nature regardless of whether we’re in the sun or not.
Researchers have pinpointed 2 hours a week as the minimum requirement spent in nature for optimal wellbeing. This has been shown to decrease blood pressure, help lose weight, lower cortisol and other stress hormones, improve cognitive functioning, and lower the risk of diabetes- not to mention the major mood boost! Additionally, grounding, the act of walking barefoot on the earth, can also rebalance free electrons and kickstart the free-radical scavenging properties of our immune system, lowering inflammation.
“Forest bathing” specifically is great because the terpenes released by trees have additional beneficial properties, such as being antimicrobial. You can also diffuse pine essential oil for for similar benefits. If nature is not in easy reach, the next best thing is to load up on houseplants, these have been recommended by NASA as the most purifying. Remember to regularly clean your AC filter and check for mould too! Mould can deplete our serotonin levels drastically, as well as cause allergies, migraines, lethargy and hormonal inbalanaces.
11. Treat yourself to a massage!
Finally, one of the best ways to help get your lymphatic system moving is with a massage. This also aids circulation and drainage, as well as the relaxation benefits of course! Bonus points if this remedy comes with a sauna and steam room session too. A 2018 study says that regular massages can help weight loss, reduce depression, osteoarthritis, and improve immunity. You can also try and go for an acupressure massage for added benefits.
So those are 11 simple detox routines you can do at home to assist your bodies natural mechanisms. When dealing with detox products (such as all those recipes for detox drinks), make sure to always research procedures properly and beware of sham products as well as consulting your doctor beforehand! Although your body already does a beautiful job of detoxifying itself, if left to its own devices, as we live in a polluted, stressful world these are just some of the things we can do to give it a little boost and TLC in the process :)
I’d love to know if you have any other detox routines you do in the comments section below!
