What exactly is skin fasting?
It’s as simple as sleeping without a moisturizer only one night a week! Our skin has an inherent ability to take care of itself, when given the chance to do so.
The purpose of skin fasting is to strengthen the skin’s natural protective barrier that is weakened by excessive cleansing (particularly with synthetic ingredients) or excessive nourishing, to normalize the secretion of natural oils and support the natural rejuvenation process. This natural barrier protects your skin not only from dryness but from any external stress including UV rays, pollution, and cold temperatures. With weakened skin protection, you will be more easily prone to sun spots, wrinkles, sagging, and other skin aging symptoms. Becoming dependent on skin care aides that provide hydration and oils, as well as the overuse of makeup, actually lessens your skin’s natural maintenance system. Overuse of makeup and moisturizers interrupts normal skin cell renewal which averages every 28 days.
It's common for pimples and other skin conditions like eczema to clear up faster when a person fasts (you may see evidence of toxins leaving your body in the form of a blemish).
“The Japanese have studied the skin’s regeneration on a monthly basis and have proved that 'skin fasting' improves your skin’s condition and detoxify skin impurities,” says Koko Hayashi, Creator of Mirai Clinical Body Care. “Dry skin is dry on the skin’s surface. The moisture inside the skin becomes dehydrated because there’s not enough protection [natural oils] to keep the moisture inside. With too much added artificial moisturizer [cosmetics], the skin ceases to produce its own natural oils. This leads to even drier skin," says Hayashi.
How to Effectively Skin Fast
1. Wash your face gently at night.
2. Sleep one night a week (twice at the most) without any skin care products. This will help strengthen your skin’s recovery power.
3. In the morning wash your face gently using only lukewarm to keep oils on your skin.
4. Skin fasting can be applied to your body, too. Generally the face is more affected because of sun exposure, make up, and overuse of synthetic skincare and harsh cleansers, but if you usually moisturize your body every day, your skin might be in lazy mode a well. Why not skin fast on your body too?
6. Keep drinking plenty of water! Remember, hydration is of key importance for skin health.
Skin Fasting Do’s & Don’ts
• Do make sure that your room has the proper humidity and is not too dry, particularly in the winter
• Don’t skin fast if you have atopic skin or any other serious skin condition, or have had a recent chemical peel or face treatment. When in doubt consult with a dermatologist
• Don’t skin fast if you are not feeling well.
• Do choose your skin care products carefully!
In addition to Skin Fasting, don't forget to face exercise for skin's lift up and wrinkle reduction too. Check Koko Face Yoga here!