An herbal body wrap provides both therapeutic and beautifying benefits by cleansing the body of toxins, smoothing the skin, and sometimes removing measurable inches off your body simply from the natural detoxification process. Clay-based body wraps are an excellent treatment for anyone that would like to improve the tone and texture of their skin. The process can also help tighten the skin, which is very beneficial for people who have loose skin from recent weight loss or pregnancy.

Professional herbal body wraps for detoxification usually start at around $100. But if a visit to the spa isn’t a luxury you can afford (or you’re too self-conscious to be wrapped by a stranger), you can make your own herbal body wrap to detoxify in the privacy of your home.

To make a simple, clay-based body wrap, you’ll start with the basic recipe below and add essential oils or herbs as desired.

Basic Clay Body Wrap Recipe

• 1 cup bentonite or green clay
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups water

Directions: Boil the water, add the sea salt and stir gently until the salt is completely dissolved. Add the olive oil and clay and mix thoroughly. Add additional water if needed to create the consistency of wet paste.

Although this basic recipe makes a fine body wrap on its own, adding essential oils or herbs will provide greater detoxification and therapeutic effects. Add several drops of oils to your clay paste or up to two tablespoons of herbs. Not sure which additions to try? Below are some suggestions based on ingredients used in actual spa body wraps.

Essential Oils: lavender, sage, lemon, sandalwood, lemongrass, rosemary, and grapefruit.

Herbs: alfalfa leaf powder, ground basil, chamomile flower powder, rose petal powder, and rosehip powder.

Preparing for Your Detoxifying Body Wrap

Experiencing a body wrap is not a process that can be rushed. So make sure that you schedule at least an hour and a half of uninterrupted bathroom time before you begin.

Gather together:

• Your clay mixture
• Thin cotton towels, spa wrapping sheets or a clean, 100% cotton sheet for wrapping
• An inexpensive thermal foil blanket (optional)
• A tall glass of chilled drinking water (with a lemon wedge if you have it)
• Soothing music
• Scented candles

Take a warm shower to open your pores and pat your body dry. Apply the clay mixture onto your body part-by-part, wrapping yourself snugly as you go along. The object of the wrapping is to create gentle pressure on the body to compress the tissue together for greater release of toxins. (Spa wrapping sheets are specifically designed with this end result in mind, so if you can find a source to buy them, it’s not a bad idea.)

As you can imagine, covering your body in clay can be a messy endeavor. That’s why, when your application and wrapping process is complete, you’ll want to relax in an empty bathtub while you detoxify.

If you haven’t done so already, light your candles and turn on your soothing music. Grab a hand towel to support your neck, climb into the tub and relax for 45 minutes to an hour. Sip your lemon water and enjoy the feeling of pampering your body head to toe. If you start to feel chilled, cover yourself with a thermal foil blanket if you have one, or a clean cotton throw.

When your herbal body wrap process is complete, discard the wrappings and take another warm shower (without soap) to rinse the clay from your body.

Following your herbal body wrap, drink plenty of water to help your tissue continue to detoxify. For optimal results, avoid caffeine, sugar, alcohol, fried foods and artificial ingredients for 24 to 48 hours after your wrap to give your body a “break” from these common toxins. 

To learn more about detoxifying your body or get answers to your specific detox questions, you should consider joining 5 Minute Self-Help.  It’s only $5 and it comes with unlimited personal coaching so that you can look and feel your very best.

We live in a toxic world. From the air we breathe and the water we drink, to the artificial ingredients and preservatives in our food supply, our bodies have to work overtime just to eliminate enough toxins to continue operating smoothly.

When your body gets overloaded with toxins, your immune systems becomes weaker and you become more vulnerable to everyday viruses or even more significant health issues like cancer or liver disease. That’s why it’s important to cleanse your body by incorporating simple daily detoxification practices into your life.

When people hear the word detoxification, or detox for short, they often think of treatment programs for drug or alcohol abuse or spa retreats that only the wealthy can afford. But there are simple things you can do each day - no matter how much money you make - to detoxify your body.  

Below are three daily detoxification techniques you can perform each day to help eliminate toxins and beautify your body.

Lemon Water

Fresh lemon has amazing internal cleansing properties. Not only does it help eliminate water retention, but it also helps detoxify the liver. Plus, it’s high in vitamin C.

Each morning, before you eat or drink anything else, heat six to eight ounces of pure, clean water and squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the water. Sip slowly, giving your body at least 30 minutes to digest the warm lemon water before having coffee, tea or breakfast.

Beauty Bonus: As an added detox boost throughout the day, squeeze a thin slice of lemon into each glass of water you drink.

Dry Skin Brushing

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and plays an important role in the body’s ability to eliminate toxins. Before you shower or bathe each day, add dry skin brushing to your skin care regiment to unclog pores and clear a path for elimination.

Using a dry loofah or a natural bristle brush, gently brush your skin using short, upward strokes in the direction of your heart (to assist the natural flow of your body’s blood). Start at your feet (make sure you brush in between your toes!) and work upward toward your belly. For hard-to-reach areas like your back, try using a long handled loofah. Avoid sensitive skin or areas where the skin is broken (like a cut) or rashy (as with eczema).

Beauty Bonus: Daily dry skin brushing exfoliates skin and increases circulation, leaving your body smooth, glowing and touchable!

Fiber Up Your Diet

Fiber is an important nutritional element that helps the body naturally detoxify and eliminate waste. As it moves through the digestive track and intestines, fiber absorbs toxic waste and carries it out of the body through the bowels.

The problem is, with our over-processed food supply, most people don’t get anywhere near the recommended daily requirement of 20-25g of fiber each day. With low fiber intake, our intestinal track can get congested and actually release accumulated toxins back into the bloodstream!

Getting adequate fiber each day does require a bit of planning. To get a jump start on your RDA, begin your day with a high fiber breakfast such as fiber-rich cereal and a piece of fruit. Snack on things like nuts, seeds, baby carrots and dried fruits. Make sandwiches with high fiber bread. Add beans to soups, stews and taco meat. And serve a green salad with chunky vegetables with dinner each night.

Health Note: Because fiber absorbs water as well as toxins, make sure you increase your water intake when you begin eating more fiber.  

Beauty Bonus: Increasing fiber intake has been shown to help promote weight loss. So if you need to shed a few pounds, adding fiber to your diet should help.

There are many nutritional supplements and fiber preparations on the market designed to detox your body and it’s not a bad idea to follow a more significant cleansing program from time to time. But for easy daily detoxification, the three things listed here will help you cleanse and beautify your body every day!

If you want to learn more about detoxifying your body or get answers to your specific detox questions, the personal life coaches over at 5 Minute Self-Help are really helpful.