With spring comes ephemeral plants (cute!), fresh greens for our bowls (bye long braises!), and…cleanse messaging. We are stoked on the arrival of spring, but we aren’t really down with all this diet-y detox chit chat. For one thing, detoxing isn’t something we have to do to our bodies. Few of us - dare we say, next to none of us - actually need the “Liver Flush” or “Detox Kit” because our bodies are detoxing all the time. Bodies detox. It’s part of the contract we have with our excretory system, of which our liver is a very important part. We eat, breathe, and absorb stuff through our skin. Everything from seasonal greens to Cheetos to clean air to lovingly made herbal oils to environmental pollutants, they all get processed by the liver.

The skin and the liver are part of the same system. They also happen to be the first and second-largest organs in the body, respectively. So when an imbalance shows up on the surface of your body, it’s a pretty safe bet you can trace its origin to inside your body. Right to your liver and also the kidneys. These organs work together to remove waste from the body.

When organs like the liver and kidneys get overloaded it’s usually because they’ve been working too hard for too long. One night of too much fun, even a month of too much fun is not necessarily cause to call in the detox dogs. From an herbal perspective, what’s accumulated over time must be dealt with over time. So what we've come up with is a long-term support plan for the health of your liver. The success of the plan shows up as clear, glowing, supple skin.

But first, you might be wondering, how do I know I need to show my liver some love? A good place to start is to start a practice of body literacy. And especially to look at your skin. Any sign of stagnation is a hint that your body needs some support to get things moving again. Skin eruptions, dry, dull, or damp complexion, and persistent rashes are signs something is stuck. But these blockages don’t need a forceful purge, they want gentle coaxing, attention, and encouragement.

1. Let's start with what we eat.

No, we are not going to tell you to eat less. We are going to encourage you to eat..more. More flavors! All of the flavors: sour, sweet, salty, spicy, and bitter. Most of all bitter. Eat lots of colors and varieties of fruits and vegetables. The different colors in fruits, vegetables, and herbs tell us they are filled with wildly beneficial phytonutrients like carotenoids, anthocyanins, and polyphenols. Which all help alter the conditions in your body because they are nourishing. Deeply nourishing. We put our favorite five-flavored berry, Schisandra, in our skin food and liver tonic The Light Ray. Let the herbs do the heavy lifting.

2. Make sure you're getting a balance of rest and movement.

If you’re getting too much rest, you’re stuck in a pattern. If you’re getting too much movement, you’re also stuck in a pattern. Choose rest that feels pleasurable. If taking a 30-minute nap in the afternoon sounds stressful, don’t do it. Close your eyes for 1 minute every hour and focus on your breath instead. We are also not saying develop a gym addiction. Find a way to make movement a regular part of your day that feels easy and most of all, fun. Maybe it’s skipping out your door to get the mail. Or getting up to stretch your arms above your head every time you look at your phone. More movement = more circulation = blood gets cleaned and nourishment moves around your body better. We also included Goji Berries in The Light Ray to help stabilize and strengthen the circulatory system.

2. Feed your senses.

When we focus on sensualness, especially the textures, colors, and sounds of the earth we’re in touch with rhythms that are in constant motion. Spending more time outside can help to remind our bodies that stagnant patterns do shift. Dormant seeds come to life, snow melts, and the day grows longer. Nature did not send away for a detox kit in late February and still, the season changed and flowers grew. Our bodies will also move out of patterns of stagnation if we give them what they need: water, sun, good nourishment, rest, and gentle movement.

Spring is our favorite time to renew our trust in our bodies and to be confident in their innate intelligence. But that doesn’t mean that skin-supporting practices have to happen just one season a year. They happen to be evergreen, so try them on at any time.