It’s not often that my husband notices a change in me. I have had my hair dyed an entirely different colour before and all he has said is “is that a new top?”. But only one day into my Radiance Greens cleanse and Nick said “Gosh, you look good – you look like you’ve had loads of sleep – have you had loads of sleep?”. The next day he remarked that my skin looked amazing – he actually used the word amazing – The only time I have heard Nick that enthusiastic about what I look like was on our wedding day. I had just completed my first day of the three-day Radiance Greens Cleanse, the first of it’s kind in the UK.
Im not going to lie. The Greens Cleanse was tough. It consisted of three days of nothing but green juices and one cashew milk a day. I never thought cashew milk could taste so good, but when sandwiched between four (marginally) different green juices, it tastes as sweet as a sugar-filled milkshake. I am not good at seeing cleanses through, I have a track record of breaking on the last day when that jar of peanut butter that sits in the cupboard taunting me finally gets too much and it takes me about two seconds to inhale three teaspoonfuls. But not this time. Every time I felt hungry or tired or just wanted to chew on something, I thought of my husband’s comments and it spurred me to finish it this time.
These daily juices became my new found and loved beauty elixir. I had heard that juice cleanses can do this but I was yet to see a noticeable difference in myself as a result of going on one. I did some more research as to why this particular cleanse made such a difference to my appearance, and in just three days!
Firstly, the cleanse is incredibly alkalising, which not only promotes detoxing but also helps get the body to work a lot more efficiently. Dr Robert Young, author of the PH Miracle comments that we should “forget cholesterol count. Forget calories and fat grams. Forget blood pressure, blood sugar, hormone levels, or any of the other markers of office. It turns out the single measurement most important to your health is the pH of your blood and tissues – how acidic or alkaline it is.” One of the best ways to balance your body’s pH is by eating more greens as their chlorophyll content has this incredibly alkalising effect. And, secondly, by juicing these greens your body is much more effective in absorbing all the nutrients as it doesn’t have to go through the hard task of breaking everything down.
Once your body is balanced to a wellness-warrior like status it can then work super efficiently. The liver becomes free of toxins and therefore can cleanse all the other organs allowing for nutrients to be delivered where they are needed. Resulting in, you guessed it, clearer skin, stronger nails, glossy locks and brighter eyes. I was amazed that it only took one day for a noticeable difference, which made me think that I might try and do one day a month where I give my body a break from digestion and order in a day’s worth of green cleansing.
As kermit the frog once said “it’s not easy being green” but what he didn’t tell you is that if you persist with it and see it through, you’ll look and feel much better for it.
Want to get gorgeous now? We speak to Radiance Cleanse founder (and total beauty herself), Clare, on what her beauty tips to implement now are:
1. Schedule a seasonal cleanse. Whether it’s a juice cleanse or your preferred detox diet, giving your digestive system a break, resetting your healthiest eating habits and focusing on your wellbeing, even for a short period of time, is just as important for your skin as a regular facial.
2. Hydration is key to youthful-looking skin. Using a good moisturiser helps, of course, but we need to add moisture from the inside as well. Aside from drinking enough filtered water, we’re huge fans of coconut water (our latest love is Unoco Raw Coconut Water ). However we can eat our water too by consuming lots of water-rich vegetables such as raw cucumber, celery, salads and fruit.
3. Good fats are essential for radiant skin. Eat them in foods such as avocado, nuts, seeds, oily fish and cold pressed olive, hemp, avocado or coconut oil. You can also top up your intake with a supplement. We like Viridian 100% Organic Ultimate Beauty Oil and Udo’s Ultimate Oil Blend
4.We are huge believers in natural and organic skincare products that don’t load the body with toxic chemicals. Our favourite place to get advice on the right personalised skincare regime is Content in Marylebone, which has a fantastic online store as well.
5. Getting enough high quality sleep is an often neglected key to good skin, and good health more generally. Treat an early night as you would a gym session – make it a priority and don’t let social commitments or distractions like emails get in the way.
For more information visit: Radiancecleanse.com
words by Sadie Macleod