The arrival of spring marks the revitalization of all things natural–including people. In the mood for a bit of spring cleaning? Why not skip the closets and give yourself a good once-over. This is the perfect opportunity to detox your body and mind.

Why detox? Because after months of dark, cold winter days, holiday festivities, heavy comfort foods, and dry air, our bodies are full of toxins such as caffeine, pollution, nicotine, lingering metabolic waste due to a lack of activity, and extra stress brought on by the holidays. But don’t despair. Spring is the season of new beginnings, and a body detox will spring you forward on the right foot, and get you in great shape for the summer.

Detoxification is a way to cleanse and rejuvenate the body, and strengthen the immune system. It can also improve the condition of your skin, hair and nails, and slow down the aging process.

Although the body has its own detoxification process which works to eliminate toxins everyday, a detox program’s aim is to aid and enhance this natural process by reducing the amount of food eaten and/or eating foods that help cleanse the body.

There are different approaches to body detoxing, and they vary greatly in terms of what you have to do and how rigidly you need to stick to a given program.

The most stringent form of detox is a fast. This method encourages the body’s natural detoxifying processes by replacing food with water, herbal teas and fresh juices. Fasts are only recommended for a short length of time, and it’s very important not to follow such a radical approach without the consent of your doctor.

Less severe than a fast is a mild detox. A mild detox can range from drinking water, herbal teas and juices to a diet that also includes raw foods and salads, brown rice and lightly steamed vegetables and soups.

The gentlest method of detoxing less radical than fasting or a mild detox, is a cleansing diet. A cleansing diet includes a wider range of foods, as well as juices and herbal teas, and can be instituted permanently. Important healing foods such as grains, beans, nuts, seeds and range of vegetables, play an important role in cleansing diets.

Here’s a health quick tip you may want to implement during any detox program, and one to consider implementing for the rest of your life: Double the amount of water you currently drink each day–it’s a low-effort method for hydrating your body. To name just a few of its many benefits, water aids digestion, fuels the lymphatic system (the body’s toxin drainage system), keeps cells healthy, and hydrates the skin.

Everyone wants optimum health and mental clarity, and a body detox can help you get it. In fact, some individuals go on a detoxification program every 90 days–at the beginning of each season of the year.

You may have heard that the human colon can have stored up to 20 pounds of toxic waste or fecal matter.  Although most individuals don’t have this much, even 5 extra pounds of stored feces is too much.  For this reason you may be interested in ridding your body of this toxic matter; but how do you?  You will find two main options listed online, body detox cleansing and colon cleansing.

There are many similarities between a body detox cleanse and a colon cleanse.  Both are designed to eliminate toxins from your body.  The approach taken is different.  With a body cleanse your whole body is targeted, including your colon.  With a colon cleanse, only the colon is targeted.

So, which approach is right for you?  It depends on what you expect to accomplish–your desired outcome. Do you only want to remove the extra waste which may be causing you to carry around excess pounds?  If so, a colon cleanse is your best option.

Although many people are horrified to learn they may have a lot of waste clogging their colons, this is not the only reason for a body detox or a colon cleanse.  Detoxification has a number of benefits, including an improvement in the skin, increased energy, and an overall feeling of well being.  If this is your goal, a whole body detox cleansing is your best option.

The procedure you intend to use to detox or cleanse can also determine if a whole body cleanse or colon cleanse is right for you.  With colon cleanses, you have a number of different options, including a saltwater flush.  Even with this cheap option, many prefer to purchase over-the-counter products, which may include pills or drink mixes.  In most instances, these products do work, but you may find them to be costly.  A drink mix, which tends to work faster than pills, can cost up to $50 for one serving!

In keeping with costs, you may find a whole body detox cleansing to be a more affordable option. Although over-the-counter products are available, many turn to water fasting, juice fasting, and the Master Cleanse.  Out of the three, the Master Cleanse will be the most expensive, because you’ll need to purchase cayenne pepper, grade b maple syrup, natural salt, and fresh lemons.  Not only do body detoxes tend to be cheaper, but remember they target the whole body, including the colon.

As previously stated, colon cleanses tend to work faster than whole body detoxes.  This is because you are targeting a specific area of your body.  As nice as this sounds, you need to take into account your daily routine.  A colon cleanse in drink form should produce results in 1 hour or less.  Which means you’ll find yourself running to the bathroom.  For this reason, a colon cleanse is recommended for at-home use only.  Pills tend to work over a period of 7 to 30 days.  Throughout that time, you’ll be able to notice a pattern in your bathroom habits, making it easy to go about your daily routine.

So, should you undergo a whole body detox cleansing or a colon cleansing?  The choice is up to you. However, if you have the time to devote to a body detox and have the ability to forgo solid foods, you may experience the best results with this option.