Kinoki Cleansing Detox Foot Pads

Photo: Erica Gannett

Olly olly toxin free? From all-juice fasts to steam rooms, plenty of options abound when it comes to ridding your body of toxins. Another method comes via the drugstore: Kinoki Cleansing Detox Foot Pads. The setup is simple: Attach the adhesive pads (filled with “100 percent pure natural plant essence”) to the soles of your feet before bed, and while you sleep, the pads supposedly draw out toxins—small waste particles such as arsenic, mercury and even parasites found in our bodies thanks to diet and environment. The before and after photos on the box show a clean pad next to one covered by a brown, murky blob. And sure enough, that’s exactly what the pad looks like when I take it off my foot the next morning. It appears to have worked, but I don’t really feel any different than when the toxins were in my body. (I do, however, dream about taking the pads off my feet all night.) After doing some Internet research, I find a number of sites that claim the product is a hoax, that it simply reacts to moisture, so when my feet sweat during the night, the brown “toxins” are prompted. Back at the office, I add a little tap water to a clean pad and get the same results. I think I’ll stick with the sauna. $20 at Walgreens, locations around the city.

NEEDS WORK!

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