Everyone loves a bit of pampering now and then. But sometimes our wallets just won’t allow us to hit the spas for a day full of facials, manicures and pedicures. However, there is hope.
Just bring the day of relaxation to your own home, creating a spa-like experience without breaking the bank. Things that can be found in the everyday home can be turned into the most natural and helpful skin/hair/facial treatments. Here are a few of the best concoctions that will do wonders to pamper your worries away.
Facial:
Before applying any masks a “facial steam” should be done to open up the pores and ready your skin for your facial treatment. Start the steam by pouring almost boiling water into a large bowl and adding a few drops of aromatherapy oils. For normal skin types try mandarin or lavender. Lemon and Eucalyptus are key for more oil-based skin and rose or chamomile are best for dryer skin types. Put your head over the bowl and a towel over your head to hold in the steam and just enjoy. Might not be as luxurious as a steam room in a spa, but it does the trick.
For a facial for oily skin try mixing a tablespoon of honey with 1 egg white and apply thickly on the face and neck. Leave for 10 minutes and rinse off.
For normal skin take one egg, half a cup of cooked instant oatmeal and just a teaspoon of olive oil and blend together to prepare a mixture. Apply it on the face, let it dry and then rinse it off with normal water.
For dry skin, try using one egg yolk, a spoonful of honey, a teaspoon of olive oil and again another teaspoon of vitamin E oil or baby oil (optional), if you have a dry skin or when your skin feels dry any day. Apply the mixture to your face and leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off with lukewarm water and pat dry thoroughly with a towel.
Smearing honey onto your face is a bit sticky, but is one of the best facials you could give yourself at home. Leave the honey on for 15 to 30 minutes and rinse off first with warm water, and then cold water to close the pores. Use once a week.
The exfoliater recipe combines 2 heaping teaspoons of fine oatmeal with1 tablespoon of baking soda to form a paste. Gently rub on the skin, rinse and pat dry.
Hair:
Hair conditioning is essential to the health and shine of the hair. Here are some basic recipes from ingredients that can be found at home that can give your hair an extra boost.
Fruitie conditioner: Blend half a banana, a quarter avocado, a quarter cantaloupe, a tablespoon wheat germ oil and 1 tablespoon yogurt. For extra conditioning, squeeze in the contents of a vitamin E capsule. Leave in hair for 15 minutes.
Coconut conditioner: Combine mashed avocado with some coconut milk. Mash together until its smooth and about as thick as shampoo. Comb it through the hair and let sit for 10-15 minutes, wash out.
Friz-freezer Conditioner: Mix half cup conditioner, a quarter cup honey and 1 tablespoon almond oil, blend well. Pour mixture over damp hair, work it in. Leave on for about 20 minutes for a good deep conditioning. Rinse out. This works for all hair types.
Nails:
Homemade manicures and pedicures are pretty straight forward. Yet, if you aren’t in the mood for the clip, file, buff and polish routine but still want clean-looking nails, why not try whitening them? You can use a liquid teeth whitener on your nails to brighten and whiten them, or more simply just soak them in lemon juice, which will help remove any stains that might have built up in the nails. After trying these methods a layer of topcoat will seal in a fresh, clean-looking nail.
