DIY Spa Day - Glamming it up for the Holidays

The Holidays are upon us and it's time to glam up. So, I thought I would do a series of posts (and videos maybe) of how to glam yourself up so you can both look and feel amazing this holiday season.

Some of us may not be able to afford a trip to the spa in addition to the presents, decoration and food spending that we have to do. Nevertheless, we deserve the pampering. I have some tips on how to use simple, household products to get similar results to going to the spa.

• Body Scrub 

Slough away dead skin cells, encourage circulation and get your skin to glow by slathering on a body scrub. Easy ingredients to find in your cupboards are : brown sugar, sea salt or regular salt or raw oats combined with a body wash or olive oil for a more moisturizing experience make a quick scrub. 

Mix the two ingredients together thoroughly. If you have back-acne or chest acne you can add a table spoon of baking soda to the mix and refridgerate for two hours. I usually mix this up on a Friday night and then pop it out first thing Saturday morning. (If you have sensitive skin then smaller granules are your best bet (example salt).

Hop into the shower and bathe so the skin is clean and damp. Using warm water will get you the best results. Apply the scrub in large circles over your skin from your collar bone down. (The skin at your neck is often too thin for scrubs). Use a heavier hand at rougher areas like your knees, elbows and heels, and a lighter hand at anywhere you can see or almost see your veins - like the backs of your knees, your wrists, tops of your hands etc.

Rinse off and pat yourself dry (no rubbing!). Apply a calming moisturizer or delve further into the spa experience by applying slightly warm body oil. I like to combine rose water, witch hazel and olive oil in a spray bottle and mist myself with it. I'm smiling just thinking about it.

• Moisturizing/Calming Face Mask

Anytime the weather changes your skin is affected. We may not have the blustering wind and chill and snow other countries have but cooler temperatures still means dryer, irritated skin. I do not recommend scrubbing the life out of your skin on your face right now. In fact, we should be concentrated on adding moisture on a regular basis. This is a mask that I enjoy:

Combine plain yoghurt or milk with tea tree oil or witch hazel and whip that baby up like your life depended on it. If you are using milk, then add in small portions while whipping. You want to get it as frothy as possible. Then, take a warm rag and lay on your face for 5 seconds. then apply the mask in small circles to your face and let stand for up to 20 minutes. Wash off with luke warm water, pat dry and apply your night cream. 

The tea tree oil or witch hazel act as an astringent and the milk or yoghurt help to reduce redness.

• Faux Paraffin Treatment

I have always wondered how to replicate the effects of a paraffin treatment and though I haven't perfected it yet I have found this method works pretty well, especially for moisturizing my cuticles.

Take oven mitts or kitchen towels or old face towels and put them in a bowl in the microwave with a tad of water until they are bearably warm. Spread the thickest oil or moisturizing cream or lotion in your house on your fingers, hands and cuticles, then spread on another layer. Put on your favourite movie and wrap your hands up in the towels. Leave it on until your fingers are just about wrinkly.

I like using raw shea butter, or coconut oil or cocoa butter for this trick. When you are finished wash your hands with an alcohol free soap and pat dry. 

• Hot Oil Hair Treatment

Raw coconut oil will be your best friend for this. You can visit Earth Elements to pick this up. Put a chunk of the coconut oil or shea butter or even your conditioner in a bowl in the microwave with a tiny towel. While it's heating up pull out your plastic wrap. Comb through your hair to get rid of any tangles and apply the warm product to the ends of your hair until they are completely saturated. Use the remainder of the product on your shaft but shy away from the roots unless they are naturally exceptionally dry.  Then do your hair up in a top knot and wrap the plastic wrap around it and follow with the warm towel.

Keep this in for half hour if you can. Then rinse out and wash  out with 1/2 the amount of shampoo you normally use. 

Try these out and let me know how it goes and if you like these types of posts because I have a lot more things to share with you guys. My husband thinks I'm crazy half the time and asks why I'm "cooking" my body. It works for me though  and has allowed me to save money - which is never a bad thing.

Till later,
Jane