CREATING SPA TREATMENTS AT HOME Part 2 – THE BODY By Shari
Going to the spa is not only great for your body, but great for your mind. Unfortunately for most of us, due to cost, spa treatments are saved only for special occasions. Just because your budget doesn’t allow regular visits to the spa doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in your own spa experience right at home. You can even make this spa routine a weekly event and invite your closest friends to your very own spa parties at home. They’ll thank you for introducing them to such an inexpensive, fast beauty routine. Enjoy!
Follow these tips and treat your body to at-home, but still fantastic, body treatments including body scrubs, wraps, manicure & pedicure. You will need a partner to apply a body mask and wrap you in a sarong. A body scrub can be performed alone (except for your back) so it’s also beneficial to have someone to help you. Any of the facial scrubs or masks from part 1 can be used on the body as well. Plan your own home spa day. Set the mood by lighting some candles, lighting incense or an aroma burner, get out a bathrobe and slippers. Put on some inspiring music. Make a healthy meal. One of the easiest spa treatments is a body scrub and flower bath. You can also give yourself a manicure and pedicure. You’ll need a few supplies: blender, tea strainer, bowls, towels plus manicure equipment. Love yourself.
BODY TREATMENTS
Exfoliate with a sugary scrub
Here’s what you need for a simple but very effective scrub.
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup raw oatmeal
• 1 cup olive or vegetable oil
Mix all the ingredients together and then apply on dry skin, using your hands. You want to perform slow circles—this treatment is to be enjoyed and not rushed. (The real key is standing over a towel to catch the remains, unless your friend can do this while you lie on a sarong.) After scrubbing gently all over, step into the shower and rinse off. Your skin will be like butter.
Coffee Body Scrub
• 2 cups of coarsely ground coffee
• 1/2 cup raw sugar or sea salt
• 2-3 T massage oil
Mix all ingredients together. Using wide, circular motions, rub the coffee exfoliant onto your skin with strong, even pressure. Shower off, pat skin dry, and apply a thin layer of your favorite body lotion.
Fruit Salad Body Mask
This may sound as if you’re pouring a smoothie for the skin - and you are - but for good reason. Pineapple contains bromeliad, a protein-digestive enzyme which helps rid the skin of dead cells and dirt. It also counteracts histamines, has anti-inflammatory properties, and is a mild astringent. Grapes are rich in PCOs which provide protection against harmful UV rays, and, are anti-oxidants. Bananas have loads of vitamins, calcium and essential nutrients which keep the skin smooth and soft. Kiwi is high in vitamin C and has enzymatic properties. Honeydew is both soothing and hydrating.
• 2 slices pineapple - rind removed
• 1/2 med. honeydew melon - rind removed
• 1 doz. green grapes
• 1 med. banana - peeled
• 1 med. kiwi fruit – peeled
Puree all ingredients in blender. Mixture will be slightly lumpy. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Smooth onto body and/or face, leaving on for half an hour, while wrapped in a sarong. This is an ideal treatment to use poolside, where lounging is assuring. Rinse off with tepid water, or an outdoor shower.
BATH
Following your scrub or wrap plunge into a warm bath with sea-salt and flowers added. Light some candles and lie back and relax and read a good book or a magazine.
At Home Spa Manicure
No spa treatment is complete without a manicure! This at-home manicure takes about 30 to 35 minutes and will leave your nails and hands looking beautiful!
Supplies Needed:
• Small bowl
• Nail brush
• Tissues
• Cotton wool
• Cuticle stick
• Emery board or nail file
• Cuticle scissors or clippers
• Nail clipper
• Polish remover
• Base coat or Double Twist for base & top coat
• Nail polish
Follow these simple steps for the perfect at-home manicure:
• Remove old polish using a gentle nail polish remover
• File your nails. The modern look for nails is to keep them on the short side with a straight shape and slightly-rounded edges
• Soak your hands in warm, soapy water. Let soak for a few minutes in order to soften cuticles. Use a gentle soap that won’t dry out your skin
• Apply a few dots of cuticle cream or hair conditioner and rub in gently
• Using a cuticle stick, push your cuticles back gently. Never cut the cuticles, as this can lead to damage and even infection
• Massage hands with a creamy hand lotion. Rub in for a couple of minutes in order to fully hydrate the skin, particularly if you are suffering from dry skin
• Wipe nails on a damp cloth in order to remove excess oil
• Apply a base coat before adding two coats of your favourite shade of nail polish. Start on the baby finger and first apply polish on the side of the nail and use three strokes to fully coat each nail. Follow with a top coat.
At Home Spa Pedicure
An at-home spa treatment is best when topped off with a relaxing, invigorating pedicure. The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day, so taking care of your feet is a must. You will need all of the same equipment as a manicure plus a pumice stone and bucket or large bowl.
Here are some simple steps that’ll let you pamper your feet in 45 minutes or less:
• Soak your feet for about ten minutes in a pail or plastic bowl filled with warm water and a few drops of lavender (which has excellent relaxing properties that will soothe your tired, aching feet) or peppermint (which has stimulating effects).
• Apply a cuticle softener; after a few minutes, push back the cuticles gently using a cuticle stick
• Use a pumice stone to remove dead skin cells
• Apply a moisturizing cream in order to hydrate the skin, as well as improve flexibility and promote relaxation. Don’t forget your toes!
• Wipe the toe nails with a cotton pad with polish remover to remove the oil.
• Apply a base coat, and then add two coats of your favourite nail polish colour, as above. Follow with a topcoat. Only use nail polish on alternating weeks in order to avoid nail discoloration.
Avocado Hand and Foot Treatment
Mix together 1/4 to 1/2 mashed fresh avocado, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon rice bran, and 10 drops of oil of evening primrose. Gently massage this treatment onto your hands and feet, and leave in place for 20 minutes. Rinse. This natural treatment will revive your dry, wrinkled and rough hands, feet, elbows and knees. The avocado and egg nourish the skin with proteins and oils; the rice bran exfoliates dead skin cells; the oil of evening primrose contains precious gamma linolenic acids, essential for healthy hair, skin and nails. Consider purchasing a small bottle of oil of evening primrose capsules. Open one, and voila...you have the ingredient for this recipe.
Beach Sand Foot Scrub
• 2 Tablespoons Canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons dry beach sand
• 3-5 drops essential oil (do not use if pregnant)
The next time you decide to spend the day at the beach, take advantage of the “on location foot treatment.” Brazilians, particularly, are known for scrubbing their entire bodies, particularly the feet, deep into the sand while they relax on the beach. When going to the beach, take a small vial of ingredients with you: 2 tablespoons of canola oil (or use your suntan oil!), and, a small vial of essential oil -- or premix and take one vial. Once at the beach, use an empty container (a soda cup is fine) to mix the ingredients together. Mix into a paste. Massage the sand scrub onto feet (and elbows), concentrating especially on problem areas. Rinse off in the foamy waves, pat dry with your beach towel.
