Treat Yourself to a Luxurious Spa Day at Home
by Lee McKenzieAnyone who knows me will laugh at the idea of me offering beauty advice. I am not a expert, I seldom wear makeup, and my bad hair days far outnumber the good ones. What I really love about spa treatments is the total sense of relaxation and well being—so it’s as much about what’s happening on the inside as it is about the outside.
I’d love to indulge myself every month or so but simply can’t afford it, so the next best thing is to treat myself to a spa day at home. This is a relaxing and refreshing alternative, and it can be done with simple, everyday ingredients like oatmeal, honey, yogurt and avocado, so it’s also affordable. Gotta love that!
Whether your spa day is solo or done with a spouse/sister/daughter/friend, I’m sure you’ll find it’s time well spent. On my websie I’ve posted a detailed outline of a possible spa day at home. Just click here and scroll down to “Maggie’s Tips for a Spa Day Home.”
And here are a couple of great recipes for homemade spa goodies from Spa Index.
Chocolate Facial MaskAnd did you know you can make your own pore cleaning strips? It's super easy, and so economical.
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3
tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons cottage cheese
1/4 cup honey
3
teaspoons oatmeal
This is one of my favorites! Blend all the ingredients together and smooth the
mixture onto your face. Relax for ten 10 minutes, then wash off with warm water.
Your skin will be nice and soft, although be forewarned. You may find yourself
craving chocolate!
Strip it Off! Pore Cleaning StripsDo you have any at-home spa tips or special little indulgences you’d like to share?
1 tablespoon Knox unflavored gelatin
1-1/2 tablespoon milk
Mix the two ingredients and microwave for 10
seconds till slightly warm. Using a clean cosmetic brush or spatula, apply to
nose and chin area. Avoid delicate eye area. Rinse brush/spatula immediately.
Allow mixture on nose and chin to dry for 10 to 15 minutes. Mixture will dry to
form a stiff film. Peel off the film and be amazed!
Until next time,
Lee
~ ~ ~
Lee McKenzie writes for Harlequin American Romance. With This Ring (December ‘07) is available as an ebook from eHarlequin.com and Amazon.com (Kindle edition). Her next two books are a series set in beautiful San Francisco.
Labels: be good to yourself, Lee McKenzie, spa day at home
posted by Lee McKenzie @ 12:05 AM
32 Comments:
Lee, yummy! And that recipe for pore strips will save me some money, with three girls in the house.
I love audio books, so I will pop in one of my old favorites and try that chocolate mask. Great post! :)
Hmmm... not sure I wouldn't eat that facial instead of spreading it on my face.
It's so hard to take 'home time' for self-indulgence. I try to retreat to my chaise with a cup of something (and maybe one piece of good chocolate from my hidden stash--the only secret I have from hubby is where I hide it!) while I read. But there's always the "Shouldn't you be doing Something Important?" devil sitting on my shoulder.
Enjoy the mask, Gillian! Great suggestion to listen to an audio book while indulging in a facial. Thank you!
I hear you, Terry. I think many women suffer from the "I should be doing something important" syndrome.
The experts remind us that being good to ourselves is the first step in being a good parent, spouse, friend, etc., but that pesky devil on the shoulder has an awfully loud voice ;)
One other handy hint I forgot; something I discovered in my days with kids underfoot: Take a chore you keep putting off (for me it was mopping the kitchen floor, or cleaning a bathroom.) Time it. How long does it take to do a reasonable job (not m-i-l inspection, but reasonable). Once you know a task only takes X minutes, you can find the energy to tackle it. I could do my kitchen easily enough once it didn't loom like a, 'never be time for this' weight. As I recall, I'd do it on whatever night the old MTM show and spinoffs were on -- I liked Mary & Rhoda, but didn't much give a hoot about Phyllis who came in between, so when her show was on, I did the kitchen (and convinced myself I'd been enjoying tv time all evening).
Lee,
I can't wait to try those pore strips. I spend a small fortune on Biore ones. Thanks for sharing it!
I am definitely going to try these treatments, Lee. Thanks! This is great.
I wonder if the gelatin/milk remedy will also work for pulling off facial hair...I could wax my own eyebrows. Or is that too risky?
Lee--I'm passing along the chocolate facial mask recipe to my daughter. She's always looking for fun stuff to do when she has a sleepover with friends. Maybe I'll win brownie points for this one :-)
Marin
RT Top Pick
The Cowboy and the Angel (Nov 08)
www.marinthomas.com
Thanks, Lee. I always feel guilty doing stuff for myself (like buying books), but these tips are so affordable I can try them guilt-free.
Hi Lee -
Your suggestions are so cool I'm tempted to take a day to do something fun like that.
Looking forward to reading your next books that are set in San Francisco - loved visiting there last year.
What fun recipes! Adding them to my collection. I like doing a honey pre-conditioner once a week, and a tea finishing rinse. The honey makes my hair softer, and the tea softens the gray. I can't use regular hair color, so I use chamomile (brown tint) or one with hibiscus flowers (red tint) as a finishing rinse. I have noticed a difference after a few washes. (Not huge, but a bit.)
~Judy
I'll have to stick with the milk and gelatin. The chocolate one would slip right into my mouth and never touch my skin.
Delle
Great tip to time unpleasant chores, Terry. Housework is a lot easier to handle if we only have to spend 15 minutes at it. Then if there's a reward, even better!
Mo, I'm glad you found the recipe for pore strips useful!
Theresa, I don't think the gelatin mixture is sticky enough for eyebrow waxing. Have you tried a technique called sugaring? This website includes step-by-step instruction, including photos.
But I have to say..."ouch!" I think I'd be too much of a chicken to pull off the wax strip myself!
Marin, a group of teenagers doing homemade facials sounds like a lot of fun. And I bet there'll be some memorable photos for Facebook!
Enjoy, Megan! Guilt-free is always good!
Judy, I love your suggestions! What goes in the pre-conditioner besides honey?
My daughter used to color her hair until she had a terrible allergic reaction to the dye. It was so bad, I had to take her to the ER. I would never have thought of using tea, but it makes total sense. Thanks for sharing!
LOL, Delle! If the chocolate facial slipped past my lips, it would go straight to my hips :)
Hugs, Dianna! Be sure to let me know how your spa day goes!
Isn't San Francisco an amazing city? I've been there several times and I really love it.
I'm with you, Delle! The chocolate mixture would never make it on my face! I would eat it from the bowl! But the pore strips sound great!
I try very hard to take some time once a week to soak in the tub with all my froo froo bath stuff. My nephew, Aaron, always gives me bath oil and beads and all the accessories for Christmas every year because he did it the first year he was in the family (my brother's stepson) and I loved it SO much he just goes with a sure thing! This year was a fabulous gardenia and lavender set.
When I soak I light candles, play great music and read a romance novel, at least until the hot water runs out!
I love this idea in theory. I'll probably never do it though. I'm not a spa sort of gal. I think I indulge myself a lot. Today I went to the mall to return some Christmas gifts but I took advantage of the sales and got two nice sweaters.
Hi, Lee :-)! I always love your spa ideas, and these sound wonderful.
When are your next books coming out? I can hardly wait to read them :-)!
Louisa, your "frou frou" bath sounds like a perfect antidote to a busy week. And your nephew is a definite keeper!
Diane, two new sweaters? I'm so envious!
I love a bargain, but I am the world's worst shopper. I can wander through stores forever and not find anything I like. When I really need something, I usually take my daughter with me. Within five minutes she'll have me in the fitting room with an armload of things to try on, and they're usually perfect. It's like having my very own personal shopper!
Hi, Terry! No publication dates yet, but I'll be sure to let you know!
I got hungry just looking at the facial mask so I'd have to use it while trotting on a treadmill (g), and the pore strips look like a fantastic idea!
You are so resourceful!
Rachel
Lee, it's 1/2 cup honey, or molasses for darker hair as honey will lighten, for 20-30 minutes. Then wash and condition as usual. I learned about this in Janet Cox's Natural Beauty at Home. (I bought specifically because of my sensitive skin and found and found a number of helpful tips.)
I'm like you when it comes to looking for clothes. I only go when I absolutely must. How nice to have a personal shopper! LOL!
~Judy
A treadmill facial takes multi-tasking to a whole new level, Rachel! Go for it!
Judy, thanks so much for the book recommendation. I'll look for it next time I'm at the bookstore. I have a copy of Natural Beauty by Laura DuPriest. It has lots of great tips, too.
Lee, thanks for the waxing website! That's great!
Thanks, Lee! I added Laura's book to my wish list at Amazon. They "bundled" it with Janet's book!
~Judy
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