At Home Spa
Relax. Refresh. Recharge. - Unknown
Oftentimes, when one thinks of self care, images of facemasks and bath bombs come to mind. As we have seen, self care can include this, in addition to a range of many other tools, and as always, self care is unique to the individual. Today, we will discuss the self care tool...an At Home Spa. An At Home Spa can be your own creation and it does not have to be an expensive endeavor. The following are a few suggestions on how to create an inexpensive At Home Spa experience.
A Relaxing Space
Create a space of restoration.
Music
Put on some relaxing music and let it transform your space...like the sounds of the ocean or a meditation station on Pandora or Spotify.
Light Some Candles or Incense
Burn your favorite candles or incense to create a space of peace, calm, and ease...this is similar to what we discussed in the blog, Your Personal Sanctuary.
Make Spa Water
Fill up a pitcher of water and infuse it with some lemons, limes, cucumber, basil, strawberries, or mint; making a refreshing and hydrating drink for your At Home Spa experience
Spa Activities
Fill your space with any of the following ideas.
Bath or Shower
Bring the music, candles/incense, and infused water into your bathroom, and take a bath or a restorative shower. Some people do not enjoy baths; know that a shower can also bring about relaxing benefits. One of my favorite shower/bath ingredients is Epson Salt.
- Epson Salt: is a magnesium-based salt that has a multitude of benefits including, detoxifying the body, exfoliating the skin, reducing stress, relieving muscle pain, cramping, and overall body ache, just to name a few. You can use Epson salt as a body scrub in the shower or as a bath bomb (the average amount to use for a bath, is 2 cups of Epson salt). Epson salt is extremely inexpensive and something you can find at your local drugstore.
Face Mask
There are a million simple and inexpensive at-home facemask recipes that you can find online today. Many of these recipes include items already found in your kitchen, like honey, oatmeal, and bananas. You can also use Epson salt in your facemask recipe as it is a great exfoliate for your skin.
Do Your Nails
Give yourself a pedicure or manicure. Just like in the blog, Be Creative, have some fun with it; maybe paint your nails with alternating colors, or include a design, and even add some sparkle! Whatever feels good in that moment!
NOTE:
Cruelty-Free Beauty Items I am a proponent of using beauty items that are cruelty-free. You will see a small bunny logo on the back of a product; this will let you know that no animal was used in the testing process. The bunny logo must be there in order for it to be true. Many companies will say, "No Animal Testing" without the bunny logo, which often means that they used an outside company for testing. We live in a day in age where we, as consumers, have a multitude of products to choose from, and we have an opportunity to support companies that do not engage in cruelty or abuse. Today, cruelty-free products are at the same price point and are oftentimes a better overall product than the companies continuing to use out-of-date productions. Many cruelty-free products can be found at CVS, Walgreens, and/or Target. My favorite beauty brand right now is Pacifica, which you can find at Target, Ulta, and online. They are not only cruelty-free but also 100% Vegan! Another incredible and quite magical company is Lush, which has its own brick and mortars across the world and can also be found online.
Again, much of an At Home Spa experience can consist of make-your-own products from simple ingredients straight from your kitchen...but if you want to purchase products for your spa day, I encourage you to look for the bunny logo and buy cruelty-free! Take some time out for you today. Focus on what will bring you relaxation and restoration, and bring the spa experience home. Put on some music...light some candles...draw a bath...and enjoy!