A recent report estimated that American women spend approximately 7 billion dollars a year on beauty products alone. Now imagine the amount that is spent on various salon services, the thought alone is astounding. With these tough economic times our country is in, many people are trying to find more and more ways to cut back and spa services may just be one area. In fact, there are many beauty tricks that you can use from the comfort of your home that not only cost a whole lot less but have the same effect as some of its pricey counterparts. Also, with many of these tricks expensive products are not even needed, these essentials can simply be found in your cabinet or refrigerator.
Seeing as it is winter and many of us are lathering up to keep our skin moisturized and flake free, this homemade facial recipe will also do the same. Before the recipe is disclosed, however, there is a simple facial procedure that you can follow to get best results. First cleanse your skin, massage an exfoliate into it to remove dead skin, splash some warm water over your skin to open pores, then apply the mask for 10-15 minutes and wash off gently. Now, these two recipes are the best at keeping your skin moisturized and vibrate looking all winter long. The first is an avocado yogurt mask; puree one ripe avocado with four tablespoons plain yogurt and apply to face. The next is an egg honey mask; mix one egg yolk and two tablespoons honey until a light paste is formed then apply to the face.
The next station for our home spa is hair. While it is difficult to say cut or color your hair at home, since it really is an expert’s job, the least we can do is maintain healthy, beautiful hair. This service will not only allow to cut back on costly moisturizing techniques your stylist may use, but it will also allow you to go longer in between haircuts. With the following recipe you should wash your hair as usual, apply mixture thoroughly through hair and do NOT rinse. The first recipe is a lemon and honey rinse; mix together two teaspoons honey, one quarter cup lemon juice and four cups warm water. This next recipe is a hot olive oil treatment; you put one to two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil in a zip lock bag and run under hot water until it is hot. The next step is to apply thoroughly through the hair, and then you apply a plastic cap for 10-15 minutes, rinse and style as usual. Both of these recipes will add moisture, sheen and softness to your hair.
Next, to create soft, silky smooth skin you can immerse yourself into a relaxing and oh so good smelling tea bath. This at home service can replace other expensive ones such as mud baths and has the same effects. For this bath you will need, two tablespoons green tea, two tablespoons loose peppermint tea, two tablespoons chamomile tea, one piece of cheesecloth with a 15 inch diameter, three tablespoons oat flour, five drops lavender essential oil, five drops neroli essential oil and aloe vera. The first thing you need to do is combine the herbs, place them in the cheesecloth and tie off. Then fill your bath and immerse the tea bag for a few minutes, then add the flour and the essential oils. Next, submerge yourself in the tub, relax and let out any stress. After the bath is complete dry yourself and apply the aloe. For a more relaxing setting turn off the lights and lights some candles.
The final process in your at home spa day is a hand treatment. Your hands go through a lot everyday from doing the dishes to changing the oil and beyond so it is important to take of your hands and make sure they stay moisturized. To make this at home hand moisturizer you will need to combine a few spoonfuls of cold cream, two drops tea tree oil, five drops lavender oil, a spoonful of olive oil and a banana in a blender. When the consistency is smooth slather liberal amounts of the concoction on your hands and slip them into a pair of yellow rubber gloves (yes the ones you clean with!). To enhance to moisturizing properties of this mixture place your hands under a heating pad.
After your at home spa day is complete you will feel a hundred times better and will have the satisfaction of knowing you didn’t just drop hundreds of dollars at a spa. To make the experience even more fun make it a girls night and try out these techniques on each other!
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Health and Wellness 