Home spa treatments

[Small Town Girl]

This is pretty much my "spa" routine. I usually take a handful or two of mediterranian or dead sea salt and throw it in the tub as it is filling up.I get the water as hot as I can stand it and sip a cup of hot herbal tea as I soak in the water (sometimes I even add a few drops of essential oil).This really relaxes me and leaves my skin feeling just great!I cannot wait to put some of your ideas into action-they sound so luxurious!

 

[jazzzbaby]

Having a two-year-old leaves me exhausted and spa nights
are needed. I have to wait for everyone to go night night before
it can happen...

SO...I have recently been putting in my bath water my Queen Helene
Mango & Cocoa Butter Body Lotion, along with a few drops of lavender.
The lotion blends nicely with the water and I feel quite moisturized
after I get out.

Along with my bath I too make some hot tea or sometimes when a good red wine has been opened I will indulge in a small glass.
This coupled with a good book, along with lit candles...brings my five senses together marvelously.
I exit that bath experience feeling like a new woman in 'body & soul'.

I too have enjoyed reading the spa treatment recipes and hope to try some on myself.
Lately my face has been in a horrid limbo with the weather here being cold, hot, windy, hot...I don't know how to deal with it.
If I use my normal products my skin looks too dry and if I switch to something to help with the dryness I have a few blemishes that appear.

 

[fortworthgal]

I make it a point to have a spa day at least once a week! You can really have an at-home spa experience quite inexpensively, although admittedly I have never really made any of my own products.

For my face, I'll cleanse and then steam it. I have one of those Conair steamers and I sometimes add a couple of drops of an essential oil to the water. Then I like to use a mask - either Burt's Bees green clay, or Queen Helene Mint Julep. Follow with astringent and good moisturizer and eye cream. If you want something inexpensive and fun, Wal-Mart sells this little package called "facial in a box" or something that runs around $3 - it is a series of single-use packets of Freeman products - cleansers, masks, scrubs, etc.

I'll also do a manicure and pedicure, push back my cuticles, file my nails, exfoliate with a salt scrub, the whole she-bang. Even if you just buff your nails or use a clear strengthener, this is nice. A nice cream for hands & feet is a MUST for this - I like Nivea in the blue tin, Kamille Herbacin (available at Sally's) or Burt's Bees coconut foot cream.

I also like to use a good body scrub to exfoliate in the shower, something other than my usual body wash. Right now I'm finishing off a tub of Tutti Dolci apple torta scrub, and it smells fantastic in the shower! Also, bath bombs are a favorite of mine. Again, you can pick up single-use bombs pretty inexpensively at most drug stores, or you can make your own bath salts. Suave used to sell a nice body scrub in a cucumber-melon scent, but I'm not certain if they're still making it or not. They do have a new line of lotions I really like, in aromatherapy type scents - lavender, lime verbena, etc.

I also use a clarifying shampoo and a deep conditioner. You can pick up single packets inexpensive anywhere - Walgreen's, Sally, etc. I love Aura's cherry almond bark (Sally's), which smells fantastic.

The key to having a good at-home "spa" experience is relaxation. Make sure you have time to relax and enjoy the process, and that nobody/nothing is going to disrupt you. I close my bathroom door, light a scented candle, and either make a cup of hot tea or a martini!

 

[Delia's Gone]

I'm reviving this old thread! I was doing some searching and found some great new ideas in this thread - I thought I'd contribute mine. I love DIY spa treatments! I sold scrubs & lip balm on etsy for a while, and I love giving them as gifts too. I use canning jars for the scrubs, and get lip balm containers from Sunburst Bottle (highly recommend them!). I have bought LOTS of my base oils from a company called From Nature with Love. I make cute labels for all my DIY spa stuff too!

My lip balm recipe
Makes 4 half-ounce tins

1 tablespoon beeswax/calendula wax pearls (also called pellets or pastilles)
1 tablespoon pure shea butter
2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
10-15 drops essential oils/flavor oils

Melt everything but the essential oils in a double boiler or something similar (I use a pyrex measuring cup set in a pot of boiling water). Whisk continuously. (If you want some color to your lip balm you can cut off a piece of red lipstick and add it to the other solids). When all is liquid, stir in essential oils. Working quickly, transfer the liquid to the lip balm tins. I like using these plastic droppers since I make a lot of different flavors. That way I can use one for each flavor. Let balms cool completely until solid. Store in a cool, dry place (I put them in the fridge if I'm not using or gifting them right away).

Some of my favorite flavors: sweet orange & vanilla, peppermint, lemon, cinnamon
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My sugar scrub recipe
1 part sugar
1/2 part olive oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil (your favorite base oil)
your favorite essential oil - however scenty you like it

Just stir together and put in a jar. So easy! My favorite scent is definitely lavender/peppermint.

-------------

Some other ideas

Facial Massage
Mix 1 oz of your favorite base oil (avocado, sweet almond, jojoba, olive, etc) with 10-12 drops of essential oil for a simple facial massage oil. Put some on your hands, start at your chin and making small circles with your fingers, move your way up the face, eventually coming to the forehead (avoid your eyes). Do this 2-3 times.

For soft hands
Combine a few spoonfuls of cold cream, two drops of tea tree oil, five drops of lavender oil, a spoonful of olive oil and a banana (for a fruity smell) in a blender. Slather liberally all over hands and cuticles. Then slip hands into a pair of yellow rubber gloves (the kind you use to scrub the tub with). I like to pop in a movie and stick my gloved hands under a heating pad so that the heat will help the salve penetrate the skin.

-----------------

I found this foot mask on one of Martha Stewart's websites, I'm going to try it tonight!

Cayenne, cinnamon, and ginger are all circulation boosters and mild stimulants. Applied topically, they increase blood flow, relieving chill and numbness. Cayenne, in particular, has foot-warming benefits; folk wisdom suggests sprinkling the fiery pepper into socks on cold days. For a more luxurious experience, try this simple foot mask. It combines spices, skin-soothing ingredients such as oatmeal and honey, and the invigorating essence of orange.

Orange Spice Foot Mask
1/2 cup whole oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
4 drops sweet orange essential oil

Food Mask How-To
1. Using a food processor, grind the oats to a fine powder. Transfer to a medium-size bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and stir until blended into a thick paste.

2. Prepare two warm, wet washcloths or hand towels, either by wetting them and placing them in the microwave for one to two minutes or by soaking them in hot (not boiling) water. Wring out excess water and set aside.

3. Sitting with your feet in the tub or a large basin, use your hands to spread a thick layer of the mask over each foot, covering them completely up to the ankles. After wiping hands clean, wrap each foot in one of the washcloths to seal in the moisture from the mask. Sit back and relax for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. When you're ready to remove the mask, carefully lift off the washcloths. Rinse your feet thoroughly using warm water. Pat dry with a towel.

 

[C-dot]

I found a great recipe online a while ago for pore cleansing strips. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than Bioré, and works just as well!

Delia, you sure are a wealth of knowledge in this department! lol I'm going to try your recipes.

 

[Bombshell Becca]

Tell us how you like the homemade pore stips, sounds great.

 

[zombi]

the only drawback to homemade stuff is that it goes rancid quickly..i hat6e using products with lots of chemicals though so there is no happy medium. i think i just have way more stuff than i can use up in a reasonable period of time

pop some vitamin E into your mixes -- it'll help preserve 'em!

Let's see, most of my recipes are hair-related.
Mix up catnip tea and rinse your hair with it to help with split ends. (caution platinum blondes -- it leaves a temporary golden stain)
Rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar after washing to balance the pH of hair.

deep conditioner -- got this one from a hair board!

"Snowy's Fave Moisture Treatment"
1 part Fave conditioner (must be moisture)
1/4 part honey
1/4 part clear aloe vera gel (NOT the coloured kind with lidocaine, ladies)

Microwave your honey for 30 seconds first to kill its lightening/bleaching properties.

Then place all ingredients in a cup and warm in microwave for 10 to 15 seconds--just until warm. Wash hair and squeeze out excess, blot dry, leave in under heat cap, warm towels or shower cap, what have you, for an hour or so. Rinse well. Finish (add leave-in if you do so) and style as usual.

 

[crwritt]

Mario Badescu

Not homemade, but I enjoy using these products at home. I was never one for a lot of fussy skin care, but I brought home a sample of Honey Moisturiser from Mario Badescu http://www.mariobadescu.com/Skin-Care
and am I hooked. I've since ordered a bunch of stuff from them, and am using it every morning and night, my skin loves it. This place is very generous with samples, if you register and fill out the questionaire they will send you an assortment of products meant to suit your skin type for free.
After trying the samples I bought this http://www.mariobadescu.com/AHA-Rejuvenating-Essentials
Anything you order from them comes with an assortment of free samples as well.

 

[analiebe]

so many lovely ideas... thought i might include this wonderful after-bath dusting powder recipe i posted in my blog a while back...

ROSE AFTER-BATH SCENTED DUSTING POWDER

1 cup cornstarch

1 tbsp orris root powder

1/4 tsp rose essential oil

spoon the cornstarch and orris root powder into a blender and run on the lowest speed… slowly add essential oil… its that simple …your own dusting powder!

**if you have access to highly scented old roses & a little more patience you can add this extra step… take 3 dried rose heads, remove the stem & leaves, add to 1/2 of the cornstarch & blend to a fine mixture before adding the remaining cornstarch, orris root powder & continuing the recipe as above

**for a different, yet still authentic vintage powder scent, you could replace both the rose oil & dried roses with lavender oil & dried lavender flowers or perhaps orange oil & dried orange rind… or choose any essentials oils you prefer

 

[Miss 1929]

Miss 1929s Cuticle Scrub

Hello ladies - Oh, how I yearn for a bath tub now.

I have to pamper my fingers, as a pianist (everyone stares at your hands). So I came up with a nice cuticle removing scrub -

1/4 cup fructose crystals
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 tablespoon oil of myrrh

Mix it up, store it in a jar. The myrrh prevents it from going bad, and has a wonderful property of shrinking your cuticles. The sugar melts off dead skin and scrubs, the olive oil moisturizes.

Scrub it around your nails for about 30 seconds, not too hard. Rinse off well with lukewarm water. Rub remaining oil into your skin while still wet, blot your hands dry and put on hand cream.

 

[Delia's Gone]

This thread has inspired me to start having a weekly "spa night" instead of just every now and then! I have been wanting one of these bath caddies for a while now and this one just happened to be on sale at Bed Bath & Beyond!

I am really pleased with it. The little wire basket makes a great book rest.

I also bought a pink microfiber bathrobe, which I was long overdue for. I'm thinking of embroidering something on the chest.

 

[Antje]

I think it is great to first start with steaming my face with camomille
and put on a mask.
I also love washing my hair and not have to rush with putting it in rollers.

I love my spa threatments in the morning.
First walk the dogs and them pamper myself.

I'm quickest in the morning, after work I'm mostely to tired to do things like this

 

[Asdf]

What I do is massage almond oil into my hair from the roots right down into the ends, and then my scalp. I leave it for twenty minutes or so and then wash it off. It is VERY important to wash it off though... I had a bit of a disaster once when I just left it lol It makes your hair really shiny and pretty.

Or you can mix up water and bicarbonate of soda, rub it into your hair and rinse it off... it just seems to detangle my hair when it's gotten knotted.

 

[Heather]

I did the homemade pore strips this morning. I admit, I had my doubts but wow, did they work wonderfully (and so satisfying to peel)!! I couldn't believe the gunk that was in my chin :eusa_doh: I'm definitely writing this one down for future use!! Thanks so much for the link!!

 

[HepKitty]

sorry I'm new and I have to share, have a ton of stuff that I found online but haven't tried all of them...


this one is awesome though, I keep it in the fridge though since it melts at not much more than room temp

Cocoa butter and peppermint lip balm

Mix equal parts olive or almond oil and cocoa butter. Add a dollop of honey, a few drops of peppermint and stick in microwave for 10-15 seconds. Swirl together, stick in fridge to cool and voila! Natural lip balm that tastes quite sexy indeed.

 

[HepKitty]

more lip balm:

Basic Lip Balm Making Directions
Ingredients:
• 20% of your recipe should be cosmetic grade Beeswax
• 25% of your recipe should be any cosmetic grade oil that is solid at room temperature (coconut oil, palm oil, lanolin, shea butter, mango butter, sal butter, kokum butter).
• 15% of your recipe should be any cosmetic grade oil that is brittle at room temperature (cocoa butter, palm kernel oil, etc.)
• 40% of your recipe should be any cosmetic grade oil that is liquid at room temperature (sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, hemp seed oil, grape seed oil, sunflower seed oil, macadamia nut oil, olive oil, etc.)
*** All terms of measurement are weights. Do your recipe in ounces, grams, or pounds.

Instructions:
Weigh all of your ingredients. Melt them in a double boiler until all of your recipe is melted (never melt over direct heat!). Beeswax will take the longest amount of time to melt. When all of your ingredients are melted you can add your flavor oil or essential oil to taste (start with small amount and add as needed). The next step is filling your containers with lip balm. We recommend using our disposable plastic pipettes.

*** See our lip jars, lip tins, and lip tubes in our online catalog under misc./containers.

________________________________________
Wet Your Whistle Lip Balm:
Ingredients:
• 3 tbsp. Sweet Almond Oil
• 1 tbsp. Kokum Butter
• 1 tbsp. Coconut Oil
• 1 tbsp. Beeswax
•
• 1 tbsp. of your favorite Essential Oil (Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Italian Bergamot, Orange)
Instructions:
**Combine all of your fixed oils in a small saucepan. Melt over low heat until your mixture has melted. Remove from heat. While your oils are still warm add your favorite essential oil and blend the mixture thoroughly. Pour mixture into your favorite containers: Lip jars, tins, or tubes. This recipe makes approximately 3 1/3 oz


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Winter Lip Salve:
Ingredients:
• 5 tbsp. Castor or Jojoba Oil
• 1 tbsp. Beeswax
• 1 tsp liquid glycerin,
• 3-5 drops peppermint essential oil
Instructions:
***Combine the oil and beeswax in a small saucepan using a double boiler method, warm until the wax is melted. Remove ingredients from heat. While your oil and wax mixture is still a warm liquid add your liquid glycerine and essential oil and blend the mixture thoroughly. Pour(use our transfer pipettes to avoid spilling) into your favorite containers (tins, tubes, or jars). This recipe yields approximately 3 ounces.

 

[HepKitty]

other things I do... sew bath tea bags out of muslin, usually with just oatmeal since oatmeal tends to clog drains, steam my face with chamomile tea (have disgustingly oily skin), make a body scrub out of coffee grounds from breakfast that a m with grapeseed oil and whatever essential oil appeals to me at the time (I'm a sucker for peppermint but orange is nice too) watch out though BIG BIG mess and if you're in the shower the oil makes everything all sorts of slippery...

 

[RockyHorror]

So many good ideas here! I wish I had the energy to do things like this more often. Either way I now have a whole list of things to try! I'm especially interested in those pore strips. This may be a dumb question but, can you get unflavored gelatin in most grocery stores?