At Home Spa Day

Whenever I need to rejuvenate myself and recharge my batteries for a busy week, I treat myself to an at home spa day.  I don't get to do them as often as I would like because they take a while, but I feel so good when I do.  Another benefit to DIY spa days: they are MUCH cheaper than booking treatments at a day spa.  The last time I booked a package at the day spa, it was well over $200.  Granted, day spas are wonderful and relaxing but the price keeps me from indulging regularly.  Here is how I relax and refresh without breaking the bank.

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First of all, I make the hubs either take the kids out for a while or I wait until the kids are in bed.  I do not want any distractions during my pampering.  (Hubby is smart enough to know not to bother me unless he is bringing me a beverage!)  Once that is taken care of the fun can begin.

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Next I assemble everything I will need.  These are my staples that I need to get my spa started.  I'll describe individual treatment products in a moment.

• Lots of fluffy towels and washcloths
• Candles
• CD player and a few relaxing CDs
• A tumbler full of ice water with a couple slices of lemon

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I always start by giving myself a facial.  I begin by washing my face with a cleanser that works well for my skin.  One of my favorites is the Basis All Clear Bar.  I have oily skin and am prone to breakouts (still!) and it seems to help without irritating my skin. Then I fill a big bowl with boiling water and add a few drops of clary sage essential oil.  You can use any essential oil you'd like (lavender would be relaxing), but clary sage just happens to be my favorite.  I then hold my face a little ways from the bowl and drape a towel over to steam my face.  I try and sit for about 10 minutes or so.  

Next, I exfoliate my skin with St. Ives Apricot Scrub.  I've been using this stuff since junior high.  I've tried other scrubs but I always come back to this one.  After the scrub I slather on a face mask.  I like both the AHAVA Purifying Mud Mask and Clinique Acne Solutions Oil Control Cleansing Mask.  I'm starting to wonder when and if I will ever get rid of my oily skin and breakouts.  I thought this would be over after puberty but it's still going strong. ;)

Now that I'm done with the facial, I can slip into a hot bath and soak for a while.  I love Dr. Teal's Eucalyptus & Spearmint bath salts.  The fragrance is intoxicating.  I also use Dr. Weil's Bedtime Bath Oil but I have to make sure that I don't need to shave my legs first before using because it is really oily and clogs up my razor.

I have mentioned that I am a big fan of Gold Canyon  candles more than once but when it comes to my spa day, I love using Yankee's MidSummer's Night tealights.  I absolutely love this scent.  Very masculine but relaxing.  I place the tealights all over the bathroom and turn the light off for a soft glow.  Pure bliss!!

After my soak, I shower and give my skin a good exfoliation.  I like Booth's Ginger Sugar Body Scrub.  It's inexpensive and easy to find.  I've been using the Pedi-Scrub Foot Buffer on my feet and see a big improvement.

Now for the hair.  Since I got my hair colored recently, my stylist told me that I should quit using "cheap" shampoo and conditioner because they are really harsh.  I usually use Herbal Essences or Pantene.  I often wonder if it is a way for them to get you to buy their expensive salon products or not. ;)  I can see how using a good shampoo and conditioner would be beneficial but I just hate shelling out mega bucks for it.  I do own one pretty expensive shampoo/conditioner set that I really like. 

Alterna Caviar AntiAging Blonde Shampoo.  This stuff is really good.  I've had this same bottle for a long time and there is still a lot left in the bottle.  There are also formulas for brunettes and redheads. 

This is what I'm trying next.  L'Oreal EverPure Volume Color Care Set.  It's sulfate-free which is supposed to be less damaging to your hair.  I just picked this up at Walmart this past weekend so I'll let you know how it works.

This is when you could put any hair masques or treatments on your hair.  I have oily hair so I don't typically need anything like that.  I occasionally use Aussie 3 Minute Miracle on the very ends of my hair since I flat iron it almost daily.

Now that I'm freshly scrubbed, it's time to moisturize.  I am a big Bath and Body Works fan, especially the body creams.  The feel a lot better on the skin to me than their regular lotions.  When it's really dry and cold outside, I like to really slather on the moisture with Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil.  Good stuff!

After drying my hair and slipping into some comfy pajamas (I LOVE the modal pajamas- they feel so good!), it's time for a mani/pedi!  Now I typically don't wear colored polishes on my nails very often because I'm always chipping them up.  I do like the traditional French manicure, and I've tried countless times to recreate the look at home to no avail.  So if I'm in the mood for a French, I head to the nail salon.  Otherwise I just put a coat of clear nail polish on them.  I've been using Nutra Nail Green Tea Treatment to help strengthen my nails.  I wash my hands all the time and the water is so hard on my nails. 

I do like color on my toenails.  My favorite polish brand is China Glaze.  It is a quality brand and there are so many fun colors to choose from.  One of my absolute favorite colors is Vermillion.  It's a great shade of red.  I should mention that before painting my toes, I have to prep my feet with a good foot cream.  I like Earth Therapeutics Intensive Heel Repair, but when my feet are really dry nothing works better than good ole Vaseline and a pair of cotton socks.

Well, there you have it.  Probably way more info than you'd ever hope to have about at home spa days!  Bless your sweet heart if you made it all the way through this. :)

Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough have a spa day!!