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Spa treatments to enjoy at home

It can be costly and time-consuming to visit a spa regularly. But you can easily incorporate some treatments and indulgences into a daily or weekly routine right at home, and at a fraction of the cost. The convenience of a home spa will allow you to indulge in a day-long retreat on the weekend as well as short 10 to 15 minute spa treatments anytime day or night.

Here's how you can turn your own home into an ultimate spa experience:

Luxuriate in a Luscious Bath

Tips for an incredible bath:

Take a quick shower before getting in the bath water. Cleanse your face and wash your hair.

Put a deep conditioner in your hair and leave it in through the duration of your bath.

If you don't already have one, get a bath pillow. It provides soft cushioning for your head while supporting the muscles of your neck.

Exfoliate with a body scrub.

Burn a stick of incense in your after-bath relaxation area.

Put on some romantic music to celebrate the goddess in you.

Slice up some cucubers to place over your eyes.

Or indulge in a book you've been wanting to read.
Make a quart of herb tea and drink all of it while in your bath.
Put some crystals in the tub to infuse your bath with healing energy.
Try a bath bomb!

Pamper Yourself with a Facial

A facial can not only give your beauty routine a lift, but your mood as well. Follow these five steps to rejuvenation.

Cleanse: Remove eye makeup, wash your face with a cleanser, then apply an alcohol-free toner.
Exfoliate: Gently massage an exfoliant into your wet face and neck to remove dead skin cells and smooth out skin.
Steam: Fill a bowl with hot water, place a towel over your head and lean over for about five minutes to soften skin.
Mask: Apply a thin layer of a product specially designed for your skin type. Wash off after about 15 minutes.
Moisturize: While skin is still damp, apply moisturizer.

Now, The Manicure

The word manicure is derived form the Latin words "manus" meaning hands and "cura" meaning care. The purpose of a manicure is to improve the appearance and feel of the hands. Men and women alike can enjoy the benefits of a manicure. Everyone wants soft, attractive hands and cleanly groomed nails.

Not everyone has the time or money to have a manicure done at the salon. But everyone can do a manicure at home, using supplies that you already have around the house.

The first step in a manicure is to shape or file the nails. You should never use a file on wet finger nails. Just as your hair is weaker and requires more care when it is wet, the same holds true for fingernails. There are four basic nail shapes: square, round, oval and pointed. The nail should be shaped to conform to the shape of the finger. The oval shape works well for most hands. Men, or people who do a lot of work with their hands, may prefer to wear their nails shorter and more rounded to avoid nail breakage. File each nail from the corner to the center, going from left to right and then right to left. Don't slide the file back and forth over the tip of your nail and don't over file the sides of the nail, this will lead to weakening and breaking.
Soak hands in a bowl of soapy water to soften any dry skin or rough cuticles. Soak hands for 5-10 minutes, depending on your preference and the condition of the hands. If you have dry skin, you should soak your hands in a thick hand cream or Vaseline instead of the water solution. Apply a thick coat of the cream or Vaseline over your hands, wrap your hands in gloves or saran wrap, and allow them to set for 10-15 minutes.
Apply a combination of soap and salt or sugar to exfoliate the hands. You can pour the salt or sugar over your soapy hands or make a mixture of soap and salt/sugar in a bowl. The mixture should be of a thick consistency. An exfoliating cream can be used in place of the salt/sugar mixture, if you would prefer. The exfoliating mixture will remove any old, dry skin cells and leave your hands feeling softer. This step is best done at a sink to minimize the mess. Generously rub the exfoliating mixture over hands and around nails for several minutes. Rinse hands.
Gently dry hands with a clean towel. Rub the cuticle area of each finger with the edge of the towel.
Gently push back the cuticle of each nail with a cuticle pusher or orangewood stick. Never cut your cuticles, this can cause pain and infection. If you have any hangnails or loose pieces of skin around the nails or cuticles, you may trim them very carefully with cuticle trimmers or fingernail clippers. Use the cuticle pusher to clean underneath each nail.
Apply a good amount of hand lotion to each hand and massage it into your skin. Using one hand, massage the palm of the other hand, working the lotion into your skin. Using the thumb of the opposing hand, massage around each cuticle and nail. Slowly rotate each finger, and then rotate the wrist. Gently twist the fingers of the opposing hand up and down each finger. Work the lotion up to the elbow, massaging the arm. Switch to the other hand.
Wipe any extra lotion off of the hands with a clean, dry towel. Rub towel gently over each nail and around each cuticle to remove any excess lotion.
Apply polish or clear coat. Let the polish dry, then apply the second coat.

Giving yourself a manicure once a week will keep your hands looking healthier and younger.

Treatments Your Hair (and wallet) Will Love

It's true, girls, we do feel better when our hair is bouncy, soft, full and healthy. Modern life can be tough on our gentle locks.
The staff here has offered up their favorite home hair treatments you can whip up in the kitchen and treat yourself to:

If you want shiny hair, try this after shampooing: Beat two eggs in a tablespoon of milk and apply on your hair. Rinse well after 5-7 minutes.

To give yourself really soft hair, this is a great treatment: Mix 1 tablespoon of following herbs with a little boiling water and let stand for 1/2 an hour. Add 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and mix well. Shampoo your hair. Pour mixture over hair repeatedly. Don't rinse. Use any or all of these herbs, according to your hair type: For normal hair: rosemary leaves, nettle, burdock root, elder flowers For dry hair: chamomile flowers, comfrey root, nettle, elder flowers For oily hair: lemon peel, peppermint, lemongrass

To tame frizzy hair: In a bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons of plain yogurt (not low-fat) and one egg. After shampooing, pour the yogurt-egg mix onto your head and thoroughly massage it into your hair, working from roots to tips to make sure all your hair gets coated. Leave this on for 5-10 minutes. Rinse out well with lots of cool water. This is especially good for softening up dry hair and preventing fly-aways and frizzies.

If your hair is in need of extra love and tenderness, try this home recipe: Mash a ripe banana with a few drops of almond oil and massage into hair. Leave in for 15 minutes. Rinse with bubbly soda water, then shampoo and condition.

Hot Oil treatments. Deep conditioning with hot oil infusions date back to the times of the ancient gods and goddesses. Here are a few ideas. After applying the oil, rinse very well, then give yourself 2 shampooings, followed by a mild conditioner.

Rosemary Hot Oil (for dry hair) 1/2 cup of dried rosemary leaves 1/2 cup soybean oil Directions : Combine ingredients and heat until warm. Strain the ingredients through a fine strainer or cheesecloth to remove all of the access leaves. Coat the entire head and hair with the mixture, working it through evenly to the end of the strands. Then wrap the hair in plastic and later in a warm towel. For best results leave the oil mixture on hair for 15 minutes or longer.

Ginger Hot Oil Treatment (for dry or itchy scalp) grated fresh ginger root 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon lemon juice Directions: Squeeze ginger root to obtain one tablespoon of juice. Mix all ingredients. Apply to scalp and let dry before shampooing. For best results repeat three times a week.

Jojoba Hot Oil (for damaged hair or dry scalp) 1/2 cup Jojoba Oil 2 tablespoons honey Directions: Bring pan of water to a rolling boil and remove from heat. Place glass bottle containing pure olive oil in pan. Leave it for five minutes. While olive oil is heating; gently shampoo tresses and towel dry. Try to remove all excess moisture from strands before applying olive oil. Apply olive oil directly onto hair strands from root to ends avoiding the scalp area. Cover hair with plastic cap and sit under heated dryer or conditioning cap for 10-15 minutes.

Soybean Hot Oil (for a heavenly aromatherapy experience) 1/2 cup soybean oil 8 drops oil of sandalwood 8 drops oil of lavender 8 drops oil geranium Directions: Mix all the ingredients and warm the oil to a comfortable temperature. Apply the mixture to damp hair. Wrap hair in plastic wrap and apply a hot towel for 20 minutes.

Curry Leaves Hot Oil Treatment (for dry and colored hair) 1/2 cup coconut oil 2 strands of dried curry leaves (which you can find at any Indian food shop) Directions : Combine the ingredients and heat until warm. After the oil has cooled to normal temperature, crush the leaves and use a strainer to remove all the access leaves. Apply to hair, wrap with a wet hot towel, and relax for 20 minutes.

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