Posted by Nancy Sabatelli on Nov.19, 2009

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Whether you’re a 9-to-5 gal who commutes to the office or a stay-at-home mom who runs around after the little ones, you work hard! You probably have a million things on your “to-do” list, all of which can wear you down and make you tired, taking a toll on the way you look and feel. So, consider a natural bath or spa treatment to help you relax, revitalize and renew. No need to spend big bucks at an over-priced upscale spa. It’s super-easy and affordable to create your own natural bath and spa treatments at home using a few simple ingredients!

Bath Foams and Shower Gels

Who doesn’t love to luxuriate in a bubble bath or soothing shower at the end of a long, hectic day? According to the Web site, Kitchencraftsnmore.net, there are many recipes for making soothing, moisturizing natural bath foams and shower gels (1).

• Foaming vanilla honey bath. Combine a cup of oil with half a cup each of honey and liquid soap, then add a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. Shake well and pour a quarter cup of the foam bath under running water in the tub. This recipe will produce enough foam bath for eight baths (1). Another simple idea is to pour half a cup of honey into your bath water to create a pleasant scent and ultra-rich texture that will hydrate your skin. But be careful: it could make the tub slippery (1).
  
• Shower gel. Whether you prefer zesty citrus fragrances or soothing floral aromas, you can customize your own scented shower gel. The trick is using unscented products as your “base,” and then adding in scented oils of your choice for fragrance. Try this recipe from Kitchencraftsnmore.net: half a cup of unscented shampoo, a quarter cup of water, three quarters teaspoon of salt and 15 drops of fragrance oil (2). Start out by pouring the shampoo into a bowl, then adding in the other ingredients. You can even add food coloring if you choose so that your shower gel is colored to match the scent. For example: if you’re adding lavender-scented or grape-scented fragrance oils, then opt for red and blue food coloring to create a purple-colored shower gel.

Body Scrubs

Especially in the cold, harsh winter weather, skin can become dry, rough and dull. The solution? A body scrub to exfoliate dead outer layers of skin and reveal beautifully smooth, fresh, glowing skin. Use a body scrub about once a week.

Making your own body scrub has definite benefits. You can customize its texture based on your skin type and the area where you’ll want to use it. For instance, if you have really rough, dry skin, or you plan to use the scrub on your elbows, knees or feet, then you’ll want a scrub that has a coarser, grittier texture, according to Kim DeLeary on Suite101.com (3).

Quite simply, a scrub consists of a liquid base ingredient and a dry exfoliating ingredient.

· Base ingredients. Use oil, butter, vegetable shortening or liquid soap. Richer, oily bases tend to be more moisturizing.

· Exfoliating ingredients. Try various types of sugar, salt, like kosher salt, sea salt, brown sugar, etc. You can also use oatmeal. However, if you’re on a diet or have a medical condition that requires you to avoid salt or sugar, then skip these ingredients in your scrub because they can be absorbed by your skin (3).

Generally, you’ll want to use equal parts of the base and exfoliating ingredient — about a tablespoon of each (3).

FreeBeautyTips.org suggests using sugar on delicate or sensitive skin, but you can also use ground-up shells from nuts (4).

Add some fragrance to your scrub so it will smell fantastic, too. Pick essential oils, like lavender, chamomile, rose, lemon or mandarin. You can even add chocolate or coffee! (4)

Body Wraps

People use body wraps for many benefits: the heat and steam open your pores, allowing the wrap ingredients to penetrate and body toxins to be removed. Use a body wrap after you scrub and exfoliate, because a build-up of dead skin will prevent the wrap from penetrating. It’s best to do a body wrap in a warm room (5, 6).

· Wrap ingredients. Be sure to use distilled warm water, and then add ingredients such as clay, salt, lemon or honey. Becomegorgeous.com suggests adding a cup of herbal tea to a large container of warm water (5). Or, try three cups of clay mixed with one cup of salt. Clay is known for its purifying properties. You can also add herbs for aromatherapy, like chamomile and lavender (5, 6).

· Wrap. Use old towels or sheets to dip in the mix. They may get dirty, depending on the ingredients you choose. Heating the towels or sheets in the dryer before dipping them in the mix will help the ingredients penetrate better. Another choice is to wrap up using plastic wrap. Leave the wrap on for 10 to 15 minutes. The tight wrap will make you sweat and your body will lose a lot of water, so drink plenty of water to stay hydrated (5, 6).

Handy Storage Hints

Because these products are made with natural ingredients and don’t contain preservatives, they can expire and go bad quickly. Therefore, it’s best not to make huge batches: it’s better to make enough for one or two uses. Store your mixture in a clean, lidded glass jar away from heat and light. Also, avoid sticking your fingers into the mixture because our hands carry bacteria that can contaminate the concoction. Use a spoon or spatula to apply the product to your skin (3).

Sources

1. Bubble Bath, Bath Oil and Bath Salts Recipes. (2009). Kitchen, Crafts & More. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from http://www.kitchencraftsnmore.net/bath1.html

2. Soap & Shower Gel Recipes. (2003). Kitchen, Crafts & More. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from http://www.kitchencraftsnmore.net/bath2.html

3. DeLeary, Kim. Make a Natural Body Scrub Cleanser. (April 16, 2007). Suite 101. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from http://body-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/diy_make_a_body_scrub

4. Homemade Salt and Sugar Body Scrub Recipes. (2009). Free Beauty Tips. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from http://www.freebeautytips.org/body-scrubs.html

5. Homemade Body Wraps. (2009). Become Gorgeous. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from http://www.bodycare.becomegorgeous.com/bath_and_spa/homemade_body_wraps-1001.html

6. Homemade Body Wraps. (January 19, 2009). Green Herbal Remedies. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from http://www.greenherbalremedies.com/blog/home-made-body-wraps/

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Posted under Beauty, Spa Living.