No need to book an expensive jaunt to a chic spa to enjoy the benefits of face and body treatments. You can make the perfect spa day at home with some planning and a few pantry items you probably already have on hand.

Prepare your (and your friends’) skin and hair for the coming summer months by hosting a spa day at home for the gals (guys welcome too!). This guide will help you get started.

1. Ambiance

Pick a room or outdoor area in or around the house that is peaceful and quiet. De-clutter the area and set up fresh flowers, large pillows for lounging, and open the windows for a fresh breeze and natural sunlight. Turn on some summer music in the background on low or spa-apropos serene music.

2. Snacks

Devote a corner table with light snacks, such as bite-sized fruits and veggies and dried fruit and nut mixes. Aside the snacks, place cups and a batch or two of infused water.

Infused Water

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 4 orange curls
• ½ cup rosemary sprigs
• ½ cup fresh mint
• 3-4 cups ice
• 3- 4 cups cold water

Directions

Add all the ingredients together and mix with a spoon. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving – the longer it sits, the more flavorful it will be. 

3. The Dry Brush & Shower

Hand out dry brushes and before you send friends off one by one to the shower, show them how to dry brush their skin properly. After three minutes of dry brushing in the shower on dry skin, ask friends to turn the shower on and exfoliate and cleanse with a homemade body exfoliant you have already prepared, multiplying recipe according to number of guests.

Body Exfoliant

Ingredients

• ¼ cup almond flour
• ½ cup oatmeal
• ¼ cup sugar
• Enough full-fat milk to create a thick paste

Directions

Mix all ingredients until well blended.

4. The Gear

Ask each friend to bring her own robe and slippers. When they exit the shower, direct them to undress and slip on the robe. This way they can feel the most comfortable and free.

5. The Hair Station

For each guest, mix ½ an avocado with ½ teaspoon of honey until thoroughly mashed and creamy. Multiply this recipe according to how many guests you have. Apply the avocado cream thoroughly to damp hair, brushing the mixture into each strand. Wrap hair up into a bun and put a shower cap over the hair to allow the avocado cream to sit for about 1 hour, lending its moisturizing power. Then rinse.

6. The Facial Beauty Stations

Cleansing Station

Next, make three separate homemade facial cleansers – for oily, dry, and sensitive skin, respectively – and set them next to a sink or a large bowl filled with water and fresh towels, one for each person. The exfoliation station should be nearby, because directly after cleansing, friends will exfoliate and then rinse. Be sure to replace the water after every use.

Exfoliation Station

For the exfoliation station, lay out small, empty bowls filled with ½ cup of sugar. Next to the sugar bowls, set up labeled oils and essential oils paired with spoons. Under the oils, place a card of written instructions to “Pour enough oil(s) of choice into the sugar bowls until the sugar is pasty but not overly saturated.” Guests should use a carrier or base oil as their main oil, such as jojoba, almond, argan or sesame oil. Then, they can add a few drops of essential oils for fragrance and antimicrobial power. (Suggested essential oils: lavender, sweet orange, neroli, rose, or geranium.) The exfoliation station should be set up on the other side of the sink or large bowl of water. Directly after cleansing, friends should exfoliate and rinse.

Moisturizing Station

Prepare one recipe of each of these four homemade moisturizers – for dry, irritate, oily, and normal skin, respectively. After exfoliating, friends should moisturize according to their skin type.

7. The Rest Station

After the hair masque has been prepared and the face is clean, direct friends to lie down on a soft surface, either on available beds, horizontal tanning chairs, or sleeping bags that have been set up under shade outside or in a quiet room. Provide each friend with a book, or, for the non-reader, two slices of cucumber to place over eyes. Cucumbers are full of moisture and will reduce swelling and make under-eye skin suppler.

Photo Credit: Ftzdomino

The post 7 DIY Tips for a Summer Spa Day at Home appeared first on EcoSalon.

7 ways to moisturize your hair in the dry, winter months.

It doesn’t matter if we are raven-haired, red-headed, blonde or brunette. It doesn’t matter if our hair is thin, thick, textured or kinky. During the dry winter months, we might as well hook our heads up to outlets for all the static electricity we produce. The cold, dry temperatures of winter can siphon the moisture from our skin and hair like a sponge. So how best to fight back against winter?

Stop washing your hair every day
We live in a world where most people make best friends with anti-bacterial wipes. Dirt is the enemy. But so is washing your hair too much. Over-washing can strip important oils from your scalp, resulting in dry, over-stimulated tresses. Plus, what’s better for dry hair then your own, natural oils? At the least, try to skip a daily washing.

And when you do wash, consider a homemade shampoo like this one from beauty expert Narine Nikogosian: Combine one tablespoon of dried jasmine with one teaspoon of honey with two eggs yolks. Boil the dried jasmine with one cup of water for five minutes. Steep for ten minutes, then strain. Blend the jasmine, honey and egg yolks. Apply to your hair, and then rinse with cold water.

Install a water filter on your showerhead
Municipal waters contain drying chemicals that can strip your hair of its essential oils. Chlorine and other chemicals used to clean our water supplies can wreak havoc on our hair. Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in a swimming pool knows that hair follicles will eventually make hair like a Brillo pad if not properly rinsed. Here’s more information on shower filters.

Wash your hair backwards
Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients, is also famous for this hair care tip. First, apply half a teaspoon of your favorite oil to your scalp and work it through. You can use jojoba, olive, or sweet almond oil. Second, apply your conditioner and let it sit for a few minutes. Third, use a small amount of shampoo to wash out your hair. Finally, if your hair feels tangled, put a little remaining oil on your fingers and comb through your hair. The oil treatment helps loosen and attract dirt which the shampoo then washes away.

The avocado: not just for salads
The avocado is a triumph of moisturizers, oils and vitamins. But before you add some to your salad, you might want to consider treating your tresses to a homemade avocado mask. Take one small avocado, mash it together with one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of olive oil. You can even blend them together. Apply to damp hair for at least 30 minutes, then rinse. This recipe works on all hair types.

Rinse with olive oil
You can give yourself a fancy “hot oil” salon treatment with a mere tablespoon of organic olive oil. First, rinse your hair with warm water. Then work the olive oil through your tresses with your fingers. Let it sit for twenty minutes. Then rinse with cool water, following up with a bit of shampooing if your hair feels too oily.

Sooth your scalp
An irritated, dry scalp can throw your hair out of balance. Organic stylist and expert Felicia Howe recommends Simply Organic Scalp Spa Treatment ($23.99) to tame your irritated head. As Felicia Shares, “I’ve been using this all season, it’s been saving my hair and scalp. It’s amazing.”  This professional-grade product contains olive leaf extracts.

It’s all about serums
Sometimes you need a serum to act like the really great sequel to your favorite conditioner. Serums can leave your hair extremely hydrated while giving you the fresh out of a spa smell. Basically, a serum delivers the goods to your hair in a concentrated punch. So you want to make sure you use one that has clean, green ingredients.

Yarok Hair Care offers a serum entitled Feed Your Youth ($25) containing hydrating Yarrow and avocado. John Masters Organics has their Dry Hair Nourishment and Defrizzer ($16.00) which combines certified organic jojoba, lavender and rosemary. Both can be used in a “set it and forget it” fashion where you work the ingredients into your hair in the evening, only to be washed out in the morning.

Image:Erintaylormurphy, hulagway, wordridden, [g] [e] [r] [y]

The post 7 Tips to Battle Winter Weather Hair Woes appeared first on EcoSalon.