The holidays are over. We had fun indulging, but enough is enough! January is all about setting goals and taking care of our bodies. While we love to pamper ourselves, our funds are a little, umm, depleted, so here on the fourth floor we’ve devised some body-loving DIY recipes. Easy, affordable and free of any pesky parabens or sulfates (yuck), this at-home beauty regime might just become party of your regular routine.
With cold air outside and the heat blasting inside, our hair gets stripped of moisture in the winter. Instead of piling on the conditioner, restore your hair’s moisture naturally with these simple home recipes:
For dry to very dry hair, combine 1 tbsp of warmed coconut oil with the flesh of a ripe avocado and mash well. Apply to strands, cover with a shower cap and let absorb for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse well and if you feel like you need it, apply a small amount of gentle shampoo to the roots. The avocado and coconut oil act as humectants, trapping the moisture and keeping it “locked in” so your hair can absorb as much goodness as possible.
If your hair is only moderately dry, you might try combining one cup of natural yogurt with an egg and follow the steps above to rinse.
Don’t forget to wash your hair as infrequently as possible. This will let your hair’s natural oils restore the cuticle, better than any DIY or chemical treatment there is!
You’re either for a DIY mani-pedi or against. For those with a steady hand (or a dwindling bank account balance), here are some tips for at-home nail maintenance:
Soak nails in warm water with a slice of lemon or a drop of essential oil to relax and bring home the spa experience.
Out of cuticle treatment? Fill the empty bottle with olive oil – it works just as well.
Try making your own hand cream – or, if you have almond or coconut oil lying around, slather on, apply gloves and let the oils do their magic.
Body
In the winter, dead skin cells tend to accumulate a lot more (AKA flaky skin). To slough off your scales, try an at-home body scrub. These can keep for weeks, smell like whatever you want them to smell like and are basically the kind of luxurious scrubs people buy from fancy spas, except you made it in your kitchen.
Coffee is a phenomenal exfoliant and also has been shown to reduce the appearance of cellulite. It’s also been shown to protect the skin against harmful UV rays (no kidding). Grind up (or repurpose used grounds) 2 cups of coffee and combine with ½ cup of sea salt or raw sugar with 3 tbsp of your favourite oil. You can also add some vanilla for scent. For more awesome scrubs-with-coffee recipes, click here.
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