A spa in your own home

5 tips for a relaxing spa in your own bathroom!

To make a spa session in your own bathroom a pleasure, there are some things you need to do first. Follow the tips below to maximise your enjoyment.

Most importantly we need to make some time. It is supposed to be a moment of respite for us. First of all, make sure that nobody disturbs us. It is best to send the people you live with for a walk or shopping or anything to get them out of the house, so that none of them are standing by the bathroom door asking "How long are you going to be in there for?" Do not answer the phone during this time, do not answer messages or emails. It is supposed to be a time devoted only to ourselves, which will allow us to breathe and relax after a hard day or week.

The second element necessary for a successful session is preparing the space. Organize things so that everything you need is at hand. Having to jump out of the bath for cosmetics will definitely interrupt our relaxation. We cannot control everything, an unexpected delivery from a courier can’t be planned for, but let's try to minimize the risk of disruptions as much as possible.

Getting the atmosphere right is also important. Scented candles, incense sticks and essential oils will turn your bathroom into a real space for relaxation. Try playing relaxing music or natural sounds. These are available free of charge on the Internet, e.g. https://youtu.be/d0tU18Ybcvk. If you prefer music, you can use something like https://youtu.be/QN-xeGXarD8.

Don’t forget about your palate. Aromatic tea, hot chocolate, delicious coffee or a glass of wine are a perfect addition to a bath. You can also treat yourself to some small snacks. Nuts, dried fruit and dark chocolate are perfect here. They have an excellent taste, are sources of many valuable nutrients and have a positive effect on ones well-being.

The essence of the matter, however, is the treatments we will perform and the products we will use. Read on for more information about choosing products to suit the needs of your skin and the order in which to use them to achieve a great effect.

Beauty flows from nature - home remedies for professional treatments.

Preparing the bath is undoubtedly the first step to organizing a home spa. We can pour bath salt into the bathtub or if we prefer foam, use bubble bath. There are a lot of cosmetics designed specifically for this purpose. Remember to have a good look at the ingredients but, thankfully, nowadays there are many products that do not contain strong detergents. Chemicals to avoid are: Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Sodium Myreth Sulfate and Sodium Coco-Sulfate. These substances irritate and dry the skin, can cause allergic reactions and even lead to atopic dermatitis.

There are many care products on the market, and manufacturers are competing to come up with newer and newer solutions. However, before we reach for ready-made cosmetics think about using what you already have at home. For example, most people will be surprised by the use of well-known products from the kitchen. Skin care should begin with peeling. It cleanses the skin, removes dead skin cells and improves blood circulation. It is the basis of subsequent treatments. Coffee or more specifically coffee grounds are perfect here. To make sure you have enough for the whole body start collecting them the day before. It is worth placing a jar next to the coffee machine and put the grounds in here instead of the bin. You can then mix them with face gel, shower gel or... with oil, for example coconut or olive oil. For variety, you can add a little cinnamon. If you’d rather not collect coffee and, to be honest, not dirty the bathroom, use cosmetic corundum - aluminium oxide in the form of crystals. It is used in beauty salons, and we can use it at home. Here, too, a gel or oil will come in handy, just like with coffee. As they are mechanical peels, both coffee and corundum have quite a strong effect. They are especially recommended for the body and those with oily skin. For sensitive skin, a chemical or enzyme peel is recommended. Regardless of what type of exfoliation you decide on, peeling is the best place to start and basically the foundation for further care.

Scalp peeling is a treatment that a lot of people tend to forget about. Ready-made solutions are recommended here. Products, such as Le Labo Scrub Shampoo or something similar, with a good formulation can be purchased at drugstores. After the scrubbing stage is over, we can move on to haircare by putting a mask on your hair or oiling it. Oil the hair along its entire length or just the ends, depending on its needs. To remove the oil, it is necessary to emulsify the hair, i.e. apply a mask or conditioner, and finally shampoo it. You can also add oil to the mask or conditioner. Burdock oil is perfect for split ends, and a green clay mask will help with oily scalps. For dull hair, use an egg yolk mask combined with olive oil and a few drops of lemon.

Once you've got everything you need on your hair, it's time to take care of your face. And here it really is worth reaching for what we have at home. A face mask with honey is a great idea. Just add a little milk to it and we have a product ready to soothe irritations and perfectly moisturize the skin. Linseed, which is an excellent source of vitamin E, will also work well in a rejuvenating and regenerating mask. Simply grind enough seeds and mix them with water until the desired consistency is obtained. We can also combine the properties of linseed and honey and prepare a mask from these two ingredients. If we want to cleanse our skin, let's take advantage of the beneficial effects of yeast. Again, combine it with milk. Such a mask will also have soothing properties and help in the fight against scars. Everyone has aspirin in the home medicine cabinet, which is an ideal product for cleansing the skin and fighting discoloration. Just crush a few tablets and combine them with a little water or your favourite oil to obtain the right consistency.

If you do not want to use home solutions, there is an abundance of ready-made cosmetics. The growing awareness of consumers and the increasing importance attached to the ingredients of products means that there are a lot to choose from. Look for preparations with a good formulation, without harmful substances or preservatives. Choose the best recipe for your skin and, after peeling, apply a mask for 20 minutes. Then rinse with lukewarm water and apply care products. The steam generated during bathing is an additional factor, which helps the products to be better absorbed as, under the influence of temperature, hair cuticles and pores will open. After leaving such a bath, you should lubricate the body with oil. So-called wet oiling, i.e. rubbing the oil into wet skin, is ideal.

What if we really don't have time?

It is good to have such a spa even once a week. However, if we do not have time for this, we can use little tricks on a daily basis that will bring great results. The benefits of peeling discussed above can also be obtained by dry brushing the body. To do this, use a brush designed for body massage. It is an inexpensive and readily available product. It won't make the bathroom dirty and we do not have to prepare for it. It is not without reason that this procedure has become a massive hit, both among celebrities and Internet users. Be sure to try it out! After brushing, just having a quick shower and lubricating the body with oil or lotion is enough. Our skin will certainly thank us. Also, remember to use a mask and exfoliate the epidermis at least once a week. It is also worth putting on a mask and, while it's working on our skin, we can get on with something else.

The period we are living in, with its ubiquitous lack of time and excess of stress is having a negative effect not only on our health and nervous system but also on our beauty. It is worth setting aside this hour a week to organize a home spa and implement care rituals. This will have a positive effect not only on the condition of our skin and hair, but will also allow us to calm down, collect our thoughts and organize important matters. It's good to make such a home spa your own weekly tradition. However, if you don't have time every week, at least try to do it every other week or as often as possible and just cultivate it. Once you have tried it and appreciated its benefits, you will surely want to make time to do it more often.