Top-to-toe beauty treats: our guide to creating your at-home spa
There are times when you just want to press pause on the world. (Gosh, especially now.) And there are few better ways to do that than to award yourself time out for beauty treats.
Many of us were brought up to think pampering ourselves was selfish and/or vain but it can be truly therapeutic both for yourself and for those around you. It may be a cliché but you really can’t look after everyone else unless you put yourself first sometimes. So do a little bit of prepping then shut the door and spoil yourself.
Here’s some ideas that you can pick and mix depending on the time available. (The products we’ve named are pretty well all Beauty Bible Award winners.)
Create your own sensory sanctuary: your prettiest robe, a scented candle or aromatherapy infuser (if neither of those are to hand just spray some scent around), your favourite soft relaxing music, a delicious drink to sip from a pretty glass with a nibble or two, plus a couple of soft fluffy towels. And do turn your phone off.
Breathe the world away: sit on a straight-backed chair, or lie on your bed or yoga mat on the floor. Make sure your head, spine and legs are straight, not tilted or twisted, and relax your shoulders. Spread one hand, palm down, over your chest, the other on your tummy/abdomen. Breathe in slowly through your nose right down through your body, feeling your tummy inflate like a balloon. Gently hold the breath there for a moment then breathe out slowly through your mouth. Aim to take twice as long breathing out as breathing in, for instance a count of four to breathe in, hold for two or more, then out for eight. Repeat three to six times. Get up slowly and stretch your arms up to the ceiling. If you practise yoga, do a couple of stretches.
Bring the blood to your head: if you’re feeling tense and looking peaky, a quick fix is to tip your head upside down and brush your hair, working slowly and rhythmically from the nape up to the hairline, side to side. Remember how our grandmothers would do a hundred strokes daily? Turns out they were right: it helps cleanse hair of dust and detritus and loosens the skin on your scalp, releasing tension and distributing oils to keep hair shiny.
Deep condition your hair: if your hair is really dry, apply a mask between shampooing and conditioning. Hairdresser Lee Stafford prescribes this method for his award-winning Coco Loco Coconut Mask, a real beauty steal. Lee explains that ‘after shampooing, the hair cuticles are open so the mask can penetrate deep inside the hair shaft and do its thing, then the conditioner closes the cuticles and seals in all the goodness’. Dry and style as usual after.
Treat your face and hands: your hands deserve the same TLC you lavish on your face. While your hair mask works its magic, cleanse your face and paws thoroughly, exfoliate gently, and then apply a mask. If you have separate products, do use them. If you’ve time for forward planning, Frances Prescott Tri-Balm cleanses, exfoliates, moisturises and also works brilliantly as a mask, layered on thickly and left for ten minutes.
Massage your face: as you cleanse and exfoliate, use your clean fingertips and work in little circles all over your face from your chin up to your hairline. With cheeks, brows and forehead work out from the centre towards the sides. Your face should look rosy and even a little bit ‘lifted’. (See Health Notes on facial massage with Beata here.)
Soothe tired eyes: lay slices of cucumber on your eyes to help calm and depuff. Or infuse two camomile tea bags, cool a little then squeeze out excess moisture and apply. Tip: if you have sore, puffy eyes, lay a slice of raw potato under each eye; spuds contain catecholase, an enzyme that helps reduce under eye water retention.
Tend your nails: apply cuticle oil, such as Margaret Dabbs London Nourishing Nail & Cuticle Serum, and very gently push back the cuticles with a rubber hoof (no snipping ever unless it’s a hang nail), file your nails then buff to a shine with a soft nail buffer, e.g. Nails Inc Easy Filer Nail File. If you have time, polish your toenails too – few things are more uplifting than looking down at gorgeous coloured toes.
Tidy your eyebrows: well-kept brows define your face so deploy those tweezers to pluck out stray hairs under your brows - and check any rogues around your chin too. (Tweezerman Slant Tweezers are still the best.) If your brows are pale and you want a semi-permanent colour, try Colorsport 30 Day Brown Tint, Eylure Dybrow, in dark brown or black, or Apraise, which comes in five shades. NB Do follow the instructions to the letter.
Beautify your body: finish off with a lovely bath or shower; take the time to exfoliate all over with a body scrub – fragrant Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub contains skin softening Dead Sea salts in a Kilner-style jar at a great price. Defuzz if necessary. Moisturise thoroughly unless you’re going to apply a self tanner, in which case don’t moisturise as the tan is likely to go streaky. Isle of Paradise Happy Tan Everyday Gradual Glow for face and body gives a subtle natural colour that you can build up from day to day.
PRODUCTS
Lee Stafford Coco Loco Coconut Mask /£6.99 for 200ml - buy here
Frances Prescott Tri-Balm /£49 for 70g - buy here
Margaret Dabbs London Nourishing Nail & Cuticle Serum /£12 for 15ml - buy here
Nails Inc Easy Filer Nail File /£7 - buy here
Tweezerman Slant Tweezers /£22 - buy here
Colorsport 30 Day Brow Tint /£9, in dark brown and black - buy here
Eylure Dybrow /£7.50, in dark brown or black - buy here
Apraise Professional Eyelash & Eyebrow Tint /£5.99 - buy here
Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub /£14 for 650g - buy here buy herebuy here buy here
Isle of Paradise Happy Tan Everyday Gradual Glow /£14.95 for 200ml - buy here
