When you’re feeling down, its often extremely overwhelming to take all of the necessary steps in taking care of yourself which often includes personal hygiene. When this happens, it becomes increasingly difficult to get back on top of it as it now feels like a much bigger job than it was initially. But, sometimes, diving into the patriarchal capitalist cultural norms of self – care can make you look good on the outside, so you feel it on the inside. So today, I will be sharing my favourite at home beauty treatments so that whether you need some help with motivating yourself, or just want a pamper day, we can shed our pjs and glow up together.
Footsoak
Now, if you’re anything like me, a full body pamper feels like such a daunting task and so I like to start right at the bottom, literally. Yes, that’s right, as summer is upon us, sandal weather is in full force (some days – it is the UK after all) so we need to get our flippers in tip top shape. I like kick things off with a foot soak. Tropic does my all time favourite ocean fizz foot soak, it makes my feet feel amazing, so soft moisturised and it smells amazing. I usually put this in a bowl and sit for about half an hour whist I do some work on my laptop or watch a cheesy chick flick.
Once they are done, pat them dry with a fluffy towel.
I usually take off any residual nail polish after this and cut my toenails whilst I am focussed on the area.
Facemask
Okay self-explanatory here. Whilst my feet are soaking away, my face is usually covered in some sort of gooey substance that claims to stop my breakout. The “What A Peeling! De- Clog Mask” by Soap and Glory is my absolute favourite for lifting gunk out and clearing my pores whilst looking and smelling adorable.
Now when I’m having a huge pamper blow out, one face mask just doesn’t cut it. After I’ve had my skin peeled off and my clogged pores emptied, I like to use the “Olay Clay Stick Mask Fresh Reset with Pink Mineral Complex” to rebalance and sooth my skin. This facemask has the cutest roll-on packaging that makes such easy application.
Wash Your Hair
Self-explanatory once again but giving my hair a fresh wash never fails to make me feel fresh and shiny. Personally, I like to wash my hair in the shower so that it is getting a constant stream of clean water to wash away any product build up. Once my conditioner has been rinsed out, I love to coat my hair in the “John Frieda Hydrate & Recharge Deep Soak Masque For Dry Lifeless Hair”. After using this product, my hair is always super sleek and shiny without causing any extra grease or frizz.
Have a Bath
Whilst my hair mask is doing its job, I like to get out the shower to run myself a bubble bath with bath salts. Alternatively, this DIY bath bomb is an excellent aesthetic replacement.
DIY Bath Bomb I absolutely hate spending money on bath bombs when ive ran out of those gifted to me, so I have written down my handy DIY recipe. Adding 3 tsp of water, 2 tsp of essential oils (your choice but for a bath I personally would choose lavender, eucalyptus, rose, orange, or lemongrass), drops of food colouring and 2 tsp of almond, coconut or olive oil to a container with a lid and shake well. Add this liquid to a bowl containing 1 cup of baking soda, 1/2 cup of Epsom salt, 1/2 cup of corn-starch. Mix the ingredients with your hands and add 1/2 a cup of citric acid. Add this to a mould and leave for a couple of days to completely dry out before adding to your bath water.
Having a bath is an artform. I said what I said. It takes a lot to perfect the art of the bubble bath and people who claim not to like baths, are unskilled at setting their paradise. In my opinion, having a fresh coffee and reading material by my side, a lit candle (my favourite is the Yankee Candle Midnight Jasmine) and a calming or sing-along playlist depending on my mood, is the key to enjoying baths.
Whilst in the bath, I like to start with an all-body scrub. Using an exfoliation mitt, I apply the scrub to my entire body, focussing on dry areas such as my knees, elbows, and ankles. I like to really concentrate on areas of residual fake tan too because I do not feel like I’ve had a glow up if I look like a loaf of tiger bread.
DIY Coffee Body Scrub If you (like me) forget to buy an extra scrub when you run out, and need a DIY recipe, this coffee scrub works just as well at exfoliating dead skin and removing ingrown hairs. Being a natural ingredient that reduces the appearance of cellulite too, this scrub may also leave you feeling better about your lumps and bumps. In order to make this scrub, add 2-3 tbsp of melted Coconut Oil to 1/2 a cup of Coffee Granules and mix together. Note that more oil added increases the liquid substance of the scrub. For best results, soak skin in warm water and apply with an exfoliation mitt and rinse.
Once all my dry skin and ingrown hairs have been removed, I like to go in with a razor and remove my body hair. As we all know, shaving is absolutely a choice, and I personally choose to shave for myself and myself only. If you choose to remove body hair, the biggest tip I can provide to achieve a close shave is a good shaving cream. The fur shaving cream Is my go too as it is highly moisturising to stop any razor burn, ingrown hairs, or irritation. The organic ingredients mean this cream can be used on intimate areas too.
After I have finished shaving, I use my body wash of choice for that week on a loofah.
For my face, I like to use a charcoal face scrub to remove any dead skin or left-over face mask and finally use a face wash. The Soap and Glory Vitamin C Facial Wash with Natural Yuzu. It lasts absolutely ages, smells amazing and makes me feel so awake and fresh.
Style Your Hair
Once my hair is towel dried, I like to lightly mist it with leave in conditioner, just to keep that smooth and sleek feel for as long as possible whilst keeping it knot free. The one I use is the Milkshake spray. It smells absolutely to die for and also comes as a mousse if you prefer a more thorough moisturisation.
A good blow dry followed by styling with straighteners or curlers is a definite glow up step. I always feel like a new woman when I’ve taken the time to properly style my hair, and I usually find it looks nicer for longer and lasts more between washes.
Do Your Skincare
Okay, if you chose to shave, you have just taken the top layer of your skin off, and if you didn’t, your skin still needs moisturising. The … is my everyday body moisturiser at the moment as it genuinely keeps my skin smooth and soft and leaves me with a non-greasy feeling.
For my face, I use a facial cleanser which I leave for a few minutes before wiping off with warm damp cotton pads. I then add a tone to tighten my pores and finish with a moisturiser and sun cream.
DIY Sugar Lip Scrub When my lips are sore and chapped, I use this DIY sugar lip scrub recipe to get rid of any dry, dead skin. All you need is equal teaspoons of brown sugar and agave per use. If you want super soft lips every morning, it is achievable to add more ingredients to a resealable container and apply this scrub before bed.
Nails
Once I am scrubbed primped and primed, I move onto my nails. Having a fresh set of nails always makes me feel better about my hands and feet. The best DIY investment I bought in the lockdown was an LED nail light for gel nail polish. The manicure lasts soooo much longer without chipping and provides a really cute salon finish. Amazon has loads of options for nail lights and gel nail polishes for reasonable prices.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, the Rimmel 60 second super shine in White hot love is my timeless classic.
Tan
Seeing as my skin struggles to catch the sun without turning salmon pink and stinging, for the added confidence boost I like to fake tan. As my skin is quite sensitive I like to use the “Tannologist tanning drops” in dark on my face neck and hands.
To use this, I mix 8 drops into my moisturiser whilst completing my night-time skincare routine and rub this into my face.
*Make sure you wash your hands after using the tanning drops as it absorbs quickly with it being mixed into a moisturiser.
For the rest of my body I swear by the Tanologist Self-Tan mousse in dark. This Tan is my absolute favourite because it is so affordable, it is clear which avoids any displacement onto my white bedding and doesn’t have an overly strong smell.
I apply this tan with the Molly Mae Tanning Mitt as the thumb insert stops the mitt from twisting round when I do hard to reach areas such as my back and the thick lining means I don’t need to wear gloves in order to prevent getting orange hands.
I hope that these easy DIY beauty treatments will inspire you to get up and glow. Sometimes everybody needs a bit of ‘me’ time during a pamper day and that doesn’t make you any less of a feminist for taking care of your physical appearance. Making yourself beautiful even when you don’t feel it is an excellent way to trick your mind into feeling better and motivate you to get your life together. Happy pampering! x