Having me-time throughout the week is more important than we sometimes think. It helps us fill our cups before filling others’ – at home, at work or school, and everywhere else. If we are depleted, how can be expected to pour into others? This is why self-care has become extremely prevalent in our society. In fact, if we dive in a bit deeper, we find a lot of the issues that we have, stem from our relationships with ourselves. This is where self-love comes into play. It is at the root of helping us improve relationships we have with others.
How do we practice self-care and self-love?
The best way to add in self-care and self-love is by spending time with ourselves. A great, easy and straight forward way to do this is by paying attention to ourselves, and our needs. A lot of times, we can easily tackle this through journaling, spending quality time with ourselves in the form of self development – reading, taking a class, spending time figuring out what we want out of life, and more. Another way to do this is by paying special attention to our physical needs – giving ourselves good, healthy, nourishing food to eat, or by taking care of our bodies through physical activities we enjoy.
Sometimes, self-love and self-care can mean splurging on ourselves, or in other words, spoiling ourselves or treating ourselves to something special. That doesn’t always have to be an expensive pursuit, but a spa treatment can check a lot of these boxes. Let’s remember, you don’t have to be at the spa to experience a spa-like treatment. We can DIY it, and feel like we just left the spa right from home! So on that note, let’s get into three DIY beauty treatments we can make right at home.
3 DIY BEAUTY TREATMENT RECIPES
*As with all beauty treatments, DIY recipes and such, please check with your beauty and skin experts to ensure these treatments are right for you, especially if you have sensitive skin.
The Avocado Honey Hydrating Face Mask
via EatingWell
This face mask recipe only requires three ingredients: avocado, honey and apple cider vinegar. It will not only hydrate (avocado) and cleanse (honey), but it will also help re-acclimate your skin’s pH balance (apple cider vinegar).
Ingredients:
- Ripe Avocado – 1/4 cup
- Raw Honey – 2 tablespoons
- Apple Cider Vinegar – 1/2 teaspoon
For this recipe, you can use a small food processor, a blender, or even a fork, if you’re in a bind. You’ll combine all three ingredients and process, blend, or mash until it creates a smooth texture. Next, you’ll clean your face, with your normal cleanser. For best results, make sure that your skin is still damp, but not wet. Apply a thin layer onto your freshly cleaned skin, and allow it to dry. Next, you’ll rinse off the mask, and proceed with your normal moisturize routine.
This recipe will make enough for 2 – 3 applications and should be used immediately to ensure that the active ingredients do their job. This would be great to share with a friend!
The Lavender Essential Oil Face Toner
via EatingWell
Next, we have a face toner recipe. This one is made with lavender and will give off a relaxing and calming scent. It’s perfect to use before bed, as you unwind from the day. With only three ingredients, you’ll be able to make this super easily. Just make sure you have a spray bottle on hand. This recipe suggests using a small 2 oz glass spray bottle. You just need to add the ingredients, and make sure to shake, before use!
Ingredients:
- Lavender Oil – 5 drops
- Vitamin E Oil – 2 drops
- Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel – 1/4 cup
- Glass Spray Bottle – 2 oz
Combine all ingredients into the glass spray bottle, or receptacle that you’re using. Shake well to ensure all the ingredients are mixed. Label the bottle for future use. Then shake well, and lightly spray your face, making certain that your eyes are closed. A little spritz is probably all you need. Air dry, and then moisturize as desired.
This will help refresh your skin. It can be used after you cleanse your face in the mornings and evenings, as well as whenever you would like to quick skin refresher. Just don’t forget to shake before each use!
Some pro-tips:
When using essential oils, make sure you’re only using high quality products that are safe to use on your skin. If you have sensitive skin, please make sure to test a small area to ensure that it does not cause irritation before using this recipe.
Olive Oil + Avocado Hair Mask
If you’d like to concentrate on your hair, try a DIY Hair Mask!
If you’d like to strengthen damaged or weakened hair, you can work this mask through your tresses and rejuvenate your strands. Combining omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants from not only olive oil, but also avocado, you’ll get a great nourishing hair repair treatment. Then, when apple cider vinegar is added, that mix turns ultra restorative for your hair, adding gloss and luster back into your locks!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Avocado
- Olive Oil – 1/3 cup
- Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 tablespoon
Combine all the ingredients into a food processor or a blender. Then mix all the ingredients until you get a smooth paste. Massage the paste into your scalp and work throughout your hair. Ensure that you get from the roots to the very ends, evenly. Wrap your hair with a towel or use a shower cap. Then, let the mask sit on your tresses for at least 10 – 15 minutes. This will ensure that your hair soaks in all the nutrients. Next, rinse thoroughly and there you have it, glossy, luster rich and rejuvenated hair!
Pro-Tip: Do this on clean hair to ensure all the nutrients have the best opportunity to soak into your strands. Also, if you’re using a towel, a warm damp one would be great to use. It will act as a little steam treatment.
If you have curly hair, try this DIY Hair Mask by Ariba Pervaiz.
