Sometimes the hardest thing to do in our life is to take the time to slow down and pamper ourselves, for ourselves, without distraction. And when it comes to taking care of ourselves and our bodies, the two areas that tend to take the greatest wear and tear - our face and our feet - also happen to be the two most commonly neglected.
Rather than spending money at a fancy spa, there are ways to treat yourself to a decadent experience with a few simple ingredients at home and finishing up with your favorite Camille Beckman goodies. Here are a few suggestions of how you can create a spa experience in the comfort of your own home.
For the Face
When it comes to freshening up the skin of the face by cleansing off the day’s impurities and everyday toxins, there is no sweeter remedy than raw honey.
Yes, you read that correctly. Raw honey (and it must be raw), has natural antibacterial properties, healthful enzymes and even probiotics that propagate the growth of the GOOD bacteria that the skin needs to have that fresh faced glow.
This method is particularly useful for those with acne prone skin or sensitive skin because, unlike many harsh soaps, the honey reduces the oil and pore-clogging bacteria, but doesn’t strip the skin of its own moisture.
Honey Face Wash How-to:
- Wet your face with warm water.
- Place a small amount of raw, organic honey in your hands (no more than a teaspoon) and rub your hands together.
- Massage the honey into your skin in a circular motion.
- You can either rinse right away, or for a deeper pore cleansing action, leave it on for 5-10 minutes.
- Wash the honey off the face with warm water and pat your skin dry.
Once your skin is freshly cleaned, the next modus operandi of your spa night is the making of a skin revitalizing mud mask.
Spa Night Mud Mask
As we all know, ingredients are everything. In this mud mask, we will be using Bentonite Clay, which is known for its firming and detoxifying properties on the skin, as well as some more of the raw honey that we used in our face wash.
If you are feeling ambitious with your spa night, you can even add some optional essential oil such as lavender and even use a skin-soothing, easy-to-make herbal tea, made from chamomile and calendula flowers, in place of water. Just pick up some chamomile and calendula flowers from your local co-op or from a reputable, high quality herb merchant and brew up a concentrated tea, no more than a couple teaspoons.
- Mix 1 teaspoon bentonite clay and 1 teaspoon honey to form a thick paste.
- Add enough water or concentrated herbal tea to form a thin paste, about a teaspoon.
- Add 2 drops lavender essential oil (if using).
- Immediately apply to the face and neck in a circular motion. Avoid your eyes.
- Leave the paste on for ten to fifteen minutes or until it hardens.
- Take a dark colored washcloth and soak it in really hot water. Hold it up to your face and allow the steam to remove the mask from your skin without rubbing. Repeat using the clean side of the washcloth. Pat your skin dry.
Finish up your spa night facial with a our potent anti-aging face cream for skin that is silk-like smoothed and aglow with health and vitality.
For the Feet
When it comes to the body, there is no body part that so perfectly divides people on two sides of the line than the feet: those who love feet and those who are foot-phobic.
Whether you are a fetisher or a phobic, there are a myriad of ways to change one’s relationship with one’s feet and the following are a series of suggestions aimed to give your feet the care and pampering they deserve.
The best way to begin pampering one’s feet is to take a nice long, soothing bubble bath using one of our top selling bubble bath fragrances and don’t forget to throw in a couple handfuls of plain, unscented epsom salt. As the tub fills, begin mixing together the following soothing foot scrub.
Simple Foot Scrub
- 1 cup epsom salt
- ¼ cup almond oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon liquid castille soap (optional, makes texture of scrub smoother)
- 10 - 15 drops preferred essential oil (optional)
Store this foot scrub in an airtight container and use about a teaspoon sized amount to exfoliate feet after soaking in your bath. After exfoliating your feet with the scrub, rinse them in the bath water before draining the tub.
After patting your feet dry with a clean cloth, nurture the softened skin of your revitalized soles and toes by massaging a generous amount of one of our luxurious foot creams (now on sale!), in whatever sensual flavor you prefer, taking particular care around the heels and even massaging up onto the ankles and shins.
Loving yourself means loving all the various parts of your body - even those parts that garner the greatest self-consciousness, such as the ever-erupting pores of the face or the dry, cracking skin of the feet. It is only by paying attention to these areas and purposefully showering them with love and attention during your nightly beauty rituals that you can learn to truly appreciate your body just as it is.