Every year, SPA centers are gaining more and more admirers. No wonder, here you can really rest, relax, take care of your body and mind. However, you don't have to spend a fortune on this type of attraction. Prepare a SPA session in your own home.
Although the term SPA (Latin Sanitas per aquam, or health thanks to water) has become in our language for good, not everyone would be able to explain what it actually is. So - what is a spa and what distinguishes these treatments from others?
Spa - an oasis of beauty and peace
Spa is not a place to drop by during a break at work, it is not a visit to a beautician or a stay in a sanatorium. Take your time in the spa, feel comfortable here and undergo treatments that will restore the beauty of your body, soothe your nerves and senses. Spa is peace and comfort, silence or relaxing music, soft candlelight, cosmetics with captivating colors and fragrances, and most of all water - relaxing baths and stimulating massages. These unhurried care rituals help to regain vitality, inner harmony and balance, so that you can then face everyday life with energy and optimism. Do you want to treat yourself to your own spa? You can arrange them in your home bathroom - prepare appropriate cosmetics, fragrant candles, soft towels, a comfortable bathrobe and reserve a lot of free time.
Expedition to the waters
The origins of today's spa can be traced back to antiquity. In contemporary cultures, bathing was an important element of everyday life, over time becoming a real ritual of moral and religious significance - water is the source of life, a symbol of renewal and purification. In the days of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, trips to health resorts with healing waters became fashionable. This is where the term spa comes from - from the name of the Belgian town of Spa, famous for its healing hot springs. Today's spa philosophy refers precisely to the old habits of using the healing properties of water to regain vitality, health and beauty.
Don't overdo the temperature of the water
30 degrees Celsius - this is (approximately) what a bath should have if you want to relax in it. Lower temperature (20-27 degrees) has a stimulating effect, because under its influence, the vessels will quickly constrict and they will expand after leaving the water. On the other hand, a warmer bath (38-42 degrees) will cause a drop in blood pressure and make you sleepy.
Spa - start with peeling
Peeling supports the natural process of exfoliation of the epidermis. Active substances from cosmetics penetrate into cleansed skin afterwards. A massage performed during peeling stimulates blood circulation and improves the nourishment of skin cells. It is easiest to use a ready-made cosmetic for the treatment, but if you prefer, you can prepare it yourself.
Also clean the face, neck and décolleté, but for this use a gentle fine-grained or enzymatic scrub that dissolves keratinized epidermis cells. Finally, rinse all cosmetics in the shower and wash your hair so that the scalp can breathe too.
Spa - immerse yourself in the bath
Fill the tub with warm water and add salt or bubble bath. Choose a cosmetic that not only smells beautiful, but also perfectly moisturizes the skin. It is good if it contains, for example, algae, sea salt, vitamin C, fruit acids, glycerin, wheat proteins, elastin or amino acids. In warm water, the pores of the skin widen and moisturizing substances can penetrate deeper.
Read: Castor Oil Care
Take your years away
After the spa session, you expect not only to feel better, but also to look younger. Well-hydrated and taut skin will surely take years away, but the true age can be revealed by the eyes - not only wrinkles, but also bruises, bags under the eyes or swollen or red eyelids. How to fix it? Apply warm compresses made of strong tea on the eyelids for redness. On the other hand, cold is best for puffiness and bags under the eyes. You can wrap an ice cube in a tissue and gently massage the lower and upper eyelids from the outer to the inner corner of the eye, or put on gel glasses, previously chilled in the refrigerator, for 10-15 minutes. The bruises will disappear if you first improve microcirculation by patting the skin under the eyes, and then put chilled cucumber slices under your eyes.
Nourish and pamper your skin
After bathing, your skin is soft, smooth and well moisturized. To keep moisture in the skin, use cosmetics that lightly grease and nourish it. Choose a lotion, cream or body butter containing vitamins A, E, D, lanolin, waxes or vegetable fats such as karite butter, cocoa butter, peach or almond oil. Regular olive oil will also work great - massage it into damp skin and leave it to absorb. You can add a few drops of aromatic oil to it beforehand, this way you will get a perfect and beautifully fragrant cosmetic, which is not the end of your spa session. Put on a bathrobe and rest - lie down or take a nap, drink a good herbal tea that will help cleanse the body of toxins. Allow the cosmetics to be absorbed well for 2-3 hours. Then, reach for a stunningly fragrant massage oil. It is not only a great aromatherapy, such a cosmetic nourishes the skin, smoothes it and tones it. It also supports the penetration into the epidermis of previously applied cosmetics. Pour a little oil on your hand and rub into the skin - first on the legs, then on the thighs and abdomen, hands and chest, at the end of the face. Of course, if you can ask someone to do such a massage, do it because then you will be able to fully relax.
Home spa bath
You can prepare your own "beauty bath". Heat 2 liters of milk, add 2-3 tablespoons of honey, mix thoroughly and pour it into a bathtub with water. Honey and milk bind moisture and nourish the skin, leaving it supple and soft to the touch. Or maybe you prefer a herbal bath? Pour, e.g. chamomile or lavender infusion into the bathtub. Herbs smell beautifully and nourish the skin, help to relax and soothe the nerves. A good idea for a relaxing bath is to add a few drops of aromatic oil to it, e.g. from geraniums or bitter orange. Use the time spent in the bathtub to take care of your hair and face. The warm steam not only widens the pores of the skin, but also opens the hair cuticles, so by applying the mask, you will ensure its better effectiveness.
If you've already done a facial scrub, don't apply a cleansing mask anymore - choose a moisturizing or nourishing mask and apply it to your neck and décolleté. Do you want to make such a cosmetic yourself? You can prepare a great mask, for example, from a grated apple mixed with a spoonful of potato flour - it deeply moisturizes the epidermis, provides vitamins, soothes irritations. When you mix 3 tablespoons of cottage cheese with a tablespoon of honey, you will get a mask that will nourish and elasticize your skin. Spread a strengthening mask on your hair to add bounce or volume. If you want to regenerate your hair at home, apply egg yolk pulp (or even better, 4-5 quail egg yolks, which are richer in minerals than chicken's) and olive oil. Then put on a bathing cap and wrap your head with a towel - the nutrients will be better absorbed under the compress. After washing off the mask, rinse your hair with water and lemon juice to regain its shine. After taking care of your face and hair, dip into the bath, close your eyes and indulge in 30 minutes of dreams that will help you relax.
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