At Home Spa Night

Last night I decided to give myself a little spa night. Peanut had gone to bed around 7:15pm. The Woodman was getting off work at 8:00pm and then going to the gym, so he wouldn't be home until 10:00pm or so. The dog was already curled up on his bed and snoring like an old man. The night was mine! I could hear our deep bathtub calling my name.

I wanted to do some sort of natural face mask, so off to Pinterest I went to research recipes. I finally found one in which I had all the ingredients at home. I was also on day 5 of not washing my hair and knew it was time to wash it, so I decided to do a coconut oil conditioning treatment beforehand. How can I go so long between hair washings, you ask? I went no 'poo! I also needed to shave my legs, as it is getting a bit warmer outside and I don't need my winter coat anymore.  :)

Coconut Oil Conditioning Treatment

The first thing I did was grab my tub-o-coconut oil. Literally, it's a tub. I got it at Costco earlier in the year and I'm almost at the bottom of it. Thankfully, I got another tub of it this past Christmas as a gift!

All you need to do is grab a handful of coconut oil and start slathering it all over your hair. I take some and rub it in my hands to melt it first. Or, melt a bunch in some hot water beforehand and pour over your hair. Get your hair as greasy as possible and make sure you massage it into your scalp! Then, gently pull it back and cover with a shower cap. A shower cap isn't a necessity, but it does help to hold in warmth from your scalp to help the oil set into your hair. Leave it in your hair for at least 30 minutes. When I know I'm not going to have to go anywhere for awhile, I'll leave it in for 2 hours or more and then I'll apply some extra heat by using my hairdryer to blow hot air onto the shower cap. Some people even go to bed with it and then wash it out the next day. 

Hard to tell, but that hair is super greasy!!! There are still chunks of unmelted oil in there!

When you're finished, you'll need to wash your hair. This is actually the only time I use commercial shampoo, because I've never been able to get just baking soda to wash out all the oil. I usually have to shampoo twice to get all of the oil out. Dry and style as normal. Then I dare you not to rub your hands through your hair! It feels so soft! I try to deep condition my hair about twice a month.

Honey, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon Face Mask

Honey is great for your skin! Refer back to this post if you have forgotten why honey is so awesome. Nutmeg helps to reduce blemishes, is a great exfoliant, and works wonders at removing blackheads. Cinnamon is actually an antiseptic, which means it'll help reduce bacteria. It also helps to pull oxygen, blood, and other nutrients to the surface of your face, which will make your skin glow! 

This mask is super easy to whip up and it smells great too! Get a small bowl and mix together:

          2Tbsp. Honey

          1 tsp. cinnamon

          1 tsp. nutmeg

Combine until a thick paste forms. Put a small daub of it on the inside of your wrist and let it sit for a few minutes to see if you have any sort of reaction to the ingredients. I've read that some sensitive skin types might have a problem with the cinnamon. Once you've tested the mask, spread on your face and let it sit anywhere from 30 minutes up to an hour. Now, I found this mask a bit drippy, so I suggest doing this while soaking in a tub. If not, make sure you have a towel handy to wipe up any drips. When you're ready to remove the mask, use a rag and rub VERY GENTLY in circular motions to exfoliate your face. After I rinsed off the mask, my skin felt so much tighter. I also didn't even need to use any coconut oil as a moisturizer afterwards! Plus, I smelled like a cinnamon Christmas ornament! 

Wow....this mask really brings out the brown in my eyes! :)

Oil Pulling

This is something else I did during my spa night. Now, I'm not going to write too much about oil pulling....yet. I'm going to do this regularly for two weeks and then write a blog post about oil pulling. I came across oil pulling when I first got into using coconut oil. It was on some list of things you could do with coconut oil. Having never heard of it before, I looked it up. I've tried it a few times here and there and have been impressed with the results, but I think it's something you need to do on a regular basis for it to really be beneficial. Google it and see what you find. 

Anywho, I put all the coconut oil in my hair for the deep conditioning treatment. I then applied the face mask. I got a Tbsp. of coconut oil and started with my oil pulling and then got into the tub to soak and read. My first timer went off at 20 minutes, which is when I finished with the oil pulling. I made sure I had a disposable cup nearby to spit the oil into, and I also had my toothbrush nearby to brush afterwards. Then at the 30 minute mark, I washed off the face mask. I then took the tub-o-coconut oil, got a chunk out of it, slathered it on my legs, and shaved. It makes great shaving cream! Plus, no need to moisturize afterwards! When I finished all that, I got into the shower to wash the coconut oil out of my hair. 

The results of my at home spa night were, as follows:

• I was more relaxed
• I finished up a book
• my hair was softer
• my skin was tighter and well moisturized
• my legs were super smooth and soft

All in all, a success!