There is a lot going on in the world right now and it’s important to remember any cause you support or doing your best while remaining socially distant is only possible when you remember to recharge and take a minute for yourself. It’s equally as important, when planning your Big Day, to check in with you, your health and your skin.
In today’s “Let Them Eat Cake,” travel editor Becca Hensley offers up another round of DIY recipes to create a spa-like atmosphere at home.
-Kelly
Anti Cellulite Body Scrub
From Zadun, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Ingredients:
- 4 or 5 slices of grapefruit (tones, brightens and reduces appearance of cellulite
- 1 cup of sea salt (exfoliates)
- 1/2 cup of coconut oil (moisturizes)
- 4 drops of your favorite citrus essential oil (orange, tangerine, grapefruit all smell good)
Directions:
Place the grapefruit slices and sea salt into a blender or food processor, gradually adding the coconut oil until you get the desired consistency. Add a few drops of essential oil.
Eye Depuffer
From Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, Thailand
Ingredients:
- Distilled Water
- Chopped Parsley (can reduce redness, speed healing and build collagen)
Directions:
Fill an ice cube tray with fresh water and add a pinch of parsley to each cube. Place in the freezer. Rub frozen cubes gently under the eyes to get rid of under eye bags and fine lines around the eyes.
Toning and Texture Turmeric Mask
From Inn at Perry Cabin
Ingredients:
- ½ tablespoon Turmeric powder (anti-inflammatory, reduces redness and uneven skin tones)
- ½ teaspoon Lemon juice (spot treats acne and scars)
- 1 tablespoon honey (anti-bacterial)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, warm to liquify (humectant)
Directions:
Once the ingredients are mixed, apply the mask with a facial brush (to prevent turning your fingers yellow) and then leave on for 20 and wash with your daily face cleanser, a cream cleanser is best to get all the yellow off the skin.
Anti-Aging Strawberry Scrub
From Rosewood Mayakoba
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw sugar (exfoliator)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (moisturizing)
- 1/4 cup ground or even whole oats (great exfoliator for sensitive skin)
- 1/4 cup pureed strawberries . You can also smoosh using the back of a fork (acidic so good for oily skin; also, full of helpful vitamin C)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a spoon. Scrub. Rinse.
Onion and Honey Face Mask to illuminate impurities
From One&Only The Palm Guerlain Spa
Ingredients:
- 1 onion (antiseptic and anti-bacterial)
- 2 tablespoons honey (removes dirt)
- 1/2 glass water
Directions:
Peel onion. Cut into pieces and put it in the blender with water, and turn to a puree. Add honey. Apply the compound to clean face for 15 minutes, then rinse with plenty of warm water.
Avocado Face Mask
From Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa, Baja California
“Avocado is considered green gold in México and makes the best easy face mask. This fruit feels indulgent and is rich in vitamins and powerful antioxidants, making it perfect for skin and hair.”
— Ana Maria Quintana, Spa Therapist
Ingredients:
- 1 avocado (hydrating with vitamins E and C, potassium, lecithin and healing avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt (humectant)
- ½ teaspoon of honey (anti-bacterial)
Directions:
Mash avocado with yogurt and honey and then apply to skin for 10-15 minutes.
Antiseptic Herbal Bath
From Hotel d’Angleterre, Copenhagen, Denmark
Ingredients:
- 2-3 handfuls sea salt (relieves sore muscles)
- Juice of freshly squeezed lemon (antiseptic, refreshing scent)
- Fresh or dried herbs, such as (good for circulation, boosts immune system), sage (relaxing) lavender (soothing and anti-bacterial), and thyme (great for chest congestion)
Directions:
Dissolve sea salt, then add the juice and herbs. into warm water for 5-7 minutes before settling in the tub.
Treatment for Hair Loss
From Zadun, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Los Cabos, Mexico
Ingredients:
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (anti-inflammatory)
- 1 tea-bag of green tea (has been proved to fight hair loss, dandruff and sun damage)
- 3 slices of ginger (anti-bacterial)
Directions:
All ingredients are infused for 20 minutes over low heat. Let sit overnight. Apply daily to the scalp with a light massage before sleeping.
Mask For Damaged Hair
From Hair Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort, Portugal
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup yoghurt (humectant)
- 2 eggs (adds essential protein)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (for conditioning)
- banana (promotes hair growth)
- 1 tablespoon honey
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. Apply on the hair, leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse out with lukewarm water.
Ginger and Olive Foot Balm
From One&Only The Palm Guerlain Spa
Ingredients:
- 100 grams fresh ginger root (stimulating and anti-bacterial)
- 1 glass olive oil (moisturizing)
Directions:
Remove the skin from the ginger and divide it into several pieces. Pour the olive oil into a saucepan, add the ginger, and heat both ingredients. When the mixture is warm, warm over a low heat for 30 minutes. Remember, that the oil should never boil, but only warm. After half an hour, remove the ginger with oil from the heat and let it sit overnight. The next morning, filter it with a strainer and use the resulting liquid to massage the feet in circular movements until the product has been absorbed through the skin.