A Friday Spa Day

The weather has been incredibly cold and dry lately, a fact that severely affects many things, one of which, is a person's skin.

The fact that we could all use some refreshing, plus we are combating Cabin Fever, last Friday we decided to have a Spa Day!

To begin with:

An herbal steam to open pores and flush out impurities before anything else.

A single pot of water had enough water to be split between two bowls - if we were going to steam for just a few minutes instead of 15 min. it might have stretched a bit further.

Herbal Steam:
Your choice of herbs is completely up to you, dependant only on what you have on hand and what you want to feed your skin.  :)  In our case, we used a mix that Irish Rose had on hand, left over from an oil infusion experiment: it consisted of
1 part rose petals - organic, food grade so you don't have to worry about pesticides :(
1 part caledula petals
2 parts chamomile flowers

Turn your boiled water off and add your herbs.  We used approximately 2 tablespoons of herbs per pot of water.  Put a lid on the pot and let it steep for about five minutes before using.

Following our steam we rinsed our faces with warm water and proceeded to use a yogurt cleanser, mixed with sea salt, to clean out pores and gently exfoliate dead skin.

Yogurt Cleanser:

Sea Salt

Yogurt

Squeeze of Lemon juice

Mix just enough for one use, as this isn't the type of thing you want hanging around. 

Test a little bit before you use it to see if you have added enough salt. (I didn't, so it wasn't quite abrasive enough to exfoliate properly.)

Apply to face and gently scrub for 30 seconds.

*Note: It smells, so be prepared for that.

Thoroughly rinse with warm water* and pat face dry.

*Note: It is important through these steps not to use cool water, as you don't want to close your pores until you're finished with the next step.

Following the cleanser comes a mask. For this particular Spa Day we did a Lusty Macaroot Facial.

Macaroot Mask:

1/2 Tbsp. Bentonite Clay

1/2 Tsp. Maca Powder

1/2 Tsp. Cocoa Powder (Yep, there's chocolate in it!:)

Add 1-4 Tbsp. liquid - Milk is the top choice, but you can use water/almond milk/apple cider vinegar/fruit juice if you wanted.

That is supposed to make just one mask, but between the four of us we used about one and a half. So unless you are going to put it on really thick, you might want to find someone to share it with:)

Mix your liquid into the dry until you get a spreadable (but not wet and dripping) consistency. Use immediately because this mask sets up quite fast.

Let sit and dry for 20 min. 

- Unlike the yogurt cleanser this is going to smell really, really yummy! -

Then gently remove with a warm water and a cloth.

Once you're sure you have gotten it all off proceed to rinse your face with cool water to tighten pores.

Follow the mask with a gentle toner and then a moisturizer of your choice.

Activities during this entire process can range from listening to music, painting your toenails, and watching a good girly movie!

Not much talking though, the mask is kind of restricting in that respect:)

*Reference for Mask Recipe: Here (*disclaimer: really great skin care recipes; some of the ideas that go with them should be taken with a grain of salt.)

Originally our idea was to watch Emma while we were 'steeping' in our masks, but it just so happened that we ended up doing it in shifts of two at a time - and then some of us were requested to help in the shop for a few minutes (No, there aren't pictures of that, you have to be related to see us like that:)
So, once the last clumpy bits of mask were washed down the drain and our freshly cleaned faces had been nourished with moisturizing oil, Chickadee put together a special lunch of cucumber sandwiches, melon, and fruit juice (served in flute glasses!)
Warm and relaxed we nibbled on lunch with our girl movie.

This week I think we might do feet . . . .