Home Spa

It's almost Spring time and that most definitely means it's time to bring out the flip flops and bermuda shorts. If you're anything like me, spending money on a tanning package A) was not in your budget, B) is bad for your skin, C) required you to leave the house in the dark, cold months of Minnesota winter or D) All of the above.

So I am going to plug the only sunless tanner I use because it has helped me get my legs in summer shape without ever seeing the light of day. It's called Made in the Shade and it's by Arbon. I have had mine for quite some time and had used it only on my face once in awhile (don't use more than once every three days to avoid the orange fator.)

And now for the very cheap beauty section of this blog - homemade pedicures, facials, body scrubs, etc. If you can't bring yourself to spend $30 every two weeks on a pedicure (although a nice splurge once in awhile always feels amazing) there are many at home, cheap, fast and easy ways to give yourself a mini-spa day.

Pedicure:

Trick # 1 - Dead skin remover. Use a lime or lemon to get rid of dead skin cells. Tried and true, I used this for the first time last week and was amazed at the result. I literally squeezed the juice onto my feet and the skin peels right off. Sounds gross but your feet are left feeling really soft.

Trick # 2 - Sugar scrub. There are four similar versions of this - sugar and lotion, sugar and baby oil, sugar and vitamin e oil, and sugar and olive oil. Use whichever you prefer, I usually use what is just laying around the house, sugar and lotion. I also use as a body scrub and on my hands.

Trick # 3 - Foot bath. Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, baby oil or vitamin e oil with one cup of milk, and two cups of water. Heat on stove until warm. Once warmed put into a big container to fit both feet and let feet soak. Your feet will come out feeling softer than a baby's bottom!

Trick # 4 - Relaxing skin smoothie. Take one cup of milk and put in blender with a full cucumber (it's recommended to chop the cucumber up into smaller pieces before blending) Once blended smoothe the mixture over your feet and legs. The milk will make your legs look dewey and the cucumber reduces puffiness, swelling, etc.

Trick # 5 - Lock in the moisturizer. Step one, bring water to an almost boil. Step two, pour water into a container and put wash rags in the container. Step three, slather on a TON of lotion. Step four, wrap feet in saran wrap, very tightly. Step five, put hot, wet wash rags all over the saran wrap to steam lock the moisturizer in. After about fifteen minutes (switch out wash rags for a hot one when needed) remove the rags, throw away the saran wrap and rub in the lotion.

Homemade facial: Take honey and brown sugar and mix together. Put mixture onto face. When it starts to harden, take a warm wash cloth and in circular motions rub the mixture off of your face.

Make sure to use SPF on skin this summer, that beauty tip will help you today, tomorrow and fifty years from now when you don't look like a leather bag!