Welcome back! I’ve been thinking about you all week, and am going to help you save some dimes today. True, I buy every body scrub, lotion, hair treatment, facial mask, and massage doo-dad I can find, but I do that only because I’m insane. The truth is, creating homemade body scrubs and facials is inexpensive and easy.
For a luxuriant body scrub, for example, I use a cup of brown sugar, an avocado, extra-virgin olive oil (enough to make it gooey), and a drop of liquid almond extract, and you have a heavenly scented body scrub. Just mix it all up in a bowl. Make only enough for one treatment, and discard whatever you don’t use. Or use a quarter cup of sea salt, a banana, and a cup of plain yogurt for a richer body exfoliant. Easy peasy. One avocado, a half cup of sugar, and five drops of lavender essential oil is the perfect nighttime treatment.
I recently got a facial at Ten Thousand Waves, and the aesthetician said, “Your skin is in great condition. You don’t really need a facial.” She then proceeded to smear a bird poop resin concoction on my face, for a hundred-plus dollars. The Japanese are credited with discovering the benefits of bird dung as a face brightener. Disinfected nightingale droppings from Japan are making headlines as celebrities, including Tom Cruise, are slapping down $180 for a “Geisha Facial,” offered at Shizuka, a New York spa.
I also went for my first annual dermatological check-up, since here in Santa Fe, at an altitude of 7,200 feet, skin cancer is about as common as teen sexting. He said, “Your skin looks perfect. I’d gloat if I were you.” Flattering, but little does he know I’m hardly ever in the sun, and my good skin was inherited, not earned. But now I feel guilty getting facials that I don’t need, so here’s my home remedy.
Today’s Tip
Making your own facial is FUN. Throw some dried herbs—parsley, mint, and lavender are a good combination—in a pot of hot steamy water, hang a towel over your head, bend over the pot, and breathe. Seven minutes and you’re good to go. Now that your pores are open, use a gentle facial cleanser, such as Prada’s Purifying Milk Face (no, it’s not expensive! It’s fairly scented, though, and can double as a makeup remover). If you want a slightly deeper cleanse, try Borghese’s Crema Saponetta Cleansing Crème. I would avoid exfoliants, since the steam has opened your pores, and scrubbing might be harsh. If you want to add a mask in here, awesome. My faves are Dermalogica’s Active Moist (if you have dry skin) or Borghese Fango Active Mud (for normal to oily skin.) Top off with a toner—I love Arcona’s Cranberry Toner—and then moisturize. I could spend ten blogs on moisturizers alone, so for now, just choose your favorite.
Next week, we’ll compare the fou-fou massage to the plain Jane version.
Love reading these posts! Inspiring me to get in the spa mode!
Don’t you think that that “bird poop” stuff is just kind of crazy? I feel like the weirder an idea sounds, the more money they will charge for it. How did you actually LIKE that S*^T (pardon the pun)?
Ha ha! Well, the facial itself feels and looks nothing like bird poop. And it even smells pleasant. Even dermatologists are touting its benefits. And let’s face it, the Japanese are known for their flawless skin!
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