We all need some time to relax, unwind, and enjoy a little self-care. With a few simple tweaks and tips, you can enjoy your very own at-home spa for the perfect way to practice a little bit of pampering.
We’ve put together an awesome list of ideas from experts to help you relax and create a DIY spa that’ll have you feeling peaceful and calm.
How to calm your mind and find peace through self-care and pampering?
You can train your brain to activate calming centers that deactivate stress centers. Simple self-care techniques can make a big difference in your well-being.
Think of the nervous system as having two parts, The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is the gas pedal, and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) is the brake. Daily stressors automatically over-activate the SNS causing sleep issues, irritability, overwhelm, and even Anxiety and other mental health and physical health challenges.
Fortunately, there are easy things we can do every day that help…
- Slow down and take some alone time every day. Taking this quiet time to yourself every day gives you a chance to rest and restore. It’s important that you aren’t taking in new information, so scrolling social media isn’t slowing down. Spending time away from devices and spending mindful time in the beauty of nature is one of the fastest ways to restore.
- Meditate daily. There are enormous benefits in meditating, which is also a brain training skill that teaches your brain how to slow down. I have several free meditations guiding you.
- Practice the 4-2-breath technique. Counting in for 4, hold for 2 and exhale for 7. Breathing with this long, slow exhale sends a message to your brain to activate calming signals! Works great for kids too!
- Practice self-compassion. Did you know self-criticism can activate your fight/flight system? Self-compassion decreases the stress hormone cortisol and increases the release of the feel-good hormone oxytocin, creating a calming effect. Here’s a self-compassion technique that works well.
As you can see, there are many easy ways we can practice self-care that can make a big difference in our wellness! True self-care is intentional with the goal to relax your mind, body and spirit every day.
Julie Bjelland – JulieBjelland.com
Which essential oils are best for relaxation and what is the best way to use them?
To create a relaxing, aromatic environment, try diffusing lavender, eucalyptus, and orange. Lavender is known for its calming properties and has a lovely, sweet aroma. Eucalyptus is clarifying and thus opens airways to promote deeper breathing. Orange is balancing and uplifting, the perfect combination for the ultimate spa day.
- Recommended use. Put 2 drops of each oil into your diffuser to reap the benefits of this calming blend. You can also put a few drops of oil onto bath salts, shower steamers, and air purifiers.
- Quality is key. When it comes to using essential oils, it’s important to pay attention to the ingredients and certifications. Lower quality oils often include diluents, chemicals, and additives that are not ideal to breathe in. Look for USDA Certified organic essential oils that are tested for purity to ensure you are breathing in 100% natural plant goodness.
Meghan Costello – Savhera
What are the health benefits of aromatherapy and how to correctly do it at home?
Aromatherapy is a fascinating alternative medicine that involves the use of volatile plant materials, also known as essential oils, that can be aromatically inhaled by patients with a wide variety of health conditions. It is often used to improve mood, change cognitive states, and can also be utilized as a supplemental medicine.
Health benefits of aromatherapy
- Stress relief: Perhaps the most widespread and popular use of aromatherapy is for stress relief. The aromatic compounds from many different essential oils are known as relaxants and can help to soothe your mind and eliminate anxiety. This is what most people who perform aromatherapy at home use it for since the mixtures are very simple and the research on this aspect of aromatherapy is very well-known and widely studied. Some of the best essential oils for stress relief are lemon oil, lavender, bergamot, peppermint, vetiver, and ylang-ylang essential oils. Certain studies have also shown that lemon oil can improve mood and reduce outbursts of anger.
- Antidepressant capacity: Second to stress relief, aromatherapy is very commonly used to eliminate feelings of depression, and due to the very complicated side effects of pharmaceutical antidepressants, this is a very important function of aromatherapy. While this is useful as a complementary treatment, psychological help or counseling should be sought out if depression continues or worsens. In terms of the best essential oils to use for reducing depression, most specialists suggest peppermint, chamomile, lavender, and jasmine.
- Memory: Studies have also shown the efficacy of aromatherapy on younger patients in terms of boosting their memory capacity for a certain amount of time after the treatment. This refreshing burst for the brain can be useful in all walks of life, no matter what age you are! Sage oil is the most commonly recommended oil for this sort of memory-enhancing effect.
- Boost energy levels: We can all use more energy to get through the hectic daily tasks of modern life. However, stimulants like coffee, cigarettes, energy pills, or even illegal substances can have very damaging effects on the body. While diet and exercise can also help, many people turn to aromatherapy to put a bit more pep in their step. Many essential oils are known to increase circulation, raise energy levels, and generally stimulate the body and mind, without the dangerous side effects of other stimulating substances. The best essential oils for giving yourself an energy boost include black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, angelica, jasmine, tea tree, rosemary, and sage.
- Healing and recovery: As stimulants, many essential oils can help increase the rate of healing throughout the body. This can be due to increased oxygen and blood flow to wounds as well as more internal healing processes like those following surgeries or illness. The anti-microbial properties of certain essential oils also keep the body protected during these delicate healing stages of the body. Some of the most popular essential oils for speeding up the healing process of the body include lavender, calendula, rosehip, Everlasting, and buckthorn essential oils.
- Headaches: Everyone gets headaches from time to time, and the bad ones can stop us dead in our tracks. Rather than relying on pharmaceuticals or dishing out a lot of money for an expensive massage, aromatherapy can be a wonderful solution that can not only eliminate your current headache, but possibly reduce the stress, anxiety, or medical origin of your headaches to prevent them in the future. Some of the best essential oils that have been connected to reducing headaches and migraines are peppermint, eucalyptus, sandalwood, and rosemary essential oils. You can also mix these oils in a carrier oil and spread that oil onto your skin, scalp, neck, and temples. Some of the best carrier oils for headaches include almond, avocado, coconut, apricot kernel, and sesame oils.
- Sleep aid: Luckily, aromatherapy comes through again and can provide us with a more balanced sleep schedule and can even realign our Circadian rhythms so our body naturally gets tired at an appropriate time, sleeps restfully through the night, and is energized in the morning to face the day. Some of the best essential oils for managing your sleeping habits and having a healthy, sedative effect on the body include lavender, chamomile, jasmine, benzoin, neroli, rose, sandalwood, sweet marjoram, and ylang-ylang essential oils.
- Immune system: It is far better to prevent than treat, as most medical professionals say, and aromatherapy can give you a serious boost to your immune system if used properly. The anti-microbial effects, as well as the anti-fungal and antibacterial effects, can protect you from any number of illnesses and infections that could damage your system. This area of aromatherapy is very popular and widely studied. Some of the most effective essential oils that boost your immune system include oregano, frankincense, lemon, peppermint, cinnamon, and eucalyptus essential oils.
- Pain relief: Analgesics can have a lot of different effects on the body as a side effect, even if they do relieve the pain. However, if aromatherapy can relieve dozens of different types of pain, then why not take advantage of it? Pain relief is one of the most useful applications of aromatherapy. The top essential oils, both for professional and personal use, include lavender, chamomile, clary sage, juniper, eucalyptus, rosemary, and peppermint essential oils.
- Digestion: Although this isn’t the most widely researched area of aromatherapy, digestive issues can certainly be treated by aromatherapy. It can ease constipation, indigestion, bloating, and can speed up the metabolism so food is digested quicker. Citrus essential oils are normally the best for treating digestive conditions, including lemon and orange, but there have also been some studies that have cited ginger, dill, fennel, chamomile, clary sage, and lavender as being effective as well.
Samantha Strom – Chasin’ Unicorns
How to use salt for at-home relaxation and as a part of DIY spa day?
Salt has always been known to provide natural therapeutic effects to humans, but only recently has been shown in various clinical trials to provide healing properties for respiratory and skin conditions, as well as boosting our immune system, and increasing our general sense of well-being.
Salt spa treatments you can do at home include:
Taking a salt bath
The proper way to take a salt bath is to first clean and prep by taking a shower. The idea is to clean your skin of dirt and oils, and also to remove perfume, soap residue, or conditioner that could throw off the composition of your bath.
Fill your tub with relatively warm water — the warmer the water, the easier it is for the salt to dissolve.
You want to add anywhere from 2.5 lbs (1 kg) to 4 lbs (2 kg) of bath salt into the tub. Common choices are Sea Salt, Pink Himalayan salt, or Epsom Salt.
It’s important not to add soap, shampoo, bath bombs, bath bubbles, or anything else that will counteract the rejuvenating effects of the bath salt. The only exception to this rule is essential oils such as eucalyptus oil or lavender oil — you can add up to 3 drops to your bath as it fills with water, and these can enhance your bath experience and soothe your skin as well.
A soak for 20 to 30 minutes, about once per week is ideal to start. Once you get used to them, you can take a salt bath up to 3 times per week.
Some other at-home salt spa treatments include:
- Use of a saline nasal spray
- Use of a neti pot for nasal irrigation
- Gargling with saltwater
- Saltwater flush
- Use of a Himalayan salt detox dome
- Use of a salt inhaler
Sunny Lal – Select Salt
What are the benefits of face oils?
Cosmetics originate from nature. It is an undeniable fact if we look hundreds or thousands of years back. Our ancestors, all over the world, were consequently extracting all the goods from Mother Nature and were using them to create the very first cosmetics. One of the leading elixirs of youth was oils. This formula is once again popular nowadays.
Krayna takes pride in creating its own and unique set of ingredients immersed in oils.
The first one on offer is the seaweed oil for every type of skincare. It cleanses and nourishes your skin with a variety of natural and rich ingredients. Even though a vast majority of impurities are rinsed with water, a sufficient amount of the oil stays on your face, providing a nourishing effect.
When working on the composition of the oil, we made sure it was simple but effective and versatile. Like all of our oils, it has a very light consistency and is very effective at removing impurities without any dehydration. It also protects the natural hydro-lipid barrier.
The second oil in our collection is raspberry and rosemary oil. It is a versatile and universal cosmetic that can be used for a facial massage or an after-cream treatment. The oil is loaded with vitamins and is a perfect substitute when we lack time for applying each layer separately. It protects the eyes and the area around them. Applied to the eyebrows or eyelashes, it nourishes them and gives them a bit of a spark. It can also be used as a lip gloss.
Krayna offers a fully vegan and natural range of cosmetics for complex face care. From cleansing, through hydrating, to a face massage. Everything wrapped up into ecological containers, keeping it as minimal as possible.
During my everyday face-caring routine, I pay particular attention to the choice of my cosmetics, which allows me to create a full, face-caring ritual. I love face massages and I make sure I apply them on a daily basis by using raspberry and rosemary face oil. My skin is soft and perfectly hydrated.
The whole ritual is accomplished by listening to some relaxing music, especially after a long and intensive day, when my head needs to relax.
Magda –Krayna Cosmetics
How to incorporate natural skincare in your DIY spa day?
A Spa Day at home does not take anywhere near as much effort, or preparation, as you might think. All you need is a selection of natural skin care products, and you will be able to recreate a spa experience from the comfort of your own home. Start off by cleansing your face using a gentle non-stripping product, such as Vital Foaming Cleanser, to remove impurities and makeup. To make sure the dead skin cells and the residue of your SPF or other products are removed, use a mild exfoliator. The perfect choice would be the Supreme Polishing Treatment that can be adapted to your specific skin needs.
The next step is to treat your skin with a mask. Depending on your current skin concerns, you could choose either an intensely hydrating one, such as Supreme Moisture Mask, or purifying and hydrating Clarity Mask if you are suffering from excess oil production or impurities.
After rinsing off the mask with tepid water, make sure to use a serum. A lightweight, intensely hydrating Vital Repair Serum would calm and deeply re-hydrate your skin. It would soothe your skin and reduce inflammation while providing antioxidant protection and reducing any signs of sun damage you may have.
Then, you should gently massage a day cream onto your face in an upward motion. If you are in the market for a lightweight cream that nourishes the skin and leaves it smooth and supple with a matte finish, you should check out the Vital Facial Cream that contains ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, squalane, and vitamins C and E.
Finally, do not forget your sunscreen, to make sure your skin is protected against premature aging. Choose a natural broad-spectrum sunscreen, such as Mineral Defence Sunscreen.
Justina Vysniauskaite – NUORI
How to treat your hair at home for a healthy look?
Taking a spa day to refresh your mind and body? Don’t forget about your hair. This is a great day to give your hair a special treat, especially if you live somewhere where the air is particularly dry, as the dessert anytime or the Midwest and North in the winter.
Treat your hair to a hot oil treatment or a deep conditioning treatment. This will lock moisture into your hair and keep it soft and supple. It will help prevent breakage and leader to longer and stronger hair.
To do a hot oil treatment:
- Comb through your hair removing any tangles. Apply your favorite oil evenly and massage it into your scalp. We recommend plant-based oils avoiding mineral oil and other petroleum-based products. Argan oil, shea oil, jojoba oil, castor oil, etc are great for this.
- Cover your head with a shower cap or a HydraCap and wait for 20 minutes or more. The oil doesn’t have to be heated. The heat from your body is enough, particularly if you use a tight cap, like a HydrCap. After 20 minutes, remove the cap and rinse your hair removing the excess oil.
- Do not wash your hair after the treatment. If your hair is excessively oily, gently wash with a mild natural shampoo bar.
- Condition as normal. Alternatively, you can do a deep conditioning treatment. Conditioners contain humectants, which attract moisture and bind it to your hair. They also contain emollients that soften hair and seal moisture in. Deep conditioners contain higher concentrations of both humectants and moisturizers. The process is similar to a hot oil treatment except you do not condition afterward. After doing the treatment, simply rinse with cool water.
Your hair will love you for this special treat.
Brian Smith – Treasured Locks
What are the benefits of dry brushing?
What are some tips on incorporating holistic wellness and mindfulness in a DIY spa day?
For a DIY Spa Day, I always start with some calming yoga. After 10 mins of gentle yoga practice, I’ll do a foot soak. A foot soak is an important part of my self-care routine. It’s important to take care of your feet that ground you and are your roots. If I don’t have to take care of the kids, I will try to take a nap. Sleep and rest is sometimes the best gift you can give to yourself.
One great way to truly bring the magic of a spa experience into your home is to incorporate the carefully curated spa music that all top spa facilities feature. Calming, meditative music has the power to greatly enhance feelings of deep relaxation and wellbeing, allowing you to sink further into the dreaminess of your spa day for ultimate restoration.
What are the best beauty rituals to do at home to prepare for your special day?
It’s your big day, and you’ll want to look your best. A pre-wedding skin care regimen may help you attain healthy and attractive skin without having to worry about unexpected breakouts, dullness, or dry areas on your face or body. It aids in preparing your skin for the big day by tightening, toning, and moisturizing it. Find out more about organizing your skin for the big day by reading the following article.
- Stick to the CTM schedule as a routine. The trinity of skin care includes cleansing, toning, and moisturizing. Cleansers remove excess oil, grime, product residue, and dust from the skin by rinsing it with water. Moisturizers provide a natural glow and youthful look by hydrating the skin while toners maintain it firm, flexible, and tight.
- Ice your face. Before your big day, it’s a bad idea to experiment with too many at-home face treatments. On the other hand, this one thing is entirely safe and helps to minimize redness and acne scarring while also tightening your pores. When you get up in the morning, you apply ice to your face as part of your morning routine, termed icing your face.
- Maintain the health of your nails. To avoid having your groom’s hands captured with flaky, rough skin by photographers who are zooming in on you while holding his hands during your wedding, do this. Invest in castor oil, a hand and nail lotion, and a nail hardener. Protect your hands and nails with hand and nail cream. Hardening polish will help you grow your nails appropriately. If you often bite your nails, castor oil should be used regularly since it is nutritious and so bitter that you will stop doing so.
- Deep conditioning twice a week. During the days leading up to your big day, you’ll want to use less shampoo and more conditioner. This implies that you should always condition your hair after washing it, regardless of how clean it seems. However, it also needs a deep conditioning treatment. A honey, banana, and olive oil mask may be made at home. If you don’t mind using chemicals, you may use an over-the-counter hair mask to get the same results.Take some time for yourself during this busy season of planning and scheduling. Don’t allow the effects of stress to show up on your face. To keep your skin looking young and healthy, treat yourself to regular spa treatments and massages, eat healthfully, and drink enough water.
Harish – Beauty n Bridal
What is the best anti-cellulite treatment you can do at home?
Seaweed body wraps are one of the most efficient anti-cellulite treatments at home. Most of these wraps, such as Guam Body wraps, contain herbal or marine ingredients that are clinically proven to reduce cellulite by melting down the deposits under your skin and tightening the skin with essential oils and botanical extracts. You may as well lose some inches due to the detoxification effect and excess water removal that decreases overall swelling.
Yana Nesterova – Guam Beauty
What are the best practices to relax on a DIY spa day?
Being able to have a spa day even at home can do you wonders. Not only will you get to relax, but you’ll also get the many benefits that come with going to the spa. Spa treatments at least two hours a week are one of the fundamental aspects of a healthy lifestyle, along with eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting good sleep. That’s because it can, among other things, help rejuvenate your body and relieve your stress. Now, you can always go out to get some relaxing spa treatments, but you don’t necessarily have to do it every time you want one, as you can actually bring the spa experience to your home.
- The candle-lit bath. Spending time in the bathtub is a great way to unwind. We recommend lighting a candle before bath time, then taking a few deep breaths in front of it. Use Warm Buddy Bath Salts in your and just take your time there. Our bath salts are made with a variety of salts and scented with our signature Anti-Stress Blend of pure essential oils. Make sure that you slow down and take as much time as possible — as if keeping pace with the slow-burning candle. Then, what better way to finish off this relaxing bath than by wrapping yourself in a Warm Buddy Ultra Plush Spa Robe.
- The warm buddy time. Having a spa day is all about relaxing and getting comfortable, and you can do that by simply retreating to your place of solace or comfort — be it your room, the garden, or your favorite couch — and then covering yourself with a Warm Buddy Body Warming Wrap. This heat therapy wrap not only helps you relax, but also promotes the healing of damaged muscles, relieves stress, and even relieves and blocks pain. That means you’re relaxing and rejuvenating your body at the same time, which is what spa days should be all about. Also using Aromatherapy Sleep Mask will help with the relaxation experience. Sleep Mask contours to the eyes and face so that it blocks out all the light and the gentle aroma of lavender, peppermint, chamomile, and rose geranium enhances the experience.
Jin – Warm Buddy
For those with limited time or budget, what are the most important or impactful things they can do to recreate a spa-like experience at home?
Creating a budget spa experience in your home is all about using what you’ve got lying around the house. Gather your best-smelling candles and create an atmospheric vibe in the bathroom so you can skip that harsh overhead light. Get your fuzziest robe and lushest towels and drape them over the sink, ready for you when you get out. Brew a luscious cup of tea, or spoil yourself and pour that glass of wine, set up your tablet with your favorite book or show, and close the door to the outside world. Drop a bath bomb or two into the tub and settle in for a long bath routine. Go ahead and do that deep conditioning hair treatment, exfoliate your skin, put on a face mask, and spoil yourself in your homemade spa.
Katie Racine – LiterallyDarling.com
What are the essential tips for designing a relaxing bathroom?
The bathroom is one of the most important rooms in your house, as it’s where people often spend a significant amount of time relaxing in the morning and at night. Find below a few quick tips for designing a bathroom that you can follow to bring some style to the space:
- Decide if you need a bathtub
- Have adequate lighting choose materials that are easy to maintain
- Consider the tile textures
- Be creative and practical when designing a bathroom
Learn more about trending articles regarding home decor on newsskook.com
Protect your at-home spa
Creating an at-home spa is a great way to bring relaxation and wellness into your daily life. Consider protecting your investment so you can keep enjoying it for many years. Home insurance typically covers damage to your property caused by events like fire, theft, or natural disasters. This means if something unexpected happens to your spa—whether it’s a burst pipe causing water damage or a fallen tree during a storm—you can file a claim to help cover the repair or replacement costs. Some policies might offer coverage for equipment and accessories such as massage tables, hot tubs, and specialized lighting.
To ensure your at-home spa is fully protected, review your home insurance policy and consider any necessary additional coverage options. You might need to increase your coverage limits or add specific endorsements to account for high-value items or unique features.
Now that you have everything you need for a relaxing spa day in the comfort of your own home, it’s time to get everything set up. We hope you’re able to fully relax, chill, and enjoy your at-home spa day using these tips and ideas.