Homemade Spa Experience

I am not one for making New Year's resolutions. 

As a matter of fact, I don't know that I ever have. 

But I decided that this year is different.  We all have things we could be working on, right? 

So I sat the guys down and asked them each to come up with one thing that they would like to stop doing or start doing in 2012.  

After lots of ideas and conversation, we came to a conclusion.  We all needed to work on one area in particular.  

Love. 

Loving each other.  Loving the people in our lives, even the difficult ones.  Loving strangers.  Loving God.  This is our call; to love. 

But what about loving ourselves? 

It is so easy for me, and I believe most women, to get wrapped up in the lives of our families and demands of everyday life that we forget to love and take care of ourselves. 

So that's it.  

I am going to try and make time every day to do at least one loving thing for myself this year. Nothing extravagant, or maybe so.  Who knows what I might come up with.  

Yesterday I created a homemade spa experience using items from my pantry.  I decided on a facial that turned out to be incredibly relaxing and satisfying.  It left my skin amazingly smooth and bright! 

Steps to creating a homemade facial spa experience:

I suggest that you gather all of your supplies before you begin.  You will need:

• Cleanser
• Hot water
• Bowl
• Towel
• Prepared Oatmeal Mask
• Cucumber slices
• Moisturizer
• Relaxing music - Pandora has some great stations

Prepare the oatmeal mask before you begin your spa treatment.  Allowing the oatmeal to sit in the moisture for a longer period of time softens it and makes it easier to smooth on.  You can use a variety of household items to tailor the mask to your skin type.  Check out the Natural Home Remedies website for countless ideas. 

I used 1 cup of oatmeal.

I then added 2 tablespoons of honey and 3/4 cup of warm water.  

Suggestion  - You may want to send the oatmeal through the blender first.  It might be a little easier to apply.  Either way is fine though.  

Now you're ready for the spa treatment! 

First, thoroughly cleanse your face to remove impurities.

Next, create a facial steam bath to open pores.  You can buy a facial steamer or make one yourself.  Simply boil water on the stove top, place the water in a bowl and lean over it.  Place a towel over your head and the bowl to create a steam "room". 

Stay like this 10 minutes or until steam is no longer rising.  

After steaming, smooth the oatmeal mask all over your face, avoiding the eyes and lips.  Lay back with the cucumber slices on your eyes and relax until the oatmeal hardens.  During this process the oatmeal is cleansing and the honey is moisturizing your skin. 

Once the mask has dried and hardened, rinse it off with warm water. You will be washing off any dry and dead skin with the mask. 

Now splash your face with cold water to close your pores.

Finally, you can apply a moisturizer if you feel the need, but I suspect you won't.

My skin was so even, soft and bright when I was done.  What a great treat.  So far this loving myself thing has been a very satisfying part of our resolution!  =D 

What ideas do you have?