BEAUTY TREATMENTS TO TRY AT HOME

Get through the season looking fabulous with beauty treatments you can do at home for the fraction of the cost of going to a salon.

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Every woman loves a bit of pampering, but when your budget won’t stretch to a spa why not make a day of it by inviting the girls around to your home for a DIY spa day and a glass of refreshing mint water. Now head to the kitchen for ingredients to make some 5-star treatments.

Start with a deliciously refreshing detoxing drink that will flush toxins out of your bodies. Dim the room and light scented candles if you have any. Play your favourite soothing music softly in the background.

REFRESHING LEMON MINT WATER
Fill a 2-litre jug or bottle with water. Add 3 lemons, sliced, and 5 sprigs of mint, lightly crushed. Refrigerate for about an hour and enjoy!



CONDITIONING HAIR MASK
You will need:
2 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
1 egg yolk
1 mashed avocado
½ cup honey

Mix all ingredients together well, then gently massage into damp hair. Cover with a plastic cap and relax for an hour. Wash out with shampoo and conditioner of your choice. Wrap in a towel and on to your next session…

THE EXFOLIATING FACIAL
Rooibos tea contains zinc and magnesium to calm irritated and inflamed skin, while antioxidants and alphahydroxy acids prevent premature ageing. Dip two cotton pads in chilled rooibos tea, place them over your eyes and leave on for a few minutes to reduce puffiness and refresh your eyes.

Cleanse and tone the face and neck using your usual products. Next, steam the face for five minutes by leaning over a bowl of hot water, while covering the head with a towel. This helps open the pores. Then apply a face mask (see recipes below), avoiding the eye area. Sit back and relax for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse off and invigorate your skin with freshly brewed and chilled rooibos tea. To finish off the facial, massage in your regular moisturiser for a radiant finish.



AVO SMOOTHIE FACE MASK
Great for oily/combination and acne-prone skin.

You will need:
1 ripe avocado pitted, peeled and mashed
1 egg white
1 tsp lemon juice

Combine the mashed avocado and lemon juice and fold in a lightly whipped egg white. Massage into face and neck and put your feet up for 15 – 20 minutes while it goes to work. Use once a week for a blemish-busting effect. The avocado delivers much-needed essential fatty acids to your skin, which regulate oiliness, while the egg white blasts blackheads and tightens pores. The lemon juice helps to treat spots with its natural antiseptic properties.

CHOCA-MOCHA PICK-ME-UP FACE MASK
Great for dull, tired skin

You will need:
2 tsp instant coffee
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tsp plain yoghurt
1 tsp honey, warmed

Mix coffee and cocoa in a bowl. Add yoghurt and stir to form a smooth paste. Drizzle in warm honey and mix. Smooth the paste on face and neck and allow the delicious combination of coffee and cocoa to give your skin a wake-up call, boosting circulation and adding radiance. The yoghurt gives skin a perky boost of vitamins and naturally exfoliates.



BODY SCRUB
Now polish the skin for an all-over body glow with a conditioning scrub.

You will need:
½ cup brown sugar
2 cups coarse ground coffee
4 Tbsp olive or sunflower oil

Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl. Apply to dry skin from neck-to-toes, using circular motions. Rinse off, pat dry and apply your favourite body lotion.



FOOT SOAK
Once you’ve done all the sensible things, it’s time for your skin to get a little extra TLC in specific areas.

You will need:
1 cup warm water
½ cup mouthwash
½ cup vinegar

Mix all the ingredients in a tub or basin big enough to put both feet in. Relax with feet soaking while sipping on your lemon water. After 30 minutes, pat dry and apply your favourite lotion or foot cream.

RICH HAND WRAP

You will need:
¼ cup olive or coconut oil
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup warm honey
Plastic wrap

Mix the olive oil and sugar together, massage hands with the paste and rinse off. Then apply warm honey to exfoliated hands, and wrap with plastic wrap. Sit back for 45 minutes, then remove the plastic wrap and rinse hands – beautiful, soft, silky hands!