Finding the light at home: literally, spiritually, and metaphorically. Enjoy a DIY spa day and reap the benefits through the power of pampering.

Hi All, Katrina here with even more self love hacks, this time focusing on spa treatments you can do at home. Given the novel and trying circumstances we all find ourselves in around the world, it seemed like a fitting time to share more new ways of pampering for comfort, tranquility and optimal health and hygiene. Enjoy a face mask while wrapped in a luxurious silk robe, or end your workout with a steamy shower followed by silk pajamas for the ultimate self-love experience.

Here are five ways to enjoy spa treatments you can do at home:

• 1. Repurpose your used Coffee Grinds for beautifying benefits! Wash away dead skin cells, cut back on waste and save on store-bought products when you recycle your coffee grinds! Coffee grinds make an excellent exfoliant for face and body. Put them in a jar or cup and use them in the shower, or give your face and hands a wonderful exfoliating treatment over the sink.
• The caffeine in coffee grinds is said to enhance fat metabolism, increase circulation, provide antioxidants, reduce swelling, diminish fine lines, reduce acne and brighten the complexion. You can even use your coffee grinds to exfoliate your scalp, mixing it into your shampoo or conditioner. The caffeine can actually help stimulate new hair growth! Just make sure you have a catch all in your shower or sink drain before trying this out so that you don’t clog your pipes.

• You can also turn your coffee grinds into a mask when combined with some honey, olive oil, or your favorite facial oil. I usually combine about a tablespoon of coffee grinds with one teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of olive oil. Simply wash your face as you normally would and apply the mask for fifteen minutes before washing and continuing with your skincare regime. Ideally, you get to chill for those twenty minutes but it is not uncommon that I am at home taking business calls, painting, doing the dishes, folding my laundry or writing blogs like this with coffee all over my face. Masks are especially a great way to multi-task during this time of social distancing. Take care of yourself, while taking care of your tasks.

• 2. Red Light Therapy: LED light therapy reduces the appearance of wrinkles, repairs sun damage, speeds up the healing process, stimulates cell function, increases collagen and elastin fiber production and helps your skin retain moisture, leaving you with overall glowing, healthy skin. It exclusively emits infrared light with the ability to penetrate the skin far deeper than any topical product. Blemishes, scars, acne, stretch marks and liver spots fade away with every session due to your body’s collagen and elastin production speeding up substantially.
• Basically, infrared and near infrared light give your cells more energy which helps them to function at a higher level. Red light therapy will not only improve your skin’s health and appearance, but it can furthermore help to reduce inflammation and improve muscle recovery, circulation, energy levels, hair growth, cellular health, the quality of your sleep and your body’s ability to heal wounds. 

• Red Light therapy used to be a go-to treatment mainly available to the stars, but as it becomes more and more mainstream, we can now enjoy it from the comfort of our homes. I love my Hooga red light panel. After washing up for bed, I use mine every night on my face, hands (both sides), knees, neck, chest and any muscles that are feeling sore from my workout. Right now, I only have the 12″ x 8” panel, but I am totally looking forward to getting the full body panel sometime in the future. 🙂 I always follow my red light session with slipping into a silk cami and tap set or my favorite silk chemise, such as the Sugar Chemise or the Sandwashed Chemise.

• 3. Sheet Masks: They’re effective and fun! I have been using Facetory for almost a year now, and I am really loving it… For $8.00 they send me four masks each month, each containing various properties and benefits. With the excess serum that is left in the pouch from each mask, I clip it closed and use it for the next day or two as my serum before my moisturizer. 

• 4. Break A Sweat For Glowing Skin: Working out increases circulation and helps to delivery oxygen and nutrients to the skin which will give you that healthy, honey-glow. Physical fitness will promote collagen production and produce new skin cells making it the ultimate anti-aging solution. With gyms closed around the world, try one of my trusty workout videos to break a sweat at-home!
• I have three ladies that I love alternating between who offer effective, quick toning workouts in the realm of pilates, bar, yoga and cardio. Visit their youtube channels for endless videos ranging from 5-30 minutes. I love having the three of them to chose from every morning. They have so many great videos that I always have the option to try something new or do one of my favorites. These are the three ladies I turn to for staying in shape: Blogilates with Cassie Ho, Boho Beautiful, and Bailey Brown.

5. Sunlight: Especially during these novel circumstances of quarantine, it is vital to our mind, body and spirit to take time each day to practice gratitude and take in the light. Please allow yourself the opportunity to pause for quiet moments, deep breaths and a quick sunbath. Sunlight is known to improve mood, energy levels, decrease your risk of disease, and so much more. I have always been so enchanted by sunlight. It is something that is never lost on me. I try to live each day with a grateful heart, practicing prayer and gratitude and as we endure these trying times together, one blessing that we can all be thankful for, and that we all have in common, is the sun.

If you are interested in exploring other editions of our self-love-hacks to expand your pampering, nutrition, health and wellness practices even further, we encourage you to do so! In preview editions I have talked about my love for beauty vitamins, like Hum Nutrition, the power of a good night’s sleep, and some of my favorite products to try at home.

I hope you enjoy these fun spa treatments you can do at home. Amidst the challenges of social distancing, it is important that we take good care of ourselves to move forward with a strong, healthy, and positive outlook.