Pamper Yourself without Leaving Home

Pampering yourself these days is a luxury, but need not cost a fortune. When I have the time, I like to do a basic face steaming. It doesn’t take a lot of time, and it leaves me feeling refreshed and relaxed. All you need is a towel, a large ceramic bowl, and some hot water. If you have essential oils on hand, that's even better.

Simply boil some water and pour into a large bowl. I prefer ceramic or glass. Sometimes plastic can absorb the essential oils, and a metal bowl may have a reaction. Something like this bowl sold by May Luk Ceramics is ideal:

I usually add a few drops of essential oils to the water, lean over the bowl until my face is directly above the steam, and then drape a towel over my head to keep all the steam from escaping. I’ll close my eyes and relax for a few minutes, then finish up by splashing my face with very cold water to close up my pores.

When I add essential oils, I use different blends depending on my mood. If it is near bedtime, I like to use lavender. In the morning, grapefruit, rosemary, and mint are great for waking up. Or sometimes I’ll use tea tree oil, which is great for “troubled” skin. No matter which essential oils you choose, you need to be careful handling them, and use only a few drops.

Sometimes I’ll take things a step further by covering my face with a clay mask to get all of the impurities out of the freshly steamed pores. I make my own masks, since they are pretty simple to mix up. A nice basic one would be a bit of bentonite clay mixed with water or aloe juice, or even yogurt. Clay is fairly easy to find - I was able to find clay in my local health food store.

No matter what, I always follow the steaming with a nice moisturizer. I actually use my own mixture of light oils, that may include grapeseed, avocado, & fractionated coconut oil.

Face steaming is a great way to relax, restore, and revive the senses without breaking the bank!

Nordea, Nordea's Soaperie