Who says you have to pay someone to tend to your body’s needs? Treat your skin right at home. This week’s Spa Buzz invites you to learn the secrets to reviving your skin using basic ingredients. We bring you the ‘do it yourself’ at-home spa guide.

Relief for Cold Feet

The feet are essential to the body’s overall functioning. Taking care of them increases blood flow and relieves numbness. Follow this step-by-step method to get warmer feet.

Orange-Spice Foot Mask Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole oats

1/2 cup teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons warm water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

4 drops sweet orange essential oil

How to use:

1. Use a food processor to grind oats to fine powder. Place in a medium bowl. Add the other ingredients and stir until you get a thick paste.

2. Warm two washcloths or hand towels, either by wetting them and placing them in the microwave for two minutes or soaking them in a bowl of hot water. Wring out excess water.

3. Place your feet in a large basin or tub and apply a thick layer of the mask, covering your feet up to your ankles. Wipe hands clean, then wrap each foot with the washcloth or hand towel to lock in the moisture. Leave on for 10-15 minutes.

4. When removing the mask, carefully lift off washcloths or hand towels. Next, rinse your feet with warm water and pat dry with a towel.

Clay Skin-Firming Mask

Who knew that one of the causes of acne could also be a cure for skin? Dirt or clay gathered from volcanic ash, seafloors and quarries contain skin-nourishing minerals and other properties that pull dead skin cells, debris and toxins from your pores. Mixing clay powder with water, cool green tea or cold milk is a simple way to create a mask. Use it weekly and you will be left with a clean complexion.

How to use:

1. Add one tablespoon of water, green tea or milk to a small bowl. Gradually add two tablespoons of clay powder, stirring to prevent clumps. The result should be a smooth paste.

2. Use your fingers to apply a thick layer of the paste to clean, dry skin, avoiding the eyes and lips.

3. Sit back in a still position for 10-12 minutes while the mask dries, so the clay does not crack.

4. Rinse with warm water and pat dry with a fluffy towel. Follow with a natural toner and light moisturiser to nourish skin.

Lip Balm

Let’s face it. Chapped lips are not cute. But you can’t always trust the ingredients developers put in store-bought lip balms. Why not make your own? Here’s an easy-to- follow method. You’ll have softer lips in no time.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon beeswax pearls (also called pellets or pastilles)

1 tablespoon pure shea butter

2 tablespoons sweet almond oil 10-15 drops essential oils

How to use:

Melt beeswax, shea butter and almond oil together in the top of a double boiler and stir continuously with a whisk. Once ingredients become liquefied, remove from heat and whisk in essential oils. Working quickly, pour the liquid into a measuring cup or container with a pour spout and divide it among four 1/2-ounce lip balm tins. Leave to cool until solid for about 20 minutes. Store in a cool, dry place

Eye Soothers

The eyes are one of the thinnest and most sensitive areas on the human body. That means that when you are stressed or on a less-than-perfect diet, they are the first things to flare up and become red or puffy. Here are two home remedies that can be used to reduce puffiness.

Chamomile/Green/Black Tea

Chamomile tea contains antiinflammatory agents that ease redness and puffiness around the eyes, while green and black teas have tannins and caffeine that shrink swollen tissue and constrict blood vessels, respectively.

How to use:

Steep two chamomile, green, or black tea bags in boiled water for three minutes. Remove from water and place in refrigerator to cool. Place one bag over each eye for 15 minutes. OR

Chilled Spoons

The cool temperature of the metal spoon constricts blood vessels; and reduces swelling and puffiness around the eye area.

How to use:

Place four metal spoons in a glass of cold water. When chilled, place one spoon on each eye, following the contour of the eye socket. When the spoons begin to warm, switch them with the spoons chilling in the glass of iced water. Continue this process until swelling subsides.

Beauty Scrub

You wake up to a cup of coffee every day; why not slather some on your skin? Scrubs made of coffee grounds and peppermint essences are basic ingredients in Thai and Balinese treatments, and are a perfect way to start your day. Get softer skin in just three easy steps.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup pure turbinado or brown sugar

15 drops peppermint essential oil (Mentha piperita)

1/2 cup used coffee grounds from a freshly brewed pot

How to use:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and use a fork to blend them thoroughly. Next, place in a wide-rimmed container and store in a cool place until ready to use.

2. In the shower, apply handfuls of the scrub to wet skin, starting at the feet and working up. Pay keen attention to rough spots such as heels, ankles, knees and elbows.

3. Next, cleanse skin as usual using regular soap. Pat dry with a fluffy towel and follow with lotion to seal in moisture.

— www.wholeliving.com