4 Ideas For Budget-friendly Self-care

Coming out of the busyness and stress of the holiday season makes the thought of some serious self-care like a trip to the spa or the hair salon sound like the greatest thing ever. But with your bank account possibly in a bit of shock that may not be feasible. When I feel the need for some self-care and pampering but it’s not in the budget I look for ways I can cheaply get the same feel at home.

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1. Bath soak

For me, life is just much better after a good bath soak. Especially when I do a lot of running around like I do around Christmas and New Year's. For my bath soaks I like to fill my bathtub with hot water and use a salt soak. Then I sit and relax until the water gets cold. During the soak, I’ll put on some music or stream a TV show or movie on my tablet.

Some of the best salt soaks are Dr. Teal’s salt soak. The most recent one I used is the Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution with Eucalyptus and Spearmint. One three-pound bag is about $18-19 before tax. The smell is wonderful and just creates a sense of relaxation.

2. Body scrub

I don’t buy my body scrubs anymore. I make my own using sugar and natural. Sugar scrubs are great for the winter. They help to remove dry, dead skin without drying out the new skin underneath. Another great thing is this doesn’t cost a lot, especially if you already have the ingredients in your pantry.

To make my sugar scrubs I don't measure anything I just make as much as I think I'll need for that point in time. I mix a little bit of white sugar, brown sugar, an essential oil, and other natural oils like olive oil, or sunflower oil in a small container.

3. Deep condition

Not only is it relaxing it’s good for your hair. My favorite way to have a relaxing deep condition is applying the conditioner to my hair, putting on a plastic cap, and wearing my Hot Head Deep Conditioning Cap for at least 30 minutes. Afterward, my hair feels great and I do too.

The Hot Head caps are $29.95 and are reusable so if you use the cap often it’s very cost-efficient. And you don’t have to go out and buy a special deep conditioner, you can use one you have at home or make your own with ingredients from your pantry. One thing I love about this cap, outside of it being reusable, is the many colors and patterns available. This makes it easy to find one that matches your personal style.

Related read: Whitening My Teeth With The Lumineux Whitening Strips

4. Face mask

I admit I love a good face mask. It helps me to relax and chill and as an added bonus it helps my skin. Here are a few masks I've used that my skin loves that are all under $10

• Freeman Dead Sea Mineral Anti-stress Mask
• Formula 10.0.6 Take Back Control Facial Treatment 
• Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure Skin-Clarifying Mask

For me, the best way to get the most out of a pampering session is to set aside two to three hours and not have anywhere to immediately go afterward so I don’t feel rushed. What’s even better is combining some things like doing the bath soak when I’m wearing the face mask. Or deep conditioning while doing the sugar scrub.

How do you pamper yourself at home?