With the stress of Christmas closing in on you, it is important to take some time for yourself – and let’s be honest, who can afford a fully blown spa weekend at the busiest time of the year?

Here are our tips to take some time out for yourself and treat yourself from the comfort of your own home. Trust us – your body (and mind) will thank you for the efforts you take on their behalf.

• Make your own hair mask

There are so many different types of hair masks you can choose from, but seeing as it is coming up to Christmas, try out this festive cinnamon one to get yourself in the spirit of things:

Add half a cup of honey with half a cup of olive oil and two tablespoons of cinnamon powder into a bowl. Mix it all together until it is thick and smooth. Apply the mask to damp hair, wrap your hair in cling film and leave it to work its festive magic for a couple of hours if you can^[1].

Afterwards, rinse out the mask with warm water. Shampoo the hair and condition it as you normally do. Once your hair is dry, you can stand back and appreciate how healthy, smooth and shiny your hair looks!

• Give yourself a manicure

Start off by cleaning the nails and removing any old nail polish with nail varnish remover. Do not pick at your nails.

Now trim your nails to the desired length and file the edges smooth with an emery board, making sure you are filing in the same direction every time instead of going back and forth.

Note: If you’re going to be stuffing a turkey in a few days, it’s a good idea to keep your nails short.

Soak your hands in warm soapy water for five minutes. After this, massage in cuticle oil and leave the oil to dry.

Polish your nails as required! If you want to keep your nails healthy, always use a base coat before painting your nails and finish with a top coat to avoid any unwanted chipping.

• Drink mint and lemon infused water

The biggest trend on Instagram right now is infused water. We’ve discovered that one concoction, the lemon and mint infused water, not only tastes great but it actually leaves you feeling fresh ad tingly on the inside, well in time for your festive break.

All you have to do is add half a lemon and three mint leaves to eight ounces of water and you’re set! Sip on it every few minutes. Store in a glass bottle.

• Treat yourself to a wax

There is nothing worse than giving up time to pamper yourself and realising your legs could do with a wax while you’re at it.

Make sure your skin is feeling smooth and soft well into the New Year by exfoliating your skin. This will bring the glow right back into your skin by removing any dead skin cells you have on the surface and ensuring that your wax clings to the hair in the best way possible.

Apply Veet Spawax to your legs one section at a time, in accordance with the instructions on the box. The Spawax includes purple lily and sugar fig, which not only smells great, but will help you to create that pampering spa experience that’s going to take your mind off that pre-Christmas to do list.

• Take a bath

How could we pull together pampering DIY tips without including a long bath?

So, take a little time out this year. We promise, you’ll be glad you did it when the chaos of Christmas morning swings around.

 

[1] http://madepeachy.com/diy-autumn-cinnamon-honey-olive-oil-hair-mask/