How to take care of yourself on a budget

The last 6 months or so have been a strange and worrying time, and as a result you may have been left feeling stressed and worried about your finances, the loss of a job, or the possibility of further outbreaks of Covid-19 in New Zealand.

A shortage of spending money might mean you're missing out on your usual massages, facials and other extras you usually have to keep yourself in good shape. There are many ways to take care of yourself with aromatherapy, and create your own self-applied treatments at home. Below are a couple of suggestions for face and foot treatments to give you time out without the expense of paying someone else to do it.

First up, decide whether it's your face or feet you want to focus on, prepare any scrubs or herbal preparations as below, collect up everything you need, and find a quiet place. Remember to have a sink or basin of water handy so you can rinse products off.

Light a candle, put a soothing blend in the diffuser (Uplift essential oil blend is a great choice for this), put on your favourite relaxing music, and you're ready to begin.

Facial treatment

• Cleanse: Cleanse your face and neck and gently pat dry with a soft towel.
• Steam: Using 4 tablespoons of fresh herbs from your garden (calendula, chamomile, comfrey, elder flowers, lemon balm, nettle, peppermint, rosemary or sage, are a few options). Research online which ones suit your skin type. Add to 2L water in a pot, replace the lid and bring to the boil then simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and leave the water to cool a couple of minutes. With eyes closed, hair pulled back and your face 40cm from the water, cover your head and the pot with a towel. Allow the steam to waft up to your face for up to 10 minutes. Take a breath of fresh air if it’s too hot. Pat dry. *If you don't have fresh herbs, try adding a drop of lavender essential oil to the water instead.
• Scrub: Apply facial scrub to your face and neck, gently massaging it in. Rinse well and pat dry with a soft towel.
• Tone: Use your chosen toner or hydrosol to tone your skin.
• Deep Cleanse: To a small dish add 2 tsp each rolled oats and mashed banana with 1 tsp each honey and milk. Mix to a smooth paste then apply to your face and neck. Leave for ten minutes. Massage gently into your face before removing. Rinse well and pat dry lightly, leaving the skin slightly damp for the next step.
• Serum: If you have serum, apply to slightly damp skin.
• Moisturise: Finish your facial by gently massaging moisturiser suited to your skin type into your face and neck.
• Enjoy the benefits, without the price tag!

Foot treatment

• Soak: Add some foot soak crystals to a basin of warm water and soak your feet for 15 minutes.
• Scrub: Massage a small amount of foot scrub into each foot, giving extra attention to dry, cracked or calloused areas. Rinse and pat dry. Alternatively, to a bowl add 1/8c sea, Epsom or Himalayan salt and 15ml of your favourite vegetable oil. Mix well until combined then use this to scrub your feet as above.
• Nourish: Apply a little heel balm, moisturiser or foot cream to each foot and massage well.
• Put some socks on so you don’t get product on the carpet, or slip over on uncarpeted floors.
• Enjoy your fresh, floaty feet!

These treatments are lovely – clients float out the door after treatments like them. Even doing it yourself does wonders for your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. They’re just two examples of easy methods of self care.

Our aromatherapy gift baskets are a great way to get the products you need, and buying this way gives you a discount on the price you'd pay if buying the same products separately. For the treatments above you can't go wrong with our Fantastic Feet and Gorgeous Skin gift baskets.

If you need a portable way of keeping your stress levels down when you go out an Aromatherapy Inhaler is a great way to stay calm and stress free when not at home.

Questions? Drop us a line via our contact form.