It’s time to prepare for warm weather. For most of us, this means packing away our sweaters and trading them in for light jackets and t-shirts. This is also a time where we usually begin the process of spring cleaning – a time where we scrub our homes from the floor all the way to the ceiling. While we’re washing the baseboards and dusting the ceiling fan, we should be thinking about ourselves. When was the last time you took an hour from the day and spent it kicking back, relaxing and breathing? It doesn’t take long, but any moment we take to destress ourselves counts.
If you’re going to start from head to toe, like you do your home, then what better way then to begin with your hair? Your hair has been dried out by the winter air and could use a little extra moisture to give it some luster and shine. Depending on your hair type and the quality of your strands, there’s a hair masque for you. Aveda offers a masque for damage, dryness and even curls while MoroccanOil has hydrating, repairing and smoothing masques to fit your hair needs. Apply the masque after you shampoo, and put a cap on it. After a half hour (or longer), rinse out the masque and style as needed. If you’re unsure what type of masque to get, an XEX stylist is always here to help.
Your skin has also felt some of the dryness that the winter brings. During the winter, our skin loses radiance due to dry, dead skin cells sitting on the surface. Cleansing your skin is not enough to help get off that excess dullness. After you cleanse and tone, pick up an exfoliate (like Aveda’s BioKinetics Exfoliant) to help buff all of that away. Once you’ve managed to get rid of anything on the surface, it’s time to bring some hydration back into your face. Aveda carries a hydrating herbal face mask that’s perfect to help rejuvenate your complexion. Let the masque seep into your skin for 10-15 minutes (always read the directions printed on the container for any product) and then rinse and moisturize. To save time, apply the masque while you have your hair masque on.
You’ve also probably felt stressed, fatigued or a combination of the two at some point this winter. Well, it’s time to take you away from the world with a nice bath. Baths are great to soak your muscles, hydrate your skin and destress your mind allowing you to relax and drift away. To give yourself maximum relaxation, try out soaking salts or essential oils to add to your bath. Aveda’s Stress Fix line carries both of these products and equips them with a calming sensation of lavender which has been proven to reduce stress and relax you. Invest in a body scrub (like MorroccanOil’s Body Buff) to add to your cleanse. These work like face exfoliants with added lotions and oils to moisturize and exfoliate to help buff away surface cells.
With life getting in the way, we sometimes forget about our psyche. While you’re revitalizing your skin or refreshing your locks, you should also clear and cleanse your mind. Allow yourself to close your eyes, relax, read a book or do something you love. This is your time for you to relieve stress and unwind yourself. Whether or not you can do this once a week or once a month, it’s important that we don’t forget to take care of ourselves. Any moment we have counts to create a healthy you inside and out.
