| How to Have a Relaxing Spa Day at Home Posted: 26 Dec 2020 12:00 AM PST Having a spa day at home can be just as relaxing and beautifying as a day spent somewhere expensive. Pick a day when you won't have any interruptions, turn off your mobile phone, and light some candles to set the scene. [Edit]Taking a Restorative Bath - Draw a hot bath. Fill your tub with water at just the right temperature, whether you like it piping hot or just this side of warm. While the tub is filling, dim the lights and light some candles. Beyond that, you can help yourself relax even further by doing a few of your favorite things. For example:
- Pour yourself a glass of wine, juice, tea, fruit punch or some infused water.
- Play chill music. Try searching the web using keywords such as "spa playlists" or "spa music".
- Light some incense.
- Set out a fluffy towel or bathrobe.[1]
- Add bath salts, essential oils and other ingredients to your bath. This is a great way to enhance your bath and give you the benefits of aromatherapy as well. You don't have to limit yourself to bath salts. Feel free to add bubble bath, bath oils, bath beads, bath bombs, and anything else that helps you relax.
- If you want, you could add milk and oatmeal to your bath, since these have a moisturizing effect and are great for dry skin.
- Or try adding almond oil, jojoba oil or even a spoonful of coconut oil. You'll come out of the bath with baby-soft skin.
- Try a skin mask. At a spa you might be offered a choice between a seaweed mask and a mud mask. The former isn't easy to do at home, but you can easily make yourself a "mud" mask using cosmetic clay. After it sits on your skin for a few minutes, you rinse it off. It leaves your skin feeling refreshed and smooth.[2]
- Mix up ½ cup of cosmetic clay and of water to make a thick paste.
- Rub it over your arms, legs and torso.
- Allow it to dry while your bath is running.
- Rinse it off in the bath.
- Massage your sore muscles as you soak. With all the hard work you do between spa days, you might have a sore back, legs, arms or neck. Take time to knead your muscles with your fingers to loosen yourself up in the warm water.
- Exfoliate your skin. Use a loofah or a body scrub to completely exfoliate your arms, legs, and torso. Your skin will feel soft, smooth and healthy when you get out of the tub.
- Use gentle circular motions to slough off the dead skin.
- If you'd like, shave your legs and other body parts after you exfoliate.
- Dry your skin and apply a nourishing lotion. Use a towel to pat your skin dry, then seal in the moisture by applying a lotion or body cream to your arms, legs, and torso. After your body is covered in lotion, put on your bathrobe to give it time to absorb into your skin before you get dressed.
[Edit]Giving Yourself a Facial - Gently exfoliate your face. Wet it with warm water and use a washcloth or a facial brush to scrub away the dead skin. Be sure to use a gentle circular motion instead of applying pressure, since your facial skin is sensitive and could stretch and wrinkle if you handle it roughly.[3]
- Facial scrubs also work well. Buy one at the store or make your own by mixing up the following ingredients: olive oil, 1 tablespoon ground almonds or ground oatmeal, and 1 teaspoon water. Use it to scrub your face, then rinse it off with warm water.
- Give yourself a steam treatment. Fill a small pot with water and heat it on the stove until it begins to steam. Drape a towel over the back of your head and hold your head over the pot to allow the steam to caress your face. Hold it there for two to three minutes to get the full benefits of the steam.[4]
- Be sure not to hold your face so close that it feels extremely hot. Your face should feel very warm, but not uncomfortably hot.
- Increase the pleasure of a facial steam by adding a few drops of essential oil to the pot. Lavender, tea tree oil and rose water all have a relaxing effect.
- Do a face mask. Doing masks at home is a lot of fun, and they leave your face as soft as a baby's skin. Use a facial mask from the store or mix up a recipe using household ingredients. Apply it to your face for fifteen minutes, then wash it away. Here are a few popular mask options:
- For dry skin: Mix 1 teaspoon honey and 1 teaspoon olive oil
- For regular skin: Mix 1 teaspoon honey and 1 smashed banana
- For oily skin: Mix 1 teaspoon honey and 1 teaspoon cosmetic clay
- Moisturize your face. Trap in the moisture from your facial treatments using a good cream on your face to end the process. You can use either a storebought cream or a little facial oil, like jojoba, argan, or almond oil. These oils balance your skin without causing acne.
- If your skin is very dry, use coconut oil. However, if you're prone to getting clogged pores, coconut oil might lead to pimples.
[Edit]Doing a Mani and Pedi - Remove your old polish. Start with a clean slate by removing the old nail polish from your fingernails and toenails. Use acetone-free nail polish remover if possible, since acetone dries out your nails.
- Soak your fingers. Prepare a bowl of warm water and soak them for five minutes with your nails completely submerged. This will soften the nails and cuticles to make them easier to shape.
- Don't use oils or soaps in the bowl of warm water. It's better to use plain water so there won't be residue on your fingers when you paint them.
- Trim and file your nails. Use fingernail clippers or scissors to shape each of your nails into crescent shapes, rounding off the edges. Use a nail file to smooth rough spots and even out the shapes, so that all of your nails look professionally trimmed.
- Push back your cuticles. Take a cuticle pusher or orange stick and gently push back your cuticles so they're no longer visible on your nails. Be very gentle, and do not rip or trim the cuticles, since you need them in place to protect your fingers from infection.[5]
- Apply your polish. A good manicure has at least three coats: a base coat, a color, and a topcoat. Some people like to apply more than one color coat to ensure maximum coverage. Let your nails dry completely between coats to prevent smudging.
- The best method for painting your nails neatly is to paint one stroke on either side, then fill in the middle.
- If you want to paint a design on your nails, do it after the color coat, then add the top coat last to seal it in.
- Soak and exfoliate your feet. Feet often get neglected in daily care, but this is your spa day, so take the time to do it right! Soak your feet in the tub or in a bowl filled with warm water. If your feet are dry or callused, use a pumice stone to remove the rough spots.
- Some tough calluses need extra help coming off. Try a callus shaver or another instrument designed to remove dry skin.
- Trim and polish your toenails. Shape your toenails with clippers, making sure to round off the edges to prevent ingrown toenails. Either go all out and do a three-coat pedicure, or simply apply a coat of clear polish to protect and enhance your toenails.
[Edit]Warnings - Read the warning labels on the body scrub. Some are not okay for children.
- Be careful when applying the facial mask; don't get it too close to your eyes.
- Never use peppermint essential oils. It makes you very, very cold.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Make Your House Smell Like Christmas Posted: 25 Dec 2020 04:00 PM PST When it comes to Christmas, one of the best things about it is the wonderful smells it brings. Of course, those smells don't just appear on their own. You need to invite them into your home. You can make a simmering potpourri, for instance. You can also use candles and oils to create your favorite Christmas scents or make items that you can use around your home that also smell good. [Edit]Making a Simmering Potpourri - Pick some of your favorite scents. The key to simmering potpourri on the stove is to pick scents that remind you of Christmas. Some people enjoy something subtle, such as oranges and thyme.[1] However, you can use whatever combination you want, including cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cranberries, and clippings of pine.[2]
- Add them all to a pot. Place the items in a pot big enough to hold them. With spices, you can use whole spices, like cinnamon sticks or whole cloves, or just ground spices if that's all you have. Pour in enough water to cover everything.[3]
- Boil and simmer the potpourri. Bring the pot up to a boil on the stove. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat until it just maintains a simmer. You can simmer the potpourri all day, but you'll need to add water throughout the day as it evaporates from the pot.[4]
[Edit]Adding Scent Through Candles and Oils - Make your own peppermint spray. Add 8 ounces of distilled water to a small spray bottle. Squeeze 20 drops of peppermint essential oil into the bottle. Place the lid back on, and shake the bottle well. Once it's mixed, spray it around your home. You can even use it on fabric.[5]
- You can also use cinnamon oil (three drops), pine oil (three drops), and orange oil (four drops) as a spray. Mix it with six tablespoons of water and one of vodka.
- Burn candles. One simple way to add scent to your home is to burn candles that remind you of Christmas, such as cinnamon apple or pine. You can also make your own simple candle by adding any oil that burns (including vegetable oil) to a mason jar. Add a lantern wick, and your favorite scents from your kitchen or essential oil cabinet, such as cinnamon or clove.[6]
- Try a wax warmer. Another option to add scent to your home is to use a wax warming system. These systems often don't require an open flame, so they are safer to have on. You simply plug them in, turn them on, then add scented wax to the warming area. The wax releases happy Christmas smells into your home.
- Create your own diffuser. Start with a small glass bottle. Add water to the bottle, filling it most of the way. Add drops of your favorite essential oils that remind you of Christmas, such as cinnamon, clove, orange, and cedarwood. Also add in two tablespoons of vodka. Finally, drop in a handful of bamboo skewers, which will diffuse the scent into the air.[7]
[Edit]Creating Useful Scents - Make scented fire starters. Fire starters help get your fire going more quickly, plus these add a nice scent to your home. Start by placing scented items in paper cupcake liners, such as cinnamon sticks, pine cones, rosemary, bay leaves, and cloves. Use a piece of cotton lint, and center it in the middle of the liners. You can let it hang over the edge; it doesn't need to be perfectly centered. Finally, pour in melted beeswax or soy wax. Let it cool, and you've got scented fire starters in your fireplace.[8]
- You can also simply add a drop of cinnamon essential oil per log in the fire before you light it up.[9]
- Mull some wine. Mulled wine is a warming winter drink. Add four cups (0.94 liters) of apple juice, a bottle of red wine (750 milliliters), 1/4 cup (59 milliliters) of honey, the zest and juice of an orange, and your choice of spices to a pot. You can use 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 whole cloves, and 3 star anise. Bring to a low simmer, and let it heat for about 10 minutes before serving. This mixture will create an enticing smell, as well as make a great drink for guests.[10]
- You can also do all apple juice if kids are enjoying the drink, too.[11]
- Make your own sachets. Sew up scraps of fabric into small bags, and then stuff them with the scraps leftover from your Christmas tree trimmings. Some tree lots may let you pick up trimmings for free if you don't have a fresh tree. Sew the trimmings into the bags, and place them around your house for a fresh scent.[12]
- Create a scented garland. Garlands are lovely to look at, and if you do them properly, you can add a hint of Christmas to the air. Start by slicing apples and oranges. Then, make a thick dough out of cinnamon, cloves, and applesauce. Roll it out, and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Bake the fruit and "cookies" on a low heat (250 degrees Fahrenheit) in the oven until they dry out (or use a dehydrator). String them up together.[13]
- Alternatively, you can use this same method to make a homemade potpourri. That is, make the dried fruits as you did above. Mix them with whole, dried spices like cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise to make a homemade potpourri.[14]
- Use scented pine cones. You can pick up pine cones that are already scented from your local craft store. Alternatively, you can find your own pine cones and scent them yourself. All you need to do is spritz them with a bit of cinnamon essential oil or spray. Place the pine cones around your home in small groups.[15]
- Make spiced oranges. Also called pomanders, these beauties have been used since the Middle Ages. All you need to do is poke holes in oranges or grapefruit with a toothpick or skewer. Poke a whole clove into each hole, and use the completed fruit to decorate your home.[16]
[Edit]References |
| How to Make a Friend Laugh Posted: 25 Dec 2020 08:00 AM PST If your friend is feeling down or you're both a little bored, making them laugh is a great way to get the good vibes going. You can go with something simple, like a joke or a meme, or try something more elaborate, like a harmless prank. Whatever you try, keep your friends sense of humor in mind so you can make them chuckle with your silly antics. [Edit]Tell them a silly pun. - Pick a pun so dumb that your friend will have to laugh. Look through a joke book to find a play on words, or make one up of your own. Try something like:[1]
- "What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta!"
- "What does a nosey pepper do? Gets jalapeño business."
- "What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator."
[Edit]Try a knock-knock joke. - You can get your friend involved with a joke that needs an answer. Stick with a classic joke to stay silly, or make one up on your own. You could try:[2]
- "Knock knock." "Who's there?" "Tank." "Tank who?" "You're welcome."
- "Knock knock." "Who's there?" "Cow says." "Cow says who?" "No, cow says moo!"
- "Knock knock." "Who's there?" "Who." "Who who?" "I didn't know you were an owl!"
[Edit]Go for a plain old joke. - Pick something that will really make your friend chuckle. You could joke about going back to school, a new teacher, or your parents. Try:[3]
- "I invented a new word: plagiarism!"
- "What's orange and sounds like a carrot? A parrot."
- "What did the pirate say when he turned 80? Aye matey."
[Edit]Try the rule of 3. - Say a list of 3 things, but make the third one funny and ridiculous. You can do this with almost anything, like:[4]
- "Are you trying too hard to get people to like you? By having a lot of money, an attractive appearance, or wearing deodorant?"
- "If you want to be seen: stand up! If you want to be heard: speak up! If you want to be appreciated: shut up!"
[Edit]Say a simple one-liner. - Short jokes are simple and to the point, but they get the job done. Go for one of these if your friend wasn't super into your long-form jokes earlier. Try:[5]
- "I own the world's worst thesaurus. Not only is it awful, it's awful."
- "What's the difference between a good joke and a bad joke timing."
- "If we shouldn't eat at night, why did they put a light in the fridge?"
[Edit]Make fun of yourself for a laugh. - A little self-deprecating humor can be silly! Try making fun of a silly habit you have, something you're wearing, or something that happened to you recently. You could say:[6]
- "I'm in shape. Round is a shape, right?"
- "This shirt is so colorful, you can probably see it from space."
- "I got so distracted by my phone the other day that I walked right into a pole!"
[Edit]Play a harmless prank. - If your friend has a good sense of humor, they might appreciate this. Make sure the prank is funny for both of you, and don't go out of your way to cause damage.[7]
- Make your friend a silly meal when they say they're hungry, like green eggs and ham or a sandwich cut out in the shape of an animal.
- Place confetti on the blades of a ceiling fan so they fall into the air when the fan is turned on.
- Hide bubble wrap under a rug so your friend is surprised by the popping noises.
[Edit]Tease your friend without being mean. - If you're close with your friend, you can get away with a little teasing. Make sure you aren't making fun of anything they're sensitive about, and don't go overboard with your comments.[8]
- Lightly tease your friend over their habit of talking with their hands or saying a certain word a lot.
- You might also tease your friend about their large stuffed animal collection or a musician or TV show that's their guilty pleasure.
[Edit]Tell a funny story that happened to you. - If it makes you laugh, it will probably make your friend laugh, too. Look for something that happened to you in person, a news story you read about, or something funny from your childhood to relay to your friend.[9]
- Maybe you saw a bird poop on someone's head, or a dog wearing a funny sweater.
- Or, maybe you have a memory of your dad starting the blender without the lid on and making a huge mess.
[Edit]Watch a funny movie or TV show. - Let the characters on the screen do the talking for you. Pick out a movie or TV show that you and your friend both like, then chill out with some snacks and enjoy it.[10]
- You could try "The Office," "Superbad," "Friends," "Dumb and Dumber," or "The Good Place."
- If you're out of ideas, type in "comedies" or "funny" to search for movies and TV shows.
[Edit]Find videos of stand up comedians. - Comedians are made to make people laugh! Look up a comedian on YouTube or Netflix to find a few videos you can binge with your friend.[11]
- You could also head to a comedy club to see comedians in-person.
- Josie Long, Dave Chappelle, Mindy Kaling, Hannibal Buress, and Trevor Noah are all good comedians to choose from.
[Edit]Send your friend a funny meme. - If you're not with your friend, this is a great way to get them to smile. If you see a funny meme as you're scrolling through social media, forward it to your friend to make them laugh.[12]
- You know your friend best, so try to pick something that fits their sense of humor.
- Instagram and Twitter are great places to look for memes.
- If they aren't into memes, a cute kitten video works too!
- Start laughing and see if your friend laughs too—many times, laughter is contagious.
- Be animated when you're telling a story, moving your arms around and speaking in an excited voice to make your story even better.
- Know what your friend likes and dislikes so that you can choose funny things that relate to them.
[Edit]Warnings - Avoid being mean if you choose to tease or prank your friend, because you don't want to hurt their feelings.
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