DIY Hydrating Spa Scalp and Hair Treatment
Are you craving a little spa pick me up but you don't have the time or funds to schedule an appointment at your favorite spa? Let me teach you how to get spa results at home without a lot of fuss. You can do these treatments any time you want, and for a fraction of the cost. All you need is an understanding of the key steps in spa treatments. You've probably got most of what you need in your bathroom or kitchen right now.
First, my confession: I'm a dermatologist and a spa junkie. Right now I'm in the mood for a fix of "spa brain" without a big trip to a spa. When I get like this, I do my own DIY treatments at home and, now that I have a blog, I write about them too. I've been running a how-to series on my personal favorite spa treatments. What's really fun is that it has been bringing up some great conversations with my blog-reading, fellow spa-junkie patients at work. Seems I'm not alone...
Before you read today's post, be sure to read my first post of this series, where I set the stage for a super-therapeutic, exfoliating tub soak. These additional treatments build on that soak because water is the starting point for any deeply-hydrating skin therapy. Click on the link below to read Part 1:
DIY Exfoliating and Deeply Hydrating Body Treatment – Taking the Waters
While you're soaking in your hydrating, aromatherapy tub give yourself an exfoliating and pore-refining facial for that instant spa glow. Click on the link below to read Part 2 of the series:
Dermatologist's DIY Home Facial
Part 3 is another treatment I absolutely LOVE, a hydrating scalp and hair oil treatment. I can't get enough of this. When I treat myself to an actual spa treatment, this is an "add on" that I always get. It's funny though, at a spa they often apply the oil to a dry scalp. As a dermatologist, I know that it works better on a damp scalp, so that's how I build a better hydrating scalp and hair oil treatment!
Dermatologist's DIY Deeply Hydrating Scalp and Hair Spa Treatment
Start by washing your hair before your tub soak. No need to condition it yet, just shampoo out any product and oil in your hair. Towel off the water slightly, then apply an oil such as jojoba oil or almond oil, or better yet, peanut oil. (In dermatology, we actually use peanut oil as a base for a medicated treatment for scalp psoriasis because it washes out nicely.) Massage the oil into your hair and scalp with your fingers or a scalp scrubber. (I love these things. As a fan, I realized that a good scalp scrubber is hard to find, so I started selling them on my site. Click here to see what I mean by a "scalp scrubber".) Clip your hair up and wrap your hair in a towel while you’re taking your bath. For a really amazing scalp massage use a scalp scrubber to do a little extra scalp massage while you're soaking in the tub (take the towel off of course). After your tub soak, you'll need to finish up in the shower by shampooing the oil out of your hair, then conditioning as normal. You can even do a final rinse with chamomile tea to enhance the shine of your hair. When you step out of the shower, finish up with your skin creams to lock in all that spa goodness that you've just created for your skin.Ahhh...
