Turn your "Sick Day" into a "Me Day"

Hello everyone, well, it's almost my bedtime--yes, it's 8:30--but I don't feel well... I have a BIG TIME sinus infection... antibiotics and all... I've been to the doctor, two different pharmacies and I've called everywhere in town asking if they serve a Gluten Free tomato-basil soup. (turns out, Jason's Deli's is GF!)

When I finally got home from my mix of appointments, one class and sick day errands, I was exhausted and in need of some serious me time, but I couldn't just jump in bed because I felt gross and "germy" from being at the doctor's office... PLUS, with the winter weather setting in, I decided that my body needed some extra moisture to help fight the dry-skin battle before it gets bad. So, I decided to make my stressful and sick afternoon into an in-home spa afternoon... It was SO wonderful, I decided I would share it with all of you! After all, what kind of a Domestic Diva doesn't know how to treat herself (she's domestic, DUH!) to a little me-time?!

Here's what I did:


In-Home Keratin Treatment:



I got in the shower and shampooed my hair really well... After I rinsed it, I applied the Joico K-Pack Deep Penetrating Reconstructor to my hair--focusing on the ends first and moving upward.
After I ran it through my hair, I got out of the shower--here's where it gets good... I combed the product through my hair and wrapped my hair up into a steamy turban! The steam in the towels allows for your individual hairs to really take in the moisture!! After wearing the steam towel for about 15 minutes (while soaking in the bath) I unwrapped my hair and rinsed the reconstructor out in the shower--my hair feels INCREDIBLE! Talk about deep-conditioning!
**HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN STEAMY TOWELS**
1. Grab a hand towel and soak it in HOT water. Once it is soaked, wring it out... you want it a little DAMP, nothing more... it should not drip AT ALL!
2. Fold the towel twice and put it inside of a big freezer ziplock bag, but do not seal the bag!
3. place the bag in the microwave with the towel as flat as possible and microwave 1 minute at a time, checking until you have the desired temperature!
4. ENJOY!! (It felt amazing on my sore head!)



In-Home Jacuzzi Bath:
I lit candles in my bathroom and drew up a bubble bath while my towel was in the microwave! I put in
some organic, lavender shampoo to give my bath some relaxing aromatic bubbles, and I also put in some Sabon Rose Petal Bath Salts. These were so good, because they come with dried rose petals, which make the bath seem VERY luxurious! I turned off the lights and turned on some relaxing music (I chose the best of Charlotte Church) and voila! a magical bathtub of relaxation! (Who needs REAL jacuzzis?!) I was so relaxed and so happy, I decided to snap a quick picture on my iPhone.


TIP OF THE DAY: Close your bathroom door while the bath is being drawn and while you're soaking away, the aroma lingers in the bathroom long after you get out of the bath! (My two FAVORITE smells are Lavender and Rose... so naturally that's what I picked for my bath, I need to do eucalyptus to help my allergies get better. :( It stinks being sick!)

In Home Facial:
While I was soaking in my relaxation temple (aka my bath), with my turban in my hair, I put on a face mask. I chose Noxema Facial Cleanser, because I can feel it cleaning my skin, and you don't leave it on long (I don't like the masks that make you wait until they harden... weird, huh?)

In-Home Pedicure:
Towards the end of my bath, I rubbed the bottoms of my feet with a a pumas (sp?) stone to exfoliate them, using an organic lavender soap from Whole Foods. (Later on, when I got out of the bath/shower, I doused my feet, top and bottom, in Aquafor--yes, the petroleum Jelly-type stuff--and immediately put on thin cotton socks, which I'll remove in the morning! This trick works wonders on feet, and it works on your hands too if you don't mind sleeping in gloves!) **I'll also paint my toes tomorrow...

In-Home Self Massage:
Who says you can't massage yourself?! Granted, you'd much rather have a hot latino masseuse from Argentina named Mariano rub you down at a five star spa (wouldn't we all) but this blog is about being a DOMESTIC DIVA, so do-it-yourselves are just fine! Once I was out of the bath/shower, I rubbed on a deep conditioning lotion all over... I like to use Aveeno Intense Therapy because it exfoliates WHILE it moisturizes! I took the time to put on a lot more lotion than usual, but I really rubbed it in. I know where I'm the most sore, so I was able to really give some extra love to my shoulders (and my sinuses on my face!)

After all of this, I got in bed with Pudge and watched one of my all-time favorite movies, Marie Antoinette, the one with Keirsten Dunst! (That woman knew how to spoil herself, let me tell you!)

For dinner this evening, I brought some Chicken broth to a boil and threw in some GF noodles for some get-well-soup. (Look at the steam!) I also made a grilled cheese sandwich out of the second half of my lunch sandwich on GF bread (THANK YOU JASON'S DELI, IT WAS INCREDIBLE!) My grilled cheese had cheddar cheese, spinach, avocado, sprouts, diced tomatoes and mushrooms on it! DELICIOUS!

All in all, for a day in which I felt like crap, I really made the most of it. Now, I'm going to hang out with my netty pot for a little while and hit the hay!

Sending lots of Love and not so many germs your way!
xoxo
Chandler