Instead of hitting the snooze button, chugging caffeine and gulping breakfast, try easing into your day by adding one or several spa treatments to your morning ritual. A few minutes of simple self-care can help you enjoy the start of each new day, one invigorating step at a time.
What you’ll need:
Bath brush, sisal washcloth or wash mitt, scented gel, and towel. Dry Brushing: Dry brushing your skin is great for circulation. It helps oxygenate cells and carry impurities away through the lymph system. You should begin with your back using light pressure and lightly brushing your arms and legs, using an upward motion. Brush toward your chest to move fluids and circulation toward your heart.
Exfoliating Scrub: Continue to stimulate with an invigorating body scrub, using a sisal washcloth or mitt and an uplifting scented gel, such as bergamont, lemon grass, or grapefruit. Place a small amount of the gel in a wet cloth or mitt and rub it all over your body, using an upward motion. The gentle exfoliation of this revitalizing rub will give skin a healthy looking morning glow.
Invigorating Shower: Once you’ve finished cleansing, decrease the temperature of the shower until its cool and rinse for 15 seconds, then adjust the temperature back to warm for one or two minutes. The transition from warm to cold stimulates blood flow, which exercises the capillary walls and tones tissues while encouraging stimulation.
Energizing Mist: Towel yourself dry and to energize mist your body with a mixture of five ounces distilled water, one teaspoon of olive oil and three drops each rosemary and cypress essential oils (you may add a sprig of fresh rosemary if you like) blended together in a misting bottle (you’ll need to shake it well), The olive oil moisturizes your skin while rosemary is energizing and cypress stimulates circulation. Allow this “morning dew” to air-dry on your body. (Other energizing oils include grapefruit, lemon and orange.)
Good Morning Divas 