I love nature and natural ingredients. Perhaps it’s our family heritage (my great grandfather was an apothecary and my grandfather practiced homeopathy), or perhaps it’s just because natural ingredients smell amazing! When I’m home I make my own lotions, bath products and lip balm, but there’s no way to carry all my ingredients in the car. Nevertheless, there’s a great way to pamper yourself on the road, all you need are a few essential oils, and whatever is in your fridge and pantry!
Maybe you have bananas you forgot to eat. Maybe your strawberries are going bad and your cucumbers got wet and soggy. Or maybe you have some sugar and some honey packets from the diner you went to yesterday, and you only ate half your avocado. Yes, so many things that go in our stomach are also good for our face, and healthy leftovers can be put to good use.
No, you can’t make a bunch and keep it for weeks. Fresh food goes bad without preservatives, but since it’s one time use, you don’t need to worry about storage, and it saves you a trip to the big box store for a bottle of something less natural and much more expensive!
You can make a face mask out of the most simple foods, and you don’t really have to follow a recipe, though there are plenty on DIY beauty sites, and free books on Amazon Kindle. Adding a few drops of essential oil makes things even better, just do a little research and keep allergies in mind. Chamomile is great for skin irritation, lemon and orange are great purifiers, mint makes you feel refreshed, and lavender is great for everything from helping you sleep, to easing the sting of mosquito bites!
On my last trip I ran out of exfoliant, and the big box store had nothing in travel size, which I found amazing. Really? All I need is 1/4 cup of sugar, half a lemon, a spoonful of coconut oil, and a 5 drops of lemon essential oil. It actually takes less time to make things yourself sometimes, than to drive to the store and buy them!
Start with simple recipes, like face masks, hair masks and body scrubs. Don’t be afraid to modify your recipe. Google DIY recipies or get a digital book.
Giving yourself a mini-spa day will transport you away from your RV/van life and make you feel refreshed. You can be in the desert boondocking, but still wrapped in the luxury of aromatherapy. And you can do it for practically nothing, which is awesome!
Happy travels!
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