Hydrate in style during your summer spa party

While I know it's tempting to sip wine during your Spa Party, why not save the wine and champagne for a toast at the end and hydrate in style with some healthy, fruity Spa Water drinks? Spa Water is delicious, fruit-infused water. And of course you can use your wine glasses for Spa Water – everything tastes better in a wine glass!

Drinking water infused with fruit or herbs is a stylish and tasty way to hydrate without sugar and calorie overload. Depending on the ingredients you infuse, your Spa Water drink also offers tons of great health benefits. Did you know that raspberries and blueberries are both very high in antioxidants? Or that the kiwi is considered one of the world's most nutritious fruits and is teeming with nutrients that help ward off diseases? Adding health benefits to your nutrition has never been so delicious!

 

Cucumber Watermelon Strawberry Mint Infusion

Ingredients:

1 half English cucumber diced
1 half English cucumber julienne sliced
2 cups cubed watermelon
6 to eight strawberries cut in half
1 bunch mint
3 to 4 cups of ice
3 to 4 cups of cold water

Combine ingredients and allow 20 to 30 minutes for flavors to infuse. Use julienne cuts for garnish.

Cucumbers are known to enhance skin tone and its texture. Watermelon can give you substantial energy, is a natural source of nature's most powerful antioxidants and can help reduce the risk of colon cancer, asthma, heart disease, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and prostate cancer. Strawberries are said to be in the top 8 foods which are known to lower the risk of cancer. And mint is known to help with headaches, nervous strain, fatigue, and stress.

 

Sip and enjoy natural flavor combined with health benefits!

Recipe courtesy of Pam Wenzel, Author of The Spa Water Book – A Guide to Creating World Class Spa Water at Home which features 22 creative water recipes  from some of the top spas throughout the world. Pam Wenzel is a forty-eight-year-old mother of two. As a nineteen-year breast cancer survivor, she has made it her goal to help the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation’s Army of Women initiative reaches their target of recruiting one million women to help determine the cause of breast cancer. Her book offers a huge variety of recipes with items that can easily be found anywhere.

Summer Beauty Tips for Hair

By Maria Koropecky, guest writer and esthetician

After a long day at the beach, the sunlight, salty ocean water and the sand may leave your hair looking frazzled. To keep your hair from falling flat or frizzing up this summer, here’s a home spa recipe for an After-Sun Hair Mask. Not only will this hair mask condition your hair and make it feel softer, it will also protect the color and repair some damage. Apply this messy but fun treatment to hair once every two weeks in the summer months in addition to your regular shampoo, conditioner and styling products.
 

 Your self care ritual : After sun hair mask.

Hopefully, you’re growing these herbs and flowers in your garden and have the rest of the ingredients stocked in your kitchen pantry. If not make a trip to your local farmer's market!

3 fresh sage leaves – treat normal or damaged hair and give it extra shine.
3 fresh basil leaves – detangle, strengthen and condition hair.
1 TB lavender flowers – renew hair's silkiness, shine and tone scalp.
½ ripe avocado – conditions scalp and hair.
2 TB coconut oil, melted – cleans, revitalizes, protects and conditions dry or damaged hair.
2 TB apple cider vinegar – controls dandruff, balances pH, conditions hair.
½ cup powdered eggs – increase hair’s manageability, volume, and shine.
2 TB olive oil – cleans, conditions, moisturizes, repairs damage, adds shine, and stimulates scalp.

Method:
1)   Using a mortar and pestle, pulverize the basil, sage, and lavender into a paste. Smell the aroma.
2)   Add the avocado, coconut oil, and apple cider vinegar and mix well.
3)   Then mix in the powdered eggs (which you can find at a health food store). The mixture should be the consistency of scrambled eggs.

Manner:
1)   Make a batch of the After-Sun Hair Mask.
2)   Brush your dry hair to stimulate your scalp, loosen dead skin cells, and to spread the natural oils down the shafts.
3)   Moisten your hair with warm water.
4)   Bending over the sink, grab a scoop of your hair mask and apply it to your wet hair in a nice, thick and even layer. Have towels handy as this will get messy. If any drops of the mask fall into the sink, may sure to throw them away rather than wash them down the drain to keep your drain from clogging.
5)   Massage the mask into your hair and cover each strand from root to tip. Remember to work the mask into your scalp as well. You can also comb the mask through your hair with a wide-toothed comb.
6)   Arrange your hair on the top of your head and leave the mask on your hair for about 10 to 15 minutes. Wear a plastic shower cap, if you’d like.
7)   Rinse out the hair mask with warm water, preferably over a sink with a garbage disposal. Use the olive oil to help rinse the mask out of your hair.
8)   Towel dry the excess water from your hair.
9)   Shampoo and condition your hair as usual
10)  Towel dry your hair and then let your hair air dry.

Storage:
Do not store this recipe for future use. Make a fresh batch as you need it.
 
Let us know if you feel a difference in the condition of your hair the next day. We'd love to hear from you.

In home spa tip : Cooling lavender compress.

A lot of us are experiencing extremely high temperatures right now so here's an aromatherapy recipe to help you cool down.
 

Cooling Lavender Compress

Ingredients:
4 cups of cool water
12 drops lavender essential oil
9 drops peppermint essential oil
3 drops grapefruit essential oil
1 soft facial cloth

Directions: Combine water and oils in a small basin or bowl. Swish with cloth, ring out excess, and alternate placement on neck and forehead.

Tips: Refresh the cloth often, and add a few ice cubes to water to boost the cooling effect. Avoid getting in your eyes.

When you try this leave a comment to let us know how it worked for you!

Summer Beauty Tips

By Maria Koropecky, guest writer and esthetician

Summer is the time to go to the beach, invite people over for a barbeque, pack a picnic lunch for a concert in the park, dance at a wedding, sip a cool drink on the patio, lounge by the pool, head out to the cottage by lake, sleep under the stars, and enjoy the fireworks.

Here are some summer beauty tips to help keep you looking your best in a relaxed and casual way all season long while you’re out enjoying yourself with friends and family.

Hair: Put the blow dryers and flat irons away and keep your hair style naturally wavy this season. Also, apply a hair mask made with avocadoes as a conditioning treatment to keep your hair looking and feeling healthy.

Makeup: Replace your foundation with a lighter-in-feel, tinted moisturizer. Also, consider having your lashes tinted instead of using mascara.

Nails: Get a manicure and a pedicure and choose fun-in-the-sun nail polish colors like bright orange and hot pink to really highlight your summer tan.

Skin care: Apply a sunscreen with at least an SPF 15 on your face and body. Also, exfoliating body scrubs are a good idea because they will keep your skin feeling smooth and they will create a more even tan, whether you use a self-tanner or sit out in the sun. Remember to also moisturize your skin daily and apply aloe vera in case of sunburn.

Accessories: Use a refillable water bottle and drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Also, add some flair to your summer wardrobe with wide-rimmed hats, sunglasses, and shirts and pants that are made sun protective fabric.

Enjoy your summer from Serve The  Goddess!