5 spa-treatment recipes using ingredients from your kitchen

Give yourself an at-home spa treatment using fresh fruits and veggies from your fridge, and dry goods from your pantry.

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By Yuki Hayashi

What's the hottest beauty bar in the city? Your kitchen, actually! When you consider the number of trendy spa beauty treatments that capitalize on yummy concoctions (and glow-inducing natural elements) like chocolate (in pedicures and body scrubs), maple syrup (body wraps), even caviar (facials), it becomes obvious: there's an apothecary's worth of natural skin boosters in your own kitchen and pantry. So, feed your face with the natural vitamins and enzymes from fresh fruits and veggies and buff your body with dry goods from your cabinets.

Here are some simple and effective recipes. There's only one rule: don't eat the beauty treatments!

Refreshing tub teas
A long herbal tea-infused saltwater soak is perfect if you've just spent hours working in the garden or going on a hike. Tie these ingredients in cheesecloth so they don't clog your drain (teabags tear easily).

Recipe:
• 5 herbal teabags, such as:
Peppermint (energizing)
Chamomile (soothing)
Rosehip (toning)
Lemon verbena (refreshing)
• 3 tablespoons rock salt

Add the sachet while the tub is filling. Soak for at least 15 minutes, and if you're planning to exfoliate rough skin on your elbows, feet and other rough-skin trouble spots, follow the soak with the body-scrub recipe below.

Heavy-duty body scrub
Slough dead skin cells off your alligator zones: heels, soles, elbows and knees. Salt and lemon exfoliate naturally; honey has antiseptic and moisturizing qualities.

Recipe:
• One handful kosher salt
• Honey
• Juice of one-half lemon

Mix ingredients to a pastelike consistency in a bowl, adjusting quantities to attain desired texture, then apply to your trouble spots with gentle circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with warm water. Moisturize afterwards. Warning: Don't use this on broken or recently shaved skin.

Milky herbal scrub
This scrub is more gentle than the first and suitable for the rest of your body, including face, and has been adapted from the Stash Tea website.

Recipe:
• Handful of powdered milk
• Cooled chamomile tea

Make a paste with the powdered milk and tea, leaving it on to dry as you cover your entire body. Rub off the dried mixture, then shower off with warm water.

Thanks To Canadian Living

Make your own natural foot scrub

Get your feet ready for spring with an easy, natural foot scrub.

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By Sarah Silva

This story was originally titled "Natural Foot Scrub" in the April 2006 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!

Kick off your boots and wiggle your toes – but first grab a grapefruit to exfoliate dry, rough patches. Its alphahydroxy fruit acids and refreshing scent make this citrus fruit a natural for lifting your spirits and reviving your skin.

Here's an easy homemade grapefruit foot scrub.
In a bowl, mix together 1 tbsp (15 mL) each of coarse demerera sugar, grapefruit rind and olive oil; stir in 10 drops of grapefruit essential oil. Let stand for 12 hours; use within three days.

Rub the mixture into your feet, focusing on heels and soles. Rinse well. TIP: To increase the exfoliating effect, just add more sugar.

Thanks To Canadian Living

How to make a wastepaper basket

Fun to make – and almost free – these containers put a whole new slant on the phrase "wastepaper baskets."

By Renée Schwarz
Text by Jo Calvert
Photography by Mark Burstyn

Slide: 1 of 7

Making a wastepaper basket

What you will need:
• Even number of paper strips (see To cut strips, below, to determine dimensions)
• Flat 1/2- or 3/4-in artist's paintbrush and acrylic varnish or podgy, such as Mod Podge (all optional)
• Low-temperature glue gun (optional)
• Clothespins
• Ruler

To cut strips:
Brown paper For large basket (approx 19 cm/7 1/2 in square and high): Cut off and discard bottom of paper bag, then slit down side along glue seam. Across width, cut twenty 95 x 9 cm (37 3/8- x 3 1/2 in) strips.

Newspaper For medium basket (approx 12 cm/4 3/4 in square and high): Cut thirty-six 56 x 7.5 cm (22- x 3 in) strips. For large basket (approx 15 cm/6 in square and 13 cm/5 1/8 in high): Cut thirty-six 56 x 9 cm (22- x 3 1/2 in) strips.

Magazine paper For small basket (approx 6 cm/2 3/8 in square and high): Tear out 12 pages. For medium basket (approx 10 cm/4 in square and high): Tear out 32 pages.

Thanks to Canadian Living

Ribbed Shrug

Knit a ribbed shrug

This stylish knitted shrug will keep your shoulders warm on cool evenings.

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By Erika Knight

Have you made this? Send your picture to feedback AT canadianliving DOT com and we'll post it in our photo gallery!

Ribbed shrug
Click to view larger image

Materials
• Any medium-weight wool yarn, such as Rowan Soft Baby: 7 (7, 8) x 1-3/4 oz (50 g) balls
• Pair each of sizes 10-1/2 (7 mm) and 11 (8 mm) knitting needles
• Size 10-1/2 (7 mm) circular knitting needle

Sizes
• To fit bust 32-34" (81-86 cm): actual length 17-3/4" (45 cm); cuff to cuff 59-3/4" (152 cm)
• To fit bust 36-38" (91-97 cm): actual length 18-1/2" (47 cm); cuff to cuff 61-3/4" (157 cm)
• To fit bust 40-42" (102-107 cm): actual length 19-1/4" (49 cm); cuff to cuff 63-3/4" (162 cm)

Gauge
12 sts and 16 rows = 4" (10 cm) in St st using size 11 (8 mm) needles or whatever size necessary to obtain gauge and two strands of yarn held together.

To make shrug (made in one piece)
Using size 10-1/2 (7 mm) needles and two strands of yarn tog, cast on 32 (36, 40) sts.
Rib row 1: *K1, p1, rep from * to end.
Rep last row until shrug measures 6" (15 cm) from cast-on edge.

First size only:
Next row: *K1, p into front and back of next st, rep from * to end.
Second and third sizes only:
Next row: K1, p1, *k1, p into front and back of next st, rep from * to last 2 sts, k1, p1 – 48 (52, 58) sts.

Change to size 11 (8 mm) needles and work in rib patt as foll:
Row 1 (RS): *K3, p2, rep from * to last 3 sts, k3.
Row 2: *P3, k2, rep from * to last 3 sts, p3.
Rep these 2 rows until shrug measures 55-3/4" (55-3/4", 57-3/4") / 137 (142, 147) cm, ending with RS facing for next row.
Change to 10-1/2 (7 mm) needles.

First size only:
Next row (RS): *K1, k2tog, rep from * to end.
Second and third sizes only:
Next row (RS): K2, *k1, k2tog, rep from * to last 2 sts, k2 – 32 (36, 40) sts.
Work 6" (15 cm) in k1, p1 rib.
Bind off in rib.

To finish
Place markers at both sides of work 21" (53 cm) in from each cuff.
Fold work in half lengthwise and sew cuff and sleeve seam to markers, leaving centre 17-3/4" (19-3/4", 21-3/4") / 46 (51, 56) cm unsewn.
Using 10-1/2 (7 mm) circular needle and two strands of yarn tog and with RS facing, pick up and k 150 (162, 180) sts evenly around opening.
Working in rounds, work 4-1/2" (12 cm) in k1, p1 rib.
Bind off in rib.
Weave in any loose yarn ends.

Thanks To Canadian Living

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