Wellness at home: Tips for a homemade pampering program

It doesn’t always have to be an expensive wellness hotel (which doesn’t seem particularly tempting anyway due to Corona) – you can easily bring a relaxing pampering program from head to toe into your own home. We’ll introduce you to little wellness breaks for at home that will help you forget everyday life and give you new energy.

It’s important that if you want to do something good for yourself, you give yourself some time. And go offline for a few hours. The cell phone stays off, the laptop out of reach. No TV to distract you, no appointments to break up your day. Only a few tools are now needed – and the bathroom at home is transformed into a wellness spa.

To really pamper yourself, we give you wellness tips for your face, décolleté, hair, hands and even feet.

Care for and pamper your facial skin

In another world, we wouldn’t need to worry about facial care: there would be no pollution, no skin-irritating pollutants, and no ten-hour days in poorly air-conditioned offices. We would wash ourselves twice a week with clean water, and our skin would have no problem replenishing the oils removed in the process. But in this world, our skin needs support. But what kind?

Basic facial care is simple: it should primarily help the skin to regenerate itself. The area between the forehead and décolleté – don’t forget the neck – should be gently cleaned in the morning and evening, with plenty of lukewarm water and, depending on your skin type, with a cleansing milk or washing lotion. The facial cream is primarily based on your skin type. And from here on it gets a little more complicated: depending on your skin type, a different facial care regimen is useful. Therefore, also read:

If you want to give your skin an extra portion of care in addition to basic care, a face mask is the right choice. We show you how to make a face mask yourself in just a few steps. Then you can determine which ingredients the mask contains. We tested 51 face masks – and found soluble plastic in almost every second mask:

And another idea: make your own facial scrub or alternatively take a look at our facial scrub test (all results available free of charge) to find products that we can recommend.

Care tips for the décolleté

It’s not just the face that needs care, but the rest of the body too. And the décolleté needs an extra helping of it. The skin between the neck and the base of the breasts is very fine, has hardly any fatty tissue or sebaceous glands and dries out quickly. As a “sun terrace”, it also offers plenty of surface area for UV light to attack.

The perfect care begins in the morning and is guaranteed to make you wide awake: When showering, circle your décolleté and breasts with a cold jet of water, then add warm water and finally shower with ice-cold water – such Alternating showers Sebastian Anton Kneipp already recommended them. They promote blood circulation and make the skin glow rosy.

A good Cream with SPF 10 to 20 (depending on the sun exposure) then protects the skin from UV-related skin damage such as pigment spots and wrinkles. In contrast to some creams that boast that they can tighten the skin and stop aging, but cannot keep their promise. Read also: Face creams with UV protection in the test

An occasional intensive treatment helps to iron out the negligence of everyday life. Products with plant oils that smooth and refine the skin’s texture are suitable. But normal face cream will do the trick too. The amount and handling are important: either warm a small portion in your hand, then massage in circular movements from the base of the chest to the chin, without forgetting the neck. Alternatively, apply the cream thickly and cover with cling film. After a good quarter of an hour, remove the residue with warm water. The result: a décolleté to fall in love with.

Also read: Which cream can do what? How to find the right creams for your skin as well as Body lotion test: Dusch Das & Nivea among the test losers and Body oil test: Many with top marks

The perfect hair care

After the face and décolleté, it’s time to move on to the hair. Our hair has to endure a lot in everyday life: brushing, washing, blow-drying, styling. All of this affects the hair and can damage it.

But to prevent this from happening, the motto is: I only use water and a mild shampoo on my hair. That’s not enough, you think? Because your hair needs special treatment? Because it’s too dry, too greasy, too weak, too flaky or too thin? You’re not alone in thinking like this – special shampoos have been in vogue for years. This is usually not necessary. The label may classify hair as fine, normal, greasy or damaged – the differences are not that great, the ingredients are very similar.

Ergo: A mild shampoo is sufficient. If you choose products from green manufacturers, you can avoid the chemical cocktail of conventional shampoos.

The general rule is: rinse well after washing! And: beautiful hair needs nutrients – from within. That’s why vitamin and mineral-rich foods should be on the menu. Nicotine, on the other hand, can constrict the tiny blood vessels in the scalp and lead to the hair roots not receiving enough nutrients. Smoking is therefore not healthy for your hair either.

Hair treatments help damaged hair regain its shine. You can easily make a hair treatment yourself, here we reveal how to do it: Hair care: 4 tips for healthy hair

In addition, ÖKO-TEST regularly examines hair shampoos, hair masks and other hair products for you. A selection:

Pampering program for the hands

Corona or not – thorough hand hygiene and care is important. The skin on the hands dries out quickly and therefore appreciates a little wellness ritual. ÖKO-TEST has tested 50 hand creams – and explains which ones you should stay away from:

Once you have found the right hand cream, apply it generously to your hands in the evening and spread it in circular movements. For even more care, then put thin cotton gloves over your creamed hands and let the cream work for half an hour.

If you suffer from dry hands, organic coconut oil or organic olive oil can help: simply massage it into damp hands.

Foot care: Show us your feet

Give your feet a break every now and then and vary the heel heights of your shoes. The best thing is and remains to walk barefoot. This allows light and air to reach your feet, which are often covered up, the soles are massaged, and all ten toes can move freely. Now just a little care – and you no longer have to hide your feet.

Once a week, you should take a quarter of an hour. Start with a scrub treatment for calluses:

• First a Foot bath (maximum 38 degrees) and soak your feet in warm water for five to ten minutes. Bath additives are great – lavender, for example, has a calming effect, sage is deodorizing, almond or olive oil supplies the skin with fats. Soak the skin for no more than ten minutes – otherwise it will swell up too much and dry out even more. After the bath, dry your feet thoroughly, especially between the toes, this prevents athlete’s foot.
• Next, the callus is gently rubbed off with a file or pumice stone – but be careful with callus planes: the sharp blades often remove too much of the helpful skin and can injure the deeper layers of skin.
• If necessary, the Nails shortened; this is particularly easy after a bath because they are soft. Toenails should always be cut straight and care should be taken to avoid sharp edges at the corners. The nails should be short, but you should not cut everything off. Use nail clippers to shorten them, then slightly round off the corners with a file. This prevents the nail edges from splintering. Never cut cuticles, this can lead to infections. It is better to soak them in nail oil and carefully push them back with a wooden stick.

Because there are no sebaceous glands under the feet and between the toes, the delicate skin of the feet deserves a Extra portion of cream or oilRich creams with nourishing oils or moisturizing urea are beneficial for damaged skin. If you want to do something particularly good for your feet, apply a cream treatment – alternatively, you can apply a normal foot cream generously – and leave it all to work under cotton socks.

ÖKO-TEST has tested 20 foot creams and foot balms and can recommend twelve of them with top marks: