DIY Spa Treatments You Can Make in 10 Minutes

Welcome to the aromatic garden of homemade body products you can make in 10 minutes with what you already have in your kitchen.

My favorite beauty shop? From the time I was young, it’s been the kitchen. Nowhere is nature’s innate capacity to heal and beautify more evident. Apple-cider vinegar tones my skin and makes my hair shine. Honey acts as a natural anti-aging and antibacterial cleanser.

Sugar and salt slough off dead skin cells. Cucumber and mint enliven. Oats calm irritation, and coconut and olive oils provide deep hydration.

While the pace of day-to-day life might make luxuriating in self-care feel like an impossibility, DIY spa treatments are easy, fast and affordable to make at home-even more so if you can look to your garden for inspiration and ingredients. The ritual of making your own body products and applying them also offers a built-in space to reduce anxiety and tension.

Where stress-environmental, professional and emotional-ravages your skin and hair, carving 10 minutes out of your day to reconnect with your senses and lavish your body with a face mask, scrub or bath soak can help reset your relationship to yourself, your work and those around you.

Cucumber-Mint Sugar Body Scrub

Pictured: Cucumber-Mint Sugar Body Scrub

Hydrating cucumber and cooling mint bring soothing and inflammation-quelling properties to this body exfoliator. The fine grains of sugar help shed dry skin, and skin-quenching coconut oil sweeps in to give a supple glow that lasts even after washing.

1/3 cup chopped cucumber

1/3 cup fresh mint leaves

Scant 2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons raw virgin coconut oil, melted

1. In a small bowl or mortar and pestle, mash cucumber and mint into a pulp. Squeeze the liquid out into a second bowl and discard the pulp. Add sugar and melted coconut oil to the liquid and mix until fully incorporated.

2. Apply to clean, damp skin using circular motions to exfoliate the skin. Rinse off completely, then towel dry. Moisturize as desired.

Makes about 2/3 cup. Use immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week. The coconut oil will harden in the fridge; bring scrub to room temperature before using.

Deep Hand-Repair Salve with Coconut Oil

Pictured: Deep Hand-Repair Salve with Coconut Oil

This homemade moisturizer is an all-purpose miracle worker-as excellent for damaged and dry hands as it is for repairing chapped lips and cracked skin. Rosemary and sage oils, steeped in nourishing coconut oil and cocoa butter, help to jump-start skin repair.

1/2 cup raw virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup chopped cocoa butter

1/2 cup fresh sage leaves

1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves

1. Melt coconut oil and cocoa butter in a small saucepan over low heat. When the oil is hot to the touch, add sage and rosemary. Let the mixture steep over low heat for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave the pan on the stove to steep, uncovered, for another 1-2 hours, depending on desired potency of scent.

2. Strain out the leaves and discard. Pour the liquid into an 8-ounce glass jar, two 4-ounce jars, or four 2-ounce jars. Place lids on the jars and refrigerate overnight to harden. Remove from the fridge the next morning and keep in a cool, dry place.

Makes about 1 cup. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

Honey-Avocado Face Mask

Pictured: Honey-Avocado Face Mask

For this homemade face mask, a dreamy mix of hydrating avocado, skin-cleansing honey and toning apple-cider vinegar delivers perfect pH balance for all types of skin.

1/4 cup ripe avocado

2 tablespoons raw honey

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

Combine avocado, honey and vinegar in a mini food processor; process until smooth. (Alternatively, place in a small bowl; mash with a fork until smooth.) Apply a thin layer to clean, damp skin. Let dry, then rinse off and moisturize as desired. Oily skin types may not need additional moisturizer.

Makes enough for 2-3 applications. Should be used immediately.

Lavender Toning Face Mist

Pictured: Lavender Toning Face Mist

Steeped lavender buds create a calming aromatherapeutic water to soothe the skin. A touch of apple-cider vinegar leaves skin fresh and toned.

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 1/2 teaspoons dried organic lavender buds

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Pour boiling water over lavender buds; cover and steep for 15 minutes. Strain out the lavender and discard. Let the steeped lavender water come to room temperature, then mix in vinegar. Pour the toner into a spray bottle and spritz it on to refresh the skin. Use on clean skin, after washing and before moisturizing, or for a mid-day pick-me-up.

Makes about 12 ounces. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.