5 steps to an effective at-home winter spa skin treatment

As autumn comes to an end and temperatures across Australia plummet as we enter another winter, it’s as good a time as any to treat your skin with the love it deserves.

Cold weather is notoriously drying to the skin, and your sunkissed, glowing skin of summer seems a lifetime away. Don’t fret! There are many ways you can look after your skin during the chillier months - without the need to leave the cosy comfort of your home or spending an obscene amount of money to visit a spa.

Our expert guide to pulling off the best at-home spa day is sure to leave your skin feeling nourished, hydrated and looked after - leaving you ready to take on the world!

Step 1: Soak and soap your cares away

There are few things in winter that leave you feeling more content than a hot shower to start or end the day. Regardless of whether you are enjoying your home spa regime first thing after you wake, on a lazy weekend afternoon or after the sun sets, kick off your self-care time with a long and relaxing shower or bath.

Although a hot shower or bath can feel great when our bodies are numb with cold, try to keep the water to a medium temperature as very hot water can be as irritating to the skin as the winter cold is. Warm water opens up your skin’s pores, helping the all-natural products you are going to use later absorb easier.

Once you are out of your shower or bath, pat dry your skin and while it is dry but still soft, massage a natural and organic intensive moisturiser into your body - everywhere except your face. This is a great time to really work at those knots in your necks, shoulders, legs and feet - all the places you can reach by yourself anyway! We recommend the Natralus Intensive Skin Therapy range, which is an organic blend of paw paw, aloe vera and Vitamin E and ideal for sensitive skin. .

Step 2: Scrub a dub dub

Once you are toasty warm and you’ve treated your body to an intensive moisturise, it’s time to slip into something a little more comfortable. Whether it’s your big fluffy dressing gown and slippers or your comfiest trackies, be sure to wear something breathable that you feel at your most relaxed in. Burn some natural soy candles or essential oils and get ready to pamper yourself. It’s facial time!

Set yourself up in front of the bathroom mirror, or with a big bowl of tepid water and a towel in a comfortable place of your choosing. With a towel draped over your head, steam your face over the water for two minutes, to ensure those pores are open and ready to be thoroughly cleaned out.

Start off with a facial scrub of your choosing, gently rubbing in circular movements across your face and neck. Be sure to get right into the crevices that can often be forgotten, around your nose and chin. This removes dry and dead skin cells, so your skin can be restored back to its most radiant. Massage into skin for a solid two minutes, before taking a wet face washer and thoroughly removing the product with warm water.

We bet your skin is feeling more invigorated already!

Step 3: Cleanse and treat your tired skin

Next up, it’s time to cleanse your face - one of the most important steps of any skincare routine and something you should already be doing both in the morning and at night.

As you did with your facial scrub, take a dollop of your favourite organic cleanser and massage into your face, letting it really sort out that wind-lashed winter skin.

Once you have rinsed away your cleanser, apply a deep-cleansing face mask to your entire face. Many people forget about their neck when doing an at-home facial, but any facialist knows we need to tend to that just as much. A charcoal-based natural mud mask is a surefire skin saviour, but those with sensitive skin find that a more gentle, cooling mask works best for them. For a completely natural mask, wrapping lengths of cucumber (without the skin) to your face is a refreshing treat for dull skin.

Step 4: Revitalise tired eyes

Leave your mask on for 10-15 minutes, or until it is mostly dry. During this waiting time, play some relaxing music or a short guided meditation, and lay back with the old tried and tested cucumber slices on your eyes. For a seriously effective way to wake up tired eyes and combat black bags the winter months can bring about, organic black tea bags are a godsend and something you can find in any pantry! Just prepare them before commencing your spa skin treatment by steeping two in a cup of boiled water, as you usually would, before removing and popping in the fridge for a short time. When applied to your eyes, black tea bags are instantly calming and can remove any irritation in a natural way. The caffeine in them is also said to have an incredible effect on getting rid of under eye darkness or bags.

Wipe off your mask using a clean, gentle face washer and enjoy that post-treatment glow we all love so much. While your skin is still fresh and soft to the touch, be sure to nourish and hydrate it with an exceptional moisturiser, sealing in all the goodness you’ve just given it. We recommend the Natralus Ultra Skin Repair Pure Hydrating Gel Spray . With rapid absorption and fast acting results, its all-natural ingredients make it a powerful damaged skin treatment.

Step 5: The finishing touches
Our mouth can often take the brunt of what the winter cold, winds and flu season can throw at us, resulting in cracked and painful lips. Routinely taking care of your lips can act as a preventative measure and will keep that pout in tip-top shape throughout the frosty months.

A simple at-home lip treatment can be made using organic coconut oil and raw sugar. Simply warm up your coconut oil to a thick but liquid consistency, mix with the sugar and apply to your lips. Let it soak in for a minute or two before giving your lips a gentle scrub. Rinse off and there you have it - soft, hydrated lips!

Finish up your lip service with a generous slather of your favourite product from the Natralus Nourishing Lip Butter range. For a real winter aromatherapy touch, we recommend the oh so delicious smelling Honey & Vanilla.

There you have it, at-home winter skin spa treatments that are easy, effective and can be completed from the comfort of your home. Look after your skin especially well this winter - it deserves it!