DIY - Body Wrap Spa Treatment

If you're a woman, chances are you've heard of those body wrap spa treatments that are supposed to melt away everything from inches to cellulite. I always thought they were bull until I researched it a little bit. Having need to shed a few inches and improve my skin tone I thought, "What the hell?"

I've got some scars I wouldn't mind fading and three dimples in my left thigh that just "magically" showed up at my last birthday. Ugh. What have I got to lose, right?

So, I reasearched all the common (and not so common) ingredients that might be used in such a wrap and tonight I made my own.

AND I LOST AN INCH IN MY WAIST! In only 45 minutes, I lost an inch!

Here is the recipe I used. Most of this stuff, I already had, like the herbs. I take lots of vitamins and herbs, so I didn't have to buy much:) If you don't see a particular measurement for an ingredient, that's because I didn't measure it. Ha. Ha. Ha.

You'll need:

Ace bandages - the large kind - can be purchased at most any pharmacy and Wal-Mart. As a matter of fact, you can get all this stuff at Wal-Mart.

Exfoliating mit

Plastic wrap

And the following ingredients:

Palmer's Body Oil
Witch Hazel
Sleepytime Tea - 1 individual serving bag
Evening Prim Rose Oil - 1 gel. cap.
Black Cohosh - 1 cap.
Milk Thistle - 1 cap.
Grapeseed Extract - 1 cap.
Cayenne - 3 caps.

2 sheets of seaweed - I found this in the Asian cooking section.

Epsom Salt - 1 cup

Warning: This will soak into your body, if you are allergic to any of the above ingredients, even putting it on your skin could be BAD.

Black Cohosh and Evening Prim Rose Oil can interfere with the effectiveness of some forms of birth control as these are for balancing hormone levels and regulating menstrual cycles. If you are taking the pill or shot or using anything that has to work by being in your system constantly, DO NOT use the Black Cohosh or Evening Prim Rose Oil. You can still do the wrap, but leave that part out.

For those with varicose veins: Grapeseed Extract is great for veins! You can put extra of this if you like and wrap your legs with it:)

Also, don't forget to sip some water or green tea both before and after as this will dehydrate you slightly.

Now, on to the wrap:

I mixed all the ingredients EXCEPT THE SEAWEED and let it come to a boil. If it's in a capsule, break it open and pour the ingredients into the mixture. If it's a gel cap, just let it melt. Oh, and don't forget to add about a cup of water.

Once everything boils, let it cool just a little. Only enough that it doesn't burn your skin. Now, you can do this part however you like, but this is what I did. I put some potholders on my bathroom counter and moved the still hot pot in there. Then, I dunked my bandages and let them soak for about 3 minutes.

While your bandages are soaking, use the exfoliating mit to gently buff the area where you're about to put the wrap.

Next, (of course you should be naked for this, if someone helps you with it, you can wear underwear, it will soak through) I held the 2 sheets of seaweed (still dry) over what I consider to be the worst looking areas of my stomach while my husband started to wrap the warm bandages around me. I only did my midsection from lower hips to just underneath my breasts. If you're only going to do a small area like this, one bandage might be enough.

Next, we wrapped this area with plastic wrap to hold in the warmth. I followed this with a beach towel and a thick bathrobe. Then, I piled up on the couch (underneath 2 blankets because you're supposed to stay warm) and watched about 45 minutes of Blazing Saddles. (This part is optional. LOL)

Thanks to the cayenne, after about 20 minutes or so you will start to notice a warming sensation. It doesn't burn and if you aren't allergic to peppers, it should not harm your skin in any way. It will eventually get hot enough to feel like you're wrapped in an electric blanket. Also, after I showered, my skin continued to feel warm in this area for about 3 hours. This is normal. Cayenne is commonly used to speed the metabolism (with continued use) and my hope is that it sped up the metabolism in this area.

Once you're done, just wrinse in the shower and apply some good lotion. Something with collegen elastin is preffered:)

Oh, and don't forget to measure before and after!