So you know when you finish Uni, but cant resist going back to visit friends who are still there? And they give you 'Fresher's Flu'? Yeah, this pamper is for weeks like this. Or any time you're feeling under the weather, I guess.
Candles? Check. Bath additive? Check. Scents for unplugging stuffy noses? Check.
Duh. But you might be surprised to hear that one of my sicko essentials is a plastic neti pot from the chemist/pharmacy. In fact, this is my number one life saver because without it I'd have to shove acid (decongestant nasal sprays) up me nose all day, and nobody wants that. I still have to use a spray, usually right after rinsing my sinuses, but dramatically less so. The rinse helps the spray be more effective and vice versa.
It's obvious to focus your sicko bath on that aching body, but you can easily add something in to help keep the nose clear. I use Radox Muscle Soak bath powder and epsom salts for aches and pains, and essential oils to clear the sinuses. The Radox is probably difficult to get in the states, but any muscle soak will do, and the salts are difficult to get in the UK, but not impossible. Just don't fall for the boutique-y spa-labelled epsom salts like I did. People seem to think because they're rare, they can fool us into spending a lot of money by making it look fancier than it is. Just Google it, and you'll find a reasonable price for a large amount of the stuff.
Eucalyptus would be an excellent essential oil for the nose, but I didn't have any, so I used lavendar, cederwood atlas, and juniper. My Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It also has a wonderful minty/eucalyptus-y scent that works well.
Speaking of cleansers, I cannot recommend more than you never stop washing your face when you're ill. No one wants to add breakouts to sickness, and really, it just feeeeels good! I'm not strict about hygeine, but I find it to be rather cheerful when I'm not feeling well; so if I can get out of bed, I'll wash my face and shower. If not, I've got cleansing wipes next to me. Not least of all, hygeine exists to keep illness at bay; if you stay clean, you may fend off what's bugging you earlier. That goes for the sinus rinsing too!
Besides making your body feel better, it's helpful to make your mind feel better as well. Pop some oils in the bath just for the aromatherapy factor, like calming lavendar or cheerful bergamot. Then slather on a face mask purely for the sake of smelling lovely. Unfortunately, the one I used was discontinued ages ago, but it's a clay gentle exfoliator mask with the most lovely citrus aroma. It's my favourite morning or bad mood mask, and I'm running out! Eek!
It helps to use a mask that doesn't need to dry to work, because the next thing I suggest is a face, neck and shoulder massage:
I used this lovely video (Her dog is in the background the entire time! Heart!) to guide my through it. It was really lovely. I followed it up with a good scrub from my favourite body wash and scrub brush. I'm not a fan of sugar or salt scrubs, but if that's your thing you could do that too. I like the brush because it comes with a long handle and when I'm a sicko I don't have to move as much to get all my bits.
Rinse off the mask, then wash your face and your other bits, and finally just chill! The mask you rinsed off will mingle in the bath water and do nice things to the rest of your skin, and you can recover a bit from how difficult it is to move.
The last thing I do isn't necessary, especially if you're really ill. I do it because it's a requirement if I want to improve in dance and fitness, and because it helps loosen up stiff muscles and joints. As soon as I'm done in the bath, I quickly dry off then start stretching. It's important to do this while you're still warm from the bath. I stretch out my quads, hamstrings, gluts, hips, calves, feet & ankles, abs, lats & delts, biceps and finally triceps. If you're newer to stretching, This is a really good video that illustrates the type of stretching I do:
What's your favourite thing that makes you feel better when you're ill? Do you have a recommendation for a new pick-me-up face mask?
<3
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