Thursday, August 5, 2010

A Katie Lee Spa Day with Dessert!!


Katie Lee's second cookbook, The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everday Occasions combines two of my biggest loves: cooking and bath and body products. You all know how much I love cooking, but I also love bath and body products. Creams, lotions, bars of soap, scrubs, face masks, bath bombs, massage bars, you name it....I want it! That's why I was so happy and thrilled when I borrowed Katie's newest book from the library and found the chapter entitled Spa Menu. Spa recipes at home? Count me in!

Katie's Spa Menu consists of a Honey Oatmeal Facial; Strawberry Hand and Foot Scrub; Cucumber Cooling Mask; Rose Petal Steam; Oatmeal, Almond, and Avocado Body Scrub; and a Shiny Hair Rinse. Each treatment requires only a few ingredients and is simple enough that anyone can and should do it. The kids and I chose four treatments and had a very fun Spa Day at Home!

First up and probably the most effective is Katie's Shiny Hair Rinse. The Shiny Hair Rinse is 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 quart water. To make a smaller amount, use one tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 cup water. The Shiny Hair Rinse is poured onto your hair after you've shampooed. You can leave it on or rinse it out. Either way this is a fabulous hair treatment. I am a firm believer of all hair products/treatments that contain vinegar. When I worked at Lush Handmade Cosmetics, we always had the best results with the hair products that contained vinegar. Why? Lots of reasons. One of the most important reasons being that vinegar closes your hair cuticles which results in smooth, soft and shiny hair. Also, the acetic acid in vinegar removes product build up and strengthens the hair shaft. Vinegar also restores your hair's PH balance, kills bacteria, and soothes itchy scalps. Of all the treatments we tried today, this one was the most effective and costs just pennies to make. I highly recommend it, especially if you have dry, thick, coarse, or curly hair.

I love a great face mask and was really excited to try Katie's Honey-Oatmeal Facial. Katie's facial is a combination of 1/4 cup oatmeal (rolled oats work best), 1 tablespoon honey, and 3 tablespoons of yogurt. The oatmeal is ground in the blender and then mixed into the honey and yogurt. Smooth the mask over your face and neck and leave on 10-15 minutes for best results. I could write a whole page about why this mask is so good for your skin. Basically this simple mask manages to be anti-aging, hydrating, deep cleansing, moisturizing, and soothing. Honey is one of the very best things for your skin. It is a natural humectant, meaning that it attracts and retains moisture without making the skin oily. It also reduces swelling and lightens your skin (great for those puffy eyes and dark circles). Honey aids in tissue healing and is a popular ingredient in anti-aging products. The oatmeal heals minor irritations, restores moisture, cleanses deeply, and provides gentle exfoliation. Then the yogurt steps in and soothes your skin, knocking out any redness while providing gentle moisture.

The third treatment, and probably the most fun for the kids, was this Strawberry Hand and Foot Scrub. All you need is 1 cup of strawberries, 1/4 cup coarse sea salt, and 1/4 cup shower gel. I chose a shower gel with a similar strawberry color, but any shower gel would work here. Stem the strawberries and add them to the blender along with the sea salt and the shower gel. Massage into hands and feet. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Follow with moisturizer.

Did you know that strawberries were used by the Romans to heal cuts, wounds, and sunburn? They are also packed with Alpha-Hydroxy Acid, AHA, to help slough off dead skin cells and reveal new and fresh skin.

The last treatment we made was Katie's Oatmeal, Almond, and Avocado Body Scrub. One-half cup almonds, 1 cup oatmeal (rolled oats are best), 1 ripe avocado (pitted, peeled, and diced), and 1/4 cup plain yogurt. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Rub mixture all over body. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Follow with body lotion. This body scrub was green and fun! The almonds and oatmeal provide excellent exfoliation while the avocado and oil from the almonds add moisture back to your skin. Exfoliation without getting dried out! My daughter and I really enjoyed this one.

Notes/Results: I am not a doctor or skin specialist in any way. Any information shared here comes from what I learned while working for Lush Handmade Cosmetics. I highly recommend making any bath and body products at home. It is a fun and rewarding experience. We were able to make all four treatments for no more than ten dollars and had a very fun time doing so. With exception to the Shiny Hair Rinse, we had lots of leftovers which I covered and placed in the refrigerator. The treatments may discolor slightly, but are still good for at least a week. We thoroughly enjoyed all the treatments, but the Shiny Hair Rinse was the one that showed the best results. The Strawberry Hand and Foot Scrub was probably our second favorite and really did a great job polishing up our toes so they can look good in those summer sandals. All in all, they were all great! It was a very fun way to stay inside and beat the heat!

To cap off our Spa Day at Home I made Mark Bittman's Strawberry Fools, found on the NY Times website HERE. Strawberries, cream, sugar and a splash of vanilla and you have the perfect summery light dessert that everyone will love. A perfect way to stay inside and BEAT THE HEAT, this week's theme over at I Heart Cooking Clubs.

They went so fast it was hard to get a good picture of them!

My three year old son was completely thrilled with them. He kept saying "Mama, I want more of that fluffy stuff."

The look of complete satisfaction is written all over his sweet little face!

32 comments:

  1. Hello Kim, I just came by your blog (looks delicious :o)in search of the ice pop book by Shelly Kaldunski. I can't seem to find out who published the book, could you perhaps help me if you have a copy of the book? I live in Europe and would like to buy a copy of the book.
    (Love your son's hair color, I have a little curly red head of my own) Thank you very much. Kind regards from Mette from Denmark (I don't have a blog myself, that's why I appear as anonymous :o)

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  2. Kim, what a fun day you and your children had! I learned so much from your blog today, I love all the tips you gave us. I can't wait to have a spa day for myself. And that dessert looks so good. Cool and creamy and delicious!

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  3. YAY!!! Spa day! How fun! Sounds like a great time. I love homemade products like that. And I am also a firm believer in the miracle that IS vinegar - I use it for everything!

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  4. When I saw this pop up in my Blog Reader I had to check it out based on the title alone and boy am I intrigued. What a fantastic post Kim! I will definitely give the hair rinse a try and make a couple of the other treatments as well with my teenage daughter and her friend. Thank you so much for sharing this!

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  5. I love the sounds of homemade spas at home! And I am still jealous that you work at lush!! I saw a bottle in one of the pictures--love it! And you're little man is SO cute!

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  6. Looks awesome, I definitely have to try that hair rinse!

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  7. What a fun day, my girls will go for this.
    Your little guy is just too cute.
    Mimi

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  8. How fun, you made your own spa goodies! I'd probably end up eating mine LOL.
    Have a great weekend.
    *kisses* HH

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  9. Oh my gosh, AWESOME! Man, my list keeps growing! I love homemade remedies...and I totally want to make all of the ones you showed us! And I want to end the day with some of those fools...your son is toooooo adorable ;)

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  10. This is so much fun. In the olden days when I was "all natural" I did make my own spa products. These days, I'm happy I'm clean! You just inspired me. And your little one gives me grins!

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  11. Anonymous/Mette from Denmark - I couldn't find an email for you so I thought I would leave you a message here on my blog. It looks like Weldon Owen is the publisher. I hope that helps. It really is a fun book full of ideas.

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  12. Hi Kim, Thank you so much for helping me. I really appreciate it. Kind regards, Mette

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  13. I've been afraid to try vinegar hair rinses b/c I wonder if I'll smell like a pickle! Does your hair end up vinegar scented afterwards? All of these look super fun. Love the pictures of your little boy!

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  14. Your son is the cutest thing! And I love Katie Lee! I didn't know she had spa recipes - so cool. I make my own skin treatments all the time and always finish my hair with a vinegar rinse. I love the way it makes my hair look. The strawberry fools are scrumptious! The perfect treat for a spa day!

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  15. Michelle - LOL! No, you won't smell like a pickle(ha ha). I definitely noticed the vinegar smell when I dumped it on my head but once your hair is dry you won't smell it at all.

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  16. this is so cool, i forget how great natural ingredients are for the skin, i want to try all of these! they also look and sound good enough to eat :)

    your three year old is SO cute, that red hair! i wish we could have a play date, i have a three year old son too!

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  17. Oh my gosh! Your little boy is So adorable! Love his hair! :)

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  18. You see this is why you and I get along so well--we like the same things! I just bought a book on making your own spa products from the kithcen lol but I have not tried it yet. I had no idea Katie Lee had a section in her book. Everything you made looks fun and it looks like you had a blast. Love the strawberry fool too--you son is such a cutie! ;-)

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  19. I definitely did NOT realize just how red your son's hair is! Impressive.

    I love that you made your own spa treatments. so cool!

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  20. I have honey and oatmeal on my face right now but only because I fell asleep at breakfast and into my bowl =))

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  21. WOW! love these recipes! Can"t wait to try the facial...maybe while eating the strawberry fool! LOL!

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  22. wow your boy is so cute, my sis in law would love that face masks, she is getting married next month and we love the beauty treatments he he

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  23. I really loved your post and have bookmarked it. Your son, however, stole the show. I love that red head. You'll never lose him in a crowd, that's for sure :-). I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  24. Okay, I am totally impressed. You can easily make the leap to skin care and body care products too. I love body products too, and office supplies( ok, that was too much info to share about liking office
    supplies too :-) ) Seriously, these homemade body care products look awesome.

    The photos of your son are priceless. He is cute, cute, cute.

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  25. Oh, Kim. I'm trying to catch up on WEEKS of missing food blog posts. This one (I read all of yours from my RSS feeds)is too precious. LOVE your son's bright red hair and big smile! As for the spa day...I've been a licensed esthetician for 18 years now. I work in spas. It IS fun to do this at home. In school, we did these kinds of treatments. Do they really work? Nah... not a whole lot. It doesn't matter. It's just plain fun. Good for you!

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  26. Kim, thank you so much for joining in my Cookbook Sundays! By the way, I'm using the hair rinse and you're right, you only smell like a pickle at firt, when it dries the smell disappears, lol. Love it!!

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  27. Hi! I've been MIA for a few weeks, I log on today and had to stop by your blog. So glad I did, your blog is so fun to read! The next time you have a spa day call me ;). LOL!! By the way your red head is a cuttie.

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  28. Guess I have to go back to the library and check this one out too. I passed it up on my last visit. What a fun day for you and the kids. You have a Jr. Flay in the making there. LOL.

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  29. Kim, this is a post after my own heart. I go nuts over bath, body, and face products! I have got to go out and get this book! Sounds like you had a GREAT spa day! You deserve the pampering! Roz

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  30. P.S. Wow, you worked for "LUSH"? How cool! I just love that stuff! Roz

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  31. I hate when my hair has product build up and would love a way to get rid of it. What I'm not sure I would like is smelling like a salad.

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  32. I enjoyed reading about all the enjoyable treatments. What fun it is to have a spa day with your kids. This is one of those times, I miss having little kids.

    Of course, I could have a spa day with my daughters and daughter-in laws if we could get them all, in one state.

    I am out to get some strawberries. Bittman seems to have done it again. Yeah Mark and Kim.

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