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When life starts to feel like one long to-do list, even booking time to relax can become another source of stress. For those weeks when a full spa day feels unrealistic, a few simple DIY treatments can bring that sense of calm home. Erin Stanczyk, known for her Eat Move Rest YouTube channel, recently shared a plant-based approach to at-home pampering, with recipes for the hair, face, lips and feet. She pairs them with a refreshing green drink and a few easy ways to make the space feel more like a spa.
Stanczyk begins the video after what she calls a “wild whirlwind of a week,” saying she feels worn out and ready for self-care. Her husband, Dusty, had previously given her a spa gift card, but she admits she still hasn’t used it. “Sometimes taking a whole day off to go have a spa day actually stresses me out more,” Stanczyk says. Instead, she prefers smaller pockets of relaxation that can fit more easily into an already busy life. Her homemade treatments use only a handful of ingredients, with most already likely to be sitting around the kitchen.
Read more: 8 Natural Ingredients To Boost Your Skincare Regime
Start by setting the mood
For more plant-based lifestyle and nutrition tips, check out the EatMoveRest YouTube channel.
Before mixing masks or soaking feet, Stanczyk focuses on creating a relaxing environment that appeals to all five senses. She suggests nature-inspired playlists with bird calls, waterfalls, flowing water, or ocean waves, along with instrumental spa music.
For scent, she recommends a candle or essential oil diffuser. “Lavender is a great one-size-fits-all,” she says, describing it as soothing and relaxing. Peppermint or eucalyptus can provide a more uplifting alternative.
Candlelight, a salt lamp or red light can create soft visual ambience. She also recommends keeping the room comfortable and wearing natural fabrics such as linen, cotton or hemp. “Don’t be afraid to treat yourself,” Stanczyk says. “Don’t be afraid to fill your own cup.”
Make a spirulina and chlorella spa drink
Stanczyk brings taste into her spa ritual with a green drink made from cucumber, lemon, spirulina, and chlorella. She fills a carafe with filtered water, then adds half a sliced cucumber and the juice of half a lemon. She mixes in one-quarter teaspoon each of spirulina and chlorella powder.
“This is a spirulina chlorella detox drink,” Stanczyk says. Ice is optional, while fresh mint leaves or one drop of peppermint essential oil can add a refreshing twist.
She keeps the food equally simple, choosing freshly rinsed berries. “Fruit, fruit and more fruit,” she says, describing fruit as water-dense and rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Restore hair with an avocado mask
The first of Stanczyk’s DIY plant-based spa treatments is a three-ingredient hair mask. She combines half a ripe avocado with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave nectar.
“The avocado will help to moisturize and strengthen your strands,” Stanczyk says. She describes olive oil as nourishing and soothing, while maple syrup or agave provides hydration and shine.
Stanczyk applies the mask to the ends first, then works upward and massages it into her scalp. She covers her hair with a shower cap or towel and leaves the mixture for 20 to 30 minutes before shampooing and rinsing.
She suggests using the treatment about once weekly, particularly for highlighted or damaged hair. “Simple DIY treatments like this can add that extra oomph of life back into your locks,” Stanczyk says.
Mix up a matcha glow face mask
For her face treatment, Stanczyk turns matcha into a simple glow mask. She combines 1 teaspoon matcha powder, one-half teaspoon oat flour or ground oats, one-half teaspoon lemon juice, and one-half teaspoon maple syrup or agave. She then adds 1 to 2 teaspoons of water.
“Matcha is very, very antioxidant-rich and highly detoxifying,” Stanczyk says. She describes the oats as soothing and gently exfoliating.
For extra dry skin, she suggests adding one-half teaspoon jojoba oil. For acne-prone skin, she recommends one-half teaspoon bentonite clay.
Stanczyk applies the mixture to freshly cleansed skin and leaves it for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing and patting dry. “I cannot tell you how nourished my skin feels after that DIY mask,” she says.
Exfoliate lips with cinnamon and coconut
Stanczyk’s lip scrub requires 1 teaspoon coconut oil, one-half teaspoon cinnamon, and one-half teaspoon coconut sugar. She mixes everything in a small dish, then gently massages the scrub onto her lips.
“This one is going to be gently exfoliating and also help improve circulation,” Stanczyk says. She says it removes dead surface skin while helping lips look fuller and fresher.
There is no set treatment time. Once finished, she rinses or wipes away the mixture and follows with lip balm, gloss or lipstick.
Finish with a lavender-peppermint foot soak
The final treatment takes Stanczyk’s routine from head to toe. She fills a small tub or foot bath with warm water, then adds 1 cup Epsom salt and five drops of peppermint essential oil. Eucalyptus can be used instead.
For lavender, she suggests either essential oil or dried flowers. Stanczyk adds one-quarter cup dried lavender to her own foot bath.
“This is going to be so great because it’s going to be relaxing and soothing,” Stanczyk says. She particularly recommends it for feet that feel dry, cracked, or weathered.
Unlike the other treatments, there is no suggested time limit. “Go ahead and have yourself a soak and enjoy for as long as you like,” she says.
Read more: Do Vegan Collagen Products Work? What You Need To Know
Making self-care fit into real life
Stanczyk’s approach is all about fitting small moments of relaxation into everyday life. Her DIY plant-based spa treatments use relatively few ingredients and can be done separately whenever time allows.
“Doing things like at-home spa treatments using clean, safe, effective products” can make a major difference, Stanczyk says. She encourages viewers to use tools and ingredients they already have at home.
Ultimately, her message extends beyond face masks and foot baths. “What we need in this life is accountability,” Stanczyk says, adding that this applies to self-care and self-love as well as food. For anyone who finds scheduling relaxation stressful in itself, a few simple homemade treatments may offer a more manageable way to fully unwind.
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