LOVEALWAYSac

I was looking around on Tumblr for this stuff and didn’t find everything that I wanted, so I looked around on the internet and found some things.

1) Epsom Salt is actually really cool and useful for a lot of things. Two cups of Epsom Salt added to a bath eases stress and relaxes the body. Stress drains the body of magnesium and increases levels of adrenaline, so when Epsom Salt is dissolved in warm water, it’s absorbed by your skin and replenishes the amount of magnesium in your body.  The magnesium helps to produce serotonin, which elevates your mood and creates a feeling of calm and relaxation. You can also use Epsom Salt to:

Exfoliate dead skin: In the shower or bath, mix a handful of Epsom Salt with a tablespoon of bath/olive oil and rub all over your wet skin to exfoliate and soften, and then rinse thoroughly.  

Exfoliate your face: Mix a half-teaspoon of Epsom Salt with whatever you usually wash your face with. Gently massage into your skin and rinse with cold water.

Relieve pain and cramping: Warm Epsom Salt baths not only benefit your mood, but also alleviate tension headaches or soothe abdominal cramps.

Foot soak: Put a cup of Epsom Salt into 2-3 gallons of water. This is supposed to relax your feet and soothe soreness.

Itchy/sunburned skin : Dissolve a tablespoon of Epsom Salt in to ½ cup of water and cool it down. Then spray it on itchy/burned skin or apply it as a wet compress to help relieve itching.

2) As time consuming and annoying as shaving can be, sometimes it can feel really good to just have really soft legs. I’m awful about remembering to shave, so I made this list of tips so when I actually do shave, I can make it count. 

Use conditioner for shaving cream/gel: I’ve been doing this for over a year now and I love it because it softens and smooths your skin. I use hypoallergenic shampoo because I’m allergic to non-hypoallergenic stuff, so it doesn’t irritate my skin when I’m rubbing it on my legs. I personally really like the coconut conditioner by Organix (which is evidently popular) because it’s generally really cheap, it comes in a big bottle, and it’s really good quality stuff. 

Shave downwards, then upwards: Okay, yeah, I get that this kind of sucks because it takes a long time and I honestly don’t feel like shaving with the grain doesn’t do much, but it’s a really good way to make sure you don’t get razor burn and it’s super good for sensitive skin. So, take the ten extra minutes and just shave your legs both ways, it might be worth it. 

Don’t be afraid to try men’s shaving stuff: I started using a razor made for men on my legs like, last week, and I think it’s better than the razor I bought to actually shave my legs. Also, these razors are cheaper than the ones I was buying. They don’t come in pink like my old razors, but it’s still worth it because the shave is better, and I’m saving a few extra bucks. Who knows what other men’s products work better than women’s?

Rub down with Baby Oil first: This makes the hair AND your legs softer, making the shave easier and leaving your skin softer. I would suggest rinsing it off your legs before shaving, and then applying shaving cream/gel/conditioner/what have you. I’ve heard of shaving your legs with baby oil, but personally I did not like it because the shave didn’t feel as close as it does with conditioner and I had to rinse my razor a lot while doing it because it made the blades super oily. 

Rubbing Alcohol or Witch Hazel: You can dab this on after shaving to kill bacteria and help pores close. It may burn a little bit if you have some little cuts but it goes away pretty quickly.

Use Unscented Deodorant: This is evidently good for after shaving your vag. I don’t know, man, but it might be worth a shot, so liberally apply to prevent razor burn or chafing. Make sure this is not scented deodorant. Please be careful, and make sure you aren’t like, putting this IN your vagina because that’s probably painful and not beneficial at all. 

Apply Aloe Vera: So this firstly makes your legs smoother, and then it also helps cool down redness or razor burn.

Also, fun fact: Egyptians shaved their eyebrows to mourn their cats. For real.

Please note: You do not have to shave. Don’t let the media and other people influence what your ideal hair situation should be. Your body hair is nothing to be ashamed of. Figure out what is right for you.

3) Baths are amazing. They improve blood circulation, help release toxins, lower blood pressure, clean skin, reduce headaches, help cure colds, lower anxiety, and a bunch of other really cool awesome stuff that explain why we should be taking baths, like, at least every two weeks, even just for twenty minutes. As amazing as a plain bath is, here are some things you can add to a bath to help relax your muscles and relax your mind. 

Green Tea Bath Recipe: Drop 5-10 green tea bags in the bath while it’s filling. 

Benefits of a Green Tea Bath: The minerals in green tea are well known for their powerful anti-aging benefits, which will replenish & restore balance to your skin. Green tea also has natural antioxidants, which aid in detoxing your body from natural pollutants.

Honey Bath Recipe: Pour one cup of honey into your bath while it’s filling. 

Benefits of a Honey Bath: Adding honey to your bath will moisturize, soften and sooth dry skin. The natural antioxidant properties in honey will help detox your body while you soak.

Olive Oil Bath Recipe: Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to your bath while it fills.

Benefits of an Olive Oil Bath: When mixed with water, olive oil has the ability to soak deep into your tissues and rejuvenate them. Olive oil baths aid in building a stronger immunity to viral and bacterial infections. Olive oil will help maintain the collagen in your skin, keeping skin looking supple for longer. This reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Lemon Bath Recipe: Squeeze and drop 5-6 lemons into your running bath. If you don’t have lemons, ¾ cup of bottled lemon juice will work just as well. 

Benefits of a Lemon Bath: Lemon baths are especially refreshing in hot weather. The healing agents in lemons will refresh and revive tired skin. Lemons will also cool the skin, and help tighten pores.

Ginger Bath Recipe: Add one tablespoon of fresh, chopped ginger to your running bath. 

Benefits of a Ginger Bath: Bathing in a bath of ginger will ease sore muscles, eliminate toxins from the body. The natural anti bacterial properties in ginger will help sweat out colds, flues, and congestion.  Adding ginger to your bath on a cool day will raise the temperature of your skin and make you feel warm and toasty.

Baking Soda Bath Recipe: Add 4-5 tablespoons of baking soda to your  bath. 

Benefits of a Baking Soda Bath: Baking soda acts as a gentle, soothing agent which will sooth & calm irritated skin. 

4) Baking Soda is really awesome and doesn’t get used half as much as it should be. It’s generally always kept in the kitchen, which is pretty dumb, because it’s really beneficial for skin and hair, too. So, here you go, some uses for Baking Soda that aren’t for the kitchen:

Washing Hair: You can add volume to your hair just by mixing a quarter size of baking soda to your daily dollop of shampoo. The baking soda will help remove impurities, leaving your hair lighter and full of volume.

Teeth Whitener: It tastes pretty bad, but once a week/month/whatever works for you, try wetting your toothbrush, sticking it in baking soda, and brushing your teeth. Again, this tastes gross, but it cleans and whitens your teeth really well. 

Face Scrub: Add a tablespoon of baking soda to your usual facial cleanser and form a paste. Massage into your skin in circular motions to help exfoliate and leave skin feeling soft.

Foot Wash: Mix two to three tablespoons of baking soda with water for a soothing foot soak. Soak for 20 minutes. Then, scrub your feet with a paste of baking soda and water to help exfoliate rough spots.

Showers are for any time of day, not just early morning or evening.

A sink wash/using baby wipes is better than no wash.

Some food is better than no food.

Unhealthy food is better than no food. Unhealthy food still has nutritional value.

Even if all I eat in a day is crisps, that's still something.

Every action is an achievement. Yes, this means breathing. Even if you didn't make it out of bed, move or open your eyes, you breathed, and that's good.

Going on your phone is not a waste of time.

Water comes in many forms. Squash, tea, coffee, pasta, fizzy drinks, fruit... hell, even hot chocolate sometimes. Not drinking plain water doesn't have to be the end of the world.

Cleaning up after a bad episode of mental health might seem daunting but it will probably help in the long run. Even if you just pick up one chocolate wrapper or put one item away, it will be an achievement.

If things are becoming too overwhelming, it's okay to step back from whatever you're doing.

Productivity is a stupid construct. You are still worthy and valid if you're not productive.

Everyone has it worse somewhere, but that doesn't diminish your struggles or make them less important.

People who make fun of your mental health struggles are fucking stupid. If you don't have to interact with them, don't.

"Friends" who invalidate your struggles are not friends.

There are people all around the world who would love to see you thrive and be happy.

It's ok to not follow through on something you said you would do because of mental health problems. Commitments are not commitments when you have to take care of your health.

You are not crazy.

You are loved.

Forgive yourself if things didn’t go according to plan. 

Forgive yourself, even if you feel like you messed up.