By now you all know how much those of us here at A Girl's Gotta Spa! adore spa treatments, we practically live for them.  But we can all agree that spa treatments are not always budget friendly, so I am always looking for ways to get the results of spa treatments without shelling out a fortune. Lately I've been experimenting with a few DIY at home (or in the sauna at the gym) spa treatments and I thought I would share two of my favorites with you.  I do have to warn you that you may get strange looks from a few people...just be prepared. I love getting weekly deep conditioning treatments for my hair, but at about $50 per treatment and add in the cost of haircuts and coloring--and I would be devoting a good portion of my monthly income to my hair. So instead of going to the salon for deep conditioning treatments, I cart my deep conditioning treatments with me to the gym on the days I plan on using the sauna. While in the sauna I just apply whatever deep conditioning treatment I feel like my hair needs that week (a restructuring mask, hydrating treatment or nourishing oil) to my hair, wrap it in a towel and just sit there for 10-15 minutes and let the heat do its work. Another treatment I do while in the sauna is a face mask (again either hydrating, deep cleansing or exfoliating.)  I wait until about 5-10 minutes before I plan on getting out of the sauna then apply the mask.  My favorite to apply while in the sauna is the Kate Somerville Exfolikate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment because I have noticed a big difference between using this in the sauna and just using it at home.  Yes, it tingles more because the heat loosens the debris in my pores a lot more than just using it at home. My skin also looks and feels cleaner and brighter after I use this treatment in the sauna. Whenever I use the sauna at the gym I always leave feeling a lot more relaxed and cleansed...very similar to the feeling I get when I leave the spa. So combine that feeling of relaxation with a few mini sauna beauty treatments and you've almost got yourself a bonafide spa experience...minus the plush robes, soothing music and so on, but you'll have better looking hair and skin without the spa price tag.  Just don't say I didn't warn you about the perplexed looks might receive from a few people.

Just like me, you've probably thought that creating a ponytail is just about the easiest hairstyle to accomplish. I mean how difficult could it be? You grab a hair tie, pull all your hair back and secure it with the hair tie and voila! Well as I have learned, mostly from being on set and watching hairstylists, that way is just fine and dandy, but if you want to create the perfect ponytail you have to throw a few additional steps in there.

How to Create the Perfect Ponytail

Step 1: Create a part from ear to ear (from the back of the ear, across the top of the head to the back of the other ear.) Step 2: Clip the front part of the hair out of the way and tilt your head back slightly (to ensure that it does not end up saggy or buckles.)

Step 3: After deciding on placement (low, high or middle of the head), brush rear portion of hair into your hand loosely holding it, and with the other hand grab the ponytail tight against the head and secure with a hair tie.

Step 4: Release the top section with your head still tilted back slightly and brush front portion directly into the other section of hair (trying to avoid disruption of the other ponytail, but don't be afraid to brush the hair straight into and over the previously created ponytail) and secure with an elastic hair tie in the exact same way as above.

Step 5: Using hairspray for fly-aways, lightly smooth and spray fly-aways with hands or a fine tooth comb...only lightly skimming the top of the hair.

Bonus step: If you would like to make the ponytail sleeker or dress it up a bit, try grabbing a small section of the ponytail near the elastic hair tie and begin wrapping it around the elastic to hide the hair tie.  Secure wrap with a hair pin and bobby pin making sure that the pin is not visible.

And there you have it, two versions of the perfect ponytail...thanks to amazing hairstylist Pearson Knight for walking us through creating the perfect ponytail!

I've been longing for a juicer for a really long time and finally got one. Now I know a ton of people who have visions of daily juice-fests, they envision the vast varieties of fruits and veggie juice they'll produce on a daily basis...then a month goes by and the juicer ends up in the back of some kitchen cabinet only to see the light of day the next time its owners are struck by another health kick.  

I knew I would not be one of those people and so far I have not been.  I juice just about everyday and store jugs of juice for the days when I get too busy to whip out my new best friend, Jack Lalanne.  The only issue I've encountered so far with juicing has been what to do with the pulp of the fruits and veggies I am juicing.

I always feel like I am wasting good stuff that I should be finding some use for. My very helpful boyfriend tried to use the pulp of a few juiced veggies to make a veggie patty, but I could barely look at his attempt at a veggie patty without gagging-- eating it was not an option. His attempts at veggie patty making did, however, give me a great idea.  

Fruit enzyme facial masks and peels are EVERYWHERE these days, I've used a few and loved the results so why not make my very own facial mask with the leftover fruit pulp from juicing?

My first DIY fruit enzyme facial mask was a combination of pineapple and strawberry pulp from my juice of the same combination.  I have to admit when I first laid eyes on the pulp I was a bit grossed out...it did not look very appealing, it did smell great though.  

Just 30 seconds after applying the mask I felt a bit of a tingling sensation, this lasted only for about a minute.  I left the mask on for ten minutes then rinsed and was I in for a pleasant surprise.  My skin actually looked brighter and felt smoother.

The mask can get a bit messy so it's best to not walk around too much after applying it unless you want pieces of pineapple and strawberry pulp all over your floor.  I definitely plan on trying a few more DIY facial masks in the near future.

Have you created DIY facial masks from your juicer? Share your recipes with me so that I can give them a try!

My niece Emily is a beautiful girl, both inside and out. The last year and a half has had a lot of changes for her though: her grandmother passed away from lung cancer, her grandfather had a stroke, and my sister and her husband took in 3 of his nephews who were going to be placed into foster care (and they are now in the process of adopting them.) Her husband's sister and her daughter also moved in with my sister. Did I mention that my sister has 4 kids already, two of which are special needs? We lovingly refer to my sister's family as The Duggars. But joking aside, Emily, who is 10 years old, began to get depressed and with the adjustment to her new family life, lost sight of her dreams.

Me, Emily and my sister Courtney

I love my niece to pieces and she has always talked about going to New York. She's heard me talk about my trips to fashion week and to various events and who I've met along the way, so I knew that for her 10th birthday I wanted to surprise her with a trip into the city. With many thanks to Jason Backe and Ted Gibson of Ted Gibson Salon and Melanie Notkin of Savvy Auntie, I hatched a plan to have Emily's hair done at Ted Gibson Salon, as well as take Em to the top of the Empire State Building with a journal in hand to write down what her hopes and dreams were. My sister and I were reflecting on how this in-between time has an effect on a young girl's self esteem. Like many girls these days, puberty is hitting some younger than others. This has really had an effect on Emily and she has tried to downplay it by hiding her body under vast layers of clothes, not really taking care of her hair and overall creating a sloppy appearance. While appearance isn't everything, it was clear to me that it was simply a manifestation of how she was feeling on the inside. She didn't want anyone to pay attention to her body changes as girls made fun of her for looking pretty and at the same time would make fun of her if she choose to be sloppy. Either way, kids weren't looking at what a great puppeteer Emily was or how awesome she did in the church drama group. For Em, she just couldn't win. And it hurt her self esteem overall. You can see in many of the pictures before the pampering...Emily never smiles. But once Jill Englesen was done with Emily, check out that smile as she inspected her hair. LOVE it. What was perfect about Jill styling Emily's hair, is that Jill is an artist. She and Emily talked about how much they love to paint. Throughout our time at the salon, Jill kept encouraging Emily to keep painting no matter what. To keep dreaming and to know that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to.  I know that Jill really made an impact on Em. As my tagline says "because we all deserve a little pampering," I wanted to show Em that sometimes pampering yourself physically can sometimes (OK, many times) pamper you mentally and emotionally as well. I wanted her to see and feel for herself what it was like to take care of herself AND feel good about it--who cares about those girls at school! I wanted her to promise to herself that she would see her dreams through, to know that they are important and that she is a very talented and amazing girl. If there is a girl in your life, whether young or old, be sure to take time to encourage her today. Too many people out there are always trying to bring us down and take away our dreams. I love you Emily. Love, Auntie Shannon UPDATE: Since this post Emily suffered a traumatic brain injury while jumping on a trampoline and getting hit in the temple with a soft ball. She was knocked out and had a severe concussion...but it ended up being so much worse than that. She now gets confused if too over stimulated, had to be excused from finishing school this year because the school work was causing her brain to have her mimic stroke symptoms. She can't read, watch TV or use electronics for more than 15 minutes a day. I cannot even begin to tell you that time is precious and I am so glad that I had taken the time back in December to take her on this trip. This young lady is so important and loved by me.

We're heading into the colder months, which typically means making the switch from highlighted hair to warmer tones. My natural hair color is dark brown, but typically I lighten or highlight it in the summer months. Being that it is only 6 weeks until Christmas, getting my hair colored at the salon was not in my wallet's vocabulary, so I opted to color my hair at home. I made my way to CVS and decided upon John Frieda's Precision Foam Colour. I went with 4BG  (Dark Chocolate Brown.)

My highlighted hair before, colored immediately after and results 1 week later.

I have to say, I don't typically read the warnings on home hair coloring kits because I have been coloring my hair since I was 13 and they typically all say the same thing. However, I noticed John Frieda's included some things I have never seen before like you need to remove all accessories you are wearing and cannot use metal tools. Since there seems to be an issue with metal, I assumed that the accessories they meant were jewelry.  So I removed my earrings.

It also says you shouldn't use this product if you have a temporary black Henna tattoo, as it is likely to increase an allergy risk. If you wear contacts, you need to remove them also...however I'm not sure how you could put on your glasses since you can't have metal around. If you've colored your hair previously with compound hennas, metallic dyes or color restorers you have to wait until your hair has grown out and then cut. And don't try to put the foam on your eyelashes or eyebrows because it may cause blindness.

So, basically, by the time I was done reading that I was freaked out. Then I went on to read how to mix the product. It says you cannot shake the mix (you need to gently tilt it 5 times,) you cannot use the pump but instead have to squeeze the bottle to make the foam come out of the pump...which is psychologically confusing because you are holding a bottle with a pump...that you cannot pump. The bottle needs to remain upright at all times and you can only apply the foam to your hands first (in gloves of course) and not directly onto your hair. So basically I felt I was going to mess this up big time.

Application was tricky because the instructions state that you cannot get the foam on your face or ears at all. My hair is shoulder length, so good luck with that Shannon! Trying to prevent the foam from touching my skin, while trying to keep the bottle upright and not pump it was like playing a game of Twister.  

Additionally your hair needs to be "frothy" with foam in order to be "done." Ok, guess what? Foam evaporates or absorbs into your hair. Especially if you have long-ish hair and are trying to make sure you get each section equally. Wait time from this point is 30 minutes. I rinsed my hair, applied the conditioner, rinsed that out after 3 minutes and then blew it dry. I was pleasantly surprised with the color. I loved it. Tweeted about it. My 7 year old snapped my pic for me and I was happy I was still alive with great looking hair.

Fast forward 1 week and while my hair is still brown, as you can see from the picture...the color has significantly faded. Ugh. I do not wash my hair everyday, in fact I usually only wash it every other day. I also used sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, so I know it wouldn't have been the culprit to strip my hair color. I also hadn't washed my hair 24 hours before applying the foam as the instructions stated and I did not have any product build-up to prevent the color from adhering. So was it worth it to save myself the $60-$75 of coloring my hair at the salon? Not really. Have you used John Frieda's Precision Foam? I'd like to hear about your experience (good or bad.)

Guest post from The Spa at Ravella located at Ravella at Lake Las Vegas:

Cooler weather can lead to dry, flaky skin. Here are two tips from The Spa at Ravella, one for a spa visit and one for at home, to help keep skin soft and supple until warmer weather returns!

Next time you splurge on a spa treatment, The Spa at Ravella recommends choosing a facial treatment that uses serums or enzymes. You can talk to a spa professional when booking a treatment and discuss further with your skin therapist once you arrive.

Serums provide a powerful dose of nutrients and bioactive ingredients that penetrate deep into the layers of your skin much farther than moisturizers can, and work intensely to bring oil and hydration into balance, strengthen your skin, increase visible firmness and give a youthful glow.

Enzymes help slough away dead skin cells and encourage cellular growth, leaving the skin feeling great and looking dewy and bright. For similar results at home, The Spa at Ravella suggests creating a pumpkin enzyme mask; just mix left over pumpkin pulp with an egg, apply to face and let sit for 6 - 8 minutes. Tingling is normal, but if feels strong less time may be needed.

Pumpkin is a strong exfoliant that brings the blood to the surface of the skin creating a detoxifying effect. The lecithin from the egg yolk will tighten the skin while the enzymes in the blend will stimulate cellular growth, allowing skin to look its best.

We'd love to hear if you try it!

For dry skin body care, don't forget A Girl's Gotta Spa! natural bath and body products.

I don't know about you, but I'm kind of a hypochondriac when it comes to my skin. I've known too many people who've had melanoma or some sort of skin cancer, developed Lupus or some other skin ailment that reveals itself slowly but surely as small brown spots or flesh colored bumps. I've found myself looking in the mirror asking myself, what are these bumps on my skin?! Once I realize that it is nothing life threatening, that's when I go crazy with the skin care products trying to remedy the problem. Vitamin C to fade the brown spots, Glycolic Acid to shed the dry skin, acne products, aloe...you name it and I will do what it takes to make the visible signs of aging go away--FAST. But what ends up happening? A skin freak out. Why? Because, thanks to Renee Rouleau, I found out that these bumps and brown spots are normal for my age. So going into product overdrive only made my skin situation worse and then I start looking for products to counteract those issues as well. It is a vicious circle my friends. Vicious. Thankfully, Renee gave me permission to re-post an article she wrote regarding these bumps we all begin to see as we age in the hopes that you won't mess up your skin the way I did simply because I didn't understand what was happening to my skin. Especially for those over 40, little bumps can start to appear on the skin, leaving people wondering what they are. People think they are developing clogged pores and so they attempt to extract them with no luck. Then they start treating their skin with harsh products thinking that it's a form of acne and they are left with dry, irritated skin with the bumps still present. So what are these bumps? One of the pleasures (sarcasm) of aging is that benign (non-cancerous) growths occur on the face, neck and body. They begin as small, rough bumps and over time, they thicken and get larger. There are many names for these; seborrheic keratoses, actinic keratoses, skin tags, sebaceous hyperplasia, and they all can appear a bit different (some brown, some flesh color) but generally speaking, they are bumps, excess skin, enlarged oil glands and growths that protrude from the skin and become impossible to hide with makeup. If the bumps are red and painful, then it's probably cystic acne. Read: Tips for Treating Cystic Acne There is no cream or ointment that will make these go away. Treatment options include cryosurgery (a freezing technique using liquid nitrogen) electrosurgery (burning off with an electric current) and curretage (a scraping technique). All of of these procedures are offered at a dermatologist's office and electrosurgery is offered at Renee Rouleau Skin Care Spa! As part of keeping the skin smooth as you age, it's important that you get a head start and stay on top of these by getting them removed. They only grow bigger and eventually can be unmanageable. So nip it in the bud now!  As I write this blog post, I have a few scabs on my forehead from a few growths that I just had removed. In about a week, the scabs will fall off, I'll have a few pink marks that I will treat with my Glycolic Serum 10%, but my skin should be back to a smooth, non-bumpy surface in no time! (Until new ones come in. Ugh.) Note: Some dermatologists may resist removing them for you since they are benign and not dangerous to your health so you may have to insist to have them removed. Also, you may want to have them remove just one to see how your skin will heal before having many removed. How can you prevent these? Since many of these growths are caused by a thickening of the skin, both acids and retinols may help since they can thin out the skin. See our collection of Glycolic Acid serums and exfoliants. Note: Skin cancer (melanoma) can start as little growths as well so it's always important to get your skin checked over once a year. Read: Skin Cancer Information You Need to Know Read: Skin Tips for Those Using Retinol Products Get products recommended for your skin type by choosing one of our nine skin types. Questions about your skin? Be sure to email us. We're here to assist! Information courtesy of www.ReneeRouleau.com, a website with skin care tips, products based on nine skin types and advice from skin care expert and celebrity esthetician, Renee Rouleau. Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! for more beauty reviews! Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too!

  When I first heard about Shellac, UV and LED gel manicures, I was over the moon excited. I could finally have polish on my nails sans chipping and polish peeling for more than 3 days and all without having to apply fake nails. In August, while at Cosmoprof, I received an awesome manicure from CND in Hot Pop Pink (pictured below.) The manicure took just as long as having acrylic nails or wraps put on (an hour) and the result looked just as amazing. I remarked to the manicurist just how gorgeous her own nails looked, as they were long and it didn't even appear to be naturally her own. She told me they were and that wearing the Shellac helped her achieve the length. I believed her, until my own experience has led me to believe otherwise. My CND Shellac lasted me 3 weeks. I was ecstatic. I applied CND's SolarOil to my cuticles and under the tips of my nails on a daily basis as instructed by the manicurist. My nails had grown a bit during this time and I was excited to go for round two of another CND Shellac at my local salon. This time I went for a French manicure CND Shellac. My nails were finally long enough to adorn some white tips and I was stoked. I went about applying the SolarOil again daily, but this time it only took 3 days for one of my nails to peel and the Shellac to come off. Day 4, one of my nails broke and it became clear how brittle my nails were becoming. By day 5, all of my nails were either peeling (the nail itself, not the polish) or breaking.  

Pros and Cons of Shellac and UV Gel Manicures: http://t.co/1C9RqsWdCJ pic.twitter.com/nOw1OpmR50 — A Girl's Gotta Spa! (@agirlsgottaspa) April 2, 2015

Looking at my very soft, peeling nails, I decided to not apply any polish at all for 2 weeks, but continued to put the SolarOil on them. But sadly, they didn't seem to recover. In the meantime, I had been sent the complete Red Carpet Manicure LED Starter Kit and as I was about to have my first television appearance, I knew my nails had to look amazing. So I used the kit, which comes complete with a portable LED light and is a DIY home LED manicure kit. Colors were gorgeous, time was still about 1 hour to complete the manicure and I used their Revitalize cuticle oil daily. But by day 3, my nails were peeling and even more brittle. I now had stubs for nails (even shorter than pictured above.) Finally I asked fellow friends in the salon business and fellow bloggers if they experienced the same of gel manicures, and it was a resounding yes. Pros: Manicure can potentially last up to 3 weeks No chipping Manicure is instantly dry upon last UV go round Mirror finish (nails look wet, but aren't) Can DIY and look just as amazing as at the salon Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous Cons: Very drying to your nails Repeated application (without a breather) will result in brittle and peeling nails Wear time gets less and less with each application If you don't apply the cuticle oil daily, your nails will dry out a lot quicker Costs add up, especially if the manicure doesn't last 2-3 weeks CND Shellac requires it's own Remover Wraps According to some doctors, the UV lamps can cause skin cancer (but the jury is still out on this) So it appears that, at least for me, a CND Shellac or UV gel manicure will only happen for special events (like holidays, TV appearances, events) and cannot be worn all of the time. Unless I want to continue having man hands with my stubby nails. In the meantime, I will be in nail re-cooperation with Qtica's Cuticle Repair Balm and Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator to regain my length.  I'd love to hear from you: what has your experience been with UV gel manicures? Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest and check us out on Instagram and G+. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too! Shannon on G+ *Disclosure: affiliate links

"O.M.G...omg omg omg omg!"  I shrilled in my most 12 year old voice ever when I accidently came upon an incoming link from SHAPE Magazine naming A Girl's Gotta Spa! a Top 20 Best Beauty Blog. I practically hyperventilated, then I called my boyfriend and then I told my friends also mentioned on the list. An email into SHAPE confirmed that I indeed was put on their list after being named by some of their readers as their favorite beauty blog. WOW and holy freakin cow. And I am SUPER excited! Because you know what? A Girl's Gotta Spa! turns 6 on October 24th! What better way to celebrate than to be given this accolade! But it doesn't stop there, SHAPE is asking that of the 20 of us mentioned, YOU vote for ONE as the BEST. I'd like to hope and pray that my readers would choose me. (And tell their friends to vote for me, who tell their friends to vote for me...and so on!) I have some pretty stiff competition. I am among a really incredible bunch and let me even say that my friend Kathryn of The Budget Fashionista is in there. Can I even begin to tell you how BEYOND that is for me? To even be named in the same category of fabulousness as her? Stick a fork in me, I'm done! Holy smokes! So here is what I need you to do: Click on the link to vote A Girl's Gotta Spa! as Best Beauty Blog. Then click the link that says "Vote for this blog!" It will bring up a voting form and then just click A Girl's Gotta Spa! And that's it! No registration is needed and you can only vote once. Voting ends on Oct. 28th. If I make it as one of the 6 finalists (there are 6 categories, not only beauty) then I would win a $100 American Express Gift Card (which honestly I don't plan to keep if I win it, but will instead gift it to a needy family here in Northeast PA), but if I am selected as the grand prize winner of the 6, then I have the opportunity to shoot a paid video series to be launched on Shape.com. (DUDE I totally want that!) Thanks in advance for voting for me and thank you to whoever the SHAPE readers were who nominated me to begin with! xoxo ~Shannon

I am a big believer in monthly facials. I wasn't gifted with perfect skin and in order to keep a younger looking appearance sans plastic surgery, taking care of my skin is a priority. I love going to The Woodhouse Day Spa in Kingston, PA (and there are others around the country too) and have had their Four-Handed Massage and Minkyti Facial before, so I was all for experiencing something new. As I just turned 37, I became most interested in a new facial they are performing there involving the NuFace toning device. I've heard a lot about NuFace and I'm familiar with microcurrent technology, so I was ready to see if it would work for me. This facial starts off like any other facial at The Woodhouse Day Spa, using products from Amala skincare to cleanse and exfoliate (from the Rejuvenate collection), then NuFace's Conductivity Gel is applied. As the esthetician smoothed the NuFace device ($325) on the right hand side of my face and under my chin, I felt absolutely nothing. I even began to wonder if it was on, assuming I was supposed to feel my skin tingling. However, once she got near my hair line, especially my eyebrows, that's when I began to feel a tinge here and there. Whenever you are getting a facial (or any spa treatment) it's good to speak up if you feel any discomfort so that the treatment can be adjusted. Once I told my esthetician that I was feeling small pin pricks, she applied more gel and that remedied the situation. The esthetician moves the device with the contour of your face and the microcurrent is delivered to lift and firm the skin. As we age, we lose about 1% of our skin's elasticity each year. So if you want to avoid going under the knife, this is a great way to reprogram your muscles. (I asked if it would work on my chest too, but she just laughed. I was serious though!) After about 10-15 minutes of using the device, she then spritzed my face with the Optimizing Mist and applied Amala's Rejuvenating Face Cream. I was told that it takes about 8 treatments to see a complete difference, then maintenance with the device about 1-2 times per week. However, I did notice that my skin felt a bit tighter, especially above my eyebrows and in between them. I had the esthetician take a before and after picture and you can see that the wrinkle I have between my eyebrows is much less and that the skin above my eyebrows does appear to pull them up slightly. While I didn't purchase NuFace (the kit is about $325) I was still happy with the results. The facial itself is $70. What do you think? Have you tried NuFace for yourself? If you are local here in Northeast PA, please visit The Woodhouse Day Spa via their website or Facebook fan page. If you happen to book a spa treatment, let them know you heard about them from A Girl's Gotta Spa! Not local? You can still find The Woodhouse Day Spa nearest you by visiting their corporate website. Ps. They sell Farmhouse Fresh products in their boutique! I've tried their Honey Heel Glaze....AMAZING.