5 Ways To Pamper Yourself

As the weather gets cooler, we’re finding ways to feel cozy.

The holidays are supposed to be happy and festive, but often the reality is a season full of stress, burnout, and plenty of viruses going around.

But there are ways you can add self-care to your schedule and fight the cold-weather blues.

Here are five of our favorite ways to pamper yourself when you need a little extra TLC. Not only are they fun, but they’re also designed to nourish you on a deeper level than just grabbing a candy bar, or nestling in for an hours-long tv binge that leaves you feeling a little hungover.

1. Listen to your favorite music

Nothing creates a mood like music. So build a playlist of songs guaranteed to put you in a good mood.

Here are a few pre-made lists from Spotify to get you started:

Mood Lifter - this playlist features uplifting but mellow tunes from Hozier, Alessia Cara, and Freya Riding.

The Obamas’ Summer 2019 playlist - aside from Lana Del Ray’s breakout hit, summer music is usually happy music. Borrow our former president’s playlist, collated by Pitchfork, here.

Joanna Gaines’ “At Home” playlist is calm and soothing - perfect at the end of a busy work day. 

2. Take a bath

Nothing says “pampering” like a warm soak. A great bath can melt your cares away. Did you know there’s even a fancy term for healing bath? It’s “balneotherapy” and it refers to baths that are used to treat symptoms of diseases. Enjoy the refreshment of plain old tap water, or add in one of these for an extra treat:

Colloidal oatmealColloidal oatmeal (yes, this is a special kind of oatmeal - not the kind in the cereal aisle) is a doctor-recommended way to soothe itchy, irritated skin.

Epsom saltsExperts at the Cleveland Clinic extol the virtues of epsom salt baths for soothing both tired muscles, and tired minds.Sandalwood oilLavender tends to get all the attention, but sandalwood is another essential oil that not only smells amazing, but is used in aromatherapy to lift the spirits. 

3. Eat your greens

It’s not the most glamorous suggestion on this list, but for long-term benefits, it just might be the most important one.

Pamper your cells by bringing more green into your diet. You’ll not only be doing your future self a favor, you’ll also get the instant boost of energy that comes from making good choices and giving your body nutrients.

Make salads funTired of boring, bitter salads? It’s easy to take a salad from dull to delicious, with just an add-in or two:

- Add texture with nuts. Pecans and walnuts are easy to chew (unlike almonds) and add great crunch and a good dose of healthy fats that'll make your salad more filling, too.

- Do dairy with a sprinkling of crumbled feta, shredded mozzarella, or shaved Parmesan. Feeling fancy? Add goat cheese

- it’s a perfect complement to bitter greens.

- Sweeten it up. Think fruits and veggies don’t mix? Think again. Adding chopped apples, halved grapes, or a handful of berries to your green salad is a great way to use up produce (raise your hand if you’ve tossed old fruit lately). Not only will the sweetness be a great contrast to the savory greens, but you’ll get power-house antioxidants.

Put a fresh spin on itThink smoothies are so 1999? Blending greens together with protein and fruit never goes out of style. Find fresh inspiration with Kelly Levesque’s free Fab Four smoothie recipes. Each one has a healthy amount of protein, fat, fiber, and greens - four essential categories for daily nutrition. 

Nourish your soul with cooked dishesRaw veggies are great, but sometimes, especially when you’re feeling chilled, or on the verge of a cold, cooked greens are just what your body needs. For an easy way to build flavor and texture, try Samin Nosrat’s Roasted Vegetable and White Bean Salad recipe.

4. Give yourself a DipWell Mani

Nothing makes a woman feel put together like a fresh mani. Give your nails some love with a gorgeous dip mani. We like to make things easy around here, so we’ve created easy DIY kits. All you do is pick a few fave color powders, and everything else you need will arrive with them, along with an illustrated step-by-step guide.Whether you’re in the mood for a sparkly holiday look, an ultra cheery neon, or a more laid back neutral, we’ve got a spectrum of shades that’ll have you saying oh la la.

If you’re new to dip manis, we’ve got a full library of tutorials to help you avoid first-timer mistakes and make the most of your new dip nails. (Btw, they last up to three weeks, maintenance free, cure without harmful UV light, and remove easily with no scraping. Talk about pampering!

And if you missed our Black Friday / Cyber Monday sale, here's a chance to save 20% off site wide (excluding BYOB Kits) between December 12th & December 16th, 2019 to receive your holiday orders by December 24th! Terms & Conditions apply.

5. Get together with a friend

It’s easy to postpone seeing friends when life gets busy. Between a 9-5, carpool schedules, obligatory parties, errands, chores, and laundry, it can be easy to just fill in the gaps with a good Netflix queue. But getting together in real life is worth it. Even if you have to put a date on the calendar a couple months in advance. And it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, to be fun. Here are a few friend date ideas:

Dip together

If dip manis are a great solo DIY project, they’re also a great friend date. Set up your at home salon and use DipWell kits to ensure you have everything you need ready at your fingertips.

Grab a hot cup of tea

No need to skip the coffee shop just because caffeine will leave you wired all night. Instead go for an herbal tea. If you don’t already know, Starbucks medicine ball is pretty much the most delicious thing ever, and it’s the perfect way to pamper yourself and wind down.

Shop local

Instead of heading to the mall, or just browsing online, take your shopping local. Small boutique shops are extra fun to browse with a friend. You never know what you’ll find, and you’ll have someone with you to let you know if that sweater is really your color or not.

For more on self-care, see our article on Self-Care Gifts for Mom. And as always, show us your manicure pampering by tagging us @dipwellnails on Instagram and using #doyoudipwell.