We look forward to summer the same way we look forward to New Year's and birthdays. We look forward to summer with the anticipation of new events, gatherings, fun vacations, favorite chores at the dacha, or leisurely strolls along the streets. And summer arrives – drying up the spring slush, scattering freckles on children's noses, filling the air with the scent of budding green leaves. Summer arrives fully armed.
And what about us, dear women? It's no wonder the saying “prepare your sleigh in summer and your cart in winter” is always relevant. That means you need to get ready for summer in the fall. It's great if we spent the long, damp autumn and cold winter hitting the gym, maintaining our golden skin in the solarium, pampering our hands, and visiting the beauty salon for algae wraps and massages… But what if we didn't? So, let's take a quick course in summer preparation. Be patient—you'll only need five days to get yourself in relatively good shape and welcome summer without embarrassment. Where to begin?
Day one
1. Bathhouse.
Of course, with a trip to the banya. Sure, you've been going there all winter, drinking tea with your girlfriends and discussing your husbands. But this trip is special; you won't have time to talk. In the banya, you need to perform the following procedures.
For the body: a scrub is a must. Mix sour cream and salt in a 1:1 ratio, coffee grounds and liquid soap, ground apricot kernels, and honey. You can use store-bought scrubs—the results will be just as good. Don't forget to thoroughly exfoliate your heels, elbows, and knees. If you're not flying out tomorrow night, you'll have to shave your legs and other areas where women typically remove hair. If you are, how could you possibly have hair there? You just got it all removed at a salon yesterday, right? Before leaving the sauna, it's helpful to apply warm coconut oil, lotion, or spray—your favorite self-care product—all over your body. Moisturizing creams with a shimmering effect look especially good. Congratulations—you've prepared yourself and your body for the next stage of welcoming summer: a massage and a visit to the solarium. Especially if you've had a couple of cups of green tea or rosehip infusion in the sauna.
For the face: a special gentle peeling to avoid over-irritating the skin. A mask should be chosen depending on your skin type and condition. For oily skin, a cleansing, steaming mask with grated cucumber and a drop of lemon juice is ideal. Dry, sensitive skin will appreciate warm olive oil with grated parsley. Aging skin will benefit from a mixture of beaten egg whites and starch. After the required time (usually 10-20 minutes), rinse off the mask and apply a suitable moisturizer. You're ready for your visit to the cosmetologist – even if you don't spoil them with frequent visits, you simply must see them once a year before summer. Why? A facial and eyebrow shaping are coming up.
For hair: warm burdock oil and massage it into your scalp for twenty minutes. It certainly won't cause any harm. All sorts of masks with snake skin extract (for hair growth), balms, and gels are good, but at this stage of summer preparation, we just need to wash our hair—our hairdresser will do the rest. We'll be going to a hairdresser before the beach season opens, right?
2. Diet.
It was worth mentioning the green tea and rosehip infusion we were supposed to enjoy in the banya. Since the next five days are fasting and dedicated to preparing for summer, we'll have to tighten our belts. You can follow your favorite diet, one that's already been tried and proven effective. If you don't have one, I suggest mine. It involves not denying yourself anything, within the permitted foods. The downside is that the permitted foods are limited: kefir, carrots, fruit, and a salad of Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, garlic, and dressing—mayonnaise, olive oil, or even sunflower oil—as long as you eat it. In five days, if your stamina holds up, you'll be fit to beat the carpets. If you stick with it longer, you'll appreciate that this diet allows you to lose no more than 2.5 kg per month—it's painless and gentle weight loss, and you'll feel virtually no hunger—just chop up another bowl of salad and enjoy.
And so, crunching on carrots, you complete Day One of your summer preparation . You'll learn about your next steps in the next article .