Save money: Have an inexpensive at-home spa treatment

With all the time and money you've spent preparing for your wedding day, it's now almost here. With only a week to go, you are getting nervous and anxious because you still have so many things to do, like getting a manicure and pedicure, a massage or a facial.

Giving yourself a spa treatment at home is a money-saving alternative to using a spa if you need to stick to a budget.

But you are running out of time and are already way over budget. You want to look your best and feel refreshed and well rested, not only on your big day, but during the days leading up to it. Instead, you find yourself feeling stressed and exhausted.

Relax. If you don't have the budget to spend on salon services or are short on time, you can pamper yourself at home easily, using basic and inexpensive ingredients. For example, this "Full-Service Facial" from "Glow Guide: Spa — Simple Steps for Health and Well-Being" (Chronicle Books) by Andrea McCloud, uses olive oil, whole milk or yogurt as a cleanser, lemons and a few drops of essential oils for steaming, a mixture of honey and either sugar, cornmeal, poppy seeds or ground almonds for an exfoliator, and a mashed avocado, raw egg or mayonnaise as a mask.

"There's no need to go to an expensive spa for a facial when you can just as easily take matters into your own hands at home," McCloud says. "And more than skin therapy, an evening facial will give you some solo time to relax and re-engage with yourself." Follow these steps, and you'll see just how easy it is.

Full-service facial

Clean. Remove your makeup. (Out of makeup remover? Grab some olive oil, a natural alternative.) Wash your face with a gentle cleanser. (You can use whole milk or yogurt as a soap substitute.)

Steam. Give yourself a steam. Boil two quarts of water in a large pot. Squeeze one full lemon, cut in half, into the pot and then drop both halves into the water. Add a few drops of essential oil to the water for added benefits. Choose eucalyptus to fight oil, jasmine to calm irritated skin and geranium to moisturize. Cover and let sit for a minute. Put the pot on the table and sit in front of it. Get positioned comfortably — you'll be sitting like this for 10 to 15 minutes. Drape a towel over your head and put your face eight to 10 inches above the pot. Make sure the towel extends below the rim of the pot so you don't lose any steam. Relax and savor your steam. Breathe deeply. After 10 minutes, rinse your face with warm water to clean out the pores, and then splash with cold water to close them. This is very important, so don't skip this step. (Steaming can remove the natural oils from the face, so before you head out the door, be sure to moisturize.)

Exfoliate. Using your preferred exfoliating scrub (or adding a spoonful of sugar, cornmeal, poppy seeds, or finely ground almonds to a spoonful of honey), start at your neck, and in circular motions, work your way to your forehead. Take your time, and be aware of your movements.

Rinse. Rinse thoroughly.

Mask. Cover your face with a thick layer of mashed avocado for dry skin, scrambled raw egg for oily skin, or mayonnaise for normal skin. Sit back and relax for about 20 minutes. Rinse well.

Moisturize. Throw on some light moisturizer and you're done.

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