My heroine, Maizie Albright, grew up in Beverly Hills accustomed to weekly mani-pedi’s, blowouts, and facials. For her, a spa day wasn’t a luxury, it was part of a routine. But now that a kindly California judge decided Maizie would be better off living with her father in Black Pine, Georgia, and working in anything besides the entertainment industry, her weekly spa dates have gone by the wayside. After her legal fees and other bills (and learning that her ex-manager and still-mother had siphoned off most of her money), the ex-child star can no longer afford weekly Olyplex treatments let alone gemstone peels and bee venom facials.
Her Black Pine besties, Tiffany and Rhonda, are estheticians at LA HAIR, a salon that peaked in the early 90s and still serves the older clientele of Black Pine. Maizie goes to LA HAIR for advice and hugs and the occasional manicure and blow out (when she has the cash). For all other times, Maizie will have to learn to keep that sheen and polish with home treatments.
“Taking my hour, I ran toward all that was goodness and holy. In my world that was hugs from friends. And a quick blow out. I received both from LA HAIR, my go-to for hair, nails, and emotional guidance.
Pushing through the black and gold crackle-painted glass door, I strode into the oldish shop in an oldish Black Pine strip mall. The layered scents of Aquage, ammonia, and acetone wafted through the space, filling me with soothing ASMR-y vibes. A new water fountain featuring faux bamboo trickled in a corner and a top hits station played through speakers painted to look like rocks. Bottles of marked-up hair care products and marked-down homemade jewelry lined metal shelves that anchored the row of black vinyl chairs in the waiting area. On the end tables, I would find months-old People, Glamour, and Country Living magazines with pages torn out by customers who felt justified in stealing coupons and recipes.
Although one could not compare LA HAIR with the atmosphere or services given at a Beverly Hills salon, I also never worried about getting stabbed in the back with a pair of gold-plated scissors. LA HAIR — referring to the city or French article, no one knew or cared — had been with me through good times and bad.
Mostly bad since that'd been the luck forcing my move to Georgia in the first place.” (18 CALIBER, Maizie Albright Star Detective book 6)
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Because we can all use a spa day — especially during this anxiety-ridden time while we’re at home —I thought it’d be fun to explore some creative DIY spa kits. My youngest daughter loves Five-Minute Crafts and similar shows. She also loves to do DIY beauty care, so I pulled together this list mainly from crafts she’s done. (She does an excellent home DIP manicure, too, by the way.)
These are all ingredients you should find around your home. Have fun with your daughters and granddaughters with some of these treatments, or just treat yourself. Get out your fluffiest towels, light some candles, put on a robe, relax and rejuvenate. Something I’m sure you deserve during this time!
Coffee Sugar Scrub
1 c ground coffee
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c olive oil (or another oil)
Mix together. Rub on skin before a shower, then rinse off.
Tumeric Honey Mask
1/4 c raw honey
1/4-1/2 t turmeric powder
Combine. Spread on face and leave for 15 minutes. (Clears redness and dries up acne.)
Rejuvenating Manicure
1 lemon
1/2 a cucumber
Slice and place in a bowl of cool water. Soak hands for 10 minutes. Push back cuticles with an orange stick and paint as usual. (Lemon bleaches stained nails and cucumber soothes dry hands.)
Milk Body Soak Bath
4 c Milk
Honey
Essential Oil (lavender will be calming and soothing)
Fill tub with warm water, adding a small amount of honey and essential oil while it’s filling to spread the scent. Mix in 4 cups of milk. Rinse off in shower after the soak. (Lactic acid in milk helps to slough off dead skin cells, the oil and honey soothes skin and smells great.)
Conditioning Hair Mask
2-4 T Olive Oil or Coconut Oil (amount depending on length and thickness of hair)
Shampoo hair, towel-dry, and apply oil to damp hair (if your hair tends toward oily, don’t apply to roots). Wrap hair in a towel and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse hair in shower.
Brightening Facial
1 lemon
3 strawberries
1 banana
Remove stems and dice strawberries. Mash strawberries and banana in a bowl. Add the juice of 1 lemon. Avoiding the eyes, apply mask to face. Leave on for 15 minutes or until mask dries. Rinse off with cool water. (The vitamin C in strawberries lightens dark spots, lemon exfoliates, and banana conditions.)
Lip Scrub
Basic recipe
1 T oil (coconut, olive oil, or jojoba oil works)
1 T granulated sugar
Mix together until goopy (but not runny) and massage onto lips and wipe off. Apply lip balm after. Will store in refrigerator for a few weeks.
For flavor & pizzazz:
Add equal parts wet and dry ingredients to keep the right, goopy texture.
Coconut oil, brown sugar, and a little cocoa powder.
Coconut oil, ground coffee, and granulated sugar.
Coconut oil, brown sugar, and a little cinnamon (a natural plumper).
Honey, granulated sugar, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
The possibilities are endless!
Foot Scrub
1 part coconut oil
2 parts sugar
2-3 drops of essential oil (Peppermint is great for this)
Dash of lemon juice
Mix ingredients. Soak feet in warm water. Follow with foot scrub, massage mixture onto feet. Rinse, then rub your feet with lotion and slip into thick socks.
Sauna in the Shower
Essential oil
Washcloth
Run your shower at high heat until steamy. Spray a warm washcloth with essential oil. Get in shower and place washcloth over your face and breathe in the steamy scent. Great for unwinding and clearing up sinuses!
Hand Softener
2 spoonfuls of cold cream
2 drops tea tree oil
5 drops lavender oil
1 T olive oil
1 banana
Plastic dish gloves
Blend ingredients in a blender until smooth. Slather on hands and cuticles. Slip hands into gloves. If you have one, place gloved hands under a heating pad while you Netflix and Chill.
I hope these make you feel de-stressed and rejuvenated during this stressful time. During the pandemic, you can grab my first Maizie Albright Star Detective book, 15 MINUTES, for free. Try a treatment or two and relax with a book. I hope it will bring you some laughs and help you to unwind more!
15 MINUTES
Maizie Albright Star Detective book 1
Learn More: https://books2read.com/b/m2Xqor
18 CALIBER
Maizie Albright Star Detective book 6
MAIZIE’S GOT ONE MOTHER OF A CASE.
HER OWN.
Maizie’s mixing with international stars, spies, and her mother’s dark past in her sixth case in The Wall Street Journal bestselling series.
#WannabeSpy Maizie’s luck is running out. Maizie and Nash find themselves struggling to balance a new partnership and new relationship between missing persons’ cases, wild goose chases, and tracking a bullet into dangerous places. Sometimes it’s enough to make a girl NOT want to put a ring on it. When it comes to facing an 18-caliber killer, what will Maizie put up as the target? Her heart or her life?
Available everywhere: https://books2read.com/18Caliber
BIO:
A Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Larissa writes the Cherry Tucker Mystery, Maizie Albright Star Detective, and Finley Goodhart Crime Caper series as well as romantic comedies and women’s fiction. She loves to tell funny stories about Southern women looking for love (and sometimes dead bodies) in all the wrong places. You might have seen Larissa and family with their little dog, Biscuit, on HGTV's House Hunters International "Living for the Weekend in Nagoya" episode, but they’re back in Georgia now. Visit LarissaReinhart.com to learn more.
Thanks so much for having me on today, Michelle! I hope brings this some fun R&R during these stressful times! And thank you especially for hosting me on release day!
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