Growing up in an environment where investing in beauty/pampering session is seen as wasteful from the eyes of many women, I took the challenge this month to go in full swing on beauty treatments from head to toe without consideration of price. I did this with the intention to find the line between self-care and self-indulgence.

My plan:

Receive a customized facial treatment (not any basic facial package), manicure, gel pedicure, hair treatment, haircut, hair color, and body massage

Total time spent: 13.5 hours on 5 different appointments

Was it worth the investment?

I would say, YES. At least for me, this a starting point of a new self-care routine and a reminder that I have a body and I have to take good care of it. The relationship between how we care for ourselves should not be measured with the hours spent in a hair salon or a nail shop, but if we are not doing this, we have been neglecting ourselves a little. The question is, why have I unconsciously neglected myself? Was it too much work? Too much of other obligations that I “forgot” about myself?

Self-care is not just about pampering ourselves or fixing the outer appearance, it is actually the initiative to want to feel good and look good by sleeping on time, eating healthy and go for some beauty fixes that we can’t do at home. Making the right choice of things we put on and inside our body, selecting the right environment and supportive friends to hang-out with is also part of self-care.

Following this, I chose my meals very carefully so that I would prolong my beauty ROI at least for the rest of the month. I started eating foods that are full of fiber, healthy fats, low carb, which also incorporated mostly organic ingredients. I could have eaten pizza but I resisted. I did not consider special diets such as Keto or Atkins, because I do not have the discipline to stick to one diet at this point, and also because I am not “ready” to start a new diet.

Apart from that, I have also found myself detoxing from social media, negativity, and pop radio (because they tend to play sappy love songs or songs with lyrics that bashes self-worth for the sake of a relationship). Those were replaced with positive songs, motivational talks and a lot of mantras and chants.

Could you imagine yourself doing this religiously this every single month? Let me know in the comments below.