Photo: [LINK]
Did you know that there must be at least 50 special days attributed to women all over the world from January to March alone, just before the International Women’s Day every 8th of March? It begins on January 1st with Cervical Health Awareness Month up to the first week of March, with Women of Aviation Worldwide Week. [1] No wonder the International Women’s Day is a day of grand celebration for many women’s groups!
If you’re feeling like this year’s women’s day will be better spent in solitude, consider spending this wonderful holiday with your girl besties instead!
Gifts for Your Girl Friend
Photo: [LINK]
For International Women’s Day 2023, we have some suggestions for activities that you could do by yourself, with a special someone, or a group to celebrate. But allow us to suggest instead a girl’s day, complete with gifts, activities, and quality time on this special day!
You can even start your women’s day right by making some nice homemade spa day gifts perfect for your best friends. For instance, one simple gift you can make are bath bombs! They don’t even have to have a tub to enjoy this gift, they can just as well use it when they’re have a nice foot soak!
Here’s how you can make one. Just prepare the ingredients listed below:
Bath bomb [2]
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1 cup non-gmo verified citric acid
- 1 tbsp coconut milk powder, milk powder, or white cosmetic clay
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (almond oil, olive oil, and coconut oil is also a good alternative)
- 20 drops NOW Foods Lavender Essential Oil
- 1-ounce organic Witch Hazel extract (in a small spray bottle)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Stir the baking soda, citric acid, and coconut milk powder together in a large mixing bowl.
- Use your fingers to squeeze out any clumps out of the dry mixture.
- In a separate small bowl, mix the coconut oil with the essential oil. Drizzle the liquid mixture into the combined dry ingredients while stirring with a whisk.
- Break up any remaining clumps with your hands and make sure the mixture is completely incorporated. The mixture will have a similar consistency of wet sand.
- Squeeze a portion of the mixture into a ball shape with your hands. If it crumbles, spray 3-5 spritzes of Witch Hazel into the mixture while stirring, then check again. When the mixture holds together easily without crumbling, it’s ready.
- Fill your silicone moulds with the mixture, pressing firmly as you pack it in. Turn out the bath bomb fall apart, pack them back into the mould and leave them in the mould for 3-5 minutes to set. Then turn them out onto the parchment paper.
- Allow the bath bombs to air-dry for several hours, then wrap in airtight packaging. You can use plastic wrap or store them in an airtight container.
You can also make a body scrub to accompany the bath bomb for a perfect pampering session perfect for women’s day!
Sugar Body Scrub [3]
INGREDIENTS
- 15-20 drops NOW Foods Lemon Essential Oil
- 1 cup of white or brown granulated sugar
- ½ cup of NOW Foods Jojoba Oil
- 1 small mason jar or another container
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix all of the above ingredients in your container.
- Use a wooden spoon or stainless-steel cutlery to mix (avoid plastic utensils).
- Aim for a grainy, crumble-like texture.
- The next time you shower, use about 1-2 tablespoons of the sugar scrub to rub all over, for silky smooth skin.
- It’s simplest to use your body scrub in the shower, so that you can easily rinse it off when you are finished.
- Rinse well.
Best Friend Exercise Day
Photo: [LINK]
Health and wellness are always important no matter the season. And for International Women’s Day, if you can find it in your busy schedule, we suggest an exhilarating run with your bestie!
You can even share a nice breakfast at home and get energised before your run by diffusing energising essential oils such as NOW Foods Lemon Essential Oil or NOW Foods Peppermint Essential Oil. Peppermint, especially, has been found to increase and improve athletic performance as per a 2013 study. It can even help prevent fatigue [4], so you can even opt to take a whiff of it after your workout!
You can diffuse these two guaranteed energiser essential oils with NOW Foods Ultrasonic USB Aromatherapy Oil Diffuser! It’s quiet, heat-free, easy to clean, with a fun colour-changing feature as well!
Set the mood before your outdoor run or before the start of your gym session. Nothing is more fun than being healthy with your bestie!
Spread the Women’s Day Love
Photo: [LINK]
To fully celebrate women’s day, we can even honour the women in our lives that helped us become who we are now – these include mothers, grandmothers, aunties, and the many other women we hold dear.
Make a simple and delicious homemade meal and invite over some of the women in your life for a quaint little home dinner. Wine optional, but preferred for this day of celebration!
Homemade Aglio e Olio [5]
INGREDIENTS
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound NOW Foods Quinoa Spaghetti
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup NOW Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½ lemon, zested, optional
- Freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Parmesan
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil over high heat, then salt it generously. Add the NOW Foods Quinoa Spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally until al dente, tender but not mushy, about 8 minutes.
- While the pasta cooks, combine the garlic, NOW Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes in a large skillet and warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic softens and turns golden, about 8 minutes.
- Drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink, reserving about a 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta and the reserved water to the garlic mixture. Mix well. Add the parsley and lemon zest (if using). Adjust seasoning, to taste. Transfer to a large serving bowl or divide amongst 4 to 6 dishes. Serve topped with grated cheese, if desired.
We may have many bad days in a week and maybe even in a year, but when push comes to shove and life gets a little too difficult, we can always count on our girl friends to help us relax and unwind.
This International Women’s Day, let us honour ourselves and the women in our lives as a way to truly take to heart the meaning of this special day!
References:
[1] https://nationaltoday.com/women/
[2] https://thecoconutmama.com/homemade-bath-bombs/
[3] https://www.essentialoilhaven.com/lemon-sugar-scrub-diy-recipe/
[4] https://boomboomnaturals.com/blogs/news/essential-oils-for-travel