10 Tips for a Perfect DIY Spa Night

3. Slather on a hair mask.

Think of this moisture makeover as rehab for hair that’s dry, fragile, damaged, colored, highlighted, straightened or relaxed (that’s all of us!). Some hair masks are in the pricey $30-to-$45 range, but a low-cost mask packed with protein and botanical oils for $12 or less does the job. Try SheaMoisture Honey & Yogurt Hydrate + Repair Protein Power Treatment ($14, target.com), Garnier Whole Blends Argan Oil & Cranberry Extracts Color Care Mask ($10, walmart.com) and L’Oréal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm ($6, target.com) and don’t be stingy — apply lavishly using a wide-tooth comb to distribute the cream evenly. Though directions say leave on anywhere from five to 10 minutes, let your hair mask “bake” under a shower cap or plastic wrap turban while you bathe or mask up pre-shower. The combo of wrap, steamy bathroom environment and more time will amplify the results. When you finally shampoo your mask out, do a tension-busting scalp massage to rev up circulation at the roots, too. Make every minute count.

(Left to right) Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb Super Hydrating Sheet Mask; Olay Hydrating Overnight Gel Mask with Vitamin E; Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Face Mask

Garnier; Target; Walmart

4. Choose a hydrating face mask.

This is one of the key treatments in your spa night because it quickly resets dry, parched skin that’s looking needy and tired. Ignore masks labeled clarifying and pore cleansing and choose one that emphasizes moisturizing specifically with wrinkle-plumping hyaluronic acid. Choose a pre-infused sheet mask like Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb Super Hydrating Sheet Mask ($4, walmart.com) or Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Face Mask ($3, walmart.com) or a more intensive overnight mask like the Olay Hydrating Overnight Gel Mask with Vitamin E ($23, target.com) in place of a night cream. All are applied to a makeup-free, freshly cleansed face, of course.

(Clockwise from left) The Creme Shop How Do Eye Look? Depuffing & Brightening Eye Mask; Pixi DetoxifEYE; Yes to Cucumbers Depuffing Under Eye Masks

CVS; Ulta Beauty (2)

5. Do an under-eye peel-off mask.

Since eyes reveal everything from stress to insomnia to a salty chip binge, add a pair of crescent-shaped masks to your one-night stand. The most useful are those infused with ingredients like caffeine for de-puffing and improving darkness, hyaluronic acid for moisture and line filling, and soothers like cucumber or aloe. Try the Creme Shop How Do Eye Look? Depuffing & Brightening Eye Mask ($4, cvs.com) or Pixi DetoxifEYE ($24, ulta.com) — both have caffeine and hyaluronic acid — or Yes to Cucumbers Depuffing Under Eye Masks ($6, ulta.com) with caffeine and cucumber. You can wear these peel-off masks under your face mask or even sleep in them as an end-of-spa-night addition. These infused masks are more potent than old-fashioned teabag-and-cucumber-slice remedies, plus no need to lie down. You can keep your eyes open or closed while they work. Chill them in the fridge before needed, since cold helps reduce swelling and soothes itchy, screen-fatigued peepers.

(Left to right) Dr. Teal’s Pure Epsom Salt Balance & Calm Matcha Green Tea Foaming Bath; Dove Renewing Care Foaming Bath Salts Peony & Rose; Olay Moisture Ribbons Plus Shea + Lavender Oil Body Wash

Target; Walmart (2)

6. Relax in a steamy tub or shower.

Water is soothing, and since we tend to ignore the make-it-lukewarm-not-hot edict of dermatologists, do your skin a favor and aim for not too hot. Amplify the benefits of a good soak by adding some fragrant bath salts or gels like Dr. Teal’s Pure Epsom Salt Balance & Calm Matcha Green Tea Foaming Bath ($5, target.com) or Dove Renewing Care Foaming Bath Salts Peony & Rose ($6, walmart.com) to the water. Bath salts are either Epsom salt (which is magnesium sulfate) or sea salt. Both are rich in minerals that do everything from de-bloat tummy, breasts and ankles to soothe sore muscles, alleviate tension headaches and calm inflammation. Deeply relaxing scents include lavender, green tea and rose. Roll up a hand towel and put it behind your neck as pillow support (a small thing that makes a difference). Don’t have a tub? No problem. Get the same aromatherapeutic benefits with a scented body wash like Olay Moisture Ribbons Plus Shea + Lavender Oil Body Wash ($6, walmart.com) and sip some peppermint tea. Shower fans please note: The combo of hot water and steam will create a sauna-like effect.

(Left to right) Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Oil Mist; CeraVe Moisturizing Cream Face & Body; J.R. Watkins Love Body Oil Mist

Ulta Beauty; CVS; Ulta Beauty

7. Moisturize to seal the deal.

Hot water can be dehydrating, so be sure to apply a rich moisturizer or oil ASAP. Damp, towel-blotted skin absorbs topical products better than bone-dry skin. Choose an overnight face mask (see tip number 4), your usual night or face cream or a head-to-toe cream rich in hydrating ingredients and emollients like CeraVe Moisturizing Cream Face & Body ($18, cvs.com). A nongreasy spray-on body oil like Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Oil Mist ($12, ulta.com) or J.R. Watkins Love Body Oil Mist ($15, ulta.com) is a new alternative to creams (but please do not put these on your face!). And don’t forget to trim and file toenails now, too, while they’re still soft, before moving on to foot care step number 8.

8. Pamper your feet with a scrub or mask and massage.

Our achy, callused tootsies deserve spa attention, too, since each one has 26 bones plus muscles, tendons and ligaments. You don’t need a separate fancy footbath (though it’s a good holiday gift), just a scrub tool like the Spongeables Pedi-Scrub In a Sponge Foot Buffer 20+ in Citron Eucalyptus ($6, ulta.com) at the end of your bath/shower. Or try a post-bath foot mask like the Aveeno Repairing Cica Foot Mask ($4, ulta.com) to exfoliate softened dead skin on the soles followed by a foot massage. Use leftover lotion or any cream and your thumbs to press arches, big toes, small toes, balls of feet and heels in circular movements. For stubborn crusty heels try a before-bed exfoliating cream with AHAs and macadamia nut oil like Soap & Glory Original Pink Heel Genius Foot Cream ($8, ulta.com) and let it work overnight under a pair of clean cotton socks.

(Left to right) eos Shea Better Hand Cream — Lavender; Vaseline Intensive Care Hydra Replenish Hand Creme with Hyaluronic Acid; Love Beauty and Planet Murumuru Butter and Rose Hand Cream Delicious Glow

Target (2); Walmart

9. Give hands a TLC makeover.

Before slipping between the sheets, do a few last things after your bath/shower and all other treatments. One is to make sure to massage hands and cuticles with a rich hand cream that contains plant butters and oils like eos Shea Better Hand Cream — Lavender ($3, target.com), Vaseline Intensive Care Hydra Replenish Hand Creme with Hyaluronic Acid ($3, target.com) that includes cocoa butter, B3 and hyaluronic acid, and Love Beauty and Planet Murumuru Butter and Rose Hand Cream Delicious Glow ($5, walmart.com). In fact, keep a tube bedside and make it a new nightly habit.

L.L. Bean Women’s Super-Soft Shrink Free Lounge Set, Stripe in Arctic Blue Stripe (left); Pacifica Lavender Moon Body & Pillow Mist (second to left); Milani Rose Butter Lip Mask (top right); Kitsch The Pillow Eye Mask in Black (bottom right)

L.L. Bean; Ulta Beauty (2); Target

10. Get ready for a blissful good night's sleep.

Slip into some light PJs like the L.L. Bean Women’s Super-Soft Shrink Free Lounge Set, Stripe in Arctic Blue Stripe ($89, llbean.com), spray your pillow or blanket with an aromatherapeutic mist like Pacifica Lavender Moon Body & Pillow Mist ($10, ulta.com) with subtle hints of de-stressing lavender and rose, apply an emollient lip balm to soothe cracked, dry lips like the Milani Rose Butter Lip Mask ($7, ulta.com) and slip on a light-blocking mask like Kitsch The Pillow Eye Mask in Black ($18, target.com). Then turn off your mobile and your laptop, face away from the glow of your digital alarm and be sure to blow out all those calming candles. You will wake up feeling beautiful and refreshed.

Lois Joy Johnson is a beauty and style editor who focuses on women 50 and older. She was the beauty and style editor at Ladies’ Home Journal and a founding editor of More magazine. She has written three books: The Makeup Wakeup, The Wardrobe Wakeup and The Woman's Wakeup.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on Aug. 8, 2018. It has been updated with new products.