I know the feeling: You’ve got a hundred holiday cards to write and a grand total of zero gifts wrapped. You’re on a budget. And you’ve got no time. These five easy, beautiful, and supremely pure body and beauty DIYs to the rescue: Each of them can be wrapped with a simple ribbon and gift tag, and you can batch prepare them to fill your gift quota in one fell swoop.
Take your pick, and thank me later when everyone is slathering themselves with the gorgeous self-care products you handmade for them. You’ll be the belle of the holiday ball.
FOR ULTIMATE RELAXATION: Lavender Rose Oat Milk Bath.
A simple blend of oats and dried lavender and rose petals (all available on Amazon for quick delivery), this skin soothing blend can be added to a hot bath for ultimate relaxation or used with a bit of water as a gentle exfoliator. You can mix and match the amounts of rose and lavender to your liking, or use all of one or the other. Oatmeal will ease skin irritation and soften the skin’s surface in preparation for after-bath hydration.
This will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 months.
Prep time: Less than 5 minutes!
FOR THE SELF-CARE FANATIC: Spirulina Honey Face Mask.
For the truly hardcore self-care junkie, here comes blue-green algae and raw honey to the rescue. Honey is a natural antibacterial and preservative, which means it cleans the skin and holds innate anti-aging properties. It also maintains the skin’s natural pH, eliminating risk of irritation and infection, which cause breakouts. Spirulina detoxifies, tones, and reduces inflammation.
This will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months, or in the fridge for up to 6 months.
Prep time: Less than 3 minutes.
FOR THE ROMANTIC: Edible Coconut Rose Sugar Scrub.
This is a sweet treat of a body scrub—it smells and tastes heavenly, and can be given to couples for an extra sexy spa-day gift. That said, it’s just as divine for solo use. The blend of sugar and shredded coconut makes for a hearty skin-slougher, while the addition of coconut oil ensures that freshly exposed skin is thoroughly moisturized before you even leave the shower. For use on body only.
This will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a week, or in the fridge for up to a month.
Prep time: Less than 10 minutes.
FOR THE COFFEE LOVER: Coffee Cacao Face Scrub.
Both coffee and cacao are major antioxidants, and can help rid your skin and body of free radicals. Free radicals contribute to aging, toxicity, and a mess of other stuff you’ll want to help your loved ones get rid of this holiday season. Coffee and cacao also contain caffeine, which has been shown to tighten skin, reduce redness, and calm irritation and inflammation. This is an excellent unisex scrub option, if you’re gifting to someone who’s not into floral scents. For use on face and body.
This will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a week, or in the fridge for up to a month.
Prep time: Less than 10 minutes.
FOR THE HAIR-OBSESSED: Lavender Sea Salt Beach Hair Spritz.
This recipe, from the Kale & Caramel cookbook (yes, you’ll need to get the book for the full concoction!), is the key to luscious, wind-tossed beach locks. It’s packed with relaxation-inducing lavender, moisturizing oils, and just the right amount of sea salt to get your hair feeling sun-kissed. It works on any length of hair, and is in high-demand from anyone I’ve ever made it for—they’ll want refills!
This will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.
Prep time: Less than 10 minutes.
Don’t forget you’ll find a bunch more DIY body and beauty recipes here, and a ton in the Kale & Caramel cookbook! Happy holidays to you, my sweet friends! Let me know what you make, what you gift, and how you’re spreading the self-care love this season.
