A Sweet and Easy Way to Say Merry Christmas!

Who doesn’t love easy?

Especially when this time of year rolls around and we are overwhelmed with buying, wrapping, making, decorating…..

I had decided this year to make ALL of my Christmas gifts. What was I thinking?? In my defense, I did start in August – I totally know better than to wait, but now I am in total panic mode trying to complete all of the half done presents. (I am having a ton of fun though!)

So if you are running out of time, out of money, or just plain out of brain, here is a quick, easy, and beautiful little gift that everyone will love!  It can be adjusted to fit whatever you have on hand. The only thing you may want to pick up is the essential oils. I usually buy these at the health food store. They have the largest variety, and their selection is always of a therapeutic quality. Some essential oils can get really expensive though, so choose what your budget will handle.

Citrus-y oils are usually the least expensive, so I almost always opt for those, plus I just love the fresh scents. Jars for packaging can vary.  I like to go to the dollar store to see what they have, but you may just want to go with small quilted jelly jars from the grocery store.  They are less than a dollar each, and  cute, cute, cute! You definitely need something that is airtight, so choose wisely!

Recipes may vary depending on the purpose and the recipient, but they all start with the same ingredients.

Here is a basic recipe:

  • 1 ¼ cup sugar

  • ½ cup carrier oil

  • 2 Tbsp. grit (optional)

  • 20 drops of essential oil

You can vary the types of ingredients as you like, or according to whatever you have available. For instance, you can use cane sugar, brown sugar, or plain old white granulated sugar. Then, there is olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil and grapeseed oil. Each oil has its own benefits for moisturizing – you can look these up and decide what would work for you. I like coconut oil, and this has a tendency to solidify a bit, making it less drippy and easier to handle in the shower.

The grit is optional, and only necessary if you want to have additional sloughing. You could use lemon zest, or ground almonds if you want a bit extra oomph to your scrub, but the sugar does that already so it isn’t really necessary unless you want some additional benefits such as ground oatmeal for itchy skin.

Finally, there are the essential oils. Don’t skimp on these….this is what will get the bearer of your gift to say mmmmmm!!! I would blend a couple together on the side to see if you like the scent before committing to something specific. Maybe rub them between your fingers to get an idea of what they will smell like.  I like to use one for the bulk of the drops, and then just accent with something complimentary…like the lemon and spearmint in the recipe below.  You can use peppermint too, I just have a hard time finding it this time of year, so I usually opt for spearmint.

You can either mix up a big batch and distribute evenly between the jars, or mix them individually in their own jars. That way you can change the oils according to the person receiving them. Your choice! Mixing in a big batch is easier, so unless you want each one a little different, I don’t suggest this.

[A short word on the oils. Olive oil has its own scent, and when mixed with the other oils will change their scent.  If you are going to use olive oil, make sure you test that with your chosen essential oil to make sure that its blend smells good.  I particularly like coconut oil because of its fruity scent….its seems to blend well with most essentials.]

Now for my favorite:

Lemonymint sugar scrub

  • 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (keeping it white accentuates the lightness of the lemon)

  • ½ cup coconut oil (melt it before you go to mix it with the other ingredients)

  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best, but you can use bottled too)

  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest (I love how the zest make the mixture look even lemonier! Is that even a word?)

  • 7 drops of lemon essential oil

  • 3 drops of spearmint or peppermint essential oil

Melt oil in glass bowl in the microwave. {or in a double boiler if you prefer} Add in lemon juice, zest and essential oils. Mix well. Stir in the sugar and you are done!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

As you fill the jars, keep the mixture stirred up because the sugar will want to settle to the bottom. I like to use my canning funnel for this so that I don’t have a bunch of oily jars at the end. Assemble your lids and close them up tight. This will keep the essential oils from losing their potency.

Add a tag, ribbon, or fabric skirt under the rim to decorate. You can even use decorative cupcake wrappers under the rims. This recipe is easily multiplied.  I mixed 8 times the ingredients and got 13 -8oz. jars!

I hope this lightens your holiday gift making, and blesses all who scrub!

Merry Christmas!

Lisa

 

 

Tags: blessing others, creating from your abundance, creative gift giving, DIY girfts, Easy homemade Christmas gifts, fresh and lemony, Homemade, lemonymint sugar scrub

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