Homemade Christmas: Bath Salts and Sugar Scrubs

Blog #4 of the Imperfectly Pinterest Series.

I wrote last week about how to make lotion bars. This week's post is geared toward last minute gift ideas for groups. The only ingredient that may be difficult to find is the essential oil, depending on where you live. I ordered everything from New Directions Aromatics (who did not pay for me to mention their name or give me anything free, though they are welcome to do so.) because we live nowhere near anywhere.

For the sugar scrub you will need:

• 3 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 plus 1/8th cup oil (Olive oil, sunflower oil, etc. Any oil that has a nice smell will work. I don't recommend vegetable oil.)
• About 10 drops of essential oil per recipe.

This is really easy stuff to make. All you need to do is mix it together. This recipe will make three large jars or six small (2 oz.) jars. The most expensive thing is finding packaging. I ordered twenty small jars a few weeks ago, so packaging really wasn't an issue. You can find some pretty cute glass jars at Dollar Tree, but if you're making a whole lot of them, that will be pretty expensive. For the really small gifts I packaged it in small baggies. I printed labels onto small shipping labels that I cut in half width-wise. I recommend putting the ingredients on the label so recipients can be aware of any allergens.

To use the scrub: Rub on rough, dry skin and rinse to reveal smoother skin.

This stuff really works! Living in such a dry climate, I have a feeling that sugar scrubs may be a pretty regular ritual.

Bath salts are even easier. All you need is salt and fragrance. The big question becomes what type of salt, which is probably going to depend on what types of stores are near-by at this point in the game.

I used:

• Half Epsom Salt (I used some fine grain and some typical, coarse salt)
• Half Dead Sea Salt
• Plus I added Dendritic Salt to help it maintain its fragrance. You only need a small amount (5%-10% of the total) for it to do its job.
• Essential oil. I added it until I was happy with the scent.

In a pinch, you can use half Epsom salt and half ionized salt, or you can use Sea salt in place of the Epsom salt. I will say that the Dead Sea Salt and Dendritic Salt make a difference. I used some of it, and it was the best bath salt ever.

All you need to do is mix it together and package it. Some people add color, but I haven't added any coloring to any of the gifts I've made this year because I wanted to keep it simple and reduce the risk of allergic reactions.

I made lots of these, so I packaged them in small baggies. I know that I could have packaged them up super-cute, like this gal did with her sugar scrubs:

But that would have defeated the purpose of easy, inexpensive gifting. (I mean, hand cutting felt flowers? They're really cute, but c'mon!) I do recommend including a label on the package, though. After wrapping in tissue paper (as in the first pic), they were still pretty cute.

To use bath salt: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salt to warm bath water and relax.

I hope that these ideas help you as you attempt to complete your gift-giving ritual this year. Let lots of people know that you care this season with imperfect, heart-felt gifts.