DIY Mother's Day Gifts :: Scrubs, Salts, and Lotions

My editor at Radish Magazine asked me to write about DIY sugar scrubs for the May issue for two reasons: (1) Sugar scrubs and other spa-like items make great mother's day gifts and (2) Typical exfoliants contain microbeads of plastic that are great for exfoliating, but terrible for our environment. (Read the article HERE to find out why.) As I worked on recipes for the article, I decided that I'd put together a little package for the mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, and aunties in my life. It turned into a fun, relatively simple and inexpensive project that I'm excited to share!

I made four basic recipes. Citrus sugar scrub, brown sugar–vanilla sugar scrub, lavender bath salts, and lavender-coconut lotion. You could certainly make a mama happy with just one or two, but here's what you need to know to make all four...

Supplies (you probably already have many of these in your pantry)

almond oil

olive oil

coconut oil

citrus essential oil (lemon, orange, or grapefruit all work well)

lavender essential oil (if you prefer a different scent, go for it!)

Vitamin E oil (optional)

pure vanilla extract

sugar

brown sugar

Epsom salt

sea salt

cute packaging (I found fun boxes at Marshalls; glass containers and labels were at Hobby Lobby.)

LAVENDER-COCONUT LOTION

Whip 1 cup of coconut oil in your mixer for 3-5 minutes. Once it's fluffy, stir in 20 drops essential oil and 1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil. (Vitamin E oil is good for your skin but is optional in the lotion.)

CITRUS SUGAR SCRUB

1 cup sugar (any kind)

1/2 cup olive oil

15-20 drops citrus essential oil

VANILLA BROWN SUGAR SCRUB

1 cup brown sugar (any kind)

1/2 cup almond oil

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

LAVENDER BATH SALTS

2 cups of any combination of salts (I use Epsom salt and sea salt)

25 drops lavender essential oil

EYE MAKEUP REMOVER

It's just olive oil and it works great! Use a funnel to put it in a fun glass container that can be refilled over and over again.

Give each of the above combinations a stir in a small bowl and that's that! Depending on the size of your gift box and the preferences of each person receiving the gift, you can mix and match the four items in any combination. Each of these are easy enough to make that you can enlist help from your kids if you feel so inclined. I even had someone tell me they were going to make the sugar scrubs with their entire Girl Scout troop!

I love this sort of thing because I am very picky about my cosmetics and what goes on my body. However, I am also very thrifty. Though I do spend money on certain organic or all-natural cosmetic products, I love it when I can make my own for a fraction of the cost. I also love giving handmade gifts and think the mothers in my life will be pleased. Perhaps yours will too!

(I also talked about this article on a local talk show last week. Click here to watch a demonstration of the host and I making the scrubs!)