Give Homemade Christmas Gifts This Holiday Season

Sweet and Simple

Making beauty products at home is relatively simple to do. There are many easy-to-make recipes that you can use to make homemade cleansing products. Many people love getting homemade Christmas gifts because of the time and thought involved in making such gifts. If you are still uncertain about how well-received homemade beauty products will be, make them for yourself and use them for a while. Once you become a regular user, you will be more confident about how good such freshly-made products can be, and that confidence will show in your gift giving.

I’ll provide you with three easy possibilities for homemade Christmas gifts. Keep in mind that presentation is very important, so shop around for pretty containers to store your finished products in. Craft stores can be a great source of such containers. You might also want to try stores that sell kitchen supplies because spice tins and glass salt shakers can be used for certain recipes. Don’t forget to label your products with their ingredients and instructions for use. Use pretty labels!

Azuki Beans

Japanese women have used azuki beans for centuries and they make great homemade Christmas gifts. Azuki beans exfoliate and leave behind soft, glowing skin. Many companies sell ground Azuki beans commercially, but they charge outrageous prices for their products. You can buy azuki beans for less than $2 a pound at natural food stores or Asian markets. Grind the azuki beans in a clean blender until they are the consistency of a fine powder. This might take five minutes or more. Store the finished product in an airtight container. Round spice containers work well as decorative and practical containers for this Christmas gift. If you want something inexpensive, go to your nearest office supply store and slip some powder into those yellow bank envelopes.

Dusting Powder

Dusting powder also makes a wonderful homemade Christmas gift. Place 1 cup of cornstarch (you can also use arrowroot, but cornstarch is sold in every supermarket and more readily available) in a blender with 1 tablespoon orrisroot powder (available at natural food stores). Blend on low and slowly add ¼ teaspoon of essential oil. The great thing about this recipe is that you can pick any essential oil you want. Store the finished product in a clean container and add a powder puff for easy application. This product will be a big hit for Christmas.

Bath Salts

Making bath salts is also very easy and will be greatly appreciated by anyone who needs some stress relief. Add 2 cups of Epsom salts and ½ cup of sea salt along with 4-5 drops of essential oil into a resealable plastic bag. Mix until well blended. Use the same essential oil for this Christmas item as you did for the dusting powder so your gift recipient can layer the same scent.