DIY Peppermint Salt and Scrub

I love at-home spa days, and when I decide to pamper myself I go all out. Face masks, scrubs, moisturizers—you name it, I probably use it. There's nothing better than treating yourself to a little extra TLC when you can, especially in the winter.

I also love making things whenever there's an occasion to give a gift. To me, the best way to show someone you care about them is to give them a gift you put a little work into.

This year, I decided to combine the two for the holidays. In lieu of buying gifts for my friends, I made them a couple of things so they can have their own at-home spa day!

I looked at a lot of different DIY beauty products online, and ultimately went with Epsom salt and sugar scrubs for a variety of reasons.

Neither of these beauty products is very time-consuming to make, which was important for me since I had to throw these together during finals week. Plus, most of the ingredients were ones I already had at home. The only things I needed to buy were Epsom salt and jars. Easy!

I chose to use peppermint essential oil for the holidays, but you can use any oil. Lavender and sandalwood are both for relaxation, and eucalyptus smells amazing. If you want to stick to more holiday-themed scents like I did, there's a set of holiday oils on Amazon that I love (and plan to experiment with).

As for jars, there are lots of options. You can use mason jars (Michaels has some cute ones, and they're usually pretty affordable) or even repurpose empty jars you already have. You can use glass or plastic, especially if you're giving these to a clumsy friend or younger relative. No matter what you go with, there are plenty of gorgeous jars and containers out there. Remember, presentation matters!

Everything else is pretty simple to get, and you might already have it at home. Both of these DIY beauty products are easy and inexpensive to make, and smell so good that you might have to make a tester for yourself!

Peppermint Epsom Salts

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Epsom salt

• 1/4 cup coarse sea salt

• 1/4 cup baking soda

• peppermint essential oil

Directions:

1. Combine Epsom salt, sea salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Stir with a spoon or fork to mix well.
2. Add peppermint oil and stir. I used about 15 drops, but you can adjust the amount to suit your preferences.
3. Pour the salt in a jar.

Notes:

• Use twine or ribbon to tie a candy cane around the jar to give it a festive look!
• This recipe will fill an 8 oz. jar, but you might have a little left over.

Peppermint Sugar Scrub

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1/2 cup oil of your choice (I recommend olive oil or coconut oil)
• peppermint essential oil
• food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Measure out your oil and sugar, and mix until combined.
2. Slowly add a couple drops of red food coloring at a time, until you get your desired color. I used about seven or eight drops until I got the pink that I wanted.
3. Add the peppermint oil. Depending on the main oil you chose you'll need to adjust how much essential oil you add, especially if you use something with a really noticeable scent, like coconut oil.
4. Use a spoon to scoop the scrub into the jar, checking to make sure everything is mixed together evenly.

Notes:

• Food coloring is totally optional, but you might want to use it if you use an oil like olive oil that will make the sugar yellow.
• This recipe fills an 8 oz. jar.

So there you go—two homemade gift ideas that are great on their own or together. Just don't forget to make some Epsom salts for yourself!