Blogmas Day 9 - Feature: Homemade sugar lip scrub

The season of merriment, spiked-anything, and gift giving is finally here and yet, this year I find myself a little strapped for ideas that haven't been done a hundred times over.  And while I wrack my brain trying to come up with creative pressies for all the women in my life, I can't help but come back to that nagging feeling that maybe this year I should just embrace my inner DIY'in diva and gift my favourite gals with something that every woman needs this time of year.

Great skin

That's right, this year I plan on giving the gift of great skin and making my own DIY skincare products. Now if that sounds tedious to you, it's not. If that sounds expensive, it's not. If that sounds difficult, it's not.  Curious to find out how you can do the same? Read on.

Why DIY?

Simply put, buying hoards of presents can get pretty damn expensive. And if I'm being honest, they can also be a tad impersonal. I mean, sure, you could hit the mall, battle the crowds and fight over that final sale item but why do that to yourself?  Instead, why not create something that is more personal and customised to each of your girlfriends? Not only will it cost you less but it will mean more to them and you can finish all your gifts in one afternoon, from the comforts of your own home, with a glass of wine in your hand!  And the best part is, you only need to go as far as your local natural foods store to get everything you need. Bonus!  So let's get our DIY on, shall we?

image credit: weheartit

Aw Sugar Sugar

One of the easiest presents to make is a simple sugar scrub that will help to slough away the dead, dry, scaly skin we all seem to be cursed with once the mercury drops.  What's even better is that you can make your sugar scrub look, and smell, like a candy cane! How cute and festive!  The process is simple, all you need is:

1/2 cup of Shealoe Butter
10 big tablespoons of white Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red Jojoba wax beads (if your local store doesn't have them, you can find them on Amazon)
2 teaspoons of white or pale yellow Beeswax
4-5 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
2 medium sized mixing bowls
double boiler
a few glass jars or mason jars

image credit: http://www.casadelsoltanningspa.com/

Once you have all your ingredients and materials rounded up, follow this method:

1)  pour yourself a glass of wine and take a big sip
2)  add 5 tablespoons of your Sugar to each of your mixing bowls
3)  heat up your double boiler and melt 1 teaspoon of Beeswax
4)  stir in 1/4 cup of the Shaeloe Butter and turn off the heat on your boiler
5)  make sure you gently heat the Shaeloe Butter or you could run the risk of it separating
6)  once it is completely melted, stir both the Butter and Beeswax into one of your bowls of Sugar
7)  mix in a few drops of your Peppermint Oil and stir well
8)  stir in 1/2 teaspoon of your red Jojoba wax beads and continue to mix well
9)  scoop your entire mixture into a resealable bag

Repeat this exact procedure again but do not add in the red wax beads.

1)  once you have your two mixtures (one red and one white), allow them to cool down completely
when they are cool to the touch, roll both mixtures into one corner of each bag and cut the tip of the bag (think icing a cake)
2)  pipe your mixture onto the walls of your glass jars, alternating colours so you get the candy cane effect
3)  once the walls of your jars are completely covered fill the rest of the jar with the remainder of your mixture
4)  add a funky swirling detail to the middle if you are feeling extra crafty that day

image credit: weheartit

While it may seem like a painstaking process, once you get the hang of it you can make large batches and crank out multiple jars at a time. In addition to that, the scrub smells amazing and will leave their skin feeling soft and naturally hydrated.

You can even further customize the jars by adding personalized labels, decorating the lid of the jar, or tying a sweet little ribbon around the neck of the jar – just let your imagination run wild!

Et voila! All of your holiday shopping done in one afternoon of wine drinking and DIY'ing! Suddenly gift giving just got a lot more fun.

Of course, this isn't the only option for DIY pressies so please, if you have any other DIY ideas, share them in the comment section below. After all, we ladies love options!
Happy holidays beauties!

AUTHOR BIO:
Vanessa is the chief blogging babe for http://besskincare.com/ where she blogs and vlogs about all things skincare including product reviews as well as quick and dirty DIY tricks that help her readers to look and feel their very best!

This months big pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Anastasia from Fashion Ramble - be sure to head over to check out her beautiful blog <3