The holiday season is around the corner, and with it comes a scramble for gifts for loved ones. This year, we are going 100% natural and as waste- and plastic free as we can, with thoughtful DIY handmade gifts. This is the first in a series of natural and waste-less gifting ideas - look out for the others coming soon!

 

Lip Scrubs

Lip scrubs are easy to make and a natural way to exfoliate delicate lip skin, improve circulation and plump up. It’s also a fun activity to do with kids during holidays, and only a few ingredients are required!

Customisable Lip Scrub

Organic coconut sugar (you could also use brown sugar or white sugar or if you prefer)

A hard oil/butter of choice (hard meaning it is solid at room temperature) - coconut oil, avocado butter, cocoa butter, shea butter, etc

A soft oil of choice such as olive, jojoba, hazelnut, pomegranate, castor, sesame, sunflower, argan, sweet almond, you choose your favorite!

Essential oil of choice - some nice ones are sweet orange, peppermint, cinnamon, geranium, lime or coffee, but there are many others so get creative.

Small glass jar

 

Firstly, choose which butters, oils and essential oils you want to use. Go for combinations that compliment each other. Here are some ideas:

Avocado butter - sweet almond - lime

Cocoa butter - hazelnut - coffee

Coconut oil - jojoba - sweet orange

Shea butter - olive oil - cinnamon

Once you know which oils and butters you are working with, gently melt the hard oil and soft oil together (leave the essential oil for last). Add the melted oils to the sugar and mix until combined. Lastly add a few drops of essential oil and mix. Store in a pretty glass jar and use once a week to exfoliate your lips.

 

Lip Scrub Stick

5g beeswax

6g virgin coconut oil

3g cocoa butter

10g avocado oil

1 g vitamin E oil

2 tsp white sugar or organic coconut sugar

6 drops peppermint essential oil

Reused lip balm tubes

Melt all the oils and beeswax together (not the essential oil). Then stir in the sugar and lastly add the peppermint essential oil. Stir together then decant into a reused lip balm tube or a glass container. To use, massage the stick over your lips and use your finger to gently rub in, then rinse or wipe off.

 

Lip Balms

Lip balms are another easy and fun holiday activity, and they make great little gifts. They are easily customisable with different ‘flavours’ of essential oils, and can be tinted with iron oxides and micas.

Vanilla Cocoa Lip Conditioner

7g beeswax or a vegan alternative such as kahlwax, carnauba wax or soy wax.

15g cocoa butter

30g sweet almond oil

10 drops vanilla blend (optional)

8 drops of vitamin E oil

Melt the beeswax, cocoa butter and almond oil. You may want to melt the beeswax first as it will take the longest to liquify. Once the oils have melted, add the vanilla oil and vitamin E oil. Then pour into little tins and leave to set.

 

Creamy-licious Lip Balm

20g castor oil

10g cetyl alcohol

2.5g xanthan gum

2.5g stearic acid

5g fractionated coconut oil (can substitute with sweet almond)

8g beeswax (can substitute with soy wax. for a vegan alternative)

1.5g candelilla wax

0.25g vitamin E oil

Weigh out all the ingredients except the vitamin E oil, and melt together. Remove from the heat then stir in the vitamin E. Pour into reused lip balm tubes or glass jars/aluminium tins.

 

Tinted Lip Balms

Add a splash of colour to your DIY balms with natural colouring agents such as hibiscus powder and red iron oxide.

Hibiscus Red Tinted Lip Balm

2 tsp hibiscus powder

10g virgin coconut oil

6g cocoa butter

16g sweet almond oil

8g beeswax (can substitute with soy wax. for a vegan alternative)

Pinch of gold mica (optional)

20 drops peppermint oil or try something different like cinnamon essential oil

Disposable tea bag/coffee filter paper

Reused lip balm tubes or small glass jar or aluminium tin

This is a hibiscus infusion so you will need to let the hibiscus infuse into the oils for a few hours.

Melt the coconut oil, cocoa butter and sweet almond oil over low heat. Pop the hibiscus powder in the bag and let it sit in the melted oils for a few hours until you get a nice, deep hue. You can keep the oils on very low heat, or remove them from the heat and infuse at room temperature if you want to go out. Remove the hibiscus bag by pressing out the oil with a spoon. You can add the hibiscus and bag (if biodegradable) to your compost heap. Melt the beeswax into the oil hibiscus infusion, then remove from the heat and stir in the gold mica (if using and the essential oil). Decant into lip balm tubes or little glass/aluminium containers.

 

Cranberry Pop Lip Balm

10g beeswax (can substitute with soy wax. for a vegan alternative)

12g virgin coconut oil

7g cocoa butter

19g sweet almond oil

1g Vitamin E oil

Smidgen of bronze mica (optional)

Tiny pinch of red iron oxide

4 drops bergamot

2 drops clove

2 drops cardamom

15 drops peppermint

Weigh out the beeswax, coconut oil, cocoa butter and almond oil and melt together. Then remove from the heat and stir in the vitamin E, mica, red iron oxide and the essential oil as the mixture cools. Make sure the red colour is dispersed well! Then decant into reused lip balm tubes or little glass jars/aluminium tins.