Y’all know I’m a huge fan of Girls Night Out.  See South Beach and my Gild Collective party as two favorite, recent examples. So when my girlfriend Brittany over at The Cashmere Gypsy invited me over for a night of hot chocolate and making DIY body scrub, body butter, and bath bombs, it didn’t take long for me to scream a solid “YES!”

Rebecca, Brittany, Lo, and I getting crafty in the kitchen!

Brittany had all the trimmings ready to go, and we were a dressed in cozies and slippers.  It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday evening!  She got most of the products at Whole Foods and Sprouts, and surprised us with cute bags to wrap our gifts from Michael’s.  (Pro tip: Head there now if you’re looking for gear that’s 50% off!)

Almost all of the ingredients are food products, so they are absolutely safe to use on the skin.  Also, because we are planning to use these as gifts, we tried to focus on natural, organic ingredients, although that’s absolutely not necessary to still make a great product.

In case you’re on the search for a perfect gift for anyone from friends, to aunts, to mothers & grandmothers, I’ve included the ingredients and directions for the gifts we created below.  Let me know if you make any of these across the season!

Creamy Body Butter

1. Using a double boiler (or a simple metal bowl over a pot of boiling water like we did) melt 2 cups of olive oil, 2 cups of cocoa butter, and 2 cups of shea butter to a liquid consistency.
2. Once melted and combined, put mixture into the fridge for 1 hour or until the liquid has started to appear lighter in color and a bit more solid.
3. Using a hand mixer, whip the liquid mixture until it begins to look creamy. If it’s still too liquid, place in fridge for 20 minute increments until it reaches the desired consistency. Add 12 drops lavender essential oil and 12 drops grapefruit essential oil (we think it would be pretty with peppermint!) and whip with the hand mixer again.
4. Spoon the creamy, whipped body butter into sealed jars or containers. It will thicken and harden over the next 2 days or so. Keep near a steamy shower or pop in the microwave to soften.

 

Rose-Lavender Bath Bombs

1. Mix 1 cup citric acid, 2 cups baking soda, 20 drops rose essential oil and 15 drops lavender essential oil in a large bowl. You can add food coloring to this mixture, but remember… Food coloring can stain bathtubs, so be careful.
2. Spritz the mixture with 100% pure witch hazel and quickly mix together with hands. Continue spritzing the witch hazel and mixing in until the mixture feels damp and sticks together when you squeeze it.
3. Once damp, press the mixture firmly into molds. Overfilling doesn’t hurt. Once full, let the mixture sit for a minute or two, then carefully tap the mixture out onto paper towel. Let the bath bombs sit and dry for at least 1 hour before packaging them up.

 

Peppermint Sugar Scrub

1. Mix 8 cups white sugar, 4 cups coconut oil, 8 drops green food coloring, and 80 drops peppermint essential oil into a large bowl and mix together.
2. Spoon sugar scrub into sealed jars or containers.

 

If you want to be extra adorable, I highly recommend a hot chocolate bar on the side, filled with fantastic sweets.  We celebrated the holidays with toasty milk, three different hot chocolate options, and all the fixings, including gingerbread men, fresh marshmallows, and tasty candy canes.

 

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

How do you like to celebrate the holidays with your girlfriends?

Do you prefer to DIY gifts, or do you typically buy?

Let me know if you make any of these recipes and if you pick different scents!  I can’t wait to try a floral in the Spring 🙂

Create a great life!