GIVE A BIT OF NATURE, GIVE A BIT OF YOU

The holiday season is upon us, and with it the troubles of buying gifts. Who wants what? Will they like the gifts? How long has it been since those socks and deodorant? Isn't that too expected and ordinary, lazy even? What is a personalized gift, anyway? A spiral of this sort of questions can easily go out of control until you make a full circle, end up at the initial question and then just by something you’re not sure you even wanted to buy. Something you may not even be happy about.

DIY BODY SCRUB

Buying gifts doesn’t have to turn into a spiral of endless questions, much less take you to a state of panic. We at KAIAA suggest that you try making your own gifts this season and, along the way, personalize them for those who will receive them. It’s more than easy, it’s also fun.

This season, our go-to gift is a homemade body scrub. It’s easy to make and requires a very small list of ingredients. Also, you’ll be finished with it in no time. Play around with the recipe and personalize it for those who’ll be enjoying your DIY scrub. The rewards come in many forms. You’re offering something that you’ve made yourself – you are a part of it now – you’ve given it thought, time and effort. It’s something people will enjoy, while caring for their skin at the same time. What’s in it for you? Well, the appreciation that comes with going that one step further is what you can expect.

INGREDIENTS FOR YOUR PERSONALIZED GIFT

You'll need the following:

• glass jar with lid
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• ½ cup of coconut oil
• 30 drops of essential oils

You can find different types of brown sugar on the market. For a bit stronger and deeper scrub, choose a larger grain, more coarse sugar. For a gentler exfoliation effect, opt for finer ground sugars with tinier grains.

Coconut oil is usually solid at room temperature. To easily blend the ingredients, heat it just enough to melt it, but be careful not overheat.

When it comes to essential oils, there's a myriad of choices. Personalize the scrub to people you’re gifting – you can focus on the effects and properties these oils have, their scent, or both. For example, use some of the following oils – single or in combination with others, adding a total of 30 drops into your scrub:

• true lavender – great for sensitive or irritated skin / sweet, floral scent
• Indian frankincense – for dry and mature skin / warm, earthy scent
• sweet orange – adds a tonifying effect and revitalizes the skin / fresh, sweet scent
• Himalayan cedar – improves lymphatic circulation / warm, woody scent
• rosemary – nourishes dry skin / greenish, herbal scent
• spearmint – gives focus and clarity / sweet, greenish, refreshing scent

HOW DO I MAKE IT?

It doesn’t get any easier than this. In a large glass bowl, combine sugar, liquid coconut oil and essential you’ve chosen. Using a wooden spoon, stir and mix the ingredients until completely uniform. After that, transfer the mixture to a glass jar, seal with a lid and congratulate yourself on a job well done! Prepared and sealed in this way, the scrub can be stored at room temperature for months without going bad. No need to stop here, decorate the jar, wrap a gift card around it – let your creativity take the lead.

A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

You put in the time, picked up a few ingredients, experienced the ease, but also pride, of making DIY and personalized gifts. Enriched them with pure and unspoiled nature, added to them your intentions and effort. Sounds like something you can’t find in a store. Something so simple, but also very enjoyable and useful. Most important – it comes from the heart. While you might be preparing it as a gift for others – save some for yourself. KAIAA thinks you should also take a moment to enjoy it.