Running low on cash but have a whole bunch of birthdays coming up? Here’s how to give nifty gift baskets of beauty baubles that you can make in your kitchen!

G stores and beauty brands are always bringing out baskets of exotic bath and body products. The Body Shop, Lush, Biotique all know that, when it comes to choosing a gift for your girlfriends or mom, nothing beats a fabulous loot of pampering products all arranged sweetly in a bag or box. Well, now you can make your own gift baskets and surprise your friends on birthdays, anniversaries or even on no-particular-occasions! The added bonus: Your friends will feel extra touched by the fact that YOU made the gifts!

Salts and Scrubs
Mix equal amounts of baking soda and epsom salts together and then scent with a few drops of essential oil. With so many fragrances available, the variety of bath salts you can create are endless.
Don’t throw away orange and lime peels. Dry them (not in the sun) and powder. Mix three tbsp of this powder with five tbsp of wheat bran or oatmeal. In a jar, pour quarter cup of olive oil, four tbsp of honey and the oat and orange peel mix. The honey will settle at the bottom, the oil will float and the orange and oat powder will stay suspended like star dust.

Throw in a star anise and let it sink to the bottom to complete the picture! An excellent scrub for the winter months; just tell your pals to shake before use. Add drops of essential oil or swap for citrus peel, dried jacranda or rose petals, sesame seeds or powdered almonds.

Bath Oils
The simplest to create! Instead of making a family pack, buy little vials and make a whole bunch of different smelling bath oils that your friends can carry while travelling. Take any base oil like olive or baby oil. Fill more than half the vial with this oil, then add a few drops of sandalwood or lavender essential oil for relaxation in one, jojoba to soothe the nerves in another, ylang ylang for a bit of sensuality, bergamot to revive the spirits, moon flower to sleep well, etc. Label each, so your friends know which one is for what.

Lotions
These don’t last too long without preservatives, so stick to making non-dairy based lotions. Fruits also reduce the shelf-life, but you can specify a use-before-date on the bottle. This one lasts about a week if you refrigerate it: Take one cup dried chamomile, two tsp honey, one cup milk and eight tsp wheatgerm. Steep the chamomile in milk for a few hours. Strain, keeping the liquid. Add honey and wheatgerm to the liquid. Blend well. Place in a pretty bottle.

Or, you can blend half a cup of aloe vera juice with four tsp of melted unsalted butter. Drop a few cloves into the bottle along with a few whole coffee beans to lend an exotic and unusual fragrance.

Bath Bombs and Fizzies
Your friends will love these! They are little molded bath salt balls — when you drop them in the bath, they burst forth and blend with the water.

Dry Ingredients:
One cup baking soda
Half cup citric acid
Half cup corn starch
Wet Ingredients:
2 ½ tsp sunflower oil
¾ tsp water
2 tsp essential oil
2 tsp natural colorant (you can use turmeric, juice from beetroots, pomegranate, or ‘jamuns’, or mint).
¼ tsp borax
Sieve the dry ingredients together. Then add four tsp of sea salts or epsom salts. Adding Epsom salts adds a bit of shine to the bomb and also makes the fizzing action more vigorous. It also seems to shorten the drying time. Set aside the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Measure and combine all the wet ingredients and borax in a small clean jar. Close tightly and shake vigorously. Slowly drizzle the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring constantly with your other hand. This mixture is VERY dry and crumbly.

If you add any other ingredient (such as herbs, epsom salts or dried flowers) you may need to add a bit more almond oil, but be careful not to add too much oil as this makes the bombs soggy and may start the reaction. The mixture should just start to hold together, when pressed in your hand like very slightly moist sand pressed together holds its shape.

Use clear plastic two-part Christmas ornament balls or halved ping pong balls. Do not oil the moulds beforehand when using these plastic moulds, but make sure they are clean and dry.

Pack each side of the mould and squish the halves together HARD (the mould shouldn’t fit together completely). DON’T twist the two halves, just PUSH them straight together and smooth off any excess around the crease with your fingers.

After a few minutes, tap the moulded bomb gently once or twice against your work surface. Unmould one side at a time, taking the top half of the mould off first. Then turn the ball over and remove the other side. Avoid the temptation to ‘twist’ the top of the mould, as this can easily split the bomb.

If the bomb splits or crumbles, empty out the mould completely, crumble the mixture back into your work bowl, and start again. Bake the bombs for two to three hours at very low heat (no higher than 200º F). If you live in a highly humid place, this is the best way to dry your bombs.

The Basket
Whether you arrange all these handmade bath and body products in a basket with dried flowers and paper rings, or in a bed of cotton wool with whole spices like cardomom, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon sticks, be as creative as you can be. Use long strands of fresh lemongrass or leafy vines or straw to tie up bags or around basket handles. You could also place everything carefully in a bed of dried flower petals and leaves inside a wooden box with a slide top. The options are endless. Just be creative!

Did you know?
Chamomile is one of the most used herbs in the world. It is used widely in cosmetics, particularly in shampoos and rinses especially for blond hair which it lightens. It is also used in soaps and creams to soothe and soften the skin.

Milk contains lactic acid, a natural alpha hydroxy acid that helps the skin exfoliate dead skin cells away from the surface of the skin. It is also very hydrating and soothing to the complexion.

Wheat Germ is high in protein and Vitamin E and B, which make this ingredient nourishing, soothing and helpful in preventing free radical damage. It’s very slight granular texture, gives a sensitive or dry skin a wonderful, gentle exfoliation.