by Texas Homesteader ~

RancherMan & I like to make our Christmas gifts ourselves to give to loved ones. This year we’d been working HARD for several months making different flavors of homemade cheese for our gifts.

But my aunt is on a special diet. So cheese wouldn’t be a thoughtful gift for her at all. Hummm…

I know – she loves to garden and she’s always planting and tending to the flowers in her amazing garden. (Let me tell ya, her landscape is breath-taking!) I’ll make a homemade, natural hand scrub for her!

I did some research and read that lavender is an herb that’s kind to your skin. So I immediately decided to make her hand scrub with lavender.

And I know it will be meaningful to my aunt that even the lavender flowers were grown and harvested right here at home.

So I first pulled some lavender blossoms and allowed them to dry. When they were completely dry I crushed them with my fingers to prepare them to be added to the hand scrub.

When all was ready, I put together my aunt’s special gift.

Mixing Up The Lavender Hand Scrub

First I added some Epsom salts into a bowl. Then I stirred in melted coconut oil, a small amount of body wash, my crushed dried lavender blossoms and a few drops of lavender essential oil. You can use whatever scent you like.

But be careful when using citrus essential oils, I’ve been told it greatly increases your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. 

Since this was purposely meant to be used during gardening season I shied away from any citrus influence in this hand scrub.

When it was all combined I stirred it all together and used a funnel to place it all into a glass flip-top bale jar.

Mama Always Says: “Presentation Is Half The Gift”

I’ll make a personalized label for the glass jar using my laser printer and shipping tape to further personalize it specially for my aunt.

Then I’ll present it in a small basket that also contains a nail brush, some garden gloves and maybe scented hand cream. I know she’s gonna love it!

This gift costs very little, both environmentally as well as financially. Yet it will be the PERFECT gift for my aunt!

Plus it’s a very personal gift, lovingly handmade specially for her. Now that’s right down my ally!

The glass bale-top jar was picked up months ago at a garage sale for pennies. And of course I always have lavender essential oil for use in my homemade soaps.

The lavender blooms were harvested from plants grown right here on the homestead. And the Epsom salts are always in my pantry, a vital ingredient in my less toxic Grass Killer.

So by putting on my thinking cap I was able to make a thoughtful, personal gift for a loved one that stayed in our budget and was still kind to Mother Earth.

And isn’t that combination the greatest kind of gift of all??

And in case you wanted to make several of these at one time to give as gifts to several people, here’s the full-sized batch:

~TxH~

My Favorite Garden Hacks

• Easy Garden Planning Spreadsheet
• Getting A Jump: Planting An Indoor Greenhouse
• Repurposed Cardboard Seed-Starting Pots
• 3-Sister’s Garden – The Original Companion Planting
• Low-Cost Vegetable Gardening
• Planting A Large Galvanized Trough
• Using Cheap Biodegradable Weed Block
• Tricking Birds AWAY From Your Strawberry Plants
• Easy Compost For A Healthy Garden
• Propping Tender Seedlings
• Cheap (or FREE) Wood Mulch For The Garden
• Homestead Hack: Remember Where You Planted Seeds
• How Vegetable Gardening Can Change Your Life!
• Easy Deep-Soak Watering
• Planting Potatoes In Galvanized Trough
• Planting A Blueberry Bush In Galvanized Tub
• Stevia – Growing Your Own Sweetener!
• How I Use EcoBricks In The Garden 
• Making An Inexpensive Temporary Cold Frame
• Easily Disposing Of Old Confidential Documents
• Repurposing A Coffee Can For Deep-Soak Watering

MORE Gardening Posts

Gift Ideas

• Homemade Gifts We’ve Given
• Christmas Gift-Idea Roundup
• Repurposed Denim Hand Warmers
• 8 Eco-Friendly Gifts Your Friends Will LOVE!
• Low-Waste Christmas Gifts We’ve Received
• Thinking Of Adding A Pup To Your Home This Christmas?

• Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas:

  

  • Gift Ideas For Mom
  • Gift Ideas For Dad
  • Homemade Gift Ideas
  • Homemade Chai Tea Mix
  • Gardener’s Hand Scrub
  • 3-Ingredient Beeswax Lip Balm
  • Repurposed Denim Pocket-Sized Hand Warmers
  • Rustic Repurposed-Denim Baskets
  • Cedar Solar-Light Garden Feature
  • Rustic Bois d’Arc Solar Light
  • Photo Wall Hanging Using Reclaimed Barn Wood
  • Making A Small Gift Box With A Greeting Card
  • Make a Customized Label With Plain Ole Shipping Tape
  • 8 Environmentally Friendly Gifts For Your Friends
  • Low-Waste Gifts We’ve Rec’d & Loved
  • Environmentally-Friendly Gifts Can Be Fun

  See All Our Eco-Friendly Posts

Low-Waste Gift Wrapping & Presentation

• Low-Waste Gift Wrapping Ideas
• Reusable Gift Wrap Ideas
• Gift Baskets
• Make A Cute Gift Box Using A Christmas Card!

• All Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

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