Day 17- Cold Weather Makes For Dry Skin

Hello everyone and welcome to Day 17 of Advent Countdown. Today I've got yet another DIY for you. You may remember I had Candy Cane Sugar Scrub and Candy Cane Soap DIY projects in past Advent days, well this time it's...

Body Butter/ Lotion

Yes, that's right. I'm going through your bath/ shower regimes. I'm making a list, and checking it twice, gonna find out what makes your skin feel nice. Or something. So, we've had soap, then a scrub, now a lotion. This is another simple project, that really doesn't take much time (unless you count the cooling period, but we'll get to that). So first things first, what do you need? This is to make 1 cup of body butter/ lotion. I used a recipe I found on GI 365. All credit there. FYI, they used peppermint oil for the scent.

Ingredients (Again I will post links on the ingredients to where I bought them).  

1/4 cup grated beeswax (I bought 100g, which made three portions of body butter. And there's no need to grate it).

1/2 cup coconut oil (I bought this from Sainsbury's (a supermarket in the UK), but I'm not sure how good it was. I know that the website where I got the beeswax offers coconut oil, and I'd get it from there if I was to make this recipe again. I don't think it was supposed to be as hard as I found it).

1/2 cup aloe vera gel (I bought 250g, which struggled to make three batches, but would be more than enough for two).

1/8 teaspoon essential oil of your choice (I chose a ginger, cinnamon and mandarin mix that smells divine. I got 5ml and found that was plenty).












So now it's time for the How To:

1. Place your beeswax and coconut oil in a saucepan over a  low heat. 

2. Wait until they have melted, then immediately remove from the heat.

3. Whisk in the aloe vera gel and the essential oil, then leave to cool for about an hour.







4. Once cooled, stir the ingredients to make sure they are all combined, then mix with an electric hand mixer or a blender until light and fluffy. 

5. Scoop into a container. 

This lotion lasts for between 2-3 weeks. If you want it to last longer, keep it refrigerated (though that will change the texture a little).

And that's it. You have your lotion. This is a very moisturising product, in my opinion. I tripled the recipe to fill one jar, and had a little left over. I tried it out on my hands (which I'm constantly washing, and so are always in danger of drying out) and my elbows, and it worked wonders. I'm not entirely sure whether it's a lotion or a butter, as it's thicker than the former, but thinner than the latter. I'd say it was closer to being a butter though. It's pretty decadent and very luxurious feeling.

I really have to mention the essential oil I used too. I was  

afraid I wouldn't like it (as scents are so personal, and I bought it online), but it's the perfect warm, spicy scent that compliments the season beautifully. It's strong so you only need a little to go a long way. 

All in all, I'm very happy with how this recipe turned out. Let me know if you give it a shot.








That's been Day 17 of Advent Countdown. See you tomorrow for Day 18 (oh it's coming up on us fast, isn't it?).

Day 13- Scrub Your Cares Away

Hello and welcome to Day 13 of Advent Countdown. Today I have another DIY for you all. With a similar theme to my candy cane soap, the scent stays the same, but instead of a soap, we have:

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Now this project is ridiculously quick and easy. Here's what you'll need:


1 cup of granulated sugar   

1 cup of vegetable oil

1 vitamin E capsule

Peppermint essential oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste

An air-tight container for the scrub

This is a recipe I found on My Kitchen Addiction. All credit there. So let's get started.


1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. For the vitamin E capsule- cut it open with scissors/knife and squeeze out the oil into the bowl.

Use as much or as little peppermint oil as you desire, until you're happy with the scent. It shouldn't take too much. That stuff is strong.





2. Stir all the ingredients together with a spatula until combined. That's it. You're done. 

3. Pour the scrub into your container. I bought these jars from Amazon. You can find them here . They were quite a bit bigger than I thought. I doubled the recipe to fill them this much. I'd suggest maybe the small version. I actually wanted a medium size, but couldn't find one available. Alternatively, if you don't think the large is big enough, they also have an extra large version. Other than that, the jars are lovely. Thick, strong glass, and subtly elegant. Definitely worth the money.

And you're done! Make sure you stir before each use (as the oil and sugar will separate). I added little labels with 'how to use' instructions onto mine (as they were gifts). Simply apply a small amount to the skin and rub in. Leave on for 3-4 minutes for ultimate use, then rinse. You can use it on hands or body. 

I test-tried a little of the extra and found it works nicely. It exfoliates and moisturisers. Exactly what you want from a scrub. Let me know if you try this one out yourself. 

I hope you all enjoyed this quick, easy DIY. I'll be making another batch for myself soon. I couldn't resist. Thank you for joining me for Day 13. I'll see you all tomorrow for Day 14 of Advent Countdown.