Things are looking up, but money is still tight. We've been hearkening back to our frugal candle and soap making roots and celebrating the fact that we can make wonderful holiday gifts very frugally! Here are some gift ideas including some pre-assembled kits from Bramble Berry and some "from scratch" projects for those of you who prefer to do it yourself. Whether you use a pre-arranged kit, or put them together yourself, you'll be able to create wonderful gifts and save money too.
1. Bramble Berry Holiday Gift Sets
Bramble Berry's Glitter Soap Kit has everything you need to make sparkly soaps! This kit includes many different soap colorant options - so you can be as creative as you like. They include a PDF template for cute holiday silhouettes and the label designs. They also have great Stocking Stuffer kits in both Spice and Sweet scents.
2. How to Make Melt and Pour Christmas Chunk Soaps (from scratch)
David Fisher
Here's a fun and easy melt and pour soap project - Christmas Chunk Soaps. You may also want to try Poinsettia Christmas Hand Soaps.
3. How to Make Fizzy Bath Bombs (from scratch)
David Fisher
Winter time is time for baths...and bath bombs. They're a little bit bath salt, a little bit bath oil, a little bit relaxing, and a little bit fizzy fun. You can make them in spheres, tablets, or use molds to make an unlimited variety of shapes.
4. Bramble Berry Lotion Bar Kit
This kit includes all of the oils and waxes you need to make 10 luscious Lotion Bars.
5. How to Make Cocoa Butter Lotion/Massage Bars (from scratch)
David Fisher
It's a little bit lotion, a little bit massage oil - closely related to the candle - but in a class all by itself...the lotion/massage bar. With ingredients you probably already have on your shelf if you're a candle and soap maker (or in the kit above), you can make these decadently easy lotion/massage bars.
6. Bramble Berry Shaving Soap Kit
Bramble Berry's Shaving Soap Kit is the perfect kit for kids to make a special gift for Dad. It uses their Foaming Bath Butter which doesn't require any heat or melting - making this a very safe and simple project that even young children can enjoy. It even includes a shaving brush, and comes with one of my favorite BrambleBerry fragrances, Wasabi.
7. How to Make Your Own Shaving Soap (from scratch)
David Fisher
A warning - once you try a real soap to shave with, you'll never use a commercial shaving cream again! Shaving soap is not much different than regular soap except for some added cosmetic clay. The clay helps give the soap extra "slip" and also works to purify your skin. This is the Melt and Pour version. For a cold process version (from scratch), you'll want to make Cold Process Shaving Soap.
