DIY Beauty Gift Basket with Peppermint Foot Scrub, Body Oil + Soap

A while back I let you in on a little secret about homemade beauty gifts: I always feel a bit guilty because they are so easy to make!

Next confession: when everyone talks about ‘gifts from the kitchen’ this time of year I generally assume they mean a homemade face mask or body scrub. Because why would anyone slave to bake when holiday ingredients make such clever DIY beauty gifts?

Take peppermint, for example. In no time, you can make cute soap, an easy foot scrub and even a luxurious body oil using peppermint essential oil and the colorful candies. Combine the three do-it-yourself projects for a perfect beauty gift basket that’s inexpensive, easy to make, and super festive.

Peppermint has such an energetic, happy scent, and red is pretty much my favorite color. Given the opportunity to OD on red for this gift basket, I went all in.

DIY Peppermint Beauty Gift Basket

Supplies you’ll need:

• Peppermint candies. Candy canes also work.
• Peppermint essential oil
• Shea butter soap base
• Almond oil
• Sugar
• Red ribbon
• Optional: red lipstick and nail polish

1. Peppermint body oil

Open a small bottle of almond oil and add 3 drops of essential oil for every ounce of oil. You can also add a sprig of  dried lavender for decoration. Close the bottle and shake to combine.

Don’t forget to remove the label! Then use baker’s twine to attach other basket goodies like lipstick or nail polish.

Peppermint foot scrub

Put about 6 peppermints or 1 candy cane in a Ziploc bag and grind it up. Break them up with a hammer (this is great for holiday stress relief!) and then crush them finely with a rolling pin.

Combine the crushed candies with 1/2 cup of sugar and 5 drops of peppermint essential oil. Massage the bag until the ingredients are fully mixed together and coated with the essential oil.

Pour the mixture into a small bowl and add 1/4 cup of almond oil (or more to get a consistency you like). Transfer to a covered container. Add some festive string for easy gift-wrapping.

Peppermint soap

Crush a handful of peppermint candies into small pieces. Then cut the melt and pour soap base into evenly-sized chunks. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the soap base in 30 second intervals. Stir in between to help the melting process.

• Note: If you’re new to melt and pour soap check out our complete guide on using it. You’ll be a pro before you know it!

When the soap is completely liquid, pour a small layer into a soap mold or a plastic or cardboard container. You can often find a container in your recycle bin that will work as a soap mold.

When it starts to set, sprinkle in some peppermint pieces. You can also play around with other fun stuff to add. I also used coffee beans (heavenly!) and some leftover cranberries (red!).

Then pour more soap on top to cover the add-ins. Let the soap sit for a couple of hours to harden, and then pop it out of the container.

This post was medically reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Haley, a board-certified dermatologist with extensive experience in medical, cosmetic and surgical dermatology. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.