From holiday body scrubs to braided hair bands, beauty author/blogger Erika Katz (author of Bonding Over Beauty) offers many ways to make beauty fun and economical this holiday season. Here are some of her top tips and recipes:

Holiday Body Scrub

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup almond oil or olive oil

1 tbsp vitamin E oil

2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients well and add to pretty jar and tie with a ribbon for a beautiful homemade gift. To use: Massage the scrub all over your body to gently exfoliate the dead skin. Rinse with warm water.

 

Winter Facial toner

¼ cup witch hazel

¼ cup green tea

¼ cup grapefruit juice

Mix the three ingredients and put into a spritz bottle. After cleansing, spray the tone onto a piece of cotton and clean excess dirt and oil off your face.

Essential Oil bath for Relief of Congestion

6 drops eucalyptus oil

3 drops peppermint oil

3 drops spearmint oil

Add the oils to running bath water. Be sure to avoid your eyes. Relax in the tub and inhale the steam from the bath.

 

Honey Vanilla Bath Foam

1 cup of olive oil

½ Cup of honey

1 tbsp vanilla

½ Cup of liquid castile soap

Mix together these ingredients and put in a beautiful jar to give as a gift. To use: add 5 drops to running bath water and luxuriate in the foam.