Curly Hair Approved: Curlfriends Christmas Gifts

It’s holiday time and I love making homemade presents for my family, friends and colleagues. For my curlfriends especially, I love homemade hair products that help retain moisture in these cold winter months. I make a large batch of hair products and divide it up in travel size bottles to give to my friends. You can also tie decorative ribbon and print out Christmas themed labels for the packaging. Below are three budget-friendly hair products that your curlfriends will love!

Peppermint Bark Refresher
What you’ll need:

• Add 3-5 drops of peppermint essential oil to one cup (240 ml) of distilled or boiled water (cooled to room temperature)
• Mix a carrier oil, such as jojoba oil, coconut oil, or almond oil, into your peppermint water mixture

Spray directly onto your scalp, rub with your fingertips and enjoy the tingling sensation. If you wash your hair every day, add a few drops of peppermint essential oil in your shampoo to receive the same benefits.

Heavenly Hair Butter
What you’ll need:

• ½ cup (120 g) raw, undefined shea butter
• 1 tablespoon jojoba oil
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 5-10 drops essential oil (I use vanilla and lavender or vanilla and orange together)

Using a hand blender, mix the shea butter and oils together until you have a smooth, creamy mixture. If your shea butter is too hard, break it into smaller pieces or melt it slightly in a double boiler to soften it. Once you have a creamy mixture, add your essential oil and mix your hair butter again to incorporate the essential oil.

Coconut Christmas Cookie Shampoo
What you’ll need:

• ¼ cup (60 ml) liquid castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner’s)
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk (not the canned coconut milk)
• 1 tablespoon distilled water
• 1 teaspoon carrier oil (olive, coconut, sweet almond)
• essential oil such as peppermint, lavender, rosemary, orange

Combine all the ingredients in a glass bottle, pump dispenser or squeeze top bottle. Shake well before each use. The shampoo will keep for about one month.

To help rebalance the pH of your hair, use a apple cider vinegar rinse after shampooing with castile soap to close the hair cuticle and remove any additional soap residue.

Do you have any favorite DIY hair products that you give as holiday presents?