Can I tell you a secret? I love making bath and body products.

Most of the time they’re insanely easy to make. We’re talking easy enough to make with your four year old and not pull out clumps of your hair easy.

Better yet, the pay off can last for weeks! The ladies in this house are suckers for things that smell amazing and make you feel all pampered. We like to make big jars full of scrubs that the girls happily glop all over themselves in the bath tub. And I’m not going to lie to you, I happily glop them all over myself too.

Since they’re so simple and relatively inexpensive to make, homemade bath and body products are perfect for making in large batches and gifting to friends and family for the holidays. I put together a list of 15 DIY skincare products that would make awesome gifts.

I was flipping through this month’s Real Simple when I came across an article called “Take a Vacation… From Your Beauty Routine.” All about giving you hair, skin and nails a little breather, it explains why less can be more and gives some tips for spa-like treatments at home.

It got me thinking. Why do we put chemicals directly onto our skin–especially if there are simple, natural, inexpensive alternatives? We worry about what’s in our food and the plastics we use, but for some reason when it comes to beauty treatments people often turn a blind eye.

I did a little research and found a few facial recipes I’m willing to try.

Soothing Oatmeal Mask

Cools and calms overheated skin, red skin, and heat rash.

• 1/2 cup full fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• Leave on 10-15 minutes, rinse

via Real Simple (Aug 2011)

Organic Banana Face Mask

Your skin will have a healthy glow after applying this tropical mask to your face. This recipe is designed for all skin types.

• Mash one half of a banana
• Mix in a tablespoon of orange juice and a tablespoon of honey
• Apply to the face and keep the mixture on for fifteen minutes
• Rinse with lukewarm water and then moisturize

via Marie Claire

Heavenly Honey Citrus Mask

This honey-and-orange-based mask is a quick fix to give your face an organic healthy glow.

• Combine three tablespoons of orange juice with half a cup of honey
• Apply to the face and leave on for half an hour
• Rinse with lukewarm followed by cool water, then moisturize

 via Marie Claire

Cup o’ Joe Facial Scrub

The coffee will exfoliate your skin while the olive oil provides a good source of moisture to keep your skin soft and hydrated. You can store your coffee scrub in the refrigerator if you prefer, but it will stay fresh for several weeks at room temperature.

• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 6 tbsp. coffee grounds (note: the coffee grounds should be very fine because you’ll be rubbing them onto your skin. Put them through a coffee grinder twice if you need to)
• Mix the coffee grounds and olive oil. (If you’d like to make more or less, the ratio is 3 tablespoons of coffee for every 2 tablespoons of olive oil.) The scrub should look like a coarse mud when finished.
• To use, simply take a small dollop of the coffee and olive oil mixture and gently scrub it onto your skin. Then rinse completely with water.

via PETA

What do you think? Are you willing to give any of them a try?

In case you’re crunched for time or just plain lazy, I found some organic alternatives to homemade skin care.

Jojoba Buff – Organic Exfoliating Crème Cleanser by Spa Goddess

Organic Micro-Polish Refining Facial Cleanser by Naturallogic

Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask