My Favorite Holiday Gift: Vanilla Body Oil (easiest DIY ever!)
Take 100 ml pure jojoba oil and add one vanilla pod into the bottle. Leave it several months in a dark cupboard. As there is not enough time for the upcoming holidays you can make one bottle and give it away with the advice to leave it some time to rest like a bottle of wine.
This vanilla infused oil has become one of my favorite body products. The first time I made it with 100 ml of jojoba* oil from De Tuinen (now Holland and Barrett) which was about 4 euro and a cheap and probably not high quality vanilla pod from Lidl for 2 euro. I had to cut the pod in half and put both halves into the bottle with the oil. After 8 to 9 months it smelled amazing and was an excellent oil to layer when using vanilla perfumes. This oil was not 100 percent jojoba oil but had some other stuff added. I just finished this bottle.
Some months ago I made a new batch with better quality pure jojoba oil from Oshadhi (bought online in the U.K. I paid about 24 pounds for 200 ml) and an organic vanilla pod. One important thing about jojoba oil is, it does not go rancid. Another quality is that it is easily absorbed by my dry skin. It is said to work for both dry and oily skins. I am about to start with my new bottle.
When adding a vanilla pod to your oil you really get the natural vanilla scent into the oil which is nice as you get to know the natural fragrance of vanilla as well.
One thing though, this is for true vanilla lovers!
*Note about jojoba oil: officially jojoba oil is not an oil but liquid wax. Its latin name is Simmondsia sinensis. If left in a very cold place or fridge it will solidify but will become liquid again easily at room temperature of 10 C. It could also be used as a hair conditioner and after epilation. (source: Carrier Oils by Len Price, if you want to read more about carrier oils like jojoba oil, this book is quite a good source)
Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Cologne was not a super bargain but it still comes at a fairly decent price given it quality. It has become one of my most cherished bottles this summer due to its smooth vintage vibe and beautiful older designed spray bottle. My Shalimar edc was produced in 2015. But scenting it, one would say it was in the 80 ties. When my favorite Shalimar Parfum de Toilette was produced. My personal fantasy is that at a Guerlain factory they still had some old juice lying around in a wooden barrel, watered it down a bit and sold it as edc.