Christmas. Fall birthdays. Summer birthdays. Any occasion, really. Keeping our friends and family members showered with gifts, when the time comes, can be an exhausting task. Maybe summertime is your break time for gifts. Maybe it’s rush time. Either way, as the holiday season looms, it’s about that time when we have to ramp up our gift planning efforts. And while it’s certainly a joyous season, it’s not without its stressors.
Well, gone are the days of Christmas sweaters and paperweights. More people are turning to DIY natural gift making for a variety of reasons:
- Money. When you have dozens of people to buy for throughout the year – everything from birthdays to holidays to other special occasions – gifts can put a burden on your bank account.
- Fun. Not only does it save you money, do it yourself gift giving can be enlightening while providing a sense of accomplishment. Moreover, you might just find something that you also will enjoy for yourself!
Icing on the cake: When you give something to a loved one that you’ve obviously put time and thought into they’ll likely appreciate the gift even more.
Consider these 5 DIY natural gift ideas
In addition to the benefits we’ve outlined above, all of the DIY gift ideas listed in this article consist only of 100% natural ingredients. Being that we sell aromatherapy products, and how we use them emphatically in our household, each of these gift recipes contain at least one essential oil ingredient.
Anniversaries, birthdays, housewarming, or holidays – these are great gift ideas that cater to women (and some men) of all ages.
1. Homemade lavender oatmeal soap recipe
This isn’t your typical bar of soap. The lavender in this recipe offers natural, therapeutic benefits that help keep your skin healthy with a 100% chemical free alternative. In addition to harboring an amazing scent, the lavender oil in the recipe offers relaxing properties – making it great for a nighttime bath!
It includes the following ingredients (see the following link for specific directions on how to bake this DIY lavender soap recipe):
- Soap base
- Soap bar mold
- Vitamin E
- Rolled oatmeal
- Lavender essential oil
2. Natural DIY hand sanitizer
Today’s on-the-go hand cleansers often contain harmful chemicals that can deliver some adverse effects. That’s why this natural homemade hand sanitizer makes for a great gift for your friends, family, and loved ones. Not only will it rid your hands of germs, it offers an energizing, therapeutic scent! The ingredients are (see the full DIY hand sanitizer recipe here):
- 4 tbsp of water
- 4 tbsp of aloe vera gel
- ¼ tsp of Vitamin E oil
- 5 drops of lemon, 5 drops of orange
- A small squeeze container
3. Homemade green cleaner
Whether we like it or not, we all have to keep our homes clean. The problem is many people feel they have to resort to chemically-infused cleaner brands such as Ajax, Lysol, and Glade. Not only are the following DIY natural cleaners effective for their cleansing properties, they also have a purifying scent. You can mix the following solutions in a standard size spray bottle:
- Counter scrub: 6 drops of lemon essential oil, 6 drops orange, and fill the rest with water. Excellent for cleaning counters, tables, and other surface areas.
- Windows: 10 drops of lavender with water. Great for wiping smears and grime off windows (also, the lavender will help ward off the flies!).
- Bathrooms: Combine 5 drops of lavender, 5 drops of lemon, and 5 drops of peppermint with water. This perfect combination of oils will disinfect as well as leave a refreshing bathroom scent.
4. DIY natural air freshener
This air freshener recipe works well with an 8 oz spray bottle. If you use a larger or smaller bottle, just adjust the recipe accordingly. The benefits of this all natural formula are numerous: It’s inexpensive to make; it doesn’t have the “fake” scent that commercial air fresheners do; you can experiment with the many different scents at your disposal; and you get the healthful, therapeutic benefits of essential oils!
- ¾ cup of water
- 2 tbsp of real vanilla extract
Plus one of the following combinations of essential oils:
- Citrus spray: 8 drops of orange and 8 drops of lemon
- Deodorizing spray: 8 drops of lemon, 5 drops of lavender, 5 drops of eucalyptus
- Sweet lavender spray: 10 drops of lavender, 10 drops of ylang ylang
- Homestead spray: 8 drops of lavender, 8 drops of lemon, 5 drops of frankincense
5. DIY perfume making gift
It’s actually a little more than “perfume.” In addition to the smooth, sweet fragrance, this essential oil perfume recipe offers a host of therapeutic benefits – offering oils with energizing and purifying properties. Feel free to combine these oils in a spray bottle, small glass bottle, or even a rollerball (just make sure the container is made of glass).
- 3 drops of lemon
- 3 drops of orange
- 4 drops of lavender
- 0.5 oz of carrier oil
