Awesome DIY All Natural Gifts for Christmas with Essential Oils!

It's coming faster than I could ever imagine!!! Christmas is only a week away! But no fear you can put these easy but high quality gifts together in no time! Links provided for reference are also affiliate links which means I could earn a little money if you buy from them but it does not cost you any more. (Thank you for your support!)

ALL NATURAL HEATING PAD: For this project you need all natural cotton fabric such as flannel, rice and a sewing machine.

1. Cut cotton fabric to make a pouch.

• for each pad you need to cut 2- 8x20 inch pieces. 
• place two pieces together right side in
• sew three sides shut, leaving one end open for filling
• turn them right side out

2. Add 6 cups rice.
3. Sew end shut.

• If you wish you can divide it up into three parts with 1.5 cups in each part. You would simply add 1.5 cups rice, sew it at 1/3 line, add 1.5 cups, sew at 2/3 line, add the last 1/5 cups and sew it shut. This does make sewing the end a little harder.

4. Include instructions for the receiver: Microwave about a minute to desired temperature (careful it gets hot!) Add a drop of essential oil to the pad then place pad on skin. Enjoy!
5. Include a sample bottle of essential oil and a special note! (I recommend including lavender for relaxing or peppermint for pain)

Sterling Silver Diffuser Necklace:  For this project you need pliers, a chain necklace (I used 20" Sterling Silver), a 3 inch eye pin and 5 lava beads (I used 8mm size).

1. Find the center & cut your necklace in half with wire cutters. It helps to wiggle it when in the cutter.
2. Attach one end of the eye pin to one end of the cut necklace. It helps to open it slightly. Then once on, close it again so it does not slide off.
3. Add 5 lava beads.
4. Curl the end with the jewelers tool, but don't close the loop yet.
5. Add it to your other end of the cut necklace then close the end.
6. Wrap with a sample bottle of your favorite blend and a special note!

Yuletide Reed Diffuser: For this project you need a small bottle with a narrow neck, sunflower oil (or similar thin carrier oil), your choice of essential oils and reeds. (I really liked these wavy reeds which are naturally dried in the sun and not died or bleached.) Note: I found my bottles at Michaels. You want one with a small neck and wide base to limit the evaporation and reduce the chance of it getting knocked over.

1. Wrap a ribbon or jute twine around the 10 reeds for gifting. Add a note with instructions for the receiver: Remove cork and insert reeds in top of bottle. In 24 hours turn reeds over to help oil saturate entire reed. Turn reeds once a week or as desired.
2. Using the funnel, add 1/4 cup oil to the bottle.
3. Add 40-60 drops essential oils. We used equal amounts of pine clove and orange. A second options being abundance and peppermint in equal amounts.
4. Seal bottle well with cork. 
5. Wrap and add tag. 

Bath Truffle: For this project you will need baking soda, citric acid, white kaolin clay, cocoa butter, Shea butter, essential oils, a mold, lavender essential oil, dried lavender buds (optional) and pink Himalayan salt (optional).
1. Measure by weight 4 oz cocoa butter and 2 oz Shea butter into glass jar and put in a double boiler to melt.
2. Prepare mold by adding dried lavender buds, Himalayan sea salt or other top like rose petals to the bottom.
3. Mix in a separate bowl:

• 2 cup baking soda
• 1 cup citric acid
• 1 cup kaolin clay

4. Once oils are melted remove from heat and add 20 drops of lavender & mix.
5. Pour oils over dry mix & mix with spoon. Once mixed kneed with fingers to finish mixing.
6. Press into molds. In my mold it made about 19 cubes.
7. Refrigerate about 30 minutes then remove from mold.
8. Wrap with tag & instructions for receiver:

Drop one bath truffle into your bath as you fill it. Enjoy!

Snow globe Cookies Top: You will need the lid and ring off your mason jar, white paper, hot glue, miniature ornaments or other small decorations, decorative snow, clear plastic ornament.

1. Trace lid onto white paper and cut out.
2. Hot glue white circle to top of lid to form your base. 
3. Hot glue ring to lid. (Lid on bottom).
4. Cut off thread hangers off the miniature ornaments and hot glue them standing up & facing forward onto paper the on lid.
5. Place a small pinch or two of snow in center.
6. Put hot glue on the edge of one half of ornament. Center on lid with hook towards the back.
7. Allow to dry while you fill jar

Snow globe Cookies Jar: You will need a quart mason jar, orange essential oil, measuring cups and the ingredients for the cookies. It also helps to have a jar funnel for this project.

Add ingredients to jar in order, do not over fill or it won't all fit.
1. 1/3cup sugar
2. 10 drops of orange essential oil- you can mix slightly but try to keep it level
3. 1/3 cup brown sugar (pack it in)
4. 3/4 cup flour
5. 1/2 tsp baking powder
6. 1/8 tsp salt
7. 1 cup oats
8. 1 cups cranberries (a little less than 1 cup, do not pack it in the measuring cup. this ingredient is important to not over do it or your chocolate chips will not fit!)
9. 1 cup white chocolate chips (may end up being a little less)
10. add snow globe lid (instructions above), ribbon with cooking instructions.

Instructions to tie to jar:

❄❄Snowglobe Cookies❄❄: Pour cookie mix into a large bowl; stir to combine. Beat in 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Drop by the tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 3 dozen.

I hope you have a blessed Christmas and enjoy making these fabulous gifts. For more ideas, see my other posts on Christmas gift ideas here: 2016 Gift ideas and 2015 Gift ideas and 2014 ideas and Men's ideas.

Merry Christmas!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

Five New Fabulous Christmas Gifts you can Make with Essential Oils

I love giving homemade gifts! Below you will find all the details on how to make these five fabulous natural gifts with essential oils. These are such wonderful gifts to give and so easy to make!

Layered Lavender Hot Cocoa:

You know chocolate fixes everything! Well now its lavender and chocolate fix everything. Relax and warm up with this wonderful blend. For this project follow these steps:

1. Measure 1/2 cup sugar into a separate bowl and mix with 5 drops lavender.
2. Using a canning funnel, put sugar/lavender mix in bottom of canning mug.
3. Tap to get it all level and packed
4. Then add in order to layer 1/2 cup cocoa powder
5. 1/2 cup powdered milk
6. 1/4 tsp salt
7. 1/4 cup chocolate chips
8. Push down on the chocolate chips with your hand to pack the jar well
9. Then pack the top with mini marshmallows
10. Add lid and label. For the label add the instructions: Empty contents into a large bowl. Mix well. To make cocoa add 1/3 cup of mix to 1 cup hot water. Store mix in a sealed container. 

Super cute, fun with a lot of yum!

All Natural Glitter Body Spray with a Silver Diffuser Necklace: 

This all natural body spray has some shimmer and some sass. Use your favorite essential oils or try the suggested ones below. Pair it with a fun diffuser necklace for a perfect combination! For this gift you will need:

4 ounce spray bottle
1/3 cup witch hazel
your choice of essential oils 

• Beautiful- 8 drops ylang-ylang essential oil and 8 drops orange essential oil

or

• Energizing- 5 drops grapefruit, 6 drops lime, and 5 drops lemon essential oils

1/2 tsp all natural mica powder (glitter)
1 tablespoon glycerin
1 tablespoon oil (like sunflower, grapeseed or almond)

Once you have added all ingredients to the bottle, replace the spray top and make a cute label for your bottle. Shake well before using.

Diffuser Necklace: for second part of this gift you will need a rope or chain for your necklace, a spiral pendant and lava bead or wool ball. Put the wool ball or bead inside of your pendant by gently pulling the wires apart, then add pendant to your chain. Super simple and really cute. We gifted this with a small sample bottle filled with essential oil blends we made to match the spray.

Eucalyptus Mint Bath Oil: 

A wonderful addition to any bath. Pour one tablespoon of this into your bath as you are running the water.  Improve your concentration, boost your energy, ease sore-achy muscles and oh yeah, kills germs on the side.  For this gift you will need:

4 ounce glass bottle
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
5 drops peppermint essential oil

Approximately 4 ounces of olive oil

Add essential oils to the bottle. Then fill to neck with olive oil. Screw on the cover, shake well and add a cute label. We gifted this oil with a super fluffy white spa towel.

Peppermint Foot Rub: 

A great treat for tired and achy feet! We wrapped this up with a pair of fuzzy socks for a super cute gift. To make this gift you will need:

• 2 ounce glass bottle
• 4 Tablespoons of oil (like sunflower, grapeseed, or sweet almond)
• 2 Tsp of Vinegar
• 15 drops of peppermint essential oil

Add all the ingredients to you bottle, cover & shake. Add a cute label and wrap it with your favorite fuzzy socks.

Whipped Body Butter: 

This is not just lotion, it's butter! It is a wonderful blend of all natural oils to sooth your body. A little goes a long way.

1/2 cup sweet almond oil
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup mango butter
1/2 cup shea butter
1 tsp vitamin E (preservative)
Essential oils of your choice (we used 2 drops of joy and 3 drops of orange for each 1/2 cup)

Melt the coconut oil and butters in a double boiler until combined.

Remove from heat and add sweet almond oil and vitamin E. Then place in refrigerator to cool down for 2-4 hours. When it is almost solid put it in your mixer to whip it up. If it is not whipping well you may need to refrigerate it a little longer.

Once whipped add your essential oils to your preference and whip another minute to incorporate. Spoon into your jars and add a cute label.


Looking for more ideas? You can view previous years projects here:
Five more DIY gifts for Christmas using Essential Oils
5 Easy DIY Christmas Gifts with Essential Oils
Mens All Natural Bath and Body Products Using Essential Oils

I hope you enjoy creating these wonderful natural gifts for your friends and family. Do you have a favorite homemade gift you make? Share some of your favorites with us below. In the meantime have a wonderful holiday season and a very merry Christmas!

Blessings!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

Five more DIY gifts for Christmas using Essential Oils

This years "Christmas Make and Take" was a ton of fun. I took it up a notch with some of our projects. We made gifts which were a little more time intensive but overall are fairly easy and truly make great gifts for everyone on your list.







Comfort and Joy Lotion Bars: First up is my all time favorite lotion bar. I have been gifting these for years and I always get tons of compliments. These bars were seasonally scented with Joy and Orange essential oils to create a fun and luxurious bar. They are great for dry cracked skin. Rub them in your hands and the heat from your body will melt the oil. These bars are very moisturizing. I get cracked skin along my finger nails in winter and I will rub my lotion bar on the cracks at bedtime. By morning the crack will be gone.

You can use lots of options to make this with different molds. I use a small loaf silicone mold but you could make hearts for Valentines, silicone muffin mold for round shapes as well!

You will need:
1 cup beeswax
1 cup mango butter
1 cup coconut oil
1-2 tsp vitamin E oil or about 5 capsules of vitamin E
50 drops of essential oil- for this project we used 25 drops of Joy EO and 25 drops of Orange EO

In a double boiler melt the beeswax, mango butter and coconut oil. Once melted, remove from heat and add Vitamin E and essential oils. Then pour into molds. Let completely cool before removing from mold or if using deodorant containers make sure it is cooled completely before adding the cap.

Using the mold above I generally get 10-11 bars.

Essentially Infused Sea Salt Trio:Second we made Essential Infused Sea Salts in Rosemary, Basil and Oregano. I found some super cute jars (wedding favors) and some great coordinating stickers and boxes.

1. Rosemary bowl combine: 2 level Tablespoons sea salt with 1 drop of Rosemary EO
2. mix well then add 1 level Tablespoon dried Rosemary
3. mix in bowl and then scoop/pour into jar with a funnel
4. place the cover and label it, repeat with each herb, (keep separate bowls for each herb)

Diffuser Bracelet:Third up is diffuser bracelet. Using natural stones, Amazonite and Lava we created super cute bracelets and paired it with a mini dropper bottle so each person could share their favorite scent with the receiver.

1. Cut 9-10" of magic cord (1mm)
2. use 16 amazonite stones (8mm) and 3-5 lava stones (8mm or 10mm) to make your bracelet (don't fill the string or you won't be able to tie it!!!
3. triple knot it (hardest part)
4. put one dab of superglue on the knot
5. once dry, cut ends.

White Christmas Bath Bombs:These Luxury Bath Bombs with White Angelica EO and Lavender EO were like heaven....oh they smelled sooooo good. When you are ready to use them, fill your tub, climb in and drop in the bomb!

1. Combine in a large glass or stainless steel bowl until well blended: 

• 8 ounces Baking Soda for your skin and the bathwater
• 4 ounces Corn Starch
• 4 ounces Epsom Salts

2. Add the following ingredients and blend well: 

• 2-3 tsp. witch hazel
• 15 drops of Essential Oil for scent (more or less depending on how strong you want it and what scent you are using)
• 2 tsp. almond oil for your skin
• Food coloring if you want colored bombs and water.

3. At this point, your mixture should resemble wet sand.  Adding the food coloring helps you figure out if it’s well-mixed, an even color means a good mix.  When you squeeze some in your fist, it should hold together.  If it doesn’t, add witch hazel a teaspoon or less at a time until desired consistency is reached. ***Don't add too much liquid or it expands... a lot.

4. Add 4 ounces Citric Acid (this is what gives you the fizz). Mix well, but use a spoon for this because the pure citric acid can irritate your skin.

5. Once well mixed, tightly pack it down into your mold.  Let it dry 24 hours in the mold before removing.

Christmas Spirit Scented Soap: Finally we made Christmas Spirit Scented and swirled soap. I have wanted to do a soap for a long time. We used a glycerin melt-and-pour soap with shea butter. Its important when shopping for soaps that you look at the ingredients and choose one that you are comfortable with. 

1. Chop the soap into cubes and melt slowly in a double boiler or microwave. 
2. Once melted, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. 
3. Add your essential oils and mix well. (We used approximately 5ml bottle of Christmas Spirit for 2 1/2 pounds of soap.)
4. Pour into molds.
5. Let it set slightly, when a skin starts to show on the top is the best time to add liquid soap colorant. I used 5-7 drops in each muffin cup. stir slightly with a popsicle stick.
6. Spray with rubbing alchohol to break surface tension and pop a y bubbles. Leave to cool and harden. Do not place in fridge to speed it up- this will result in sweaty soap.
7. Once completely cooled wrap in saran wrap.
8. This recipe made 12 bars of soap, but will vary depending on molds you use and how much you fill them.

Looking for more ideas? You can view more projects here:
Five New Fabulous Christmas Gifts you can Make with Essential Oils
5 Easy DIY Christmas Gifts with Essential Oils
Mens All Natural Bath and Body Products Using Essential Oils

Let me know what you are making this Christmas. I would love to hear about it!

Blessings!!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

How to Make Simple Foaming Soap

This is so easy you will laugh! One of the first things I made when I started my journey to cleanup our house was a foaming soap. It's so easy!!!

First you want to use a good liquid soap. I prefer Dr. Bronners Liquid Castile Soap. It's all natural, no yucky stuff. It can be expensive so it's good to know where to go. If you want unscented I have found its best to stock up during Earth week at Target as they always put it on sale that week. Otherwise you can get peppermint at Trader Joes for $11.99 for a 32oz. bottle. (If you have any hot buys, I would love to know where you find good deals on castile soap. I use it for so many things around the house!)

Second you need a foaming bottle. I have purchased the empty bottles from various companies and found it is not worth it for me to buy the empty bottle. You can buy Method foaming soap on sale at Target or buy a foaming soap at the Dollar Store and dump it out.

Finally the super easy part....

Pour approximately 1 part soap to 5 parts water into your bottle. But this is not exact, you can make it thicker if you like. I like the soap I use in the shower thicker (2:5) than the one I use for hand washing. 

So, if you have a small medicine cup- fill it once with soap then 5 times with water. Done!!

If you don't want to use the medicine cup every time, you can mark your bottle after you add the soap then again after you add all your water. However this method requires you to use all your soap before refilling.

Super easy? I know!!! Don't spend money on a new bottle every time! Save your money and make your own.

Now the fun part.... If you want to use essential oils, just make sure you use unscented soap. Once all the soap and water have been added, add your essential oils. I would recommend starting with 15 drops of essential oils. Shake gently and enjoy. You will love it, I promise!!!

Finally, some people find that castile soap is a little drying. You can add a small amount of almond oil to the recipe to make it a moisturizing soap. This is something I generally do in the winter when I notice my hands are dryer. Here is an example:

To make a Moisturizing Thieves Foaming Hand Soap combine in a 10 oz bottle:
7.5 ounces of water
1.5-2 ounces of liquid soap
1/2 ounces Sweet Almond Oil
15 drops of Thieves Essential Oil

Blessings!!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

Mens All Natural Bath and Body Products Using Essential Oils

I was at a loss for ideas for the men on my Christmas list so I started to dabble in essential oil ideas. I tried out a few things and had my husband test them to see if he approved. Below is what I came up with in a pinch. Great for gifts for Birthdays or Fathers Day too! 

Merry Christmas & Enjoy!

1. #2 Spray, Stink away, Poo-pourri or Stink no more spray. 

A spray made up of essential oils that you spray into the toilet bowl before you go, it will trap the smell in the water and there will be no stink. My husband really went to town with this one... he ended up coming up with personalized names for each person he was gifting it to.

In a 2 ounce glass bottle combine:

2oz. Distilled water

3-4 drops glycerine
1/2 teapoon epson salts

20-30 drops of essential oils of choice (see list below for ideas)

Shake well.

Have fun with it & Make up some fun labels.

2. Men's Muscle Bath

 
Using the benefits of magnesium,baking soda and essential oils to help with soreness, fatigue and stress (and so much more!). 

1 cup epsom salts

1/2 cup baking soda

6-8 drops essential oils, I used 4-6 lemongrass and 2-3 cedar wood (or other oils based on your preference)

3. Men's Foaming Shaving Gel 

This has a nice lather and great smell. My husband gave this one a thumbs up.

1/2 cup aloe gel (I have this kind)
1/2 cup liquid castile soap (I use this kind)
2 Tablespoon Almond oil (I used my calendula infused)
A few drops of vegetable glycerin
4 capsules or about 1/2 tsp vitamin E
10-15 drops essential oils (I used 8 of Cedarwood, 8 Lavender and 4 Lemon)

Put in a 10 ounce or larger foaming soap container. 

4. Men's Super Magnesium Oil 


Magnesium oil is a great way to get more magnesium, adding essential oils can give you more benefits. Spray the magnesium oil on your body after you get out of the shower. Let it absorb into your skin a few minutes before getting dressed. The fist time you use it you may notice a tingle or itchy sensation. This will subside the more it is used. Start with a few sprays and work your way up to 10-15 sprays a day.

For a 16 ounce spray bottle or larger. Boil 1 cup water and 1 cup magnesium flakes (like this) until flakes are dissolved completely. Let cool. Pour into spray bottle. Add 8 drops Valor essential oil and shake well (see list below for other essential oil ideas)

Essential oils to try with your guys: this is not an all inclusive list and everyone had different likes/dislikes but here is what I have found to be popular with the men I know. Please note if you are using any citrus oils you should use glass bottles or containers as the citrus will eat away at plastic. Also citrus oils can increase sun sensitivity and should be avoided when you will be in the sun or exposed to UV rays.

Cedar wood

Citrus Fresh

Lemon, Orange, Tangerine or any citrus oil

Lemon grass

Idaho balsam fir

Ginger

Vanilla

Vetiver

Sandalwood
Evergreen Essenece

Cypress
Pine
Shutran

Looking for more ideas? You can view moer projects here:
Five New Fabulous Christmas Gifts you can Make with Essential Oils
Five more DIY gifts for Christmas using Essential Oils
5 Easy DIY Christmas Gifts with Essential Oils


New to essential oils? Check out my post on how to buy oils and learn more!

Blessings!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

5 Easy DIY Christmas Gifts with Essential Oils

I love giving homemade gifts. Below you will find how to make five natural gifts with essential oils. These are such wonderful gifts to give and so easy to make! We made these gifts at a make and take party recently and they were really easy and fun! Enjoy!

Tropical Bath Salt Trio:

The first is bath salts. To make them festive package them in clear Christmas ornaments. The ornaments I show here hold about 1/2 cup Epson salt. I used a funnel to get the salt in and then added essential oil. I was going with a Tropical Holiday Theme so I choose 3 different tropical scented oils. You can choose scents that you want to use to make your theme such as Peace and Calming, Lavender or Peppermint. Place them in a cookie box and tie with raffia. Super easy and cute!

1.        Remove tops from  3 clear ornaments

2.        With funnel add Epson salt- about 1/2 cup each

3.        Drop 3 drops of Jade Lemon oil into first ornament, add top and label = Invigorate

4.        Drop 3 drops of Tangerine oil into second ornament, add top and label = Uplift

5.        Drop 3 drops of Citrus Fresh oil into third ornament, add top and label = Relax

6.        Place 3 ornaments into box, wrap with raffia and tag

Silent Night Pillow Mist

The second is a linen spray. I chose to use lavender and continuing with the Christmas theme I called it Silent Night Pillow Mist. I used a 2 ounce glass bottle. I paired it with a sleep mask, we bagged and tagged- what a cute gift!

1.   Fill about 1/2 way or 1 oz. with Vodka

2.   Add 1 oz. distilled water

3.   Add 2-3 drops vegetable glycerine

4.   Add 15 drops Lavender Essential Oil

5.   Screw top on and add label

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Sugar scrubs are so easy. I used 4 oz. mason jars and added cute labels to the top. You can make a nice nail kit by wrapping the jar with nail polish, buffer, file & cuticle pusher.

1.      Pour 1/3 cup sugar into jar

2.      Add 2 1/2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil (you can also use olive, almond, coconut)

3.      Add 1 capsule of vitamin E or a few drops (cut open and squeeze liquid into jar)

4.      Mix carefully

5.      Add 3-4 drops peppermint essential oil

6.      Mix well, careful not to spill

7.      Add lid with label

Joy to the World Roll On:

Making a roll on perfume is easy. Here is one I called Joy to the World- which is a great romantic perfume with a luxuriously exotic scent which also has benefits to revitalize, uplift, and bring joy to the wearer!

1.  Remove top and roller

2.  Add 10 drops of Joy & 10 drops of Lemon

3.  Add Sweet Almond Oil - about 80% full*

      *need room to snap in roll-on

4.  Snap roll-on top onto bottle

5.  Screw on lid

6.  Add Sticker, Bow and Tag as desired

Peppermint Brownie In a Jar:

This is a great gift for the foodies in your life or those who love sweets. Making a simple jar recipe- while adding essential oils makes them extra special and unique. These are great paired with some kitchen items like a hot pad or mixing spoon.

Place ingredients in jar one at time, pressing down as you go. 

Screw on lid and add a fabric cover or label with a bow if desired

Jar contents:

·         1 cup flour

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         1/2 cup dark cocoa powder

·         3/4 cup brown sugar

·         1 cup white sugar mixed with 7 drops Young Living Peppermint Essential Oil (mix in separate bowl prior to placing in jar)

·         1 1/2  cup semi-sweet or various chocolate chips

Instructions for tag:

1.      Pour the contents of the jar in a mixing bowl and whisk with one teaspoon vanilla extract, 2/3 cup oil and four eggs.

2.      Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes in a greased 13 X 9 glass baking dish. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Merry Christmas!!

Looking for more ideas? You can view more projects here:

Five New Fabulous Christmas Gifts you can Make with Essential Oils

Five more DIY gifts for Christmas using Essential Oils

Mens All Natural Bath and Body Products Using Essential Oils

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.