It’s coming up to that beautiful time of year again when for us, spending time with friends and family, eating good food, having a giggle and relaxing are higher up the agenda than masses of gifts!

However, we do like to exchange something and I have always been a fan of homemade gestures.  A task made so much more exciting and simple with my range of essential oils on hand!

So here are a few of the things I will be making this year to plant the seeds of creativity in your minds!

1.  Solid Perfume Necklaces

There is so much rubbish in perfume nowadays (Ethyl Acetate, Acetophenone, Acetone, Denatured Alcohol, Phthalates…), when essential oils can make you smell great naturally!  And you only need 3 simple ingredients – beeswax, sweet almond oil (or another carrier oil) and the essential oil(s) of your choice!

I love this beautiful blend from dōTERRA:

 (Where to buy)

Whisper is a complex and diverse blend that combines with each individual’s chemistry to create a uniquely personal fragrance.  Coupled with a simple locket and chain you can create beautiful gift that provides perfume on the go and a chic jewelry piece.  Great for the special sisters (both blood and otherwise) in our lives.

2.  Liquid Hand Soap

This is so simple and great for a little gift basket.

Take:
½ cup Castile Soap, we use Dr. Bronners
½ cup water (distilled or boiled if you don’t plan to use the soap within a few weeks)
1 TB vitamin E oil (I buy from Pure Nature)
1 TB nourishing oil (I use sweet almond)

Essential Oils (where to buy): Use 15 drops Melaleuca to clean and another 5-10 drops of a secondary oil to scent (lavender to relax, peppermint to invigorate, etc.)

Instructions:
In a mason jar or recycled soap dispenser, add the water first (to prevent bubbles) then the liquid castile soap, followed by the oils. Shake the ingredients together.
Shake the soap dispenser before using, then squirt a small amount on your hands as needed, rinsing with water.

3.  The Gardeners Hand Scrub

All you need is a jar, sugar, and the natural liquid soap above, plus some lemon essential oil! Mix them all together and VOILA!  Great for the gardener in your life.  The lemon is antibacterial and antiseptic, so great for those who like to get their hands dirty.  And you can dress up the jar to make it right for a man or a woman and even choose a coloured handwash to make it more appealing (although many natural liquid soaps are clear.)

4.  Dryer Balls

I know.  This sounds like a dull present, but you can make the really cute with a good choice of wool and for fellow mums out there looking for a natural alternative to fabric softener and tumble dry sheets, and wanting to save a pretty penny, they are great!  Learn how to make them at doTERRA’s blog here.

You can also include these as part of a beautiful gift basket with other homemade gifts.

5.  Bath Salt Ornaments

This is another good one taken from doTERRA’s blog.  Check out how these useful festive ornaments are made here.

6.  Potpourri

I guess the word “potpourri” conjures up images of grandma’s house and frilly tablecloths.  BUT, this doesn’t have to be!  By using a good quality glass vase and organising your favorite spices and herbs creatively, potpourri can make a beautiful Christmas gift.  Just add a few drops of essential oil for an amazing aroma and you can gift a bottle of your chosen oil with the potpourri, so that once the aroma starts to fade, the receiver can simply add a few more drops when they need.

7.  Coconut Lotion Bars

Another simple, but luxurious gift.  You only need coconut oil and beeswax, plus your choice of oils!  This is a really nice way to personalise a gift that can be given to a man or a woman.  I am personally aiming these at the men in my life, who are prone to dry skin!  So I will be using oils suitable for a man and to heal – cedarwood and rosemary (where to buy) and then a complimentary oil for scent.  You don’t need many drops in this recipe.

8.  Finally… Sugar Scrub

Here at doTERRA’s blog, there is a cute recipe for a Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

However, you can be as creative as you like!  Frankincense and Myrrh would make luxurious alternatives or something else sweet like cinnamon/peppermint/orange chocolate using essential oils and chocolate!  Please do visit my online store to see a whole range of beautiful oils with which to make your gifts.  There are also other DIY ideas and recipes there.

I also love this page for Christmas decor ideas.

The final Christmas Gift I will be making is a way of sharing little samples of the oils I love with my friends and family.  I will just be taking the little coil tree and threading these cute little bottles that I picked up from Spotlight on it:

I can provide 25 drop mini bottles of all of the oils quoted in this blog post for the purpose of your Christmas Creations and all of the above gifts are available for purchase, if you aren’t feeling the creativity!  Please place your order or send an enquiry about prices by email.

Merry Christmas!!!!!