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Balancing Body, Mind, and Spirit with Pure Essential Oils | ![]() |
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Homemade GiftsThis page was created to give you ideas and recipes for making your friends and family gifts rather than buying them something. You can have a lot of fun with this. You could make your mother her very own, personalized salt scrub with a one of a kind scent made especially by you. You could also give her a few different body balms, each one having a different scent. One idea is to have a gift package with several of the recipes below, all containing the same essential oil or blend. You can use this same idea with the household recipes below. Most of these recipes need bottles, so don't forget ours on our aromatherapy bottles page. No time or energy to create your own gifts? See our list of Aromatherapy Gift Ideas with something for everyone! Or visit our aromatic baths page for luxury gifts for friends and family.
Home Made Toiletry GiftsOrigins-Type Salt Scrub A friend recently shared her formula for the commercial Origins Salt Scrub...basically it calls for one cup of sea salt, 1/2 cup of a mixture of rich and exotic carrier oils (you could use whatever oils you have on hand that suit your skin type). The scent blend is as follows (enough for this amount of salt and carrier oils)
We tested the blend in the pouring room, bright and invigorating. This would be great in a morning shower. (You might want to do a double batch and package it in our PET bale jars, the same ones Origins uses for their scrub!).
Skin Soother Janice Brady writes: Salt Scrubs are just too rough and abrasive for me. My arms and legs have a lot of scratches on them and the salt hurts, but I want to really get rid of dead skin. Our reply? Try a soothing brown sugar scrub for gentle exfoliation. A generous scoop of brown sugar (light or dark will work equally well), enough of your favorite carrier oil to gently moisten, and one or two drops of Sandalwood oil...soothing to the skin, and the aroma just sweetens the brown sugar. Gently scrub away dull winter skin, without the sting of salt.
Solid Perfume
Warm the oil, add the beeswax beads and warm gently until melted. Let cool until warm to the touch and starting to thicken. Stir in the essential oil, and pour into wee pots. We think it would be a great idea to make a few different perfumes and pour each into our little lip balm jars. Then you can give each of your friends a variety of your one of a kind perfume creations! For a little girl or teenager, try adding some glitter to the blend, just for fun!
Martha's Foot Soak Martha Stewart recently shared a recipe for a foot soak for pregnant momma's on her show...to counteract swelling and achiness. To make the foot soak, combine 1 1/4 cups of Epsom salts with an equal measure of kosher salt in a jar. (NOTE...I would use Sea Salt!) Add a 1/4 cup each of baking soda and cornstarch, up to 1/2 teaspoon of Lemon essential oil, and up to 1/4 teaspoon of Spearmint essential oil. Attach the lid, and shake the jar to combine. Pour the mixture into a bag, and use within a few weeks. (My daughter-in-law says this doesn't sound anywhere near as good as having her legs rubbed with our Prenatal Massage oil...but she might be both prejudiced and a wee bit spoiled.)
Soothing-Cooling Aftershave Gel
Add the glycerine to the witch hazel and slowly add the essential oil's. Mix in the aloe gel and bottle. This is also nice for sunburn.
Shaving Soap (for Mug)
Dissolve soap in the water, and put in blender. Add remaining ingredients and whip until fluffy. Add scent and pour into mug (I used a large coffee mug) and let harden. Note: if using homemade or melt-and-pour soap, increase the amount of soap by 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup total.
Shaving Cream
Melt together and set aside. Separately, combine:
Beat in oil/stearic acid mixture and whip until creamy.
Old Fashioned Hand Lotion—Rosewater and Glycerine Simply blend equal parts of vegetable glycerine and rose hydrosol, bottle in a pretty jar. What could be simpler?
Orange Blossom Body Balm An intensely pampering body balm to ease stress, tension, and anxiety.
Let the shea butter warm to room temperature, cut in small pieces in the bowl of an electric mixer. Start beating and beat until fluffy. **Try using this Orange Body Balm with our moisturizing spa booties and gloves on our Aromatherapy Skincare Page.
Mouthwash Formula A friend of mine kept getting re-occurring infections along his gumline. I "tweaked" a formula I found on a Canadian "non-toxic alternatives" site.
Add the essential oils to the polysorb in a sterilized 32 ounce bottle. Add one quart (or liter) of distilled water. Shake well. Use to rinse mouth, do not swallow.
Balm for Chapped Lips By Weight, NOT Volume.
This makes a basic soothing balm or salve that can be divided into smaller portions and/or enriched in innumerable ways. Use herbal infused oils (infused chamomile or calendula) for skin soothing. Add the essential oils of your choice...a drop of Peppermint or steam-distilled Lime for lip balms... Lavender and German Chamomile for healing baby's diaper rash...Patchouli or Frankincense for badly chapped hands. Less beeswax or more of the liquid oil makes a softer balm, more beeswax makes a firm "stick" that can be rubbed on.
Body Powder Mix 15–20 drops of your essential oil blend per one ounce of cornstarch or unscented talc. Put the cornstarch or talc on a plate or platter. Scatter drops of the essential oils on top of the talc or starch, then cut it in with a fork until it's well blended.
Gentle Honey Cleanser My friend Ravenna in Australia shared this delightful facial cleanser: Honey gently softens and cleanses the skin. This is a mild cleanser that works well for dry skin types. It is wonderful, leaving your skin so soft and moist! It's not at all sticky and can be used as either a facial cleanser or bath gel. I fill empty honey squeeze bottles with this cleanser. Makes a nice gift.
Mix together all ingredients and pour into a clean squeezy bottle. Remember to use non breakable containers if you are going to be using it in the tub or shower.
Salt Scrub This is more of a "put together" than a real recipe.
In an unbreakable container (you're going to use this in the shower after all) mix your sea salt and Jojoba together. The texture should be that of sand castle building sand. Liquid castile is not necessary, but will help the bath tub from being so slick from the Jojoba. Then add your essential oils and stir very well.
Home Made Household GiftsAromatic Window Cleaning
Stir the lemon juice into the cornstarch slowly to avoid clumps and lumps. Add water or club soda, and essential oil. Store in a glass atomizer/spray bottle. Shake well before using. From Sandy Maine's "Herbal Housekeeping" book.
Pomander Ball Cleanser (adapted from a recipe from Barbara Lucks)
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake to dissolve and blend the minerals. You can spray this cleaner onto a surface then leave it for 15 minutes before wiping it off, to give the essential oils antiseptic qualities time to work. Makes 2 cups. It will leave your house smelling like an old-fashioned, clove studded pomander ball!
House Cleaning Recipe A friend recently shared the formula for what she calls "Mrs. Bubble." She said it came from The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel Maier
Combine the baking soda and essential oil. Sprinkle into the sink; pour the vinegar on top. After the fizz settles, scrub clean with a damp cloth or sponge. Rinse clean.
Air Freshener
Place in spray bottle with water. **Use Polysorbate to help the water and oils mix.
All Purpose Cleaner 5 drops Lavender, Lemon, and Pine in a spray bottle with a squirt of liquid soap.
Cleaner for Kitchens and Bathrooms
Place in a spray bottle with water. Always shake bottle before using to mix the oils. **Rather than shaking each time you this, try adding Polysorbate to the recipe.
Counter Cleaner and Kitchen Freshener
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle and shake to blend (careful -- you are using club soda here and it likes to "fizz" on you!). Spray on. Wipe off. Shake the bottle each time before using. Recipe for "Wipes" from our friend Christa Maria:
Carpet Freshener And while we are talking about deodorizing, my friend Wendy from Aromaweb recommends the following carpet deodorizer in her recipes section. Ingredients:
Notes: I was in a cleaning frenzy one day and decided to make my housework more pleasant by incorporating essential oils into it somehow. I found many ways to do so, but this one of my favorite and it scents the house at the same time. I also used the Eucalyptus and Lavender to help keep whatever pests there are at bay that Lizzy, and Cheech & Chong (our cats) bring in with them. Directions: To make the carpet deodorizer (any essential oils could be used by the way, just make sure no one in the household finds the odor offensive) measure your 4 cups of Borax into a bowl and then drop in the essential oils indicated in ingredients in the amounts listed. If you find the smell too strong, add more Borax. Take a spoon and mash up the little clumps that will form when the oil hits the Borax, stir until well mixed. Before vacuuming, I walk around the house and sprinkle it by hand in the same manner one would sow seeds. Let it sit on the carpet for 10–15 minutes, or longer if you like, and then vacuum. This formula will cover about 1000 square feet, give or take a little. Personal note, I think I'd skip the Rosewood, and use either Black Spruce or Pine in its place. But that's my taste. The eucalyptus and lavender are probably key. Some sunny citrus might be a nice addition, as well! |
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Nature’s Gift Disclaimer: The statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration). Our products are not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. If a condition persists, please contact your physician or health care provider. The information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with a health care provider, and should not be construed as individual medical advice. The testimonials on this website are from individuals and do not guarantee or imply the same results. Everything you read on this website is copyrighted. If you would like to borrow our descriptions, please link back to the page from which they were borrowed. © 1995–2021 M.G. Clark. All rights reserved. Read our Privacy Policy here. |
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