DIY Gifts Using Essential Oils

Pure essential oils are oils that are extracted from the leaves, flowers, stems, and roots 
of various flowers, plants, and herbs. These oils are not the same as fragrance oils, as 
they are pure and directly from the source through processes like cold-pressing and 
steam distillation.

During the holiday season, you can not only give essential oils as gifts to anyone you 
know who enjoys more natural and organic approaches to health and beauty, but you 
can also make some of your own gifts using them.

This report is going to guide you through 8 different types of DIY gifts you can make 
with essential oils, including:

Candles 
Potpourri 
Bath Salts 
Bath Bombs 
Sugar Scrubs 
Body Butter 
Lip Balm 
Face Masks

Keep reading to find out how you can make these wonderful holiday gifts for your 
friends and loved ones with the help of essential oils and other natural ingredients.

1. Candles

The first type of DIY gift you can make with essential oils is a candle. This is a basic gift, 
but one that gives you a lot of different options. This will allow you to personalize the 
candle for the recipient, choosing seasonal scents, and really making it something 
special for them to receive. 

The type of candle will depend on your preferences, but container candles tend to be 
best. Votive and pillar candles are a little more difficult to do, even with molds, whereas 
a container candle can be made with anything you have on hand. This of course 
involves getting a container that is safe to light something in, such as one made of 
glass. You can use anything from a mason jar to an old candle you have emptied out. 

Types of Candles

The first decision you want to make with your DIY candles is to choose the type of 
candle. This is what you want to put inside the glass or container for the main base of 
the candle. There are four main options, including paraffin wax, beeswax, gel, and soy. 
Paraffin Wax – The paraffin wax candle is often the first choice many people make. 

This material is versatile and easy to work with. IT also takes the essential oils very well.
Beeswax – While people consider it a new type of candle, this was actually the wax 
used for ancient candles. The beeswax is produced by bees and turned into a type of 
wax for your candles. This can be a considered another type of natural candle to make.

Gel – Gel is another type of candle you can make. It is often called gel wax, but isn’t 
actually a type of wax. Instead, a gel is made with mineral oil and resin, which can 
handle lighting the candle and allowing it to burn very slowly.

Soy Wax – Finally, there is the soy wax candle. These are often considered more 
natural and friendly to the environment. There are kits sold to help you make soy wax 
candles, but this is another great option with multiple melting points.

Choose Your Container

Once you have decided on the type of candle you want to make, you will then choose 
your container. The great thing about container candles is that you can use just about 
any container as long as you can safely light a candle without worrying it will melt. Of 
course, this means nothing made of plastic or silicone. Instead, choose something 
made of glass or ceramic. Some popular options include:

Mason jars 
Old jars like pickle or mayonnaise jars 
Old candles cleaned out 
Tea cups or coffee cups
Using Essential Oils

In addition to using the right kind of wax and making sure you know how to melt and 
pour it into the container, you will also be adding your scents with essential oils. A little 
bit of oil can go a long way with candle scents, so that is something to keep in mind. 
You can use individual scents, such as a cinnamon or a vanilla candle, make your own 
blends, or buy pre-made blends. Some scents that work great with seasonal candles 
include:

Cinnamon 
Nutmeg 
Fir or Pine 
Sweet orange 
Clove 
Ginger 
Blue Spruce 
Peppermint 
Frankincense 
Myrrh

Tips for Making the Candles

You have two main options for making your seasonal candles – start with a recipe and 
buy the ingredients individually or use a kit. The kits are great because they come with 
most of what you need, and allow you to see if that is the type of candle you want to 
make. Then, if you like this style of candle, you can buy ingredients individually to make 
a larger quantity of them. 

In terms of the wicks, make sure you have the right size. If they are too short, you won’t 
be able to light them when the candle is done. On the other hand, wicks that are too 
long can be a fire hazard. 

2. Potpourri

The next type of DIY gift you can make with essential oils is potpourri. This is a great 
option during the holidays since it is easy to make, and gives you a lot of different 
options. Potpourri is essentially dried flowers, leaves, twigs, and herbs that are put 
together in different mixes and include a scent of some kind. Essential oils provide the 
ideal way to give them a nice, strong scent, whether you go with a light lavender vanilla 
or a seasonal scent to make them smell like peppermint candy or Christmas trees.

There are three main options available to you when making potpourri with essential oils. 
You can either get a bag of dried flowers and leaves and add the scent to them, get a 
bag of scented potpourri and customize it with added scent, or you can start from 
scratch and make your own potpourri from live flowers. Here is a look at each option 
and what is expected.

Using Bags of Dried Flowers

This is one of the easier options and allows you to really control how the potpourri is 
going to smell. Craft stores often sell bags of potpourri, but not the scented kind. Look 
for unscented potpourri where all you have are the dried flowers, leaves, and twigs. 
These are simply dried flowers that might have a slight hint of a scent from the types of 
flowers, but will easily transform when you add your own scent to them.

You can even find more seasonal mixes, such as those with red and green colors, and 
various flowers that are popular during winter and Christmastime. This allows you to 
make a fun and festive potpourri batch to give out as a holiday gift.

Adding Scent to Bags of Potpourri

The next option is similar to the first method, but you are going to get bags of potpourri 
that is already lightly scented. You need to be careful with this one, because you don’t 
want to overpower it, but still make it a festive option. Start with potpourri that has a 
single scent, so that you are only adding in one or two essential oil scents to make it 
more festive.

For example, if you find potpourri with the scent of vanilla, you can add in some spices 
to make it smell like baked goods or pine and fir essential oil to give it the smell of 
Christmas trees. With scents like cinnamon, where it is already a little festive, you can 
add in other spices or a Christmas blend to bring out those cinnamon scents.
 
Making Your Own Potpourri

Lastly, you can also try making your own potpourri from scratch. While it is more time-
consuming, it often saves you money and allows you to use flowers you already have at 
home. If you have a garden, imagine how special of a gift potpourri is using flowers right 
from your own backyard. Here are some simple steps for making potpourri from scratch:

Step 1. Choose Your Potpourri Ingredients

To start with, you need to decide what flowers and leaves to include in your Christmas 
blend potpourri mix. This of course starts with the flowers and leaves. Keep in mind it 
won’t just be the flowers themselves, but additional items perfect for Christmas like pine 
cones, cinnamon sticks, and bark. When items are together in the same general area 
outdoors, they will typically smell great together. 

Step 2. Dry the Flowers and Leaves

For the flowers and leaves, they will need to be dried out before you can use them in 
potpourri. You want them to be hardened and dried, so that they don’t wilt when adding 
in your fragrances. You can do this in the oven or the microwave, so it is an easy 
process. Just get your flower petals and leaves and put them between two sheets of 
paper towels. Place this in the microwave and go in cycles of 30-60 seconds at a time 
until they are fully dried out. You can also use a low temperature in your oven and put 
them on a baking sheet.

After you have cooked them, they need to be put in a dry place in your home for about 
2-3 days to be dried out completely.

Step 3. Add in Your Essential Oils

When your flowers are dried, they are ready to use for your potpourri mixes. Since 
essential oils are so concentrated, it is best not to just add the mixture to a mix and start 
dropping oils on them. You want them all to be coated without going through expensive 
oils. A better option is to add drops of oils to a bottle of distilled water, then spray the 
potpourri lightly. You don’t want to soak them, so use a light misting spray bottle 
instead. Add a little bit, toss the mixture, then see if the aroma is strong enough.

3. Bath Salts

Everyone loves a little pampering, which makes bath salts one of the best DIY gifts you 
can make with essential oils. There are many benefits to choosing bath salts for a gift 
including the following:

They are inexpensive to make 
Just about everyone can find a use for them 
It only requires a few simple steps 
They are a long-lasting gift

Bath salts will not only help your friends and family members relax in a nice bath and 
really pamper themselves, but they have additional benefits. They can help relieve 
muscle pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and help reduce inflammation and headaches. 
There are many reasons to give them as a gift.

If you want to make some scented bath salts to give to a friend for Christmas or other 
holidays throughout the year, here are some steps to help you make them right at 
home.

Types of Bath Salts

Before getting into instructions for making your bath salts with essential oils, let’s start 
by looking at the different types you can make. 

Epsom Salts – The most basic type of bath salts is using Epsom salts. Epsom salt is 
made from magnesium sulfate, so they will get all the benefits of more magnesium 
absorbed through the skin, which is a type of electrolyte. They are inexpensive and 
really easy to use for this type of gift.

Dead Sea Salt – Dead sea salt can be used in addition to Epsom salt or on its own for 
your bath salts. There are 21 different minerals in dead sea salt, making it a healthy 
option as well as a great DIY project. Dead sea salt tends to be a little finer than Epsom 
salt if that is what you are going for.

Magnesium Flakes – Another way to make bath salts with magnesium is to use 
magnesium flakes. These are also finer than the Epsom salts with the flakes taking on a 
different size and texture for your bath salts. You can use them alone or with other types 
of salts for the bath salts.

Gathering Your Ingredients

Once you decide on the type of salt or combination of different salts to use for your bath 
salts, it is time to choose the rest of your ingredients. The amount you use is up to you, 
but start with about 2 cups of Epsom salts or other salt, to about 10-20 drops of 
essential oils. Here are some ingredients to get:

2 Cups of Your Choice of Salts 
Baking Soda 
Essential Oils 
Carrier Oil

The carrier oil is necessary as you should not use essential oil on your skin without 
diluting it first, even when added to the bath. Some good carrier oils include jojoba oil, 
argan oil, and coconut oil. These all make your skin soft and have a light scent, so they 
are perfect for bath salts. 

The baking soda helps provide a softer bath salt mixture, though you can use straight 
Epsom salt if you prefer. 

Making the Bath Salts

After gathering the necessary ingredients, it is time to make these bath salts. There are 
only two simple steps. The first step is to gather all your ingredients, aside from the oils, 
and add them to a bowl. Combine well with a spoon or other utensil. You will then add in 
your essential oils and carrier oil, starting with 10-15 drops, then adding more as 
needed. Once combined, convert them to a jar with a lid.

4. Room Spray

Why not make some room spray? This is one of the more practical items you can make 
at home for a friend or loved one, while also using your choice of essential oils. Room 
spray can be used as a room air freshener when they are covering up certain odors, 
can be used on linens safely as long as you use all-natural ingredients, or can simply by 
used in a room that needs a little added Christmas scent. 

Choose Your Scents

As with many DIY gifts that use essential oils, you should start by choosing your scent. 
Like the other gifts on this list, you can go with the seasonal scents or blends, or use 
something pretty for the home like vanilla or lavender. Another option is to go with the 
more clean and fresh scents, since it is a room spray. You might want to use lemon or 
orange with some peppermint or eucalyptus for that clean smell.

Gather Your Ingredients

In addition to the essential oil scents or blends, you will need just a few other 
ingredients. Remember if you are making your own blend, you should experiment fist 
before you attempt to add it to the room spray. Get your oils or blends, along with some 
distilled water and a dark glass spray bottle. Do not use a plastic spray bottle for this 
gift, as the oils will not stay fresh. You might also want a way to label the bottle as well.

Making the Room Spray

When you have all the ingredients ready to go, it is time to start assembling the room 
spray. Start by adding a few drops of your essential oils to the glass spray bottle. Go for 
about 5-10, depending on how many scents you are using. You can then fill the rest of 
the bottle with the water. There is no need to mix or shake it, as the oils will travel 
through the water just fine. Put the top on and add your label. The room spray is now 
ready to go!

Alternative: Pillow or Linen Spray

If you want to make a spray that is better for linens or pillows, then there is another 
slightly different recipe to use. For this one, you want distilled water, the same type of 
spray bottle, and your essential oils. Since it is going on linens, you should also add in a 
little isopropryl alcohol as well. Combine the ingredients in the same way you made the 
room spray.

5. Sugar Scrubs

By now, you have learned how to make several different types of gifts that use essential 
oils. The reason oils are so popular is because they are pure and all-natural. This is why 
it is imperative that you use the 100% pure essential oils. If the bottle is labeled as a 
fragrance oil, it is not the same thing. You want the pure oils to be used with these gifts.

The next gift you can learn how to do is to make a sugar scrub. This is similar to a salt 
scrub, except the sugar provides a softer, finer texture. It still leaves behind silky, 
smooth skin. Someone with sensitive skin might find traditional salt scrubs to be too 
harsh, so the sugar scrub is perfect for them.
 
Ingredients for the Sugar Scrub

To start with, you only need a few simple ingredients for making your own sugar scrubs. 
You will need some regular white table sugar, or you can use brown sugar if you prefer. 
Brown sugar is actually great when you are making a seasonal recipe with cinnamon 
and other spices. In addition to the sugar, you need your essential oils and some 
coconut oil to act as the carrier oil.

For about 2 cups of sugar in the recipe, you can use up to 15 drops total of essential oil. 
If you are using more than one scent, make sure you break it up, such as 5 drops of 3 
different scents. If you want the scrub to be a special color, a little food coloring can be 
used as well.

How to Make Your Sugar Scrub

With your ingredients ready to go, you can make your sugar scrub. This is easy to do 
and simple to make a large batch so that you can put it in small jars as gifts for multiple 
friends and loved ones. To make the scrub, start by heating up your coconut oil until it is 
melted, then adding it to a mixing bowl with the sugar. Combine the ingredients until 
they are mixed well.

You can then add in your essential oils and food coloring if you want it a different color. 
Mix well once more, and that’s all that is needed. Transfer it to jars with air-tight lids to 
keep it fresh.

Make a Salt Scrub

If you think the recipient of this gift would prefer a salt scrub, this is also simple to do. 
The salt scrub is great for removing dead skin cells and leaving behind glowing, 
luxurious skin. For the salt scrub, most of the ingredients are the same, except you want 
to use coarse sea salt instead of the sugar. You can then use the same essential oils 
and coconut oil to make the salt scrub.

Make a Coffee Scrub

The final type of scrub you may want to make is called a coffee scrub. This is exactly 
how it sounds – a skin scrub that uses ground coffee. It is best to use a higher-quality 
coffee, preferably organic coffee. Grind the beans fresh at home, then add in a little salt 
or sugar, with some coconut oil. You can choose to add in essential oils or leave it as-is. 
Cinnamon and vanilla both smell amazing with a coffee scrub. 

6. Body Butter

Another personal care gift you can make with essential oils is body butter. Body butter is 
similar to lotion and other moisturizers, but it is often thicker and therefore provides 
even more pampering. It is not only used to soften your skin, but to help you massage 
your muscles as you use the body butter. This is perfect for getting out of the shower, 
which also makes it in ideal gift to make with essential oils. 

There are a few different recipes that allow you to make your own body butter with 
essential oils. Either way you go, remember to use a light carrier oil when adding 
essential oils. Since the body butter is going on the recipient’s skin, you want to make 
sure it is safe and won’t cause irritation. For this type of product, good carrier oils are:

Coconut oil 
Jojoba oil 
Olive oil

Other ingredients you will need for the body butter include:

Coconut or cocoa butter 
Shea butter 
Essential oils or blends

Making the Body Butter

Whenever you are making products with thick ingredients like coconut oil and shea 
butter, you need to melt them before you can combine everything. Make a double 
broiler on your stove, then add the coconut oil, shea butter, and other ingredients. The 
only thing you don’t want to add yet is your essential oils.

Heat these ingredients in the double broiler just until everything is liquid and can be 
mixed well. Pour it into a bowl, mix well, and add in your essential oils. Once combined, 
put the bowl in the refrigerator at least an hour to let cool completely. This should not be 
until it hardens again, but cools off slightly. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and 
use a hand mixer to whip it into a body butter. You can then let it set by putting it back in 
the fridge for a few minutes before placing in the jars or containers you intend to use.

7. Lip Balm

The final DIY gift we are going to teach you how to make is lip balm. Lip balm is a fun 
beauty product you can make completely natural and with essential oils. These oils 
provide a nice scent to the lip balm, while the other ingredients allow the recipient to 
have smooth, soft lips.

There are a few different ways to make your own lip balm. The simple recipe includes 
just beeswax pastilles, shea butter, coconut oil, and essential oils. These ingredients 
together are wonderful for your lips, making them soft while not using any ingredients 
with chemicals or preservatives. It is a more natural form of lip balm you often find in 
drug stores.

Making the Lip Balm

As you might have guessed, you need to melt the ingredients first. In a double boiler, 
add the coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax to the boiler and melt the ingredients. If 
you don’t have a double boiler, you can make your own by putting water in a pot on the 
stove, and placing a bowl on top of the pot. Let the water come to a boil, then add the 
other ingredients to the bowl.

Once everything is melted, remove it from the stove and add in your essential oils. Try a 
few drops of each scent or the blend you are using, mix it together, and smell it to see if 
you have used enough. You don’t want to use more than necessary. At this point, you 
can add the lip balm mixture to empty lip balm tubes or put it in a little jar with an airtight 
lid.

