Published: December 15, 2007
Is the stress of the holiday season starting to get to you?
It's probably taking a toll on your friends and loved ones, too.
Everyone could use a gentle massage, some healing aromatherapy, a hot soak in a tub with some soft music to unwind. So why not give the gift of relaxation for Christmas? Make-at-home spa gifts with natural ingredients are easy and fun to create. And the personal touch you add will make it a real gift from the heart.
Consider soothing bath salts and oils scented in lavender, rose or vanilla. Exfoliating scrubs for feet and hands can be made with salt or sugar and a number of butters and oils. Bath pouches filled with herbs or oatmeal will relieve sunburn or steam stress away.
To create your gift, start with a container. Baskets need not be the typical wicker variety, although there are many shapes and sizes of those to choose from. Get creative and opt for a pretty glazed ceramic flower pot or a decorative cookie tin.
Elaine Roberts, a Tampa-based aromatherapist and skin-care specialist, suggests presenting travel-size containers in a large coffee mug or small soup bowl.
"This way the gift does double duty," says Roberts, who has developed her own line of natural body care products, called er aromatherapy. "Just wrap it in colored cellophane and tie with a raffia ribbon."
Small cosmetic cases work well, too.
"They can be used for trial-size soaps, gels or lotions," Roberts says. "Just add some colorful packaging grass and a ribbon, and you're good to go."
Thrift stores and dollar stores can be gold mines for baskets and containers. You also can pick up some small scented candles (soy are the best), loofahs, net shower scrunchees and other bath items.
Ideally, you'll want colored glass jars with tight-fitting lids for your bath products, but clear jars will work, too.
Next, gather your ingredients. Most can be found in natural food stores.
Shea butter, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oils and cocoa butter are excellent for replacing the skin's own oils. Epsom salts and Dead Sea salts are best for soaking. Roberts prefers coconut oil, grapeseed oil (it's the lightest) and Dead Sea salts for many of her products.
"The Dead Sea salts are the best for bath soaks," she says. "They come from 1,300 feet below sea level, so they contain nearly 10 times the mineral content of other salts."
Essential oils are a must for infusing aroma and healing properties into your bath products. These highly concentrated oils derived from leaves, roots, fruit peels and flower petals contain potent natural compounds that can be used as medicine, for beauty and pampering, and for perfumes and aromatherapy.
Although there are hundreds of oils, the four used most often to create natural spa treatments and healthy home recipes are lavender (calming), lemon (uplifting), eucalyptus (revitalizing) and peppermint (invigorating).
Mix a few drops of essential oil in unscented lotion or gels and bath salts to add fragrance.
Don't forget to add a small candle to your gift basket.
"Pine, fir, or any 'green' scent is always a good clean candle for the bath," Roberts says. "Lavender, orange, lemon or eucalyptus are all good for relaxation baths, even though citrus is an uplifter."
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