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Homemade Spa Gift Basket Ideas

Homemade gifts are wonderful to give and receive. They allow the gift giver to personalize the gift and let the receiver know that the gift giver really cares, because they took the time and effort to create their gift.  Homemade gift baskets often involve baked goods or crafty items, but you can also give the gift of pampering with homemade spa gifts. Many spa products are relatively easy to make and are a wonderful luxury to receive. Below are some homemade spa gift basket ideas to get you started.

Bath Salts Gift Basket Idea

This is one of the easiest spa products to make at home. It can be made to be colorful, scented, or just natural.

You’ll need:

• Epson salts or sea salts (or both)
• Baking soda
• Essential oil(s) of your choice
• Food coloring (optional)
• Glycerin (optional skin moisturizer)

To make:

1. Take 1 1/4 cups of the salt of your choice and add 2 rounded tablespoons of baking soda. Mix well. If you are using both salts, use 1 cup Epson salts with ¼ cup sea salt.
2. Add a few drops of your chosen essential oil and mix well. Add and mix until the scent is as strong as you want. Only add a few drops at a time, because essential oils are very strong.
3. If adding coloring, add a few drops at a time, stirring until desired color is reached.
4. If adding glycerin, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of glycerin to mixture.
5. Mix everything until there are no clumps.

Packaging:

Bath salts look good packaged in recycled glass (or plastic) containers. You have the option of leaving the glass clean and clear of any labels, or you can create your own signature spa label to apply.

For a more luxury look, mix in some dried flowers that correspond with your scent. If you made lavender bath salts, you could mix in dried lavender buds or tie a dried sprig of lavender around the jar.

Bath Oil Gift Basket Idea

Bath oils were once an essential part of every bathing experience, because it created beautifully scented, skin softening experience.

You’ll need:

• Almond oil, mineral oil or baby oil
• Dried flowers or herbs (optional)
• Essential oil(s) of your choice

To make:

1. If using dried flowers or herbs, these will impart their scent to the oil, place them in the container that you plan to store the oil in.
2. Add a few drops of your chosen essential oil(s).
3. Fill the rest of the container with your oil.
4. Cap and leave for a few days to allow the scents to infuse.

Packaging:

Bath oils can pretty much be stored in anything that seals and is easy to pour, but for that truly elegant look nothing beats a glass corked bottle. You can find these containers at any craft or kitchen store. You can leave them plain or decorate tie some dried herbs or flowers to the neck.

Be sure not to set a corked bottle on its side as it will leak. You can help prevent leakage by dipping the cork in hot wax before sealing the bottle closed.

Paraffin Wax Hand and Foot Treatments Basket

Paraffin wax treatments are a great way to deeply moisturize and soften your hands and feet. They also make a great spa gift, because they don’t require the person to have a bath tub to enjoy them.

You’ll need:

• One block of paraffin wax (normally 4oz), this can be found in the canning section of your local grocery store or at a hardware store.
• Essential oil of your choice
• Almond oil, grapeseed oil or vegetable oil
• Ice cube tray

To make:

1. Place the block of paraffin wax,  ½ to 1 oz oil and 6 to 7 drops of essential oil into a double boiler.
2. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is melted.
3. As the mixture is melting, oil the ice cube tray.
4. Once the mixture is fully melted, carefully pour equal amounts of wax into each of the cups of the ice cube tray.
5. Allow the mixture to cool until room temperature and solid. If the mixture doesn’t harden up, you can return it to the double boiler to add a little more paraffin wax.

Packaging:

Place 3 to 4 cubes of your paraffin wax mixture into a cellophane bag and tie off with a nice ribbon or raffia. You can even include a pretty bowl, found at your local Goodwill, that they can use as a treatment bowl.

The ice cube blocks of paraffin allow the user to control how much wax they want to reheat in the microwave. That way if they only want to do a small treatment, they have that option.

Be Creative

Presentation is everything, so dress up your homemade spa gift baskets as much or as little as you want. Luxury spa items are pleasing to look at, so aim to make your packaging as appealing as the product they contain. Adding little things like a knitted face cloth, or a nice scented candle will also make your gift seem more professional and thoughtful.

Don’t limit yourself to these homemade spa gift basket ideas, there are hundreds of spa gifts you can easily make and gift to your loved ones. Remember that you get to do product testing as you make various things, so be ready for some personal pampering as well.

This article has been written by expert author ‘Emily Cordz‘.