DIY Christmas Gifts Using Essential Oils

If you enjoy taking the time to make homemade gifts for friends and family and also love using essential oils, why not combine these. You can share your love for essential oils by using them to make Christmas gifts.  

I don't believe that you need to choose one exclusive essential oil brand since there are quite a few reputable, reliable brands and each have their pros and cons (as well as available essential oils). I personally have used and would recommend Plant Therapy, Edens Garden, doTerra, and Aura Cacia. My favorite essential oil company is Plant Therapy for their quality, reliability, accessibility, and affordability (including free shipping). If you are concerned about brand quality you can check 3rd party tests from Essential Oil Consumer Reports or Essential Oil Analysis Foundation. I do not recommend buying oils through Amazon, drugstores, or at most big box stores (like Walmart or Target) since there are many fraudulent oils sold at these places.

Although essential oils are 100% natural, they are extremely potent and should be used with care. For safety precautions, here are some websites to research more about safety issues with essential oils:

• Tisserand Institute
• Using Essential Oils Safely
• Aromahead Institute

I also love this book that has essential oil profiles, recipes, and safety precautions.
The Complete The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness by Nerys Purchon and Lora Cantele

Safety Precautions to Consider When Making Gifts With Essential Oils:

• Be careful that the essential oils are child safe.
• Be careful that the essential oils are safe for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Avoid essential oils that interact with medications.
• Avoid or properly dilute essential oils that have the potential to inhibit blood clotting, aggravate asthma, cause convulsions, or cause cancer. 
• Be cautious of problems essential oils may cause with pets (especially cats). Specifically, be careful of any topical product that may be applied on the skin or surface that a cat may lick.
• Avoid recipes where the essential oil will be ingested. Ingestion of essential oils requires extra caution (for example, it is more likely to interact with medications) and should be done under the care of an aromatherapist.
• Watch that your essential oils are properly diluted in a carrier oil or a carrier butter (like shea butter or cocoa butter) if they are to be used topically.

Here is a table of safety issues (children, pregnancy, medications....) for specific essential oils
* This table is a work in progress. It does NOT include every essential oil, only some of the most common ones that have safety issues. The information is gleaned from the above websites and from Essential Oil Safety, 2nd edition by Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young. However, you should always double check all information. You are the one responsible for your own safety usage and decision making. If you have any questions, you should contact a certified aromatherapist.

Identification of Essential Oils:
Since essential oil names can be ambiguous, be cautious when using essential oils to correctly identify them by:

• scientific name
• country of origin
• plant part
• extraction method (especially with citrus since it affects phototoxicity)
• chemotype (if applicable)

Good Essential Oils for Gift Making:

• Cypress Cupressus sempervirens
• Fir Abies sibirica, Abies balsamea
• Frankincense Boswellia carteri (or sacra), Boswellia Frereana
• Kumquat Fortunella japonica
• Lavender (not Spike or Spanish or Lavandin) Lavandula angustifolia
• Mandarin (Fruit not Leaf) Citrus reticulata
• Neroli Citrus x aurantium
• Palmarosa Cymbopogon martini
• Pine Pinus sylvestris
• Roman Chamomile Chamaemelum nobile
• Sandalwood (Australia) Santalum spicatum
• Sweet Marjoram Origanum majorana
• Tangerine Citrus reticulata, Citrus nobilis, Citrus tangerine
• Tea Tree Melaleuca alternifolia
• Vanilla Oleoresin or CO2 Extract Vanilla planifolia

Good Essential Oils for Gifts (With Caution):

• Bergamot Citrus bergamia, Citrus aurantium (dilute to 0.4% or less if using topically)
• Grapefruit Citrus x paradisi (dilute to 4% or less if using topically)
• Lemon Citrus x limon, Citrus limonum (use steam distilled to avoid phototoxicity if using topically)
• Lime Citrus x aurantifolia, Citrus x latifolia (use steam distilled to avoid phototoxicity if using topically)
• Orange (Sweet or Blood) Citrus sinensis, Citrus aurantium var. sinensis (avoid Bitter Orange which is phototoxic)
• Rose Absolute Rosa x centifolia (dilute to 2.5% if using topically)
• Rose Rosa x damascena (dilute to 0.6% if using topically)
• Sandalwood (Indian) Santalum album (dilute to 2% if using topically)

For any of the homemade gifts listed below, that will come into contact with the skin, I included a dilution percentage that should help you in case you substitute an essential oil that has a topical max.

DIY Essential Oil Gifts for Children

• Scented Sensory Slime - 2% dilution before adding to slime (Or if you prefer to use solution try this recipe with a 1% dilution)
• Aromatherapy Play Dough - 4% dilution before adding to play dough
• KidSafe Mojito Lip Balm or try Silky Soft to soothe sore lips - 1% dilution

DIY Essential Oil Gifts for Men

• Beard Balm - 1% dilution
• Hair Pomade - 1.67% dilution
• Shaving Cream - 0.25% dilution

DIY Essential Oil Gifts for Women

• Diffuser Necklaces and include a bottle of an essential oil
• Natural Essential Oil Perfume - 3% dilution (The perfume with Bergamot would not be phototoxic if using Bergamot essential oil that is Bergapten free.)
• Tea Cup Candle

DIY Essential Oil Gifts for Anyone

• Bathroom Odor Obliterator (like Poo-Pourri)
• Foaming Hand Soap - 0.2 - 0.4 % dilution (This can be made kid-friendly by using Plant Therapy's Germ Destroyer instead of their Germ Fighter.)
• Hand Sanitizer - 1.5% dilution
• Hand Sanitizer Spray - 1.3% dilution
• Shower Disks - I love these. They are very easy to make. I make them plain and then add essential oils directly before use because the smell will fade.
• Lotion Bars - 0.6% dilution - Beware of using peppermint in this recipe if there are children in the recipient's home. Try using mango butter instead of cocoa butter along with 18 drops each of Sweet Orange (citrus sinensis) and Vanilla Oleoresin (vanilla planifolia) for a wonderful mango orange scent instead.
• Lotion Spray - 2.75% dilution
• Body Butter - 1.5% dilution

Don't Want To Make Anything Yourself:

• For Men: premade beard balm or beard oil
• For Women: premade diffuser necklaces 
• For Children: these adorable plush toys with scent pads for essential oils
• For the Essential Oil Lover: a carrying case or an essential oil journal

If you want to make some Christmas presents that don't utilize essential oils, here are a few that I have made and gifted:

This page contains affiliate links, meaning that I receive a commission if you buy these products by clicking on the links above.  However, this post is not sponsored and I really do love these products and have used Plant Therapy essential oils for years.  Click here for my affiliate disclosure.