I love making handmade herb and essential oil gifts. They are pure, healthy, beneficial, and they even help to teach those who do not use herbs and essential oils very often. That’s another reason these last minute herbs and essential oil gift ideas are so great.
On top of all of that, you can make them the day before or the morning of an event, so they make wonderful last minute gifts!
Herb and Essential Oil Sources
Before we jump into recipes and ideas, it’s important to consider sources. Herbs and essential oils vary in quality because how you raise or process a plant will effect the product.
Organically raised plants that are harvested while they are at their prime will produce highly quality herbs and oils.
I have, in a pinch, purchased herbs and oils from locations that I don’t typically buy from because I haven’t researched them thoroughly. Even though they were ok (though I have returned or thrown away products before), they were not as potent and in the end money was wasted.
So do your research. There are a lot of wonderful sources out there, especially for herbs. Good essential oils can be more difficult to find. But don’t let someone tell you they are the only good source. Not true.
My go to sources are usually Herbal Academy, Starwest Botanicals, Bulk Apothecary, and Mountain Rose Herbs. These are great for herbs! Starwest Botanicals and Mountain Rose Herbs are high quality when it comes to essential oils. And Herbal Academy is a wonderful source of herbal knowledge.
11 Last Minute Handmade Herb and Essential Oil Gifts
1. Herbal Academy Course
This is the ultimate of last minute gifts! Herbal Academy is one of my favorite sources for high quality education. If you or someone you love wants to learn from scratch or expand their already advanced knowledge, they have courses specifically tailored for you. They have a sale through December where courses are around $50 off so make sure to check them out.
Here’s a few of my favorites:
- Introductory Herbal Course
- Botanical Skin Care Course
- Botany & Wildcrafting Course
- Clinical Herbalist Path Package
2. Handmade Soap
I know a lot of you who follow by website are soap lovers. If it’s a last minute situation, you can still make some beautiful melt and pour soap. Learn how here. You can also get handmade soap ready to go in my shop.
3. Body Lotion
If you have shea butter on hand, some body lotion can be made with oils like olive, apricot kernel, sweet almond, avocado, hemp, primrose and so many more. You choose! Here’s my favorite recipe. I also have hand salves and lotions in my shop.
4. Herbal Teas
If you have a tea drinker in your life, you an make a custom set of herbal teas and place them in 4 oz jelly mason jars and tie a ribbon around them. Here are Herbs to help you sleep and herb and fruit combinations for detox.
5. Elderberry Syrup and Hand Salve
This is a wonderful gift set. Having an herbal hand salve ready for winter dry hands and feet is such a great gift. This plus elderberry syrup for a pick me up and self defense when colds hit make a great gift set. Learn how to make elderberry syrup here and get my favorite hand salve recipe here (Or find it in my shop to get it now).
6. Lip Balm
Lip balm is always something I suggest for a last minute gift because you can make a of it and everyone loves it. I have a basic lip balm recipe, herbal lip balm recipe, instructions for how to color or flavor lip balm, and even a chocolate truffle lip balm recipe. So have fun!
7. Essential Oil blends for diffusers
There are so many wonderful holiday scents that you can combine and give as gifts. This can be less expensive when you use a tiny sampler type bottle like this. Here are blends for:
8. Natural Beeswax Candles
These can be made in one day if you have beeswax, wicks, and 4 ounce mason jars. You can get full instructions here.
9. Handmade Ornaments
If you’d like to make something memorable, then an old fashioned ornament scented with essential oils or made with herbs can be a fun family project. Get some great ideas here.
10. Car Air Freshener
This is another fun projects that kids love to do for parents and grandparents. They can cut up some felt into their favorite shapes or decorate a jar and make a wonderful car air freshener. Here are some great ideas and instructions.
11. Bath and Body Products
This can be a super long list, but think of what you have on hand and what would be a fun combination to make for someone so that you can put together a nice basket or bag of goodies for them.
- Tooth powder: Recipe or find it in my shop.
- Beard oil: Recipe or find it in my shop.
- Cologne: Recipe or find it in my shop.
- Soap: Recipes or find it in my shop.
- Skin Toner: Recipe or find it in my shop.
- Liquid Face Wash: Recipe or find it in my shop.
- Shaving Cream: Recipe
- Massage Oil: Recipe or find it in my shop.
- Deodorant: Recipe or find it in my shop.
- Face Mask: Recipe or find it in my shop.
I could go on and on, but if you want more ideas, just do a quick search on my website. Tell me if you don’t find what you’re looking for and I’ll try and put it together for you or direct you toward some good sources. Have fun! and let me know what your favorite projects have been this year.
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