See how to make 8 festive DIY essential oil gifts for Christmas! Each homemade holiday gift idea is beginner-friendly and quick to create. Included are simple recipes for Christmas soap, bath bombs, lotion bars, sugar scrub cubes, lip balm and lip scrub, wax melts and tea lights. The essential oil Christmas gifts are affordable and come with free printable gift tags and labels.

Holiday DIY essential oil gifts

You seemed to really enjoy the rose-themed essential oil presents, I shared earlier this year. And so I decided to come up with a holiday edition and create 8 easy DIY essential oil gifts for Christmas.

After sharing a series of candy cane inspired beauty products last year, I thought it would be fun to develop a cute gingerbread theme.

The easy essential oil recipes include DIY Christmas soap, homemade lip balm and lip scrub, sugar scrub cubes, bath truffles, lotion bars, wax melts and cute tea lights.

These simple homemade beauty recipes and DIY home fragrance ideas make lovely standalone gifts or can be combined to create pretty essential oil gift sets.

Whether you’re looking for handmade gift ideas for friends, pretty stocking stuffer ideas, gift ideas for essential oil lovers, or easy Christmas gifts for large groups – you will find something!

These festive essential oil crafts are much healthier than store-bought bath gifts and can be made for a fraction of the price.

You’ll also learn how to make a holiday essential oil blend to scent your DIY Christmas gifts, plus tips for packaging and gift-giving.

And speaking of gifting, Cyna created a huge set of printable labels and gift tags, which are perfect for decorating your essential oil Christmas gifts.

Now, a fair warning… This is a long post. I wanted to create lots of easy and creative Christmas gift ideas. And my hope for this article is to be your favorite resource for sustainable holiday gifts.

You can find the exact amounts and instructions for each project in the how-to box at the end of the post.

Homemade Christmas gifts

Looking for things to make with essential oils? You’re in the right place. My goal with these free essential oil recipes is to show just how many wonderful products you can create.

I have a hunch that you’ll love these creative DIY Christmas gifts, and here is why:

beginner-friendly – Each DIY with essential oils is swift and easy to make – even if you’re new to making homemade skin care and bath products.
limited ingredients – To keep the shopping list short and expenses down, I developed each DIY with a limited number of ingredients and made sure that each ingredient can be used in multiple recipes. This way, you get the most out of everything.
customizable – Some ingredients can be easily swapped for others. Shea butter can be replaced with coconut oil and vice versa. Soy wax can be used in place of beeswax.
scalable – Another objective was to make these DIY holiday gifts scalable. That means you can prepare as little or as much of each DIY as you like. If you need more, simply multiply the ingredients.
natural recipes – Commercial spa gifts are cute. Still, these products often contain potentially harmful and toxic materials that can disrupt the endocrine system and lead to issues like infertility, hormonal imbalance and allergies. Whereas, the handmade Christmas gifts you’ll find in this post are only made with safe, natural ingredients that provide actual skincare and aromatherapy benefits.

Essential oil tips

You’re probably excited to check out the essential oil Christmas gifts Cyna, and I created for this post. But before that, I want to talk a little about the essential oils you need to make these homemade holiday gifts.

To scent the homemade body care gifts, you can either whip up your own DIY essential oil blend or buy a pre-made one.

I’ll show you my gingerbread essential oil recipe in just a moment, but feel free to scent your DIY gifts with essential oils that you like and have available.

DIY gingerbread essential oil blend

I opted to create my own homemade gingerbread essential oil blend with the following ingredients:

Simply add these essential oils into a small dropper bottle and shake well. Then use this festive Christmas blend as instructed in the essential oil DIYs below.

Single scent

Of course, you can also choose a single scent, which is more affordable than buying multiple EOs. Copaiba, vanilla, and sweet orange smell delicious on their own.

DIY Soy Wax Tea Lights with Essential Oils

Premade blends

Suppose you prefer to whip up the essential oil gifts with a ready-made blend. In that case, I recommend the following products from Plant Therapy:

Plant Therapy also sells a bundle that combines all of their 6-holiday blends.

Essential oil safety tips

You may notice that cinnamon essential oil is absent from the list. The reason is that cinnamon, as well as most other spice essential oils, can be quite irritating on the skin. Therefore, I don’t recommend using it for these essential oil gift ideas.

Copaiba is milder and better suited for skincare products than cinnamon.

And please stick to the essential oil amounts listed in each recipe. It might be tempting to add more for stronger-smelling holiday gifts, but doing so can result in unsafe products.

When it comes to aromatherapy gifts, such as the holiday tealights or Christmas wax melts, you can, of course, incorporate cinnamon essential oil. These products aren’t meant for direct skin contact.

Finally, if you are pregnant, nursing or have a medical condition, consult with a physician or medical caregiver about the safe use of essential oils in your situation. I share a neat tip for making these gifts without essential oils below, so read on!

DIY Christmas gifts without essential oils

Yes, you read that right. Good-quality essential oils don’t come cheap, and not everyone can afford to spend 50 bucks on a handful oils. Good news: you don’t have to.

Most of my natural Christmas gifts are made with ground spices. The spices provide plenty of fragrance without the need of extra essential oils. Granted, the gifts won’t smell as strong, but you have that option.

As for the spices, I recommend either using gingerbread spice, pumpkin pie spice, or just cinnamon. I usually use homemade mixes, but also like the pumpkin pie spice from Simply Organic.

Gingerbread bath bombs

Holiday Bath Bombs Gift with Printable Gift Tags

First up are adorable gingerbread bath bombs. These festive Christmas bath bombs transform your bath into a beautiful lake of fragrant, fizzy water with heaps of foam and cinnamony goodness. The addition of shea butter makes these little bath treats incredibly moisturizing.

The easy bath bomb recipe is perfect for beginners. I used a cookie cutter to shape the bath truffles. You could also press the bath bomb mixture into a silicone mold (as I did with these snowflake bath bombs), or use a cookie scoop to make bath truffles (e.g. in this lavender bath scoop recipe).

I placed my holiday bath truffles into lovely spice jars and used a ribbon to attach the printable tag. Or put each DIY gingerbread bath bomb in small cotton bags, which is a cute idea if you need homemade Christmas gifts for coworkers.

Gingerbread soap

Christmas soap recipe with printable labels

Based on the festive holiday favorite, this charming DIY gingerbread soap combines a creamy soap base with a rich spice fragrance. I used this goat’s milk melt-pour-soap base, but a shea butter soap base is a good option for vegans.

The steps for how to make Christmas soaps are simple: First, you’ll pour soap bars into a cylinder silicone mold. Then you pour a thin soap layer and cut out tiny gingerbread man, which you glue on the soap bar with a little melted soap. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and your homemade Christmas soap recipe is ready to be gifted.

I chose these gorgeous gold tins for packaging (I used the 2-oz sizes). The containers are very sturdy and perfect for mailing handmade Christmas gifts.

Holiday spice sugar scrub cubes

Made with sugar to exfoliate your skin to perfection, my gingerbread sugar scrub cubes are blended with nourishing coconut oil, melt and pour soap, cinnamon, and essential oils. DIY sugar scrub cubes are lovely natural gift idea that will leave your skin soft and pampered.

Making homemade sugar scrub cubes isn’t difficult at all: All you do is melt the soap and coconut oil, add essential oils, and then mix with sugar and cinnamon. I poured my exfoliating cubes recipe into an ice cube mold. Alternatively, fill the mixture into a lined baking pan/tin and cut into small squares after cooling.

A large flip-top jar is an excellent way to package and store your DIY gingerbread sugar scrub cubes. Wide-mouth mason jars would also look pretty.

Festive lotion bars

Homemade Christmas Gift with Free Printable Labels

Delicately scented with essential oils, my nourishing gingerbread lotion bars are designed to leave your skin feeling silky soft and festive. Lotion Bars melt directly onto your skin and are a wonderful skincare gift for the colder months.

The solid lotion bar recipe is made with just 3 ingredients: shea butter, beeswax, and essential oils. Beeswax will result in slightly harder lotion bars, but soy wax works, too, in case you prefer a vegan option.

I poured the lotion bar mixture into a gingerbread man mold from Wilton. The mold features different designs, and there’s even a little ginny lady!

I put a few lotion bars into a 4-oz mason jar and put the printable label between the flat lid and screw band. And ready is another pretty DIY gift with essential oils!

Gingerbread lip balm

Homemade gingerbread lip balm is perfect for holiday gift-giving. Easy, affordable, and super cute. This balm has a warming scent with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. The DIY Christmas lip balm recipe glides on easy and moisturizes dry lips.

The lip balm recipe is based on a simple 2-ingredient formula. All you need is a plant butter and a wax. You can prepare this homemade lip balm recipe with any combination of shea butter or coconut oil and beeswax or soy wax.

Essential oils are optional. Otherwise, a few drops vanilla oleoresin and copaiba are all you need to scent this lip balm recipe.

I poured the lip balm in gorgeous gold lip balm pots (it’s the 0.5 oz size). Lip balm tubes are another possibility to package your handmade lip balm gift.

Gingerbread lip scrub

Brown Sugar Lip Scrub Recipe with Free Printable Labels

With added coconut oil, this sweet yet spicy DIY gingerbread lip scrub will leave your lips feeling beautifully nourished. Homemade holiday lip scrub is the easiest essential oil recipe of the bunch. The only step is to combine all ingredients and pack the mixture into your container.

While I used brown sugar for my Christmas lip scrub recipe, granulated sugar is fine, too. Since lips are very delicate, it’s best to omit the essential oils in this recipe. The ground spices provide plenty of flavour and scent – and make the lip scrub completely edible!

As with the previous recipe, I stuffed the lip scrub into small lip balm pots. And to up the festive flair, I decorated my holiday lip scrub with tiny gingerbread man sprinkles.

DIY holiday tea lights

Christmas tea lights gift with printable labels

Bring seasonal charm and celebration into your home with pretty holiday tea lights. Made with soy wax, these mini DIY essential oil candles will fill your home with beautiful fragrance and gentle flicker.

I bought pre-tapped tea light wicks and poured my essential oil tealights into these 1 oz gold tins (medium size). Of course, you can also opt for classic aluminum cases or glass tea light holders.

Cyna created 6 different holiday messages. I recommend printing the labels on sticker paper, which makes it easy to decorate these adorable candle gifts. Homemade tea lights are a very affordable Christmas gift idea, and it’s pretty easy to scale up the recipe.

Gingerbread wax melts

Ready for one more aromatherapy gift? DIY gingerbread wax melts create a festive and homey feeling. Simply place the essential oil wax melts into a wax warmer and enjoy the smell of freshly baked gingerbread cookies wafting through your home.

The steps to make Christmas wax melts are simple: first, melt the soy wax in a double boiler. Optionally, add brown mica or colored wax to tint the wax melts. Next, stir in the essential oils, then pour into a silicone mold and let harden.

I used this cute gingerbread man silicone mould, but other Christmas shapes would make gorgeous wax melts, too.

Small jars or cotton bags are perfectly fitting to package homemade wax melts. Use the printables either as label or gift tag. And just to be safe, let the recipient know that this a natural air freshener, not an edible treat.

Christmas Essential Oil Gift Recipes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Materials

Gingerbread Essential Oil Blend

50 drops copaiba oleoresin
35 drops sweet orange essential oil
30 drops vanilla extract (vanilla oleoresin)
7 drops ginger root CO2
7 drops clove bud essential oil
dropper bottle

Gingerbread Bath Bombs (makes 6 bath truffles)

3/4 cups / 165 g / 5.8 oz baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1/2 cup / 75 g / 2.6 oz citric acid
1/4 cup / 30 g / 1 oz SLSA (or 1/3 cup / 30 g / 1 oz milk powder)
1/8 cup / 30 g / 1 oz gingerbread spice (or pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon)
1/2 cup / 75 g / 5.2 oz shea butter (or coconut oil)
1/2 tbsp emulsifier (e.g. Polysorbate 80 or PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate)
40 drops essential oils
cookie cutter (I used the small size)

Gingerbread Soap (makes 4 soap bars)

3 cups (grated) / 200 g / 7 oz melt and pour soap base
50 drops essential oils
1/2 tsp gingerbread spice (or pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon) + some extra for sprinkling
cylinder mould
mini gingerbread man cookie cutter

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Cubes (makes 6-7)

3/4 cup / 150 g / 5.3 oz granulated sugar
1/3 cup / 50 g / 1.8 oz coconut oil
3/4 cup (grated) / 50 g / 1.8 oz melt and pour soap base
1 tsp gingerbread spice (or pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon)
40 drops essential oil (optional)
ice cube tray

Holiday Lotion Bars (makes 6-8 mini lotion bars)

1 cup / 80 g / 2.8 oz white beeswax (or soy wax)
1 cup / 120 g / 4 oz shea butter (or coconut oil)
20 drops essential oils
silicone mould

Gingerbread Lip Balm (makes 3 pots or tubes)

3 tbsp / 30 g / 1 oz shea butter (or coconut oil)
1 1/2 tbsp / 9 g / 0.3 oz soy wax (or beeswax)
1/4 tsp gingerbread spice (or pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon)
9 drops essential oils (optional)
3 0.5-oz lip balm pots
OR
3 lip balm tubes

Gingerbread Lip Scrub (makes 3 container)

4 1/2 tbsp / 60 g / 2 oz brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp / 15 g / 0.6 oz fractionated coconut oil
1 tsp gingerbread spice (or pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon)
gingerbread man sprinkles (optional)
3 0.5-oz tins

Christmas Tea Lights (makes 5-6)

2 1/3 cups / 150 g / 5.3 oz soy wax
100 drops essential oils
tea light wicks
5-6 1-oz tins or tea light holders

Gingerbread Wax Melts (makes 8-10)

2 1/3 cups / 150 g / 5.3 oz soy wax
100 drops essential oils
brown candle diy (optional)
gingerbread man silicone mold

Tools

double boiler
glass mixing bowl
glass measuring cups
whisk

Instructions

Gingerbread Essential Oil Blend

Add the essential oils into a small dropper bottle and shake well.
Use the blend as instructed in the recipes below.

Gingerbread Bath Bombs (makes 6)

Melt the cocoa butter in a warm water bath or the microwave. Set aside for 10 minutes, then stir in the emulsifier and essential oils.
Add the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk slowly until well combined.
Pour the melted oil mixture over the dry ingredients and knead with your hands. The mixture should have a consistency like cookie dough.
Pack the mixture tightly into the cookie cutter. The top should be flat and even.
Using your fingertips, gently press the bath bomb out of the cookie cutter.
Let the bath bombs dry for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Gingerbread Soap

Cut the melt and pour soap base into small cubes.
Add soap cubes into a microwave-safe container. Something with a spout is best, e.g. a glass measuring cup.
Melt in the microwave set to medium in 30-second bursts until melted.
Stir in the essential oils.
Pour the soap into 4 cylinder molds, about half full.
Stir a the ground spices/cinnamon into the remaining soap base and pour on a plate lined with plastic wrap/cling film.
Allow both to harden.
Once solid, remove the soap bars from the mold.
Using a small gingerbread man cookie cutter, cut out ornaments from the spiced soap.
Use a little melted soap base to glue the gingerbread men onto the soap bars.
Optionally, sprinkle with ground spices/cinnamon.

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Cubes

Cut the melt and pour soap base into small cubes.
Add the soap cubes and coconut oil into a microwave-safe mixing bowl and microwave on medium in 20-second bursts until melted. Watch the process carefully to avoid burning the soap.
Stir in the granulated sugar, spices/cinnamon and essential oils until well combined.
Pour the sugar scrub mixture into an ice cube mold and freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Carefully pop the exfoliating scrub cubes out of the mold.

Holiday Lotion Bars

Place the beeswax pellets and shea butter into a double boiler and heat over low flame until liquid. Stir occasionally.
Once the ingredients are melted, add the essential oils.
Pour the lotion bar mixture into the silicone mold.
Unmold once the lotion bars are solid. Cooling takes several hours at room temperature several hours, or 1 hour in the fridge.

Gingerbread Lip Balm

Warm the shea butter, soy wax and ground spices/cinnamon in a small double boiler until melted.
Once fully melted, stir in the essential oil.
Pour the lip balm into lip balm tins or tubes.
Let cool until solid.

Gingerbread Lip Scrub

Add the brown sugar, ground spices/cinnamon, and coconut oil into a small mixing bowl.
Mix until the ingredients are well blended.
Pack the holiday lip scrub into storage tins.
Optionally, decorate the scrub with gingerbread man sprinkles.

Holiday Tea Lights

Slowly melt the soy wax in the microwave or a double boiler.
Once the wax is melted, add the essential oils.
Pour into the tins or tea light holders and add the wick in the center.
Allow the wax to cool until set.

Gingerbread Wax Melts

Add the soy wax to a double boiler, then melt in a warm water bath.
Remove from the heat and stir in the essential oil and candle dye if using. Stir well to combine.
Pour into the mold.
Let the wax harden in a cool place for several hours or overnight.
Once set, pop the melts out of the silicone mold.

Notes

Storage instructions and shelf life

Here are the storage instructions and shelf life for each essential oil gift:

bath bombs: Store the homemade gingerbread bath bombs in an airtight container or jar. The DIY Christmas bath bomb recipe can be kept for 1 year.
hand soap: For the best shelf life, wrap each handmade soap bar tightly in plastic wrap/cling film. Store the easy essential oil soap recipe in a cool, dark place and away from heat and direct sunlight. The shelf life of the melt and pour soap gift idea is 1 year.
sugar scrub cubes: Store the gingerbread sugar scrub cubes in an airtight jar or container, ideally in a cool, dark place. The shelf of these homemade sugar scrub bars is 6 months.
lip balm: In a moderate to cool climate, store the lip balm at room temperature. In a hot environment, it may be best to put the lip balm in the refrigerator as heat can melt it. The shelf life is 6 months.
lip scrub: Store the Christmas lip scrub recipe at room temperature. Like other sugar scrub recipes with coconut oil, the gingerbread lip scrub can be kept for 6 months.
lotion bars: Store the homemade rose lotion bars in an airtight container in a cool place, away from moisture, heat, and sunlight. The lotion bars stay fresh for 1 year.
tea lights and wax melts: Store the natural wax melts and tealights in an airtight container, protected from heat and sunlight. Both products last for a year.

Recommended Products

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Christmas soap gift with printable labels

Printable gift tags and labels

We tried to size the labels in a way that they would fit many jars and containers. You can adjust the size in the printer settings. To make the labels or tags smaller decrease the printing sizes. For larger labels, increase the printing size, meaning print larger than 100%, anywhere from 110% to 140%.

To make stickers, print the labels on sticker paper. This type of paper is self-adhesive, all you have to do is peel away the backing and then apply the label to your container or jar. For gift tags, print the printables on cardstock or photo paper.