A DIY spa kit is perfect for a spa day at home and a lovely homemade gift idea for mom and friends. The quick beauty recipes are made with affordable ingredients and include: a whipped body butter with shea butter and coconut oil, a simple DIY vanilla sugar scrub recipe and an easy DIY Epsom bath salt with baking soda and essential oils. The beauty products are packaged in cute jars and come with free printable labels that you can download at the end of the post.
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A DIY spa kit is a great homemade gift idea for many occasions
Sometimes you need to take some time off from everyday life and treat yourself with a spa day at home. It’s a great way to recharge and to stay healthy and energetic. A DIY spa kit is excellent for relaxation and pampering. Below, I have listed a few ideas on how you can personalise the gift set for different recipients:
Women
Spa kits are thoughtful thank you, hostess and welcome gifts, and come in handy for countless occasions. Think birthdays, anniversaries, a promotion, Mother’s Day, teacher appreciation day, you name it. Or just because you appreciate your mum/sister/daughter/friend/neighbour and want to show how much you love her with a pretty homemade gift.
Popular essential oil fragrance options for ladies include rich floral scents (e.g. rose, lavender, ylang-ylang, jasmine), refreshing citrusy aromas (e.g. neroli, mandarin, grapefruit, lime), and warm and woodsy notes (e.g. clary sage, frankincense, balsam fir, cedarwood). When it comes to colouring the products either leave them uncoloured, chose her favourite colour, or coordinate the colour with the fragrance of your choice (e.g. yellow for lemon essential oil, or pink for rose essential oil).
Preteens and teens
After turning 13, I regularly raided my mum’s skincare products, one time slathering her expensive undereye cream liberally on my entire face, lol. Once girls show an interest in beauty and skin care, it’s important to introduce them to natural and organic products. Children and adolescents absorb ingredients faster and at a higher rate than adults since their bodies are still growing. So non-toxic and natural is the way to go.
For girls and young women, use bright colours and add shimmery micas or sparkly glitter. Aside from the essential oils I mentioned above, it’s also fun to fragrance the scrub and peeling with flavour oils. I like to use cherry, bubble gum, or cotton candy flavour oils from LorAnn’s children’s pack.
Men
Let’s move on to the lads. Men need skincare products, too, even when they’re stubbornly refusing and sometimes need a bit of convincing. Don’t ask how long it took me to persuade my dad to use a hand balm after gardening. But anyway. Date night, birthdays, Father’s Day, an anniversary or a promotion, are great occasions to surprise your/a man with a thoughtful gift made specially for him.
When it comes to guys, choose colours and scents they like. Either leave the products uncoloured or tint them blue, green, yellow, or red – just no pastels or pink. You can also add 1/2 tsp activated charcoal to the peeling to give a subtle grey hue. Earthy and masculine fragrances, such as oakmoss, sandalwood, vetiver, black pepper, ginger, patchouli, bay, or fir needle, are great essential oil options for males.
Don’t forget about your lovely self
It’s also perfectly fine to pamper yourself. As women, we’re often busy with so many things that we sometimes forget to proper self-care. So set some time aside just for you and do something that makes you feel relaxed and happy, such as this homemade wellness set or burning a scented candle.
Easy homemade beauty recipes for all skin types
My goal with this DIY spa kit to provide three easy DIY beauty recipes suitable for all skin types and that even a beginner can do. The ingredients are cheap and widely available online or in stores. Actually, you can find most materials in the supermarket, and some might already be in your cupboard.
If you have made DIY skincare products before, you may have all or some of these ingredients already in your stash, for example, Epsom salt or essential oils. Other ingredients, such as sugar or food colour, are probably sitting in your kitchen cabinet, waiting to be turned into a fun sugar scrub.
I also want the recipes to be quick. Often enough, I need a last minute hostess gift or homemade birthday present for a friend. The sugar scrub and bath salt can be put together in under 10 minutes, while the body butter takes about 30 minutes as the ingredients need a little time to cool before whipping. All in all, I took me one hour to finish, package and gift wrap these three beauty projects, including printing and cutting out the printable labels.
Personalise the recipes
Each recipe can easily be customised according to your or the recipient’s preferences. While I make suggestions for essential oils and colours, it’s easy to substitute them with other ingredients. Everyone enjoys different scents and colours, and each recipe can be tailored accordingly.
I know that it’s sometimes frowned upon to use regular food ingredients in homemade beauty recipes. But for the sake of simplicity and availability, I decided to mainly use items that you already have at home or that are easy to buy and won’t break the bank.
While it might be better to make the sugar scrub with raw organic cane sugar, granulated sugar will work too. Sometimes you simply have to work with what you have. For the best skin care effects, try to purchase products of high quality, organic and naturally sourced where possible.
Important safety tip
If you have never worked with essential oils before, it’s easy to get carried away and add too much because they smell so good. Keep in mind that essential oils are very potent, highly concentrated extracts and that too much, even of a good thing, can irritate the skin.
Try to purchase organic, undiluted essential oils from reputable manufacturers, always check if the oil is safe to be used on the skin, and don’t exceed the dosage listed in the recipe.
What recipes are included in this homemade wellness kit?
Homemade whipped body butter with shea butter and coconut Oil
This whipped body butter is very fluffy and deeply moisturising. You only need a handful of ingredients: shea butter, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and emulsifying wax. The body butter is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, especially when you skip the essential oils. You can leave the body butter uncoloured or tint it with a tiny amount of food colour or a small amount of mica powder, which gives it a lovely shimmer.
Emulsifying wax makes the body butter less greasy and improves the texture. If you have, you can also use lanolin, which has excellent and long-lasting hydrating effects. You can substitute the emulsifying wax with half of a teaspoon of arrowroot powder or tapioca starch. Just note that the texture will be a bit different.
DIY vanilla sugar scrub recipe with coconut oil
This vanilla sugar scrub gives a gentle peel while also hydrating the skin. You can make it with any kind of sugar. I used raw organic cane sugar, but granulated (caster) sugar or brown sugar are suitable alternatives. Fractionated coconut oil helps the scrub to stay soft and moist. You can prepare the scrub also with another carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil.
I tinted the scrub with a pinch of beetroot powder, food colours, or micas work great as substitutes. To give the scrub a lovely vanilla fragrance, I mixed in vanilla oleoresin and the seed of a fresh vanilla bean. As vanilla oleoresin can be a bit costly, vanilla extract can be used instead.
Easy DIY Epsom bath salt with essential oils
Soaking in the tub is one of the best ways to relax and unwind. For this easy DIY bath salt recipe you only need Epsom salt, baking soda, and an essential oil of your choice. Epsom salt can soothe sore muscles, reduce inflammation and skin irritations. If unavailable, swap it for dead sea salt or pink Himalayan salt.
Baking soda is another household staple and adding it to bath water can promote detoxification If at hand, use milk powder instead for an extra luxurious bath experience. Again, I used a small amount of food colour to tint the bath salt and also added a few crushed dried rose petals.
More beauty recipes
For more giftable DIY beauty products check out the following recipes and turtorials:
- DIY Lip Balm
- Lip Balm & Lip Scrub Duo
- Floral Bath Creamer
- Rose Bath Truffle
- Exfoliating Soap with Himalayan Salt
- Sugar & Soap Scrub Bars
- DIY Matcha Clay face Mask
- Lavender Bath Salt
- Vanilla Cleansing Bars
- Mini Bath Bombs
Gift packaging ideas for the DIY spa kit
Jars
For packing beauty DIYs, I love the quilted 4 oz mason jars or the wide-mouth half pint mason jars. Cute Weck jars look stunning as well, and I also like the look of these cosmetic jars. For this project, however, I simply recycled empty jam jars. Recycling and repurposing food jars (e.g. jam jars, salsa jars, baby food jars etc.) reduces waste and saves you money. Glassware is preferable to metal or plastic since glass doesn’t react with essential oils or any of the other ingredients.
Before use, the containers or jar have to be perfectly clean. Washing the pots in the dishwasher is an easy and hygienic way to clean the glass. And make sure that the container is completely dry. Water and moisture can lead to bacteria growth and mould and diminish the shelf life of homemade beauty products.
Printables
Printable labels turn the beauty items into beautiful and unique gifts that everyone would love to receive. The printables come in three different designs and not only include labels for the products but also gift tags that cover a few gifting occasions. There are also blank labels and tags for you to write down your own text.
We tried to size the labels in a way that they would fit on many jars and containers, but obviously, it’s not possible to create a size for every pot. 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. Personally, I find regular printer paper too flimsy for gift tags.
Other decorations
Finally, use your creativity to make the DIY spa kit extra special and beautiful. Additional decorations can include pretty bows, ribbons or twine, decorative washi tape, and silk or fresh flowers. If you have more ideas, please post a comment to share with me and others!
Assemble the DIY spa kit
Now that our are items gorgeously wrapped, let’s put everything together. For example, place the beauty DIYs in a decorative giftbox, a beautiful gift bag, a small gift basket, a painted wood box, or on a pretty tray. It’s also very thoughtful and sweet, to gift your products with a fluffy towel, a sponge, loofah, bath slippers, a headband, wax melts or a scented candle.
DIY Spa Kit with Free Printable Labels
A DIY spa kit is perfect for a spa day at home and an affordable homemade gift idea. The beauty products are packaged in cute jars and come with free printable labels that you can download at the end of the post.
Materials
DIY Whipped Body Butter
- 1/3 cup / 75 g / 2.6 oz shea butter
- 1/3 cup / 45 g / 1.6 oz coconut oil
- 1 tbsp sweet almond oil
- 1 tsp emulsifying wax
- up to 10 drops oil (I used lavender)
- pinch of mica powder
Homemade Vanilla Sugar Scrub
- 1 cup / 200 g / 7 oz sugar
- 1/3 cup / 80 ml / 2.7 oz fractionated coconut oil
- 1/8 tsp beetroot powder
- or
- food colouring
- 1 fresh vanilla bean (optional)
- up 10 drops vanilla oleoresin
- or
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Homemade Epsom Bath Salt
- 3/4 cup / 100 g / 3.5 oz Epsom salt
- 1/4 cup / 45 g / 1.6 oz baking soda
- food colouring (optional)
- up to 10 drops essential oil (I used geranium)
- dried petals (optional)
Packaging & Gift Wrapping
- 6 oz to 8 oz / 175 ml to 240 ml jars
- printable labels (download below)
- twine or ribbon
Instructions
Prepare the whipped body butter
- Put the shea butter, coconut oil, and sweet almond into a heatproof bowl or container.
- Heat slowly in a water bath, continually stirring, until fully melted.
- Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the essential oil and mica powder.
- Put into the fridge for 10 to 20 minutes or until the mixture starts to set and look opaque.
- Using an electric mixer, whip the mixture until white, fluffy and doubled to tripled in volume.
- Transfer the body butter into a clean jar.
- It’s best to use a wooden spatula to take out body butter.
Make the DIY sugar scrub
- Place the sugar into a mixing bowl.
- Add the fractionated coconut oil, beet root powder, and vanilla absolute or vanilla essence.
- Mix until fully incorporated.
- Transfer the scrub into a jar or container.
Create the DIY bath salt recipe
- Put the Epsom salt into a mixing bowl.
- Then add the baking soda, food colour, dried petals, and essential oil.
- Stir until everything is well combined.
- Transfer into a storage container.
Notes
Storage and shelf life
Store each product in a cool, dry place, away from heat and moisture. The body butter has a shelf life of 3 months, the sugar peeling can be kept for 3 weeks, and the bath salt can be stored for 5 months.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Shea Butter
-
Coconut Oil
-
Best Sweet Almond Oil by Sky Organics 16oz- 100% Pure, Cold-Pressed, Organic Almond Oil. Great As Baby Oil- Anti- Wrinkles- Anti-Aging. Almond Oil- Carrier Oil for Massage.Bath Pearl & Flakes
-
Purest 21 Colorant Mica Powder – This Premium Ultimate Variety Pack of Natural Cosmetic Grade Pearl Ex Pigments by Magic Mica is Perfect for Slime Making | Bath Bombs | Soap Dye | Epoxy Resin | + More
-
Epsoak Epsom Salt 5 lbs. Magnesium Sulfate USP
-
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, 5 Lbs
Printable Label & Gift Tags
Click on the button below to download the printable DIY spa kit label and gift tags.
Over to you!
Thanks so much for visiting Country Hill Cottage – we’re so happy you’re here! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!
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Irena xx
Xanet
Friday 18th of March 2022
Hello, I just love your product. I would just like to find out if the body butter needs to be stored in the fridge after making it?
Irena | Country Hill Cottage
Friday 18th of March 2022
Hi Xanet! For the best texture, store the body butter at room temperature - as long as the ambient temperature is below 75°F / 24°C. This is the point where it starts to soften and become oily. If it's any hotter than that, keep the product in the fridge. I hope this answers your question and happy making!
yvette knowles
Tuesday 11th of August 2020
Love your body scrubs recipes! Will try them.
Rani
Monday 22nd of November 2021
Hello Country Hill Cottage,
Firstly a big thank you for all these beautiful recipes and printable. I'm so excited to make all these as a Christmas gift.
But one thing is missing and that is the lip balm. I was wondering if you can give that lip balm recipe.
Unless I'm blind ,,lol..
Kindest regards Rani.
Irena | Country Hill Cottage
Wednesday 12th of August 2020
Thank you so much, Yvette!
Roua
Saturday 11th of July 2020
Ist okay if i don’t add the emulsifying wax ? In the body butter
Irena | Country Hill Cottage
Sunday 12th of July 2020
Hi, Roua! Yes, you can use emulsifying wax to make the body butter.
Iva
Wednesday 15th of May 2019
Thank you! It is visible that you have done everything with style and love!
Country Hill Cottage
Thursday 16th of May 2019
Thanks a lot for your kind words, Iva!
Balbuena
Monday 13th of May 2019
So precious your share with us this recipes and labels, great gifts idea,Thank you!!!
Jade
Sunday 11th of April 2021
Hi there! How much body butter does this mixture make??
Country Hill Cottage
Monday 13th of May 2019
Thank you. I'm happy you're enjoying it! xx