Homemade Christmas Gifts: DIY Spa Treatments

Making a lovely gift basket of DIY spa treatments is an easy project you can do with your kids, and it's sure to be a hit with the lucky recipients!

There’s always something special about the love, effort, and time that go into homemade Christmas gifts. Well, what babysitter, teacher, grandma, or auntie can’t put some DIY spa treatments to good use?

Especially when you’ve got little ones who want to be generous but are short on cash, DIY is a fun, thoughtful way to go. In an ideal world, though, DIY gifts should also be something the recipient can actually USE. DIY spa treatments are easy to make and fit the bill.

Kimmie and I first learned how to make bath salts, sugar scrub, and lip balm last spring at a STEM day for Girl Scouts at our local science museum. With the holidays approaching, it’s occurred to us that these recipes would make super Christmas gift ideas.

And BONUS! Now you can download FREE printable labels for your homemade spa creations – perfect to attach before gift-giving! Just ✅click here for instructions on how to access your free printable + directions for printing!

So with that in mind, here’s a fun morning of DIY spa treatments you can make for holiday gifting! (Be sure to make some extras to keep and enjoy when you’re done!)

 

Making a lovely gift basket of DIY spa treatments is an easy project you can do with your kids, and it's sure to be a hit with the lucky recipients!

Making a lovely gift basket of DIY spa treatments is an easy project you can do with your kids, and it's sure to be a hit with the lucky recipients!

Homemade Christmas Gifts: DIY Spa Treatments

1)  Homemade Lip Balm

Who doesn’t get chapped lips in winter? Winter’s cooler, drier air can really do a number on our lips. But slathering on some of this lip balm before bed (or whenever you need it) will help keep your lips soft and moisturized!

What's the only thing better than a mother-daughter spa day with your little girl(s)? A spa day with homemade DIY spa products - bonding time that's fun AND inspiring!

 

In a small bowl, combine all three ingredients thoroughly with a spoon, before the coconut oil cools and  solidifies. Once cooled, store in a small airtight jar. To use, dab a small amount on your lips and spread evenly with your finger.


2) DIY Sugar Scrub

This is a perfect recipe for winter gift-giving because it helps battle that dry winter skin. And the best part is you probably already have everything you need to make it!

What's the only thing better than a mother-daughter spa day with your little girl(s)? A spa day with homemade DIY spa products - bonding time that's fun AND inspiring!

All you need for this easy gift is

  • white granulated sugar
  • your favorite liquid dish soap in your preferred scent (preferably a moisturizing variety)
  • a small bowl to mix it in
  • a wide-mouth jar to store it in

In a small bowl, mix equal amounts of sugar and dish soap thoroughly. If the final product seems too liquid, you can mix in more sugar as needed. Too granular? Add a little more dish soap and mix thoroughly.

What's the only thing better than a mother-daughter spa day with your little girl(s)? A spa day with homemade DIY spa products - bonding time that's fun AND inspiring!

Store in an airtight wide-mouth jar, and use a small dab whenever you wash your hands. The soap will clean your hands, the sugar will help scrub off the dead skin cells, and your hands will feel softer and smoother.

Another idea you can try is running some plain uncooked oats (either quick-cooking or old-fashioned is fine) through the blender. Once they’re ground into a fine powder, stir some of the powder into your hand scrub. Oatmeal is renowned for its ability to lock in moisture, so this can give your scrub an extra moisturizing boost.

3. DIY Bath Salts

With the craziness of the holiday season, who couldn’t use a good excuse to relax for awhile? A gift of homemade bath salts may be just the excuse someone needs to block off a little “me time” for a relaxing soak. And this super-easy DIY gift is so easy to mix up for even the littlest hands!

What's the only thing better than a mother-daughter spa day with your little girl(s)? A spa day with homemade DIY spa products - bonding time that's fun AND inspiring!

All you’ll need is

What's the only thing better than a mother-daughter spa day with your little girl(s)? A spa day with homemade DIY spa products - bonding time that's fun AND inspiring!

Mix all three ingredients thoroughly in a large heavy-duty zip-top bag. For fun, you can also add a few drops each of

so your bath salts have a nice scent and color. My personal favorite is lavender for its ability to promote quality sleep.


4. Packaging your DIY spa treatments:

  • Unless you regularly save glass jars to reuse, you’ll probably want to buy some clear matching jars to package your homemade goodies into 2-4 oz jars are perfect for lip gloss; 4-8 oz jars are great for sugar scrub; and for bath salts, you can do anything from 4 oz (1-2 baths’ worth) to 16 oz (4-8 baths’ worth).


  • If you’re reusing jars, be sure to leave enough time to prepare them for use. You’ll need to carefully clean off the old labels, either with Goo-Gone or by soaking in hot water. (Be careful not to scratch the glass when scrubbing off labels!)Making a lovely gift basket of DIY spa treatments is an easy project you can do with your kids, and it's sure to be a hit with the lucky recipients!
  • If the jars have time/date/lot codes stamped on them, moisten a paper towel with rubbing alcohol and rub until the ink disappears.
  • For recycled jars with ugly lids, you can either paint the lids (spray paint is quick and fast!), or cover them with a circle of colored card stock or a small circle of pretty fabric.
  • Be sure to label all your products clearly. The first time we made these for gift-giving, I used some decorative removable sticky labels that I already had; but since the jar was smaller, for the lip balm I used my label maker.
However, when we gave them for gifts last Christmas, we realized there were no instructions with them! #oops So I went back and made up some printable labels with directions for use, plus a list of ingredients.

Want to download your very own copy of these pretty printable labels? Then just ✅click here!

5. Making your baskets:

For gift-giving, all you’ll need is a nice gift bag or basket, some filler, and some pretty ribbon.

  • If you’re using fabric to cover jar lids, secure the fabric with a rubber band, and cover the band with a festive ribbon.
  • I have good luck finding empty baskets at thrift stores and secondhand craft stores for practically nothing. In a pinch, you could even use a plastic bin from the dollar store, or a gift bag.

RELATED POST: Why Baskets Rock 

  • I got the ribbon, sparkly filler, and basket I used for this basket from our local secondhand crafting supply store for less than $2 total.

That’s it!

Wasn’t that easy?

Have fun making these super-easy homemade Christmas gifts with your littles this weekend, and enjoy trying them out yourself after the holidays are behind you!

If you enjoyed this post on making DIY spa treatments for homemade Christmas gifts, please share by pinning this image!

 

Making a lovely gift basket of DIY spa treatments is an easy project you can do with your kids, and it's sure to be a hit with the lucky recipients!

 

NOTE: This site contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission from any purchases made through affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. For more information, please read the full disclosure/privacy policy.

Follow Super Mom Hacks on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and X!

Or stay in the loop by  joining our mailing list!

Homemade Christmas Gifts: DIY Spa Treatments

62 thoughts on “Homemade Christmas Gifts: DIY Spa Treatments”

  1. I love DIY beauty products and it’s so thoughtful to give them in a gift basket. I would be so excited to receive something like that!

  2. Wow I love these DIY gift ideas! I appreciate home made gifts too and these are much needed with the dry winter months. My hands and lips are chapped now.

  3. This is very creative, Flossie. I am saving your post to share with my older daughter, she likes to craft and DIY projects.

  4. How cute are these homemade spa treatment ideas! I like that you’ve added them to your bathroom. They’d be great to include in this year’s holiday baskets. We’re focusing on self-care.

  5. Pingback: How To Make Money From Home: 7 Tips For Success - Super Mom Hacks

  6. This is SO COOL! How fun! (And I love that they’re pretty simple, too.) Thanks for sharing these great ideas at #heartanddsoullinkup

    1. Haha, me too! (FWIW, once you have all the supplies, the actual mixing takes maybe an hour for all three of these, so depending on how many people you’re making them for, add on maybe 1-2 more hours tops for packaging everything up…)

  7. DIY is so much fun, I like this idea for Christmas, they would be perfect for someone I know, thank you for sharing!

  8. I love the idea of homemade gifts. This spa treatment gift looks great! The best part is, it’s all fairly easy to make. I know a few ladies who would love to get something like this.

  9. Marissa | Simple Money Mom

    I always wanted to do this! I’ve made my own DIY Lush-inspired Bath Bombs before for my kids but I think I’ll do it for more people this year!

    1. Bath bombs are one we haven’t tried yet, but I’ve been collecting recipes, so one of these days, we’ll give them a try, too! 🙂

  10. We have been making all of these DIY spa treatment for gifts the past few years. Everyone in our family loves them very much!

  11. I love to pamper myself and all of these would be great gifts. I love that you add Kool-Aid to the mix. That always made me laugh.

  12. This is such a great idea for a Christmas gift! I’ve made a homemade sugar scrub before and loved it, but keep forgetting to make more. I also have those small jars with the black lids that you link to that I bought for travel and they are great!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.