Making Good Scents - Make Soap and Cosmetics at Home

(ARA) - ‘Tis the season to draft your gift list, and you need something that will suit everyone — from your always-on-the-go brother to your happy-at-home aunt. Something special for each, of course — homemade would be perfect. Something fresh and unexpected, customized, yet budget-friendly.

By using essential oils selected with your recipients in mind, you can easily create unique aromatherapy gifts that will delight. Replace a stressful shopping expedition with a pleasant hour of fragrant creativity and craft the perfect gift for everyone on your list.

“Homemade gifts say that you care,” says Tom Havran, product development specialist for Aura Cacia, a leading aromatherapy brand. “And when you make one using essential oils you can go one step further and personalize its aromatherapy benefits as well.”

To personalize your aromatherapy gift, simply choose pure essential oils with benefits that best suit the person receiving the gift. To help you get started, here’s a chart of the aromatherapy benefits of the essential oils suggested in the instructions for making the gifts below:

Experts caution that full aromatherapy benefits are available only from natural, unadulterated essential oils — not petroleum-derived synthetic fragrances or essential oils that have been “stretched” with less expensive components.

Havran, who helped develop aromatherapy gift ideas for a Web site feature on the topic (www.auracacia.com/gifts), shares some of his favorites:

Holiday Botanical Diffuser

Brighten the atmosphere as well as the table with this attractive and aromatic decoration. Your choices of spices will personalize each gift.

You’ll need:

A decorative glass jar
An array of spices such as cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole nutmeg, cardamom pods, bay leaves, etc. to layer into the container
A spicy, holiday aromatherapy blend (To make your own, combine 1 teaspoon of sweet orange essential oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of anise seed, clove, and cinnamon bark essential oils in a .33- or .5-ounce essential oil bottle)

To assemble:

Layer the spices in the jar and — just before giving the gift — sprinkle 10 to 15 drops of the aromatherapy blend. (Include the blend with the gift so that the recipient can refresh the scent as needed.)

Festive Sachet

Here’s a colorful gift that celebrates traditional wintertime scents. These delightful decorations are the perfect way to cheer up a home and announce that the holidays have arrived.

You’ll need:
1 small drawstring bag or sachet (You can easily make one from a decorative handkerchief or fabric and ribbon)
Coarse rock salt
A small handful of bay leaves, crushed into small pieces
(You need just enough salt and bay leaves to fill your sachet)
One of the following 100 percent pure wintertime oils: fir needle, cedarwood, pine or peppermint

To assemble:

Combine salt and bay leaves in a glass container. Sprinkle with 20 to 30 drops of essential oil and mix well. Fill sachet with mixture. (Include the blend with the gift so that the recipient can refresh the scent as needed.)

Aura Cacia offers a full selection of 100 percent pure essential oils for purchase and a wealth of information on essential oils and aromatherapy at www.auracacia.com/gifts.

Courtesy of ARAcontent