Coming up with the perfect gift idea for Mother’s Day is never easy and it is especially challenging if you have a tight budget that you need to stick to. If having been looking for the perfect way to show your Mom how much she means to you, but also come up with a thoughtful gift that will not drain your bank account, it might be time to consider the DIY approach to Mother’s Day.
There are some great gifts that you can make on your own that your Mom will adore just because it was made by you. You can also ensure that your Mom feels extra special by making all natural beauty treatments that allow her to pamper her skin. They are super easy to make so you still have time to spoil your Mom with a wonderful gift that’s extra special as its made with love.
Here are the 5 top DIY Mother’s Day gifts that you can try out to pamper Mom this year:
If you are looking for a Mother’s Day gift that will treat your Mom, it’s a great idea to make a body scrub. Body scrubs can be really easy to make on your own and only require a few ingredients.
A very popular all natural body scrub that you can make yourself consists of ingredients that you probably have in your home such as coffee grounds, baking soda, sea salt, or sugar. Each one of these ingredients provides the right amount of exfoliation while also not being too abrasive for the skin. You would then mix one of these ingredients with your favorite moisturizing oil such as jojoba, argan, or almond.
Here’s a very simple recipe with ingredients you may already have in the kitchen:
You will need:
1/2 cup brown sugar,
1 tablespoon orange oil or the juice of half an orange
The content of one vitamin E capsule
Mix all the ingredients together in oil a bowl until well combined. Transfer the scrub to a mason jar and decorate with ribbons, string or stickers.
Fragrant Whipped Body Butter
You can also make your Mom a home-made body butter that she will love to make her skin feel smooth. Instead of buying an expensive body butter, you can make one from home using minimal ingredients. The vanilla body butter is a favorite for many.
All you need is cocoa butter, coconut oil, an essential oil such as lavender, rose geranium or ylang ylang and vanilla bean. You will need to start whipping the coconut oil, and then add a essential oils to make the body butter extra moisturizing and fragrant. Then add a few drops of as vitamin E oil for extra antioxidant action which also acts as a natural preservative.
The secret to making this body butter rich and smooth is by whipping the mixture thoroughly by using an electric mixer. This recipe creates the most luxurious body butter that is also completely natural and inexpensive!
Decorate the home-made body butter in a glass jar with string, ribbons, flowers or stickers.
Watch this great video for more for detailed instructions and more ideas.
Anti-Aging Facial Serum
It is also possible for you to make a high quality facial serum for your Mom on mother’s day that will help to lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Serums for your face can be ideal and a bit better than creams or lotions if your Mom happens to have dry skin. An anti-aging facial serum is perfect for the Mom that deeply nourish her skin and prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. If you can’t find all the oils mention below, just add lavender. The best part about a lavender facial serum is that lavender oil is easy to get your hands on (make sure you choose a quality lavender oil).
You will need:
1 oz apricot kernel, avocado or almond oil
5 drops lavender oil
5 drops geranium oil
2 drops sandalwood oil
Mix all the ingredients in a glass amber bottle and decorate. Affix a label with instructions to shake well before use. he oil blends will keep for a number of weeks. In summer it is best to keep them in the refrigerator.
You can find more great facial serum recipes at our Face page.
Scented Bath Soak
Bath time is the perfect time to relax and unwind. Allow your Mom to escape to her own personal Day Spa at Home where she can let all her tensions and cares melt away. This gift idea is perfect accompanied by a deliciously scented candle. Mom can play some relaxing music, light a candle and enjoy a nice glass of wine.
Take 1 cup sea salt, or Epsom salts or a combination of the two.
10 drops essential oil such as lavender, rose geranium, ylang ylang or a combination
1 teaspoon avocado oil.
Mix all ingredients well and store in mason jar or a decorative glass bottle. You can add some natural food coloring to brighten the color. Just add a drop, mix thoroughly and add a drop more at a time to get the color intensity you want.
For those who have a bit more time to spend, bath bombs are a wonderful treat. Watch this great video for a wonderful recipe and instructions on how to make:
Scented Reed Diffuser
You can transport your Mom’s senses to a Day Spa at Home with beautifully aromatic Reed Diffuser which will be all the more special because you made it yourself. Choose her favorite essential oil to uplift and delight setting the mood many special moments in the months to come.
You can buy reeds at most craft shops and cut them to fit in a small decorative jar that you have filled with your favorite essential oil and some alcohol. Use 12 drops of essential oil and 2 tablespoons of alcohol place the reeds in the container let them soak for about 1 hour then flip the reeds over.
For more great ideas for DIY home fragrance head to our Fragrance page.
Thankfully, there’s still enough time to make some all natural DIY Mother’s Day gifts without any chemicals, additives, or other harmful ingredients, which your Mom will just love!
Baths can be a useful way to transform your bathroom at home into a sensual and enjoyable sanctum that you won’t want to get out of any time soon! A great home-made natural beauty treatment is a detox bath that is both relaxing and luxurious for your skin.
To make your own detox bath treatment, start with Epsom salt, sea salt, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and your favorite essential oil such as lavender or rose geranium for the perfect scent. Put all ingredients in your warm bath and just soak away. This detox bath is great for relieving stress as well as easing tired muscles, and always has health benefits to boot. We’ve got some great recipes below for a DIY Detox Bath, so light some candles and let’s get started. (more…)
Having a facial in a day spa is wonderful! It’s such a treat for your skin as well as your senses. You’re lying down in a candlelit room, having beautiful creams massaged into your face, while listening to calming, soothing music and breathing in heavenly aromas. But doing this on a regular basis is expensive. Plus, you have to book in advance and get yourself to your appointment. In the busy modern world we live in, who really has the time to do this very often?
The good news is that you really can make your skin softer, smoother and more beautiful by re-creating the day spa experience at home. You can use any products that you have. But, you can also make your own personal natural beauty treatments easily, without any chemicals, additives, or other harmful ingredients. You will also save money by creating your own natural beauty treatments as you will already have many of the ingredients in your kitchen.
So this weekend, select a day, make yourself a delicious detox water infusion (see our Detox Pages for recipes) and follow these simple steps for some serious pampering in your Day Spa at Home.
Put on a clean fluffy robe. Get towels and facecloths ready. Light some candles, burn incense or essential oils in a diffuser. Turn on some Day Spa music. A great suggestion is below:
Now you’re ready indulge in some at home skin pampering.
Cleanse
Coconut oil makes a great cleanser for all skin types. Even oily skin will benefit from a coconut oil cleanse. It gently removes dirt, impurities, and make-up, and excess oil and will leave your skin soft and moisturized.
Dampen your skin with a splash of warm water. Use 1/2 tsp coconut oil and allow the oil to melt between your fingers if it is solid and gently massage into skin on your face neck and décolleté for a minute or two. Remove with a facecloth dampened in warm water. Soak a cotton pad in witch-hazel and wipe gently over the skin removing any residue oil.
Exfoliate
Prepare a gentle scrub by combining 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tbsp thickened cream (or yogurt) in a bowl until they form into a thick paste. Apply your scrub to wet skin in gentle circular motions avoiding the eye area. Continue scrubbing for a few minutes. Remove scrub by washing with warm water.
Or you can perform a papaya peel. Papaya contains antioxidants and enzymes which help to slough off dead skin. Mash up some ripe papaya or wipe the inside of the skin of papaya that you have eaten, over your face, neck and décolleté before you rinse it off just, perform a steam cleaning treatment.
Steam cleaning
For a simple steam clean run a facecloth under really hot water (be careful not to let it get too hot that you burn yourself), wring out the excess water, and drape it over your face. Let the cloth sit for a few minutes. The enzymes from the papaya and the steam work together to really open the pores and clean and smooth the skin.
Clay Mask
A clay mask deep cleanses your pores and mops up impurities. It also makes your skin look beautiful and radiant. All you need is a little of any type of dry clay – like bentonite clay or fullers earth, and 1 tbsp of raw apple cider vinegar and a drop of essential oil like palma rosa, lavender or rose geranium. Mix it all together to form a paste like consistency. Apply to your face with your fingertips or a foundation brush avoiding the eye area. Let it dry on your face then rinse off (typically about 20 minutes). Remove by soaking a facecloth in warm water, apply the facecloth to the whole face to wet the clay and remove the clay very gently.
Hydrating Mask
You can use a natural, DIY face mask that leaves your skin soft and moisturized! Avocado has natural oils and nutrients in it that are just wonderful for pampering your skin.
Mash up a medium-sized ripe avocado, 2 tablespoons honey and 1/4 cup whole yogurt. Gently apply it to your face and neck. Sit back and relax for 20 minutes. Use a warm damp facecloth to remove the mask when you’re done.
Eye Treatment
You can use the time while you have your hydrating mask on to get your eyes in shape and get rid of those puffy bags. One of the greatest weapons against dark circles is Chamomile tea. Soak cotton pads in a little cold chamomile tea and apply to dark circles. Allow the liquid to dry. The anti-inflammatory properties of chamomile will soothe and calm your tired eyes and help tighten skin while reducing redness. Lay back with your eyes closed for about 15 minutes. You can also use cotton pads soaked in witch-hazel or rose water or slices of cucumber. These natural ingredients are naturally cooling to the body and help to reduce redness and puffiness.
Facial serums are great for adding some much-needed moisture in the skin, as well as for applying regularly to usual problem areas such as directly on frown and smile lines, around the eyes, or when your skin just needs a little extra care. The best facial serums are completely natural and made from ingredients that can be understood and pronounced, meaning no chemicals or other harmful ingredients should be in your facial serum.
Mix 1 oz apricot kernel, avocado or almond oil, 5 drops lavender oil, 5 drops geranium oil, 2 drops chamomile or sandalwood oil in a glass amber bottle and shake well before use. Massage well into cleansed skin using upward motions following the directions in the image above. For the leftovers, the oil blends will keep for a number of weeks. In summer it is best to keep them in the refrigerator.
Finish off with your favorite moisturizer to seal in the oils and you have now completed your DIY facial.
Relax
Listen to music, read a book or watch an uplifting movie. This is your time to treat yourself, to recharge your batteries and soak in the benefits of the wonderful natural beauty treatments that you have given yourself. Remember to schedule in some pampering on a regular basis to recharge your batteries as well as pamper your skin.
It is so important to your health and well-being that you look after yourself. We live such hectic lives these days, it is vital that we take some time out to hit the pause button and relax. One of the best ways to relax and unwind is to have a spa day. You do not have to pay for expensive spa treatments to get the benefits and the results that a day spa has to offer. You can have your own spa time right at home and get amazing results and feel just as pampered. Follow these simple steps below to have your own DIY Day Spa at Home.
Set the Scene
Turn on some spa music. You can easily find some great spa music on Spotify or YouTube like the above. Light lots of beautiful candles. You can choose beautifully colored and fragranced candles or put tea light candles in the room where you will be performing your treatments and also in the room you will be relaxing.
Start at the Top!
First things first lets get your face really clean. Use a clean towel to wrap your hair or pull it back with a pony tail holder. You will want to have prepared this luxurious face scrub before you get started. ½ cup honey, ½ cup brown sugar and 1tbsp olive oil and a drop of your favorite essential oil. Palma rosa is lovely or you could try Lavender or Patchouli. All these ingredients mixed together makes a great facial scrub. Dampen face than apply scrub. This is a gentle exfolient that will remove dead skin and leave your face glowing.
Use a circular motion to gently scrub away the dead skin cell. Rinse with warm water and pat your skin dry.
Now to get your eyes in shape and get rid of those puffy bags. You can use some cucumber slices that have been chilled. Simply place the cut slices on your eyes and lay back with your eyes closed for about 15 minutes. You can also use green tea bags that have been steeped for about 2 minutes and then chilled, in place of the cucumbers.
Once your face is scrubbed and your eyes are less puffy it is time to use this healing detox mask. All you need is a ¼ of any type of dry clay – like bentonite clay or fullers earth, and 1 tbsp of raw apple cider vinegar and a drop of frankincense essential oil. Mix it all together and avoid the eye area when you apply. Let it dry on your face than rinse off (typically about 20 minutes).
Your Hands and Your Feet
You can easily take care of your hands and feet to get that baby smooth feel by using a Paraffin bath that is easily purchased at any beauty supply store (the initial cost will pay for itself by month two of your day spa at home).
You are now in the home stretch of your day spa activities. Use a body brush that has been sprinkled with a few drops of essential oil like Rosemary to stimulate or Juniper for cellulite and scrub your body good. Follow the directions in the image above for best results. You can use a sugar scrub while you are at it made from ½ brown sugar and 2 tbsp mineral oil or melted coconut oil. Now step into the shower and massage your skin with your scrub for several minutes, then rinse off. Finish off by alternating the water in the shower from warm to cool. This really helps to tone and firm your skin.
Dry off by patting your skin, step into a fluffy robe and relax. Read a book, watch a movie, listen to your favorite music – whatever makes you feel good. You will feel like you spent the day at the spa and feel like a million bucks!
