Holidays: The Healthy, Homemade Way

You've heard the saying, "It's the thought that counts." This year, make your thoughts count with healthy homemade gifts. Do-it-yourself (DIY) gifts allow you to avoid the toxins that lurk in most store-bought products, save money, and promote the well-being of friends and family. As an added bonus, making gifts is a fun way to exercise creativity and relieve stress. In the spirit of the season, here are DIY gift ideas that are sure to boost the health and mood of everyone on your list.

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Infused Oils. The cooks in your life will devour these infused oils, bottled with love. Place dried herbs of your choice in a sterilized, dry jar and cover with olive oil. Place the jar in a saucepan and fill the pan about a quarter full of water. Gently heat the herbs over very low heat, between 100° and 120° F for one to five hours, until the oil takes on the color and scent of the herb. Remove the jar and cool completely before labeling. Get creative with your label; be sure to date the mixture and list the ingredients.

Aromatherapy Bath Salts. Mix together one cup Epsom salt, a half-cup natural sea salt, 20 to 30 drops of your favorite essential oil and two to three tablespoons of dried herbs or botanicals. Transfer into a glass jar. Decorate the jar with paint markers or attach a creative label. Include directions: add a half-cup of bath salts to warm running bath water, submerge body, and relax!

Healthy Homemade Granola in a Jar. For people on-the-go, give a gift that will keep them energized and running at peak performance. There are tons of homemade granola recipes on the internet, and you can pick any one of them. Be sure to use organic, additive-free ingredients. All this gift takes is a trip to your local natural grocery store, a mixing bowl, an oven, and a jar to put it in. Suggested mix: Dried cherries, pineapple, and cranberries, almonds and cashews, toasted oats, and cacao nibs.

Natural Skin Care Mask. Help the women in your life beat dull winter skin with an all-natural skin care mask made of cranberries and yogurt. Simply puree a half-cup of cranberries in a food processor, transfer the puree into a bowl and mix with a half-cup of yogurt; blend by hand until you have a creamy mixture. For a thicker mask, mix in a little green clay or honey. Bottle the mixture and add a label with instructions to let the mask sit on the face for 20 minutes before rinsing with warm water. High in antioxidants, vitamins A, C, B3 and B5, cranberries not only lend moisture for the skin, they also aid in cell turnover and protect from free radicals, giving an anti-aging effect.

Herb Garden Markers. Perfect for the gardeners - and wannabe gardeners - in your life, these stones are super simple and inexpensive to make. Collect a variety of smooth riverbed stones, clean thoroughly, and on each rock paint the name of a garden herb or vegetable. Feeling extra-creative? Paint little garden-themed designs on them as well.

References:

112 Incredible DIY Gift Ideas. Natural Living Ideas. https://www.naturallivingideas.com/32-handmade-christmas-gifts/

Herb Infused Oils. Herbal Academy of New England. https://theherbalacademy.com/herb-infused-oils/

Fun and Fruitful: Cranberries. Huffington Post. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fun-fruitful-cranberries_b_4337824