When the holiday season is quickly approaching, people start to panic about finances. It’s not easy for parents to provide everything their wide-eyed offspring place on their wish lists nor is it likely there will be much left in the budget for gifts for other family members and friends. For this reason, more and more people are adopting a frugal approach to gift-giving.

There is something very comforting and very special about receiving a homemade gift. It says that the giver thought about the recipient on a personal level, deciding what they like and don’t like, prior to offering the gift. Baked goods, baking mixes and candy have long topped lists of easy-to-make, easy-to-give items. There are also some lovely, personal gifts that are simple to make and always appreciated. These include homemade bath oils, bath salts, bath drops and more.

Making homemade bath oils is a very easy process and creates a gift with an expensive “spa” look and feel. The key to homemade bath oils is the presentation. This means looking for and collecting interesting bottles. They can be any shape or size and bottles already in the home can be reused when emptied of their original contents (such as an olive oil bottle). It is simply necessary to ensure that the bottle can be tightly closed to avoid leaks. If a bottle is corked, it may be best to dip the cork in wax prior to closure to help guard against leakage.

Learning how to make bath oils is easy and inexpensive. A potpourri bath oil, for example, is a great project that anyone can accomplish. All that is required is a clean bottle, as described, a base oil (mineral oil or baby oil is fine), dry potpourri, a favorite perfume or fragrance oil (also called essential oil) and decorations for the bottle. Pretty potpourri can be homemade but many people already have store-bought potpourri on hand. Either is appropriate for this purpose.

If perfume is being used to fragrance the bath oil, spritz the dry potpourri with the perfume before adding it to the bottle. If fragrance oil is being used, add several drops on top of the potpourri once it’s in the bottle. To assemble, fill the jar half full with potpourri. Now, fill the bottle with the chosen base oil. Cap tightly and all that remains is decoration. The neck can be decorated with any type of ribbon or raffia. Tiny silk flowers or pearl sprays make a lovely addition. Attach a handwritten tag and the homemade bath oil gift is complete.

When preparing bath oils that do not contain visual elements such as potpourri, it is advisable to use darker glass bottles as they aid in keeping the bath oil fresh. Natural homemade bath oils can be lovely with sweet almond oil as the base. Experiment with wonderful essential oils to create favorite scents. Lavender, patchouli, sandalwood, jasmine, lemon, orange, peppermint and eucalyptus are but a few examples of essential oils that are popular in the creation of homemade bath oils. It takes little time nor investment to create personalized gifts that are sure to be appreciated.