Gift Giving Guidelines

Guideline for gifting aromatherapy-related products is to not give anything you would not like yourself. Chances are the gift recipient will have similar tastes to your own. You might also wish to consider how personal the gift is.
Toiletries are fine for close friends and family but perhaps not such a good idea for a work colleague unless it is hand sanitizer or hand cream, for instance. When in doubt, opt for a pleasant scent like lemon or peppermint, and an item they can use around the house or office, such as an aromatherapy wall plug in or reed diffuser. It looks pretty and smells wonderful.

Also think about the occasion. There are times when a gift is mandatory for your friends, family and even colleagues, such as birthdays and the end of year holidays like Chanukah and Christmas. The latter occasions can be very stressful if you have a small budget and are trying to wrack your brain for the ideal item to give to one or more people on your list who already seem to have everything. Unique homemade gifts you can make in batches, individualize with essential oils and package nicely might be just the solution.

There are also many special occasions throughout the year when you might wish to or need to give a gift. For example, if you are invited to stay at someone’s house or attend a party, a gift for the host or hostess is always a nice touch. Other special occasions include bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, graduations, and other important milestones in the life of your gift recipient.

Then there are the holidays, from New Year’s in January, to Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, the 4th of July if you live in the USA, and Halloween, Thanksgiving, back to Christmas, and so on. It might seem impossible to come up with just the right gift on each occasion and for everyone on your list, but it IS possible if you are willing to explore the wonderful world of aromatherapy.

Ideal gifts for beginners which do not require you to know anything about aromatherapy or essential oils yourself include:

  • Books
  • Magazines
  • Beginner’s sets of oils
  • Basic Carrier oils
  • Burners/Diffusers that use a couple of drops of aromatherapy to fill the entire room or the car, with lovely scents
  • Pre-made gift baskets
  • A homemade basket with some essential oils and aromatherapy supplies

For men and women, personal care items are excellent for almost any person and occasion:

  • Shampoo, especially for different kinds of hair: dry, oily, etc.
  • Hair conditioner
  • Moisturizer
  • Lotion
  • Salt scrub
  • Sugar scrub
  • Detoxifying bath salts
  • Bath bombs
  • Hand sanitizer

A newborn baby seems to need a house full of items. Keep it simple with homemade:

  • Baby shampoo
  • Baby wash
  • Baby lotion
  • Baby powder
  • Diaper rash cream

Other gifts include aromatherapy jewelry, stuffed animals, wreaths, and even home-cooked recipes. Women, tweens and teens all love jewelry-why not add aromatherapy to this great gift?
Got a sporty person or two on your list? Gift them with a range of items that can keep their feet and sneakers dry and fresh-smelling and steer clear of the dreaded athlete’s foot. Are they injured or full of aches and pains? Special essential oils and bath salts could be just what they need to heal.

Do you love arts and crafts? Incorporate aromatherapy and essential oils into your projects in a range of ways. If your gift recipient also loves to make things, give the gift plus patterns and essential oils to enhance their creations.

We have all heard the phrase, “It’s the thought that counts,” but there are certain occasions when more than that is required and you need to give a gift. The thought counts here too, though. You can show you care by giving them a gift they will appreciate, not just pass along to someone on their list because they would rather re-gift it than keep it.