Every religion celebrates the coming of spring and the renewal of the light. Who can blame them? It is lovely to see the colorful Spring flowers, buzzing bees, and fluffy lambs.
Traditionally, we give chocolate at Easter time, but there are no hard and fast rules around that. How about making Easter gifts with essential oils instead? It makes for a more sustainable choice in present giving and can bring the many benefits of aromatherapy to your friends and family. Tuck away Heavenly Hand Cream and Luscious Lip Balm in your gift baskets and make Restorative Rollerballs for you and the kids to uplift your mood.
Use the Sacred Reverence essential oil blend to enhance your prayer, meditation or silent reflection sessions. Harness the beautiful scents and benefits from Rose Geranium, Sweet Orange and Vanilla to help you make the perfect Easter gifts with essential oils.
Easter and Traditions
Easter is thought to have originated as an ancient pagan celebration of the spring equinox. Scholars believe it derived from Eostre, or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. Many Christian festivals are aligned at similar times to the ancient pagan celebrations across Europe—Christmas and Yule, for example.
In Christianity, the day was dedicated to remembrance and observing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is also celebrated around the Jewish Passover and is known in Latin and Greek orthodoxy as Pascha. Although Passover isn’t traditionally a gift-giving time, bringing a gift for your host is always lovely.
What is The Origin of Gifting Easter Eggs?
It is common for Christians to fast to mark Jesus' time in the wilderness during Lent. These days people tend to give up things like chocolate or wine. However, in time, eggs were among some of the foods people weren't supposed to eat.
We make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday these days, and only a few people know why. It was to use up the ingredients like eggs, milk and sugar that would be avoided during the fasting of Lent.
You can imagine that by the time Easter Sunday came around a month later, eating eggs again was a real treat.
Historically, eggs were gifted to the church as part of the parishioners' Good Friday offerings. It would not have been unusual for the villagers to gift eggs to the lord of the manor for Easter Sunday.
This was something that peasants to kings engaged in, and in 1290, Edward I purchased 450 eggs, which he had decorated in vibrant colors and gold leaf. He gave them out to all the members of his household; what a fantastic gift that would have been all those years ago.
Also, Easter occurs in the spring, when nature starts to unfurl its beauty and reawaken, and the cyclical nature of the year seems to burst into life suddenly. Eggs take on that symbolism of renewal, birth and new life.
Modern-Day Easter Celebrations
People celebrate Easter worldwide, and you can find many different traditions in various countries and cultures.
Many people celebrate Easter by going to local church services and coming home to sit down to lavish family meals, often with the new season Spring Lamb or Salmon as the meal's centerpiece.
It is becoming more of the norm to decorate the house at Easter with sprigs of Hazel catkins, early fruit blossoms, and Spring flowers like Daffodils, Hyacinths and Crocuses. Not to mention all those gorgeous decorated eggs and fluffy bunnies.
Some families have Easter egg decoration parties, dying eggs with patterns and bright colors. Others may paint them or use colored markers. Some families have fun with outdoor Easter egg hunts and chocolate egg gift-giving.
Ditch the Chocolate for Essential Oils
Giving copious amounts of chocolate eggs at Easter is becoming increasingly prevalent in modern customs. While it is lovely to share, a household of kids running riot on a sugar high and the guilt of breaking your diet can all be a bit too much.
I’m all for alternative gift-giving and giving friends and family something valuable and lovely to use simultaneously, and this is where essential oils can play an important role.
The trick for tailoring Easter gifts is to be inventive with the packaging and presentation. Years ago, I bought some beautifully decorated tin eggs that fit together in two halves. They are perfect for hiding little jars of face cream, hand cream and massage oils. You can fill them chock full of exciting bath salts, wax melts and bath bombs.
They can all be re-used next year and are wonderfully sustainable too. Much better than those piles of unnecessary cardboard and plastic wrapping from chocolate eggs headed for the bin.
With some thought and ingenuity, you can produce beautiful gifts that look just part of Easter gift-giving.
The Benefit of Giving Easter Gifts With Essential Oils
Essential oils are the essence of plants. You can extract a plant’s natural oils from its flowers, leaves, stem, and even bark.
These essential oils contain the constituents and components that make up a plant, which all have their benefits and uses that we can harness to get the best use out of them.
There are many advantages to using essential oils; they are all natural and may fit with your ethos to seek organic, natural, and more sustainable alternatives. (Or even avoid the ridiculous amounts of chocolate and sugar).
We can use these natural essential oils and harness the properties of the chemical constituents to uplift our moods and relax us beautifully. We can use them to benefit our skin, relieve aches and pains and for a list of other benefits as long as my arm!
The Best Essential Oils For Easter Gifts
I always like to give gifts at this time of the year, that will uplift you. Scents that evoke the bursting forth of blossoms and new green leaves, ones that transport you into the garden on those first warm nights. I like to move you.
Spring flowers can be notoriously tricky to extract essential oils from and either don’t distill well, like Hyacinths, or take an enormous amount of flowers and become very expensive, like Jonquil or Narcissus.
However, we can use blends that evoke the freshness, cleanness and joy that spring brings us.
Essential Oil Safety
A quick note before we start about basic safety when using essential oils.
- You must always dilute essential oil before using it on the skin.
- You must never ingest essential oil.
- You must never use essential oils in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy; in some instances, like Ylang Ylang and Rose, it is 37 weeks, and in others, like Fennel, not at all, so please double-check the safety data.
- It would help if you never used it on babies under 6 months old unless in a bonafide emergency.
- Always double-check the dilution rates for children.
- Always check the safety data sheets for specific information about that essential oil. They can be found on the webpage for the essential oil in the safety documents.
My Top Five Essential Oils For Easter Gifts
Rose Geranium (Pelargonium asperum var roseum)
One of my all-time favorites at any time of the year, but here it brings its many fine qualities. Fantastic for your skin, de-stressing and cooling hot, dry skin conditions. Its wonderful fragrance is always a gift winner and can be used instead of a rose to give a product that luxurious and decadent air.
Safety: Do not use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis L)
Zesty, uplifting and always brings a smile to your face. Why wouldn’t you include it here? Like bottled sunshine, it’s perfect for those who are perhaps down in the dumps and need to be uplifted a little. Kids love it, and it’s ideal for their precious and delicate skin (though Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) can be a better choice for younger or more sensitive children).
Safety: Do not use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi)
Another delicate, zesty, zingy fragrance that smacks you in the face with its bright, positive attitude. Surprising for some, it blends beautifully with floral aromas like Rose Geranium and helps lift a blend with deeper notes like Frankincense. It’s also widely rumored to suppress appetite, so it might be perfect for keeping you away from picking on the kid's leftover chocolate.
Safety: Do not use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Not suitable for people with platelet disorders or who are on blood thinning medication. It would help if you ceased using grapefruit essential oil 48 hours before any planned surgery.
Frankincense (Boswellia serrata)
When blending oils, you want a more profound or base note, and this is the perfect anchor to a blend that contains both florals and citrus notes without overpowering the more delicate aspects of the blend. It is a genuinely stunning essential oil to use in skincare, perfect for more mature skin.
Safety: Do not use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia)
Another deeper fragrant essential oil to lend that sweet, almost ‘chocolate-like’ note to a blend. We may avoid eating chocolate, but we don’t have to avoid the delicious aroma. Adding this into your blends smooths and evens out the fragrance, but use a little at a time, so it does not overpower it. Use too much, and it can be too cloying. It’s perfect for evoking memories of the past so can be conducive to family gatherings and reminiscing. Perhaps, pop it in your room diffuser?
Safety: Do not use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy
My Favorite Easter Gifts With Essential Oils
Think small when you are planning to hide gifts in decorative eggs or prettily presented boxes. You can make all these in smaller containers, which can even be disguised as part of a more significant Easter Egg Hunt. Why should the kids have all the fun?
Before we begin, let’s chat about dilution rates.
I will give you the dilution rate intended for children, so these Easter gifts with essential oils can be created for all. I will also show you how many drops you need to make for adults only.
We would recommend 3% dilution for adults, 2% for people in a weakened state and, 1% for children over the age of 6. 0.5% for any younger than that, and we do not recommend using essential oils on children under the age of 6 months old unless it is an emergency.
For each recipe, we tell you how many drops you need for each dilution percentage, and all these recipes specify a 0.5% dilution rate.
If you make any changes or swap out the recommended essential oils, also consult the safety data sheets for each essential oil, as you may need a far lower dilution rate for children for a particular essential oil. Melissa, for example.
If in doubt - double-check. Still in doubt? Leave it out.
Heavenly Hand Cream
Floral, deep and had a hint of mystery to it. Still beautifully fresh and joyous to use. Heaven for your hands!
| Easter Gifts - Heavenly Hand Cream | ||
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If you are going to the trouble of making this, it is worth making a few jars for an Easter crowd. It keeps well and even better, if you want to add a preservative. Add color if you feel you want a prettier finish, but you don’t need it. Makes 5 x 50ml jars or one big 250ml jar. |
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Equipment:
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| Ingredients | ||
| 3 tbsp of Shea Butter | 3 tbsp of Mango Butter | 1 tbsp Coconut Carrier Oil (solid) |
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Glycerine 30ml |
Witch Hazel 10ml |
100ml 3.38 fl/oz Aqueous Cream Base |
| Optional: Preservative - follow manufacturers instructions | Optional: Colorant like beet powder or cosmetic color or micas. | ~ |
| Essential Oils | ||
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3% dilution for healthy adults = 150 drops, 2% dilution= 100 drops, 1% dilution = 50 drops, 0.5% dilution = 25 drops This recipe uses a 0.5% dilution rate. |
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15 drops Rose Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium asperum var roseum) |
2 drops Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia) |
8 drops Frankincense Essential Oil (Boswellia serrata) |
Method:
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Safety: Do not use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. Do not use it on babies less than 6 months of age. |
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How to Use:
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Luscious Lip Balm
Perfect for anyone with its zesty, zingy fresh scent. Gender neutral so perfect for a mixed crowd.
| Easter Gifts - Luscious Lip Balm | |||
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| This is just delightful, like being dropped in a bed of fresh citrus fruits and smothered with a comfy blanket. Wonderfully hydrating perfect for use anytime. | |||
Equipment:
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| 2 Tbsp Beeswax or Hemp Wax | 1 Tbsp Shea Butter | 6 Tsp Jojoba Carrier Oil | 1 Tsp Glycerine |
| Optional color: ½ tsp Beetroot Powder | |||
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Essential Oil Blend 3% dilution for healthy adults = 48 drops, 2% dilution= 32 drops, 1% dilution = 16 drops, 0.5% = 8 drops This recipe uses a 0.5% dilution rate. |
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| 3 drops of Sweet Orange Essential Oil (Citrus sinensis L) | 3 drops of Grapefruit Essential Oil (Citrus paradisi) | 1 drop of Frankincense Essential Oil (Boswellia serrata) | 1 drop of Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia) |
| Safety: Not for use for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. | |||
Method:
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How to Use: Apply to lips as needed, up to six times a day. NOTE: If you feel you need it more times a day, reduce the shea butter a little and use more jojoba carrier oil. |
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Restorative Roller Balls and Essential Oil Blends
Rollerballs make for wonderful Easter gifts with essential oils. Slide them into your purse or pocket. Perfect to pop into backpacks and pencil cases to help keep the kids uplifted and focused throughout the day.
They are straightforward: mix one of the Easter gifts with the essential oil blends below into 19ml of Sweet Almond carrier oil, mix thoroughly and use a funnel to decant into your rollerball. Cap and lid tightly and label accurately and clearly. This is important from a safety point of view if you send it to school with your child.
Use your pulse points up to 8 times a day.
Here are my favorite essential oil blends for Easter gifts that you can use interchangeably with the recipes and tutorials in the Tutorial Table below.
| Easter Gifts - Restorative Roller Balls and Essential Oil Blends | |||||
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3% dilution for healthy adults = 60 drops, 2% dilution= 40 drops, 1% dilution = 20 drops, 0.5% dilution = 10 drops 10 drops of essential oil based on using 100ml of carrier oil at a 0.5% dilution rate. If you plan for your child to put this on their skin, keep the blends at 0.5% for under 6’s or 1% at under 16’s. For adults use 2-3% dilution rate. If you plan to NOT use this topically, ie on the skin, use the 3% dilution rate instead. This is great for using in room sprays and diffusers. |
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| Easter Gift Blends | Easter Gifts With Essential Oils Blends | Topical Safety | |||
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Spring Has Sprung Uplifting and calming. |
4 drops of Rose Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium asperum var roseum) |
4 drops Lavender Essential Oil (Lavandula angustifolia) |
2 drops Clary Sage Essential Oil (Salvia sclarea) |
Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. | |
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Fruit Blossoms Heralding the harvest in the making |
4 drops of Sweet Orange Essential Oil (Citrus sinensis L) |
4 drops of Rose Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium asperum var roseum) |
2 drops of Palmarosa Essential Oil (Cymbopogon martinii var Motia) |
Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. | |
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Chocolate Heaven Comforting and Decadent |
20 drops of Cocoa Butter Fragrance Oil |
5 drops of Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia) |
3 drops of Patchouli Essential Oil (Pogostemon cablin) |
Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. | |
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Rebirth and Renewal Zingy, zesty and instantly uplifting. |
4 drops of Grapefruit Essential Oil (Citrus paradisi) |
4 drops of Sweet Orange Essential Oil (Citrus sinensis L) |
2 drops of Lemongrass Essential Oil (Cymbopogon flexuosus) |
Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. Lemongrass Specific - Not for children under 2 years Grapefruit Specific -Not suitable for use for people who have platelet disorders or are on blood thinning medication. It is suggested you cease use of grapefruit essential oil 48 hours before any planned surgery. |
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Sacred Reverence Perfect for prayer, silent reflection and meditation. |
3 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil (Boswellia serrata) |
3 drops of Myrrh Essential Oil (Commiphora myrrha) |
4 drops of Palo Santo Essential Oil (Bursera graveolens) |
Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. | |
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How to Use These Blends Roller ball - Use for inhalation or to roll onto the skin and rub in no more than 8 times a day. Essential Oil Diffuser - Follow your manufacturer guidelines. |
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Extra Easter Gifts With Essential Oils
The table below contains a list of aromatherapy preparations with essential oils and products you could use to make up your range of Easter gifts with essential oils. Plenty of ideas to make up a gift basket; one from each section can give you a more diverse range.
They link to previous articles where you will find all the details you need to create your base product. You can then use the essential oil blends suggested above to make your tailor-made Easter gifts with essential oils for your friends and family.
This gives you endless options when creating your Easter gifts and baskets.
| Extra Easter Gifts with Essential Oils | ||
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| Each link will take you to a specific tutorial and you can use the essential oil blends suggested in this article for an extra Springy Zingy Easter. | ||
| Bath Preparations | Room Preparations | Body Preparations |
| Aromatic Bath Soak | Scented Candle | Essential Oil Body Spray |
| Bath Oil | Essential Oil Diffuser Blend | Body Butter |
| Bath Melts | Essential Oil Room Spray | Face Moisturizer |
| Shower Steamers | Aromatherapy Eye Pillow | Hand Cream |
How to Create The Perfect Easter Gift Basket with Essential Oils?
Creating an Easter basket suitable for your intended recipient(s) is almost foolproof when considering the following points in your planning.
- Who am I aiming my gift basket at? Is it for men, women or everyone?
- What is the purpose of the basket? i.e., How would someone use this?
- When and where will they use this gift basket?
- Is it suitable for children?
- Is it safe for everyone?
- Am I taking into consideration skin sensitivities and types?
You will want to take all of these points into consideration. For example, when making products to be shared by a family, it is advisable that the dilution rates suit the youngest child. If one family member has super sensitive skin, again, design for them, and you can’t go wrong.
You will want to consider someone's age if you are making moisturizer. For example, you want a far lighter cream for a teenager than a lady of beautifully advancing years or a man with a handsomely rugged skin.
Design and create to suit your recipients, even if that means making plain bases and adding essential oil blends. This can be a very economical way of making large batches of products to suit various people.
Always start with these questions when designing your Easter gifts with essential oils, and you will find that you have successful results time and again from creating your tailor-made gift baskets.
The Final Word
Creating Easter gifts with essential oils can be enormous fun. There is delight and joy in designing and making gift products, with all those stunning scents wafting around the house.
I always get immense satisfaction from perfecting the presentation and packaging. Squirreling away Heavenly Hand Creams and Luscious Lip Balms in Victorian-esque tin eggs, maybe squeezing another couple of treats like a shiny new dollar or just one decadent chocolate.
For the younger kiddies, I hide mood-lifting roller balls and bath bombs in the shape of bunny rabbits in pretty floral baskets. They certainly don’t miss the chocolate and are overjoyed at receiving something unusual and different from another chocolate egg or dollar bill.
The older kids get lip balms, spot-busting face cream, ‘love’ potions and super sophisticated shower steamers. All snuggled in between nostalgic sweeties, card games and, if lucky, a gift card for their favorite music or movie streaming service.
Don’t be afraid to be different and step out of the box this Easter. Put a stop to all that chocolate, the sugar highs and the waste piles that come with that! All you need is a little inventiveness and creativity. You can create wonderful Easter Gifts with essential oils and put together baskets that will envy everyone who sets eyes upon them.
