DIY Self Care Gift Basket

Do you have a friend, family member, co-worker, or neighbor who is going through a rough time in their life or who is extremely busy and not taking good care of themselves? Learn how to put together a simple self-care gift basket that will make them feel appreciated and encourage them to slow down, breathe, and take a moment to themselves. Keep reading for lots of ideas, tips + inspiration!

Have you ever heard of The 5 Love Languages? It's a book that discusses how people prefer to receive love from others and show it in return when it comes to relationships (romantic or platonic). I've never actually read the book myself (I've heard it's a bit cheesy), but I've gleaned the core concepts from friends who have.

The main love languages are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. I've come to realize that how you choose to express your love for others is not necessarily how you want to receive it back.

For example, one of my favorite ways to show appreciation for someone is to give them a gift. Especially if I can't be there in person to help them out via acts of service (my other love language). I love to give homemade gifts or a combination of practical purchased gifts + some handmade things.

But receiving gifts myself? Nah (unless it's also handmade or thoughtful). It's not that I don't appreciate gifts (I very much do), but I'd much rather have quality time with those I care about. That's something I value more.

Do you also like to give gifts? Then making your loved ones a themed gift basket or care package is the perfect easy project!

And when the theme is self-care, everyone benefits. You like hanging out with people who are relaxed & happy, not frazzled and grouchy, right? That's what I thought.

My Best Tips For Finding Gift Basket Goodies

Before I jump into the specifics, here are a few tips for finding things for gift baskets:

Shop your home first: If you're a person who buys extra products you love (or get 'em in bulk at Costco or Sam's) then why not share some of those things with your loved ones? You already know it's amazing, right? Just make sure it's unopened and unused first - ahem.
Look for individually portioned products or smaller-sized containers: Sure, this saves you money, but the main reason is to prevent waste in case the person tries the thing and doesn't like it. This lets them sample something and if they fall in love, they can grab it themselves later on.
Check displays at the end of aisles or the travel sections: This is a good place to find little knickknacks or sample sizes of things to add to your basket.
Browse discount stores or clearance sections & shop when things are on sale: Some of my favorite places to get little goodies are Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Homegoods, World Market, Target, Natural Grocers, Sprouts & Whole Foods.
Use your Ibotta App: If you're browsing at some of the stores I listed above, check to see if anything you're getting qualifies for cashback using the free Ibotta app (you can scan the barcode right in the store to find out). If it does, see if it will let you buy multiples so you can stock up or gift things to multiple folks. The best is when you find something you were already going to buy on sale that's also on Ibotta. Just don't forget to upload your receipt as soon as you get home! I always cash out via Paypal as soon as I hit the $25 limit. :)
Visit local small businesses or farmers markets: There are so many unique things you can find for good prices and they're often handmade, so that adds an extra layer of care & effort to your gift.

What To Put In a Self-Care Gift Basket

There are loads of goodies you can put into a self-care gift basket - seriously! It really depends on what kind of things your recipient needs right now.

What's lacking in their life? Are they a new parent and totally wiped out from lack of sleep? Super stressed at work? Getting sick a lot? Feeling anxious or depressed? Did they just experience the loss of a loved one or animal? Traveling too much? Super busy with studies? Not getting out of the house enough?

There doesn't have to be something wrong, per se, but if you look beneath the surface long enough there's usually something out of balance that can use some TLC. If you know them well enough, you might already have ideas.

If not, ask them directly. Or, do some sleuthing. Ask their best friend, husband, wife, partner, child, cousin - whoever has regular contact with 'em. Check out their social media accounts to see what they're into at the moment. The internet is a beautiful thing sometimes.

To keep it simple, I've chosen an all-purpose food, drink & spa theme for the basket I'm sharing today. Everybody needs pampering from time to time, right?

Most folks are excellent at avoiding this type of self-care, but if someone puts it in front of our face in the form of a gift? We might actually stop and relax a bit.

Self-Care Gift Basket Ideas

Here are the main categories I included in this food, drink & spa-themed gift basket. I'll also give you a run-down of the specific products/items I included in case you want to replicate it yourself.

1. Something to Drink

Almost everyone likes one of these four beverages: coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or electrolyte water. You can choose a variety if you're not sure of their preference.

I grabbed some single-serving packets of things I already love & keep on hand in my pantry: this stress-relieving tea, this adaptogen herb tea (both uncaffeinated & good for relaxing), this instant coffee with adaptogenic mushrooms (good for energy & focus), this mineral & electrolyte powder (good for energy or when your body is run down). I also included a cute mug that I found on sale at Marshall's, but that's totally optional.

2. Something to Eat

For folks who are stressed, I liked to include something salty and something sweet to counterbalance it. So, I portioned some of my savory rosemary spiced nuts into a mini mason jar (you can make a batch in 30 minutes - so easy) and grabbed a bar of this fair-trade flavored dark chocolate from the store. My sweet & salty popcorn snack mix would be a good option, too, since it uses simple pantry ingredients. Flavored chips, candied pecans, popcorn, pretzels, or trail mix would be awesome options, as well.

3. Something Inspirational or Funny

Magnets, stickers, coffee mugs, t-shirts, journals - there are tons of options for little things that have inspirational or goofy phrases written on them. Or you could get them started inspiring themselves by making them an easy DIY gratitude jar.

I included two MantraBand bracelets in my self-care basket (one would be plenty). The two pictured have the following phrases: "smile, breathe, and go slowly" and "live more, worry less". You can even create your own custom phrases (like a favorite quote, inside joke, someone's birthday or name, etc.)

They're beautiful, functional, durable, and made with high-quality materials. I bought them for some of my friends & family last year for part of their Christmas presents and they were a huge hit. Because of this, I signed up to be an affiliate. So, if you decide to order any of their jewelry, make sure to use my coupon code THERISINGSPOON for 10% off at checkout.

4. Something Cozy

Generally, this means something that's wearable and feels good. I tend to lean toward super soft things, but everyone's different. In the spring & summer months, you may want to opt for a light cotton shirt or scarf.

Since it's winter now, I included these Camper Socks by Simply Southern. They're so soft & cozy + they have grippy things on the bottom so you don't slide around. I grabbed them last month from Slovacek's in West, Texas. (It's 30 minutes north of Waco, TX which is the home of Fixer Upper couple Chip & Joanna Gaines - just for reference.) They're famous for their kolaches, but they also have a huge general store with tons of cool items.

5. Something That Smells Good

I am VERY particular when it comes to this category. Ever since I eliminated all products with synthetic "fragrance" in my home (dryer sheets, laundry soap, cleaners, room sprays, etc.), anything with it smells absolutely horrid and gives me a headache after a while.

So I look for things that are either scented naturally with essential oils OR completely unscented. How do I do this? I look at the back label of everything I buy and/or I smell it myself. Does it say "fragrance" anywhere on the ingredients list? If so, I don't buy it. If you're not convinced, read this CBS News article on fragrance in scented laundry products. It's very eye-opening!

For the smells good category, I included a bar of my favorite body soap that I use every day (it's a local Kansas City company), along with two 5-ml bottles of Young Living essential oil (my favorite oil company).

I included Citrus Fresh (a citrus blend) and Nutmeg because both are good for boosting your mood and supporting your body during times of stress. Lavender, grapefruit, patchouli, orange, ylang-ylang, or sage would be some other good oily options. If you have a decent collection of single oils already, make a custom roll-on blend like my chill the heck out calming essential oil blend.

6. Something for Pampering

Lots of options for this one, too! Since I did a spa theme, I went with a single-use face mask (I use these because the ones at Target all contain synthetic fragrance), a tube of my homemade olive oil peppermint lip balm (such a ridiculously easy DIY that everyone loves), a packet of seaweed bath powder (I get them at Natural Grocers), a natural loofah scrubber and pumice stone (for exfoliating - I got them both on sale at Whole Foods), a dry brush (use before showering to stimulate the lymphatic system), and a jar of homemade bath salts (I mixed together equal parts plain epsom salt, magnesium chloride flakes, and dead sea salt).

Other good options would be a homemade sugar scrub, whipped body butter, lip scrub, or a small jar of pre-blended charcoal face mask or clay face mask. You could also give them a jar of bentonite clay if they want to mix up their own face mask at home with water + a teensy bit of apple cider vinegar.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019