If you’re looking for homemade gifts for this season, you need this list of all-natural gift ideas. They’re creative, simple to make, and inexpensive! Includes gifts like peppermint lip balm and instant hot chocolate mix.
Question: Your neighbor, small group leader and hostess of the best annual Christmas party – what do these people all have in common?
Answer: You want to give them a gift this year, but don’t have room in the budget.
Solution: Giving an all-natural homemade gift – based on what you already have on hand – that costs $1 or less.
All-Natural Homemade Gifts for Less than $1 Each
When you’re giving gifts this season, remember that it’s the thought that counts – not the price tag. And more often than not, it’s the homemade gifts that people love the most!
Think of your family and friends and what they could benefit from most. A soothing bath bomb or bath salts make a perfect gift for a busy mom. Or homemade makeup to a friend you know who struggles with acne.
A great gift for someone who works with their hands could be extra relief hand lotion. Or an easy DIY lip balm for someone who spends a lot of time outside during the colder months. I know our teachers LOVE my homemade hand purifier!
I’ve rounded up the top all-natural homemade gifts here on Crumbs, and it just so happens that they each cost just $1 or less!
Feel free to use the list as inspiration, or follow the recipes as written. If you’re not sure where to start, check out my tips at the end!
Homemade Detoxifying Salt Scrub
Facts
- Cost: $1 for 1 cup
- Time: Ready in less than 10 minutes
- Yield: One recipe makes about 1 cup.
Supplies
- 1/2 cup Redmond Bath Salt
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup nourishing oil (olive oil is most commonly used and most affordable, but you can use almond oil, jojoba oil or vitamin E oil if you’re sensitive to olive oil)
- 4-5 drops essential oils, as desired (where to buy)
- Jar (re-purposed with the label removed is the most frugal option)
Get the recipe for Homemade Detoxifying Salt Scrub here, or use this recipe for a Lime-Mint Version!
Homemade Toothpaste
Facts
- Cost: $0.61 for 1 ounce
- Time: Ready in 10 minutes
- Yield: One recipe makes 4 ounces.
Supplies
- Bentonite clay
- Water
- Tea tree oil
- Liquid stevia
- Peppermint essential oil
- Tiny pinch of salt
- Containers (small plastic pots would be preferred for gifts)
Get the recipe for Homemade Toothpaste here.
Homemade Instant Hot Chocolate
Facts
- Cost: $0.71 for 4 ounces (approximately 2-3 cups of hot chocolate)
- Time: Ready in 5 minutes
- Yield: One recipe makes 8 ounces
Supplies
- Dutch Cocoa
- Granulated sweetener
- Salt
- Container (4 oz glass jars or 8 oz glass jars)
Get the recipe for Homemade Instant Hot Chocolate here.
Homemade Mocha Mint Lip Scrub & Peppermint Lip Balm
Facts
- Cost: $0.87 per set
- Time: Ready in 15 minutes
- Yield: One recipe makes one set
Supplies
- Used coffee grounds
- Shea butter
- Coconut oil
- Peppermint essential oil
- Containers (small plastic pots as pictured above, and/or chapstick-like tubes)
Get the recipe for Homemade Mocha Mint Lip Scrub & Peppermint Lip Balm here.
Homemade Facial Cleanser
Facts
- Cost: $0.80 per 8 oz
- Time: Ready in 4 hours or less
- Yield: One recipe makes approximately 30 ounces
Supplies
- 1 bar of your favorite soap (I recommend Bend Soap Company goat milk soap).
- 1 Storage container with a pump (soap dispensers on Amazon, but it’s more frugal to pick the prettiest bottle from a local Dollar Store and remove the label)
Get the recipe for Homemade Facial Cleanser here.
When you’re shopping at Bend Soap Company, you can stock up for the year! Use these codes:
- SOAP35 saves 5% on orders that are $35 or more
- SOAP65 saves 10% on orders that are $65 or more
- SOAP100 saves 15% on orders that are $100 or more
- Orders that are $65 or more after discounts are also eligible for free shipping!
Homemade Tinted Moisturizer
Facts
- Cost: $0.55 per tub
- Time: Ready in 10 minutes
- Yield: One recipe makes one tub
Supplies
- Coconut oil
- Nourishing oil (jojoba oil, sweet almond oil or vitamin E oil recommended)
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- ¼ – 1 tsp homemade powdered foundation
- Containers (small plastic pots as pictured above)
Get the recipe for Homemade Tinted Moisturizer here.
Homemade Powdered Foundation
Facts
- Cost: $0.30 per batch
- Time: Ready in 10 minutes
- Yield: One recipe makes one batch
Supplies
- Arrowroot powder or non-GMO cornstarch
- Cocoa powder
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Ginger
- Sage
- Nourishing oil (lavender essential oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil or vitamin E oil recommended)
- Tea tree oil (optional)
- Container (4 oz glass jars recommended)
Get the recipe for Homemade Powdered Foundation here.
Homemade Face Lotion Bar
Facts
- Cost: $1 per 2oz bar
- Time: Ready in 20 minutes
- Yield: One recipe makes one batch
Supplies
- 8 ounces coconut oil
- 2 ounces beeswax
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 15-20 drop essential oils (I like Plant Therapy.)
- Medium saucepan
- Glass bowl
- Silicone muffin cups
Get the recipe for Homemade Face Lotion Bars here.
DIY: Flour Shaker
Facts
- Cost: $1 or less per jar
- Time: Ready in 10 minutes
- Yield: One recipe makes one batch
Supplies
- Small amount of flour
- Mason jar (4 oz glass jars or 8 oz glass jars on Amazon, but since you don’t need a new seal, it’s more frugal to check local thrift shops for used jars)
Get the instructions for making a DIY Flour Shaker here.
Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar
Facts
- Cost: $1 or less per batch
- Time: Ready in 4 hours or less
- Yield: One recipe makes one batch
Supplies
- Glass jar (8 oz glass jars or 16 oz glass jars on Amazon, but since you don’t need a new seal, it’s more frugal to check local thrift shops for used jars)
Get the recipe for Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar here.
BONUS! DIY: Herbal Shampoo Bar
This particular gift costs more than $1, but fabulous contributor Heather shared it earlier this week and I absolutely LOVE the idea. I personally have been struggling with the ingredient/cost factor of shampoo, so it’s very timely for me. If you’re already making it for yourself, it’s definitely not a bad gift to consider giving too!
Facts
- Cost: $2.50 per bar
- Time: Ready in 4 hours or less
- Yield: One recipe makes ten bars
Supplies
- Dry herbs
- Water
- Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Castor Oil
- Aloe Vera Oil
- Jojoba Oil
- Coconut milk
Get the recipe for DIY Homemade Shampoo Bar here.
Don’t know what homemade gift to make?
I know how you feel! I’m always wondering what’s the best bang for my buck, and it’s the same when gift-giving too.
If you’re looking to spend little yet produce the most gifts, look to see what you already have in the kitchen and house first. Chances are you can make a batch of powdered foundation as it is, and you might even get away with a batch or two of homemade hot chocolate, but you might just need containers for both. Both of those are best in 4 oz glass jars, so you could buy just one case and that would be your only purchase for gifts.
Toothpaste, tinted moisturizer and powdered foundation all use clay…
Lip balm and toothpaste both use peppermint oil…
Tinted moisturizer and powdered foundation both use lavender oil…
Facial soap is super easy and only requires soap (which you might already have). Apple cider vinegar uses the leftovers from your snack!
Similar to your pre-grocery shopping routine – before you buy anything, take inventory of what you already have. When you do buy something, make sure it can be used for more than one purpose!
Want even more DIY homemade gift ideas?
From hostess gifts, gifts for kids, or any special occasions, DIY gifts are a great option! Here are just a few more of my favorite homemade gifts.
- Homemade Salted Caramel
- Face Lotion Bar
- Homemade Hand Purifier
- DIY Whipped Magnesium Lotion
- Homemade Vanilla Extract
- Thieves Foaming Hand Soap
If you’re looking for last-minute homemade gifts, check out my list of creative gift ideas here.
Have a little extra to spend and want something to pair with your DIY gift? Check out our best kitchen gadgets for $10 or less!
I just wanted to comment on your suggestion in going to a second hand store for jars. Usually new jars are cheaper and they come with lids and rings. Used jars are just the jar and you would need to buy lids anyway. Where I live you can get a dozen jars for about $8.00 and second hand shops charge $1.00 for one jar.
This is a great post! Thank you! Money is tight with a new baby and only half the normal income and I’m worried about Christmas already. I’m cleaning my mason jars and removing labels using your rubbing alcohol trick. 🙂
Loved this article! Everything on here is something I would definitely use, and
would be proud to give as a homemade gift!
If I spring for expensive ingredients that’s okay, because I can make multiples of each item and have on hand as gifts throughout the year…how wonderful would it be to make a beautiful gift basket (thrift stores always have nice ones for cheap) of all the body & bath item for a new mom, sick neighbor, mother’s day, valentine gift, etc. No more stressing out about what to buy and how much to spend when it’s gift buying time!
Hi Kari! We feel the same way – once you have the item in the house, it usually lasts a LONG time if you’re only using it for yourself. Otherwise you’re making lots of gifts for a small investment! This list is my go-to list for the same occasions you mentioned. Need a gift for tomorrow? Just reach for the cabinets! 🙂
I think your ideas look great but the title is a little misleading. Paying to gather the supplies and essentials oils would cost more than one dollar even if the final break down per item is less than a dollar. The glass jars alone would be an expensive investment. Possibly, paying a dollar for a soap dispenser at the dollar store would lessen the cost for some of the gift ideas but add that dollar on to the cost of the contents.
Hi Alicia, and thanks for your comment! I apologize if the title comes across as misleading, but it does accurately portray my point – giving gifts doesn’t have to be expensive! Traditionally, we tend to think of what we can give our friends and how much we can afford to spend on each. Sometimes the budget is $5 or $15 per recipient, but when the list is long, that quickly adds up and loves ones get pushed down to the bottom, possibly off the list entirely.
The point in this post was to think outside the typical gift box, see what you have at home already (since you likely use some of these items yourself) and fill in the blanks with what’s left. Even if you spent $20 on a jar of clay and peppermint oil today, you could gift A LOT of homemade toothpaste jars and still have enough leftover to last you up to a year too! I see this as saving money on Christmas gifts now (reducing a $10 budget x # people to just $20 for everyone) and saving on toothpaste for yourself down road at $4-8 per month!
To build on your example of the soap, one bar of soap makes just over 30 ounces, or roughly 4 containers of 8 ounces each. I’ve seen all-natural soaps at the dollar store before, plus the containers. So you could buy one soap and four dispensers for a total of $5 and give this homemade facial soap to five friends for just $1 each. That’s MUCH more frugal than the $5-10 budget most people allow.