sustainability

5 Herbal DIY Mother’s Day Gifts From the Heart

Published on May 08, 2024


By Kristen Boye BS, Natural Health

Kristen Boye

Kristen Boye is a natural health expert, writer, copywriter, and editor. Kristen was raised on an organic farm in British Columbia which inspired her life’s work. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Health, is a Certified Natural Foods Chef, co-owner of a medicinal herb farm, and is a natural foods and children’s health advocate. Kristen lives with her husband and two children on their medicinal herb farm in Western North Carolina.

https://www.holisticwritingconcepts.com

It’s no secret that most moms love DIY Mother’s Day gifts from their children and grandchildren.

Handmade Mother’s Day gifts communicate a depth of love and caring that store-bought goods and even gift certificates can’t match. 

While your days of making paper flower crafts for Mother’s Day are probably long behind you, you can recapture the essence of making Mom something from the heart with one of these five herbal skin and body care recipes she will love.

You can also involve your children in making these gifts, and we’ll provide prompts in the recipes about how they can help safely.

Tips Before You Begin Your Hand-Made Mother’s Day Gifts

  • All these ingredients should be easy to find in your local health food store or online. You may also want to check out the bulk section at your local co-op for the small quantities needed in these recipes.
  • If you have children who want to help, the Panela Sugar Peppermint Foot Scrub and Ayurvedic Facial mask are ideal as they do not require heating. You can also involve them in mixing up herbal-infused oils and mixing and pouring salve and balm ingredients once they are cooled. However, never allow children to use the stove or handle equipment or ingredients.

DIY Mother’s Day Gift #1: Bee Beautiful Body Balm

Mother’s Day is all about pampering Mom, and what better way to luxuriate than with a creamy-textured body balm that smells like honey? 

This body balm recipe uses only five natural ingredients, most of them courtesy of bees.

Equipment:

  • A small mixing bowl
  • A pint or quart-size wide-mouth mason jar
  • Small saucepan
  • Mortar and pestle or coffee grinder (for powdering bee pollen)
  • Spatula
  • 1 or 2 ounce salve tins or mini mason jars for storing

Ingredients:

  • 4.5 tablespoons of organic olive oil or your favorite plant oil such as almond, jojoba, coconut, etc.
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa butter
  • 1 tablespoon beeswax (grated, beads, or pastilles)
  • 1 tablespoon raw local honey
  • 1 tsp bee pollen (ground)

How to Make:

  1. Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil or plant oil with ground bee pollen (you can use a clean coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle to grind) in a small bowl. 
  2. Mix the bee pollen and oil using a spatula or spoon, then whisk. (It will not perfectly combine, but that’s okay.)
  3. Pour the rest of the oil, cocoa butter, and beeswax into a wide-mouthed mason jar.
  4. Place the mason jar in a small saucepan filled with 1-2 inches of water and heat on medium-low for about 20-30 minutes, watching to make sure the water doesn’t evaporate and adding more water as needed.
  5. Once the cocoa butter and beeswax have melted into the oil, use oven mitts to remove the mason jar from the saucepan and add the honey. 
  6. Let the mixture cool for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
  7. Add the oil-bee pollen mixture into the cooled olive oil-wax-honey mixture a little bit at a time, whisking to incorporate fully.
  8. Spoon into tins.
  9. Let set in the fridge for 20 minutes to harden. Once set, it can be stored at room temperature.

Related read: Why Different Types of Pollinators—From Bees to Bats—Matter to Herb Production

DIY Mother’s Day Gift #2: Healing Herbal Salve

Moms are the ultimate comforters when minor injuries, like cuts, bug bites, and scrapes, strike.

This herbal healing salve is the perfect hand-made Mother’s Day gift. It is packed with soothing plant-based goodness and will become a staple in her natural first-aid kit.

You can use any combination of the herbs suggested. They all have treasured healing properties.

Equipment:

  • 2 pint or quart-size wide-mouth mason jars
  • A slow-cooker or Instant Pot
  • A sieve or strainer
  • Small saucepan
  • 1 or 2 ounce salve tins or mini mason jars for storing

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons of organic olive oil or your favorite plant oil, such as almond, jojoba, coconut, etc.
  • 1.5 tablespoons beeswax (grated, beads, or pastilles)
  • 3 tablespoons dried soothing herbs such as Chamomile, Lavender, Comfrey (excellent for cuts and scrapes), Plantain (great for bug bites), or Calendula
  • A few drops Thyme or Lavender essential oil

How to Make:

Part 1: Infuse Your Oil

  1. Pour the oil and dried herbs into a wide-mouthed mason jar.
  2. Screw on the lid tightly and shake to combine.
  3. Place in a slow cooker or Instant Pot on low heat or slow-cook setting, and let infuse for about 3 hours. The oil should turn green.
    • Note: if the jar is too tall for the slow cooker or Instant Pot, place it on its side. Just make sure the lid is screwed on tight.

    Part 2: Make your Salve

    1. Combine the infused oil with the beeswax. Place a mason jar in a small saucepan filled with 1-2 inches of water. Heat on medium-low until the beeswax is melted, watching to ensure the water doesn’t evaporate and adding more water as needed.
    2. Remove the mason jar from the saucepan and add a few drops of Thyme or Lavender essential oil.
    3. To test the consistency of your salve, dip a spoon into it and watch it set. This will give you a good indication of the consistency of your final product. If it’s too thin, melt in more beeswax. If it’s too thick, add some more oil.
    4. Once you get the consistency you want, pour into tins.
    5. Let set in the fridge for 20 minutes to harden. Once set, it can be stored at room temperature.

      DIY Mother’s Day Gift #3: Panela Sugar Peppermint Foot Scrub

      Panela sugar is the traditional unrefined cane sugar produced and used throughout many countries in Latin America.

      You’ve probably seen it at the grocery store, where it’s typically sold in a cone shape and displayed with the tropical fruits.

      Panela sugar’s consistency, combined with the cooling effects of peppermint essential oil, makes a perfect natural exfoliant for mom’s tired feet.

      Can’t find panela sugar? You can substitute raw cane sugar or coarse coconut sugar.

      Since this recipe requires no heating, it is a perfect one to make with kids.

      Equipment:

      • A medium-sized bowl
      • A fork

      Ingredients:

      • 1/2 cup panella sugar or coarse coconut or cane sugar
      • 1/3 cup coconut oil
      • 10-30 drops Peppermint essential oil

      How to Make:

      1. Combine the sugar and coconut oil in a medium bowl.
        • Do not heat the coconut oil, as this could change the texture of the sugar. Just use it at room temperature.
      2. Work together using a fork until well combined.
      3. Add the Peppermint essential oil 5-10 drops at a time until the desired scent is achieved. The more you add, the more tingly the scrub will feel.
      4. Scoop into tins or mason jars.

        DIY Mother’s Day Gift #4: St. John's Wort Gardeners Salve

        Gardening is notoriously hard on the hands because dirt readily absorbs moisture, stripping it from the skin. 

        But your mom doesn’t have to be a gardener to reap the benefits of this healing gardener’s salve. 

        Anyone who suffers from dryness, calluses, rough skin, or cracked fingers will delight in its moisturizing properties. The main herb, St. John’s Wort, and the Lavender essential oil will help deeply hydrate the skin.*

        Here’s how to make this DIY gift for mom.

        Equipment:

        • 2 pint-size wide-mouth mason jars
        • A slow-cooker or Instant Pot
        • A sieve or strainer
        • Small saucepan
        • 1 or 2 ounce salve tins or mini mason jars for storing

        Ingredients:

        • 4 tablespoons herb-infused organic olive oil or your favorite plant-based oil
        • 2 tablespoons of any two of the following herbs: plantain, comfrey, calendula, lavender, rose petals
        • 3/4 tablespoon beeswax (grated)
        • 60 drops (about 1 ½ droppers full) Gaia Herbs St. John’s Wort Tincture
        • Lavender essential oil

        How to Make:

        Part 1: Infuse Your Oil

        1. Pour the oil and dried herbs into a wide-mouthed mason jar.
        2. Screw on the lid tightly and shake to combine.
        3. Place in a slow cooker or InstantPot on low heat or slow-cook setting, and let infuse for about 3 hours. The oil should turn green.
          • Note: if the jar is too tall for the slow cooker or InstantPot, it’s okay to place it on its side. Just make sure the lid is screwed on tight.

          Part 2: Make Your Salve

          1. Pour the infused oil plus the beeswax into a wide-mouthed mason jar.
          2. Place the mason jar in a small saucepan filled with 1-2 inches of water and heat on medium-low until the beeswax is melted, watching to make sure the water doesn’t evaporate and adding more water as needed.
          3. Once melted, add the St. John’s Wort tincture.
          4. Remove the mason jar from the saucepan and add 10-20 drops of Lavender essential oil.
          5. To test the consistency of your salve, dip a spoon into it and watch it set. This will give you a good indication of the consistency of your final product. If it’s too thin, melt in more beeswax. If it’s too thick, add some more oil.
          6. Once you get the consistency you want, pour into tins.

            DIY Mother’s Day Gift #5: Ayurvedic Facial Mask

            Applying a soothing facial mask is a simple and relaxing self-care practice most moms appreciate but don’t always make time for.

            Give her an excuse to indulge with this simple, all-natural DIY Ayurvedic Facial Mask, made with clarifying and soothing natural honey and Gaia Herbs Triphala.

            Also known as “the three fruits,” Triphala is made from Amalaki, also known as Amla or Indian Gooseberry, Bibhitaki, and Haritaki. This panacea formula is legendary in Ayurveda (the traditional wellness practice of India) and has been recommended for health and beauty purposes for centuries.

            Equipment:

            • A medium mixing bowl
            • A whisk
            • A mini mason jar

            Ingredients:

            • 1/4 cup raw honey
            • 4 capsules Gaia Herbs Triphala Fruit Liquid PhytoCaps
            • Optional Ingredients: 
              • 1 tablespoon green French clay, oat flour, activated charcoal, or kaolin clay to clarify and deep-clean
              • 1-2 teaspoons gelatin to support firmness and elasticity
              • 3-5 drops pure essential oils of lavender, rose, or chamomile for soothing and antioxidant properties and a natural scent

            How to Make:

            1. Place the honey in a medium bowl and open up four phyto-caps of Gaia Herbs Triphala Fruit Liquid PhytoCaps.
            2. Gently mix to combine using a fork or small whisk.
            3. If the honey is very thick, gently heat the mixture over low heat to combine.
            4. Add optional ingredients and mix thoroughly.
            5. Pour into a mason jar or balm tin.

            Learn more about the benefits of Triphala in: What is Triphala? + How It May Benefit Health, Digestion, Metabolism, Heart Function, & More.

            Want More Health and Wellness-Themed Mother’s Day Gift Ideas?

            Check out the following articles for more herbal DIY Mother’s Day gifts and other ideas:

            Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Gaia Herbs!