When it comes to gift giving, there’s something extra special about homemade presents. Be it baking, cooking, art, or beauty-related, creating something yourself is fun, extra personal, and a great way to show you care. And since homemade gifts tend to be very affordable, incorporating DIY presents can also help you stick to your budget this holiday season.

If you’re new to the bath, body, and skincare side of DIY gifts, I’ve got some important Dos and Don’ts to share that will optimize your homemade gifting this year. Keep these basic tips in mind and you’ll be DIY gifting like a pro in no time!

DO invest in pretty packaging.

It’s amazing what a difference a nice jar or bottle can make.  Good packaging can truly elevate your homemade goodies to the next level.

DON’T gift anything that spoils easily.

Unless you’re a preservative expert – and no, essential oils and vitamin E don’t cut it – stable, waterless recipes are the way to go.  Stick to dry products like cleansing grains and face masks or oil-based moisturizers and scrubs.

DO tailor your gift to your recipient.

Your mom gets dry hands in the winter?  Your brother’s obsessed with chocolate?  Whip up a rich cocoa butter hand balm for both of them.  And, if you want to share it with your newly vegan best friend too?  Make sure your recipe omits beeswax, lanolin, honey, and other animal products. Personalizations like these are exactly what make homemade gifts so special!

DON’T forget to sanitize.

Clean your hands and workspace before you begin. It’s a good practice to wipe down your bowls, utensils, and packaging with rubbing alcohol too.

DO include ingredients and instructions.

Eliminate the guesswork and include both a full ingredient list and any necessary product instructions with your gift. There are plenty of free label templates out there that will make this step a breeze.

DON’T ignore allergies or sensitivities.

If you know your giftee has allergies, go the extra mile and make sure you’re not including any problematic ingredients in your recipe. Nut allergies often rule out almond, argan, hazelnut, and macadamia oils and shea butter, while those with soy or gluten allergies may react to a whole host of soy- and wheat-derived ingredients.

DO test all recipes in advance.

Just like you probably wouldn’t try a fancy new food recipe for the first time while hosting a dinner party, it’s a good idea to work out any kinks in your DIY in advance. I like to make a mini-batch for myself a few weeks before I need the real deal for gifts.

DON’T take it too seriously and DO have fun with it!

As long as your recipe is safe and shelf stable, the sky really is the limit on what you can make.  Be creative and go all out!

Let us know your best tips for successful DIY gifts in the comments!