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What to Put in a Self-Care Gift Basket: 25 Ideas

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Now is the perfect time to look for self-care baskets and send thinking of you messages to loved ones and friends worldwide. Whether you can drop it off or you need to send it by mail, you've got plenty of options to share the love and brighten someone's day.

Overview: Our Top Picks

Spa-Inspired Self Care Gift Basket Ideas

Self-Care Gift Basket Ideas for Him

Self-Care Gift Baskets Ideas for Someone Who’s Sick

Self-Care Gift Basket Ideas to Send After a Death

Self-Care Gift Basket Ideas For Her

Jump ahead to these sections:

With a combination of traditional and non-traditional ideas below, you’re sure to find something that suits your needs (and budget). 

DIY Self-Care Gift Basket Ideas

DIY baskets share your heart, craft, and joy with others. They come from the heart and head straight into someone's home.

» MORE: Your family has 500 hours of work to do after you die. Learn how to make it easier.

1. Farmer’s market fare

When summertime fare is in an abundance, head to the local farmer’s market to pick up some once-a-year flavors to infuse with butter, olive oil, and even brie. Choose from luxury items such as truffles, figs, garlic, and rosemary. 

Then head home and get to work on a basket of indulgence for the epicurean in your life. 

2. Bread and honey

Spend a day preparing a basket of homemade bread, tartines, and cookies with some honey or preserves fresh from the farm.

Include a hand-stitched tea towel, and you'll have the perfect basket to give someone special that loving, from-home feeling. 

3. Garden flowers 

You've got the greenest thumb on the block and the prettiest flowers, too. So, head out into your garden and gather up your best stems and buds to bring someone who needs a pick me up. 

Make sure to drop off plenty of flowers so the recipient can arrange them all over the house. 

4. Homeopathic aromatherapy rice compresses

Aromatherapy rice compress projects are a great way to show someone you care. And they take little to no time to make as long as your sewing machine is working correctly. 

Pro-tips: Look online for patterns specifically for the neck, belly, back, and shoulders. Then calculate how much fabric you'll need (use fabric and thread that you already have). Purchase the jasmine rice in bulk and choose from one or two essential oils for the project.

Spa-Inspired Self Care Gift Basket Ideas

This list is about both the mind and body. Once you've read through the ideas below, you may want to purchase a few duplicate items to ensure some awesomeness for your self-care routine.

5. Ditch-the-plastic bath items

Sustainable living is on the rise. That means it's the perfect time to help out a friend or loved one hop on the trolly and ditch the plastic bath items for a more sustainable lifestyle. Look for:

Once you’ve helped them check off reducing plastic in the bathroom, maybe they’ll be inspired to do another room in the house.

6. Epsom salts and candles

You can make scented Epsom salts at home for a fraction of what you’ll pay in the store. To do so, start with a mixture of:

  • 2 parts Epsom salts 
  • 2 parts kosher salt
  • 1 part baking soda

Then, make a few different scents using essential oils for different uses:

  • Clear breathing - eucalyptus and peppermint
  • Clear mind - lemon and rosemary
  • Calming - lavender, geranium, and rose

Once you’ve mixed up your salts, pour them into reusable jars, tie a ribbon, and add a descriptive tag.

Pro-tip: Buy in bulk to save some cash.

7. Champagne and polish

For those days when you can’t make it to the salon, make a mini basket to drop off at your friend’s house for a mani-pedi afternoon at home. Include non-toxic products like:

Even though the local box store pharmacy will have everything you need at your fingertips, it's time to support your local mom and pop. You'll find a much more exciting selection of goods and an abundance of sustainable or toxin-free options.

8. Skincare

One solid morning to take away the stresses of a bad week can work wonders. Here’s a basket for skin from head to toe:

If you're savvy, make some of these items at home to give it that personal touch. Otherwise, check out an online marketplace to avoid harmful GMOs, artificial colors and fragrances, synthetic chemicals, and other toxins to sensitive skin.

Self-Care Gift Basket Ideas for Him

You’ll find basket ideas ranging from outdoor adventurers to coffee lovers, anxiety reducers, and even beard care. Check out the ideas listed here and see what suits the guy in your life best.

» MORE: You need more than a will. Start here.

9. All-day outdoor adventure with the doggo

What's the perfect gift basket for an adventurous guy and his equally adventurous pup? It's a backpack, and it's filled with easy-to-find items that will give them both reason to stay out from dawn until dusk.

Just include the following and then send them on their day:

  • Pack them both a lunch
  • Water for two
  • New ball and ball launcher
  • Natural insect repellant or ocean safe sunblock
  • Paw wax and poop bags
  • Write a thank you or love note and tuck it inside

Once your crew arrives back home, wait for the call to hear all about the day’s adventures.

10. Coffee aficionado basket

The true coffee lover will tell you they snub their nose at the coffee you and I drink, but there are some ways to percolate their senses if you’re inclined. Check out:

This self-care basket idea for him is a bit on the expensive side. But you get to decide which coffee puns you’d like to put in a card to go along with this uplifting gift.

11. Up in the air

For some people, the boredom bug feels like a growing anxiety monster. So, check out some gift certificates ideas to put in your basket for more than just outside fun. Get him flying and soaring high above the ground and watch him smile from ear to ear. 

It's undoubtedly an extravagant gift basket, but a week of this will quell his anxiety quickly. Plus, If you tack on a massage or a hot tub at the end of each day, you'll have one tired and seriously chill guy. 

12. Beard care basket

Whether he's got a short-boxed, ducktail, garibaldi, spade, French fork, anchor, or some designer stubble resting in near perfection, his beard will need some professional care to stay looking good. If you're starting from scratch, here are the basics:

Beard fashion has never been more popular, so make sure he's looking his best for whatever arises next.

Self-Care Gift Baskets Ideas for Someone Who’s Sick

No time is a good time to get sick. So it feels extra amazing when someone tries to help you get well faster. Look below for some boredom reducers as well as some food to brighten spirits from the inside out.

13. Book basket

Did you know that a lot of gently used books wind up at donation stores?  Actually, with more and more people downsizing, you can find treasure troves of hardcover books for next to nothing.

Pro-tip: Sale days generally come once a week, so wait for one and stock up on more books for your friend who’s stuck inside feeling under the weather and unable to venture very far.

14. Vitamin C basket

Vitamin C is one of those vitamins that the human body can't produce but needs daily.  And did you know that both vegetables and fruit can be high in vitamin C? Here's a super short list of the top vitamin-C-producing fruits and vegetables that you can pick up for a friend or have sent via an online service:

  • Oranges
  • Strawberries
  • Kiwi
  • Kale
  • Broccoli 
  • Brussel sprouts

Pro-tip: Certain medical conditions require monitoring of vitamin C intake, so make sure this is the right choice.

15. Puzzles and pizza

Okay, maybe the doctor would disagree with the pizza angle, but puzzles can help consume time while your loved one is on the mend. You can choose from puzzle books to jigsaw puzzles, or even head over for some actual block agility games. 

And, maybe if “Dr. Mom” lets you send some “healthy” pizza, you can hang out with dad via video com and watch an old western movie, too.

16. Anxiety or sympathy gift basket

Music is the eternal soother whether you’re a fan of Vivaldi or Van Morrison. And what goes better than vino with some vinyl when you’re feeling some anxiety and need someone to call?

Don’t forget, feeling under the weather is more than just physical ailments. It also includes moments when your mind is in disarray, too. 

Self-Care Gift Basket Ideas to Send After a Death

When sending flowers and a card after death doesn’t feel like a satisfactory enough gift for a friend or loved one, you can send self-care baskets instead. Here are a few ideas of what to include:

» MORE: It's time to take your pre-planning seriously. Become a free member.

17. Calming lavender basket

Lavender does not treat high blood pressure or cure depression, but certain studies suggest that it’s helpful for anxiety and some digestive issues. For those reasons, lavender becomes an ideal essential oil for soaps, lotions, candles, and room sprays, especially when grief and despair are high.

18. Gift cards and more basket

When a loved one dies, it’s next to impossible to function normally. Whether that’s cooking, shopping, sleeping, or anything else, grief immobilizes many of us. That’s why a basket of gift cards is the perfect gift for somebody in despair. 

From groceries or restaurants to housecleaning and more, you can ensure your friend or loved one can get the necessary things they need without exerting too much energy. 

19. Media basket

Most people go into a fog right after a loved one dies. Some call it “widow’s fog” or “grief-induced amnesia,” but no matter what it is or who’s experiencing it, things like magazines and music can help tremendously. 

So, in this basket, it is best to include magazines with more pictures than words, music via gift cards or vinyl records, and maybe some headphones if you can find a good deal.

20. Basket of warmth and sunshine

When a bouquet of sunflowers just isn’t enough, send over a basket of sunshine filled with both color and warmth. You might consider things like:

Pro-tip: Most people can look at a blank piece of paper for hours and never figure out what to write. So, add in a couple of prompts to help get the pen rolling.

Self-Care Gift Basket Ideas For Her

Whether she likes to drink tea, sip champagne, or commune with nature, we’ve got some great ideas to suit that special lady in your life.

21. Summertime adventures basket

Make a basket specifically for those Pisces and other water lovers. Start with a pretty beach towel that’s freshwater or ocean-friendly, like 100% organic cotton or 100% bamboo. Then, add in some reef-safe sunscreen and a reusable water bottle that’ll keep liquids cool. 

Have some money left over? Grab a gift certificate from a kayak or paddleboard rental place, and then hit the water on a hot Saturday afternoon. 

Pro-tip: Towels that say “viscose made from bamboo” are neither sustainable nor earth-friendly.

22. “Let’s go camping” basket

Camping, glamping, trekking, and tracking are great ways to help her get out of those same four walls and into wide-open spaces. Let her know her mental health matters as much as her physical health with a nearby state park or vacation rental trip. Some items to include in a camping basket include: 

Pro-tip: Don’t clutter your time by having too much going on. Just let the day unfold as it will.

23. Rewilding basket 

When the city and miles of concrete get to be too much, it’s time to head out for some rewilding in the great outdoors. We’re not talking picnic baskets and strawberries, either. Nope. Climb trees, go skinny dipping, explore native plant life, or experience some Shinrin-yoku. For this basket, consider:

Help her find her inner animal by designing an intentional day in the wild, and don’t be afraid to get dirty—or unplug.

24. “Disheveled No More” basket

When your female counterpart starts to look like she needs a reset after all of the long hours between family, work, and little or no sleep, help her recharge with some indulgences. Choose gift cards from the:

  • Spa and nail salon
  • Her favorite stylist
  • Yoga or kickboxing studio

Toss in a few magazines, some fair trade chocolate, organic lotion, and lip balm. Then, after a long day of renewal, head on out for a girl’s only happy hour for a few champagne splits. 

Pro-tip: Line up a cab or car service to take even more stress away.

25. Around the World tea basket

Do you want to support your best friend while simultaneously building resilience among female farmers, too? Well, if they like tea, consider a DIY tea basket with global brands you can’t find at the local supermarket. 

Farmers from East Africa, South America, to all across Asia produce some of the most aromatic and sustainable teas you’ll find. In your search engine, plug in keywords for a global tea map showcasing organic and fair trade certified teas. Many of these organizations are focused on building up the lives of female farmers, their children, and local communities.

Nontraditional and Traditional Self-Care Baskets

Having someone on our side who knows what we need and when is a gift in and of itself. Likely, you're one of those people, which means you've already got some ideas up your sleeve.

But if we've given you a few extras for some self-care and sympathy gift baskets that you hadn’t already considered, then we're happy to help however we can.

Sources:

  1. Fox, M. (2020). What the Happiest Countries in the World Have in Common. Outside Online. outsideonline.com
  2. Johnson, L., et al. (2020). 9 Aromatherapy Blends for DIY Bath Salts. Hello Glow. helloglow.co
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