Big stores and beauty brands are always bringing out baskets of exotic bath and body products. But when it comes to choosing gifts for your girl friends or mom, nothing beats a fabulous loot of pampering products all arranged sweetly in a bag or box. Well, now you can make your own gift baskets and surprise your friends on birthdays, anniversaries or even on no particular occasions. The added for this is that your friend is touched by the fact that you made the gifts.

• Salts and scrubs: Mix equal amounts of baking soda and Epsom salts together and then scent with a few drops of essential oil. With so many fragrances available, the varieties of bath salts you can create are endless. Don’t throw any lime and orange peels. Dry them and powder. Mix three tbsp of this powder with five tbsp of wheat bran or oatmeal. In a jar, pour quarter cup of olive oil, four tbsp of honey and the oat and orange peel mix. The honey will settle at the bottom, the oil will float and the orange and the oat powder will stay suspended like star dust. Throw in a star anise and let it sink to the bottom to complete the picture. An excellent scrub for the winter months, just tell your friends to shake before use.

• Bath oils: The simplest is to create bath oil. Instead of making a family pack, buy little vials and make a whole bunch of different smelling bath oils that your friends can carry while traveling. Take any base oil like baby oil or the olive oil. Fill more than half the vial with this oil, then add a few drops of sandalwood or lavender essential oil for relaxation in one, jojoba to soothe the nerves in another, yang for a bit sensuality, bergamot to revive the spirits, moon flower to sleep well. Label each, so your friends know which one is for that

• Lotions: These don’t last long without preservatives, so stick to making non dairy based lotions. Fruits also reduce the shelf life, but you can specify a use before date on the bottle. This one lasts about a week. Take one dried chamomile in milk for a few hours. Strain, keeping the liquid. Add honey and wheat germ to the liquid. And last place in a pretty bottle.

Whether you arrange all these handmade bath and body products in a basket with dried flowers and paper rings, or in a bed of cotton wool with whole spices like cardamom, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon sticks, be as creative as you can be. Use long strands of fresh lemongrass or leafy vines or straw to tie up bags or around basket handles. You could also place everything carefully in a bed of dried flower petals and leaves inside a wooden box with a slide top. The options are endless. Just be creative.