DIY Aromatherapy Stress Balls: A Soothing Craft for All Ages

Experience the Comfort of Aromatherapy Stress Balls

There’s something truly comforting about squeezing a stress ball. However, the experience becomes even more delightful when that squishy stress ball is infused with calming essential oils! Stress ball + essential oils = aromatherapy stress ball. This combination offers the best of both worlds! You get a stress ball to squish, squeeze, and fidget with, alongside the soothing benefits of essential oils that help relieve stress and reduce feelings of anxiety.

Moreover, these aromatherapy stress balls are affordable and incredibly easy to make! They cater to kids, teens, and adults alike, allowing you to customize the size of the balloon for the perfect fit for everyone. You can also choose their favorite color and calming scent, making it a fun activity to create together. Plus, they make fantastic gifts!

Here are some thoughtful ideas for homemade essential oil gifts that you can pair with the stress ball to create a delightful gift basket:

Teacher Survival Gift: DIY aromatherapy stress ball, natural headache relief balm, peppermint foot cream, and disinfecting cleaning spray.
Gift for a Busy Mom: Essential roller bottle kit, bath bombs, calming magnesium body butter for the best sleep ever, and a homemade aromatherapy stress ball.
Fun Kid Gift: Bubble bath, cuddly stuffed animal or blanket, DIY scented squishy ball, and sweet dreams pillow sleep spray.
Coach Gift: DIY aromatherapy stress ball, peppermint cooling spray, massage lotion bar, and sore muscle rub.
Teen Gift: Sugar scrub cubes, body spray, bath bombs, homemade aromatherapy stress ball, and a couple of favorite rollerball blends (find recipes here and here).
Want More Essential Oil Gift Ideas? Check out these easy essential oil DIY gift ideas here, here, and here.

What You’ll Need to Make Aromatherapy Stress Balls

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Heavyweight Balloons (Make sure to use thick, heavy-duty balloons, like these. Regular or thin balloons can easily break or tear when used as stress balls—click here for the ones I used).
Flour (You can use alternative fillers instead of flour. Cornstarch, arrowroot powder, rice flour, sand, and uncooked rice all work well. I prefer flour because it provides nice resistance, is squishy, and is calming to squeeze, without being overly hard. If you prefer a firmer stress ball for more intense fidgeting, sand or cornstarch are great options. Alternatively, if you find texture comforting, consider using uncooked rice in your stress ball).
Essential Oil — I share ideas for calming essential oil combinations in the recipe and instructions below. Here are some stress-relieving essential oils you may want to consider: lavender, orange, cedarwood, vetiver, eucalyptus, spruce, spearmint, ylang ylang, bergamot, Roman chamomile, patchouli, cypress, frankincense, and sandalwood.
Funnel
Water Bottle (Using a water bottle makes it really easy to fill the balloons).

How to Make Aromatherapy Stress Balls

Step 1: Use a Funnel to Add 1/2 to 1 Cup of Flour into a Water Bottle

Tip: Adjust the amount of flour based on the size of the stress ball you want. 1/2 cup will create a small stress ball, perfect for little hands, while 1 cup will yield a larger stress ball suitable for adults.

Tip: Using a water bottle simplifies the process of filling the balloon. While you could pour the flour directly into the balloon, it would be quite challenging. The water bottle helps to easily funnel the flour into the balloon.

Tip: Ensure the water bottle is clean and completely dry before adding flour.

Step 2: Add 10 Drops of Essential Oil to the Flour in the Water Bottle

Here are some calming essential oils and blends that you might like to use in your aromatherapy stress ball, or feel free to use your favorite calming essential oil:

10 drops of lavender essential oil
6 drops of lavender essential oil + 4 drops of vanilla oleoresin
2 drops grapefruit + 2 drops bergamot + 2 drops lime + 3 drops sandalwood
5 drops orange + 5 drops of vanilla oleoresin
3 drops cedarwood + 3 drops orange + 1 drop rosemary + 3 drops frankincense
6 drops lavender + 4 drops vetiver
5 drops eucalyptus + 5 drops spearmint
5 drops lavender + 2 drops cedarwood + 2 drops orange + 1 drop ylang ylang
3 drops patchouli + 3 drops cypress + 4 drops bergamot
4 drops lavender + 4 drops lime + 2 drops spearmint

Step 3: Cap the Water Bottle and Shake the Mixture

Mix the flour and essential oils thoroughly.

Step 4: Inflate the Balloon to Double its Final Size

Tip: This step makes it easier to get the flour mixture into the balloon.

Step 5: Attach the Balloon to the Water Bottle

Step 6: Invert the Balloon and Water Bottle, and Squeeze the Mixture into the Balloon

Step 7: Carefully Remove the Balloon from the Water Bottle

While pinching the end of the balloon closed, slowly release some air to allow a little bit of air out of the balloon.

Tip: Do this slowly. If you open the end too much, the flour and essential oil mixture will spill out everywhere. You want to let most of the air out while ensuring the flour stays in the balloon.

Tip: Be mindful of how much air you leave in the balloon, as this will affect the stress ball’s firmness:

For a hard, firm stress ball, let out almost all the air.
For a soft stress ball that’s easy to squeeze, leave most of the air in.
I prefer a balance of firmness and squishiness; let out most of the air but keep enough for the flour to move around easily.

Step 8: Tie Off the Balloon and Clean Excess Flour from the Outside

Step 9 (Optional): Trim the End of the Balloon for a Neater Appearance

How to Use Your Aromatherapy Stress Ball

Simply squeeze the stress ball whenever you begin to feel a bit stressed. This simple act can help relieve anxiety, calm your mind, and quiet racing thoughts.

Here are a few additional essential oil posts that you might find interesting:

Calming Aromatherapy Playdough
21 Roller Bottle Recipes for Emotions (calming, uplifting, focus, motivation, courage, chill out, and more)
Sweet Dream Sleep Spray
24 Essential Oil Inhaler Recipes and Free Printable Labels
Calming Diffuser Blends
Natural Headache Relief Balm
Calming Lavender Vanilla Bubble Bath
Calming Magnesium Body Butter
DIY Floral Bath Salts
12 Best Essential Oil Diffuser Blends for Sleep

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