Blending Your Own Aromatherapy Sprays And Mists
Friday, July 3rd, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
When people first encounter aromatherapy, they often find themselves wondering how to use the oils they adore so much. It’s one thing to smell rose absolute from the container, but we don’t buy essential oils to let them sit in their beautiful cobalt bottles. We want to use them! And as anyone who has fallen in love with an essential oil knows, we want them around us all of the time. One way to achieve this is to venture into making your own aromatherapy sprays. It’s easy, inexpensive and can be a way for the whole family to enjoy the therapeutic effects of essential oils.
Many of the commercial room deodorizers found on the market end up making us feel overpowered because they contain synthetic fragrances. While room sprays can be a delightful way to change the feel of a space, the wrong scent can make a room feel oppressive rather than cheerful. Medicinal-quality aromatherapy oils have the opposite effect. Rather than just covering up annoying odors, essential oils actually alter the energy of a room, giving us the healing benefits we’ve all come to love.
Essential oil sprays contain a mixture of oils, water and, sometimes, witch hazel. To create your own, all you need are your own oils, purified water and spray bottles. Since aromatic oils don’t do well with too much light exposure, try to find amber or cobalt blue bottles to keep your blends fresh. When filling with water, find the purest water possible to avoid the risk of compromising your blend with chemicals, such as chlorine. Also, if you want to store your blends for more than two months, it’s a good idea to mix in a splash of witch hazel. This extract from the plant Hamamelis virginiana provides natural preservation of your aromatic oils. Next, the best part - your oils!
With so many aromatic oils to choose from, you can create an endless variety of sprays for your home, office or car. When considering which oils to buy, always seek the highest quality you can afford. You will need to use less oil, and the healing benefits of the oil will increase ten-fold if you choose a superior oil. Therapeutic-grade oils satisfy our senses in ways inferior oils simply cannot. Excellent oils make the mind feel bright and provide instantaneous changes in the body. This is because the body/mind connection is immediately felt with essential oils. That’s why we want to make the most of the oils we have and choose the best we can find.
Any essential oil can be turned into a spray, but some are even better than others. The citrus oils, like mandarin, grapefruit, lemon, lime and tangerine, make great misters. Citrus oils give your environment an instant facelift, turning a tired room into a bright sanctuary. These pleasing oils can be mixed with sharp-smelling oils like eucalyptus, rosemary verbenone, myrtle or peppermint for a balanced blend. Just remember, citrus oils can cause skin reactions if they are exposed to sun, so keep these blends indoors.
The family of aromatic oils that includes cedar, sandalwood, juniper, spruce, balsam fir and black spruce are also well-loved oils as room sprays. These pines and woods are grounding, while at the same time, they make our spirits feel buoyant and calm. They can be particularly nourishing in wintertime, when we are not as capable of being outside. These oils, different from floral or fruity aromas, lend a space a gentle scent reminiscent of incense or oil resins.
Now on to the production. When mixing ingredients, start with water. If you want to use witch hazel, mix the water and witch hazel in a 4 to 1 ratio. Next, place anywhere from 4 to 16 drops of essential oil in one ounce of liquid and shake. The blend will separate and needs to be shaken each time you use it. Any essential oil can be turned into a spray, but some oils are thicker than others (such as myrrh) and need to be thoroughly mixed before spraying.
When blending your own scents, start with a few drops and increase in number to make sure you enjoy the mix. Just remember that strong oils, like peppermint, black pepper or cinnamon, are intense once atomized. Only use a few drops of oil, and you should run no risk of irritating your nose, eyes or throat. Also, it’s usually a good idea to avoid essential oils that have been mixed with carrier oils. These mixtures may clog your spray bottle, as carrier oils do not evaporate the way essential oils do.
Blending aromatherapy room sprays is an easy, enjoyable way to introduce children to the benefits of plant medicine as well. There are, however, a few guidelines to remember when creating sprays for children. For example, always opt for less oil in a spray intended for children than you would for an adult. Soft oils like sandalwood, lavender, rose and Roman chamomile are great for children, as are rosalina, lemon tea tree and vanilla. In fact, vanilla is one of the most calming oils in the aromatherapy repertoire. If a peaceful night’s sleep is what your child needs (or what you need, for that matter!) 2 drops of Roman chamomile and 2 drops of lavender in one ounce of carrier water will help. Just spray this in the child’s room. Only remember, essential oils should NEVER be misted in a child’s face.
Don’t forget that these sprays can also be adapted for use as natural perfume or deodorant. Simply choose oils that are non-irritating to the skin and mix in the same way you would a room spray. A few delectable oils to consider: jasmine, rose, sandalwood, vetiver or neroli all make wonderful personal sprays. Just avoid spraying near the eyes or face. Also, any oil you’re using for therapeutic purposes can be diluted in a water/witch hazel mixture and applied as needed throughout the day. If you want your scents on the go, pocket- and purse-size misters are a great way to freshen up, calm down or revive in the middle of a long day.
Essential oils are extremely versatile. Once you find a group of oils you love, don’t be afraid to try your hand at making your own blends or creating your own unique applications. After all, nature is a banquet of scents! Room and body sprays are an easy way to make your oils last a long time, and they can be created with any combination of oils you can imagine. The investment is low, they take virtually minutes to concoct, and you can use a different spray in every room of the house. For those of us who cannot imagine life without aromatherapy, sprays ensure we always have a mist of our beloved healing scents close by. Spray and enjoy!
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