The Second Most Simple Essential Oil Body Spray

An ideal Saturday afternoon for me consists of a walk, a nap, a cup of tea and playing with herbs! I was lucky enough to spend last Saturday just so, with lots and lots of herb exploration. I had a number of orders to fill for my herb shop which included making some body sprays.

If you have water, an essential oil and a spray bottle you can make a body spray. It is that simple.

It doesn’t take much more to make them a bit more sophisticated with extra skin soothing properties and a longer lasting aroma.

Directions for your basic 2 ounce body spray:

• Gather your essential oils, uncap them, and smell them together. Is your nose pleased? Play around with your configuration until you find the mix right for your needs.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon vodka, brandy or other alcohol, 1/2 teaspoon aloe vera gel , 1/2 teaspoon glycerine, 1/2 teaspoon witch hazel extract to a bottle.
• Fill the rest of the bottle with distilled water. Shake well.
• Add essential oils: 8-20 drops per bottle. The exact amount will vary on the quality of the oil. I find that higher quality essential oils will require less drops to create a nice blend that lower quality oils. Some oils always require less drops. For instance, a single drop of rose otto can be split between two bottles to impart its fragrance.
• Shake again, spray to test the concentration, adjust if needed.

While not true ‘fixers’ like those used in perfumery, the bit of viscous aloe vera gel and glycerin give the essential oils something to bind to and offer skin soothing properties, as does witch hazel extract. The vodka acts as a preservative and helps to lightly tone the skin with its astringent, cleansing action.

High quality essential oils is key to a great body spray. When I first started blending oils, I had about 12 old and gunky oils that I found on the free table in the basement of the Co-Op where I worked. The free table consisted of sub-par items which have been broken, returned or expired…so it was no wonder that these oils were kind of limp!

I followed the guidelines from the essential oil gurus, but they just didn’t smell robust or appealing. Thinking more is better, I kept adding additional drops, but even using 40 drops in a 2 ounce bottle didn’t do the trick.

Eventually I replaced my old oils with higher quality oils that smelled vibrant and rich. Once you notice the difference it is hard to go back the typical oils in the health food stores! My favorites are Plant Spirit and Floracopia. Mountain Rose offers a wide array of organic oils, which I appreciate.

Use your essential oil body spray as a light deodorant, natural perfume, facial toner, or for a skin soother for sunburn, hot days and itchy skin, or use a lavender-based spray as a nighty-night pillow spray. Don’t underestimate the power of essential oils to address emotions and stress. Kids and animals love body sprays too.

Body sprays make great gifts – I love featuring them in gift sets as they add a different dimension to connect with the essence of plants and permeate the senses with their luscious beauty. Pair them with tea or coco mix, or with a sea salt bath soak. The possibilities are endless!