DIY Project : All Natural Room Spray

How To: Make An All Natural Room Spray

Hello! My name is April Barrese, I'm the owner and operator of Little Leaf Botanics, an artisan shop specializing in handmade nature infused beauty products. In my everyday life and my business I strive for the most eco-friendly, all natural solutions. From laundry detergent to my favorite homemade herbal salves, my cupboards and studio shelves are filled with beautiful, plant based, green products. It took awhile to wrap my mind around a green lifestyle and a lot of time to learn to live it, time that I absolutely loved spending and still do! There's always more to learn  Here is my chance to share a little of that knowledge with you.

Essential Oils

Of all the plant based materials I work with, essential oils are my favorite materials. Versatile, powerful, gorgeous and useful are all applicable words for essential oils. So what are they? They are distillations (by steam, CO2 or other method) that extract the essence of the plant or other substance yet retain the scent of the plant. They are made in various ways but the end result is all natural. Happily, it's more and more common to find organic versions of these oils as well.


Since my favorite use for essential oils is creating products that smell gorgeous and create an  energetic, happy feeling, I thought I'd show you how to make a very easy room spray/spritzer. I like to use these in place of commercial room sprays for a variety of reasons. Essential oils are reputed to cleanse the air in ways synthetic scents cannot and they are so refreshing and uplifting, once you have used them, it's hard to accept substitutes.

Safety First:
Before we start, it is important to know that essential oils are very potent. All essential oils should be kept out of reach of children and pets, and they should NEVER be used undiluted on the skin. Also, when using a room sprayer, (natural or otherwise) please avoid spraying the eyes of yourself, children or pets. And yes, I know these are pretty obvious precautions, but it doesn't hurt to reiterate them :). If you treat these oils with care and respect, you will have an enjoyable experience. Just keep these guidelines in mind.

You'll need:

• A few essential oils from the grocery/ natural foods store, or purchased online

• Distilled water, approx 1/4 cup or more

• Small glass dropper bottle

• Small spritzer container (preferably glass or aluminum, over time, essential oils like to destroy plastic)

• Funnel (optional)

Mix:
I recommend a fresh, peppy blend of citrus oils such as lemon, lime and grapefruit, or a very stimulating blend of rosemary, peppermint and spearmint to get you started. The sky is the limit with combining, the only requirement is that you have to like the end result.

Mix and match your essential oils to your taste preference in the glass dropper bottle. If you have extra it's handy to keep it for a quick refill of your spritzer.

Add between 10-20 drops of your essential oil blend per 1/4 cup of distilled water. This is a ratio that can vary depending on the oils you use and the strength of scent you like but don't go overboard. Remember, essential oils are quite potent.

Finally, add your mixture to your spritzer bottle (this is where a funnel comes in handy if you have one). Shake your spray bottle before spraying every time you use it. The essential oils will separate from the water without a chemical binder. And that's it! You can spritz this anywhere you'd use a room spray and feel good knowing you aren't pumping chemicals into your house. Maybe you'll even feel a little more 'pep in your step'. 


Thanks for reading, happy blending and Happy Valentine's Day!

All photos subject to copyright, images courtesy of Little Leaf Botanics, 2012-2013. Do not use without written permission.