Home Made Aromatherapy Sprays For Every Occasion

by

Joanne Doveson

Home-made aromatherapy sprays are one of the easiest yet most profound methods of using the aroma-therapeutic aspects of essential oils. They’re also a great way to create a natural air-freshener for use in any space, one that will far surpass the aromatic beauty of a store-bought synthetic fragrance. In fact, many folks who find air fresheners distasteful, or may be allergic to them, will find scents made with pure and natural essential oils to be pleasant and satisfying. Further, you can create aromatherapy sprays to suit special health needs for yourself and your family by selecting oils with specific therapeutic effects.

Making your own aroma-mists is a great summertime activity to do on your own, or with friends and family. Allowing each person that will use the mists to choose their own scents maximizes the therapeutic benefits of their creations. Generally, the aromas that most appeal to an individual produce the most profound result, be it uplifting, calming or otherwise. If one doesn’t like the scent, one is not likely to use the mist, or may be put off, rather than supported by its aromatic actions. Also, getting others involved will bring them a new awareness of natural health and healing in a fun way that doesn’t appear like they’re taking medicine. As a parent, this can be especially appealing as it may even draw your children into a lifestyle of natural health from an early age.

To get started, you’ll only need a few simple items: One or more spray bottles – dark blue or amber glass bottles with pump tops are best, as the dark glass is the best container for natural oils and blends. The smaller one and two ounce sizes are also easy for little hands to use. A measuring pipette is useful, or a plastic eye-dropper. While the small glass bottles are relatively durable, small glass eye droppers are not as much – they will do, however, if you deem them safe for everyone involved in making the blends. Next, for the spray base, you can use simply distilled or spring water. If you think you’ll be making several bottles at once that might be stored for more than a two months, find some natural Witch Hazel extract to add to your blends as well.

Then there’s the essential oils – there are over a hundred to choose from, though you can start with just one or two of the more common ones and still make wonderful, effective formulas. It is important, however, to find the highest quality oils you can. You’ll find that even with the much-used Lavender essential oil, the aromas will vary considerably from one to the next. They may cost a little more, but are generally worth it, especially as you’ll only need a few drops of each oil to get started. The nicer the oil you start with, the nicer the resulting aroma-mist you’ll create. And the nicer mists will get used more often, with bigger smiles on everyone’s faces from the brilliant aromas from finely-crafted oils.

While the most of the commonly used essential oils will be very safe in this application, if children will be handling the pure essential oils, safety should be considered. The ‘flowery’ oils like Lavender and Chamomile are quite safe, as are more exotic scents such as Bulgarian Rose and Indian Sandalwood. Citrus oils and the ‘needle’ oils from evergreen trees can be sensitizing; direct application to the skin is not recommended – and if you select very pungent oils, particularly Cinnamon , Clove or Peppermint, application to the skin should be avoided altogether, and generally kept away from the younger ones. For everyone’s safety, just instruct your formulators to not get any oil on them, and to never spray the mists on their bodies, nor near anyone else’s eyes or face. If you have any questions or concerns about a particular oil, there are many resources available on the internet or in books about aromatherapy.

On to making the sprays! Creating aromatherapy sprays is very simple – just fill your bottles up most of the way with water or your Witch Hazel extract and water (1 part Witch Hazel to 4 parts water), then add your essential oils by counting the drops. Put the cap on and shake vigorously for several seconds. The oil and water will naturally tend to separate, somewhat like a salad dressing – shaking a lot when first made to disperse the oils well will help keep the oils and water mixed. You’ll then just want to give a couple shakes just before spraying each time. For the simplest formulas, you can use 4 to 16 drops of any single essential oil in each ounce of water. Suggested oils are Lavender, Rose Geranium, Spruce, Pine, Tangerine and Sweet Orange. Always, if using with younger children, use smaller amounts of essential oil.

If you’d like to make something a little more fancy for children and even infants, try two drops each of Lavender and Roman Chamomile in pure water. Both these oils are broadly appealing, and have very soothing effects on children. This recipe might even be used regularly as a sleep aid at night or at nap time.

Looking for an aroma to brighten everyone’s day? Try one or more of the oils cold-pressed from the peels of citrus fruits: Sweet Orange, Lemon, Lime, and Bergamot have a perky ‘sweet-tart’ aroma. The oils from Tangerine and Red Mandarin are somewhat sweeter, being even more appealing to kids. All these oils will mix well together too; you can pick two or more and create a new fruit flavor! These oils are all considered natural anti-depressants in aromatherapy, and will lighten the atmosphere in any home.

Finally, the evergreen oils are very popular as room fresheners. These are the essential oils distilled from the needles of Pine, Spruce, Balsam Fir and from Juniper Berries. Like the citrus oils, these all blend well together, and mixing them creates very complementary scents. Juniper Berry is especially lively and bright; Pine is a classic evergreen aroma, and Balsam Fir and Spruce are somewhat richer and more complex. Like the citrus oils too, these are uplifting aromas, though they seem to be uplifting and grounding at the same time.

Really, any essential oil will work in an aroma-mist. Using flower essences in addition to essential oils would create an especially therapeutic blend. Experiment to your heart’s content; you can easily create a blend for every room, or every time of day. This is a wonderful way to bring the healing effects of nature into your home, and support your family’s health and wellbeing with essential oils.

The author is a natural health practitioner in Boulder, Colorado. They are a regular user of

essential oil

and consultant to aromatherapy creations at Ananda Aromatherapy,

anandaapothecary.com

.

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ArticleRich.com