I’ve talked about room scenting before and Amandine and I documented our guide to candle making. But some of us just aren't responsible enough for candles. Certainly, I have had moments where I had let a candle burn for a while and then started to wonder if the other end of the house might be in flames. But scenting spaces is important. Life these days seems to move a mile a minute, often with stress and adrenaline being what carries us from one thing to the next. So scenting your atmosphere is not a strategy for masking poor ventilation, but rather, an opportunity to steal a moment of self-care in order to centre ourselves and focus on what it is we are hoping to achieve.
As for sprays, I’ve already told you about Aesop’s Istros Aromatique Room Spray, and Le Labo makes room scents. I asked my boyfriend to visit while in Melbourne earlier this year. I have SANTAL 26, which is leathery and smoky, and I like to spritz my bedding with it. And then Goji smells fancy. For other rooms, I currently make a cocktail of patchouli and vetiver with Officine Universelle Buly 1803 Retour d'Egypte. Get creative in your kitchen with essential oils you just have around the house and perfume oils to create your personal atmospheric mist. We purchase organic oils where possible.
How to make a room spray? Our process
I was looking to replicate the strong, more complex scents I was used to in Ccurionoir candles and the Officine Universelle Buly 1803 oils help, but I’m not using those oils primarily. And for the bottles, historically, I have purchased the Crushes offering. Cucumber Fizz is my favourite and here, we have reused all those bottles. Using rose or orange blossom water in place on distilled water for fitting essential oil combinations will reduce the cost also.
— 100 ml distilled water
— 1 teaspoon witch hazel, alternatively or isopropyl alcohol
— 40-50 drops of essential oils
Combine the above to a 120 ml (approximately 4-ounce) spray bottle. Shake thoroughly.
How many essential oil drops per ml?
Approximately 20 drops per 1 milliliter. But it depends. Some brands dispense more rapidly than others and I would consider this the Internet’s best estimate. And not all essential oil drops are equal. Variations in viscosity will impact the volume of an oil that holds together in a drop.
Recommended essential oil blends
Whether you are looking to create a scent that transports you to the rural forests of Japan or transitions your mind to deep slumber, each essential oil has specific therapeutic properties so understanding which oils to use when is key. The following would all work with a combination of distilled water and rose water. Adapt to your needs and state.
Sage + Palo Santo + Lavender + Peppermint
A smudgeless smudge with Peppermint that evokes a briskness. Ideal for clearing stagnant or negative energies.
Rose + Lavender + Coriander + Geranium
Encourage romance to flow into your life. Reignite love and promote self love.
Bergamot + Patchouli + Grapefruit + Ylang Ylang
Generously mist around your environment to calm and centre an overactive mind.
Sandalwood + Neroli + Clary Sage + Gardenia
Warming, alluring Sandalwood and Sage combine with flower remedies creating and promoting love from within.
Lavender + Chamomile + Patchouli + Sweet Orange
Drift off and have a restful night of slumber. Spray generously around your environment and on bed linens.
Jasmine + Bergamot + Geranium + Rose + Ylang Ylang
Awakens, revitalises. Brightens the spirits.
Lavender + Chamomile + Vetiver + Jasmine + Geranium
For those with high energies. Spray around the immediate environment to help calm high minds.
Can you spray room spray on your bed?
Yes. And while linen and room sprays appear to be different products, they are not. See DEDCool. Your mists should be sprayed all around an environment in order to shift the energy of the room. And over textiles is also fine, around the bed and on the pillows. You could also mist your body. Spritz your linen closet, car interior, carpets, pet beds, and drapes—all from a distance of approximately 30 cm. Depending on my mood or energy levels, I’ll mist my sheets or the curtains near my bed. It is part of my evening routine that instantly creates a state shift.
And a note on essential oil sourcing
I have the most respect for plants. Essential oils are extracted from powerful plants and should be used sparingly with care (tons and tons of raw plant materials go into a small bottle of essential oils). Whether inhaling or absorbing essential oils, you’re taking in highly concentrated active forms of flowers, leaves, barks and roots that naturally support your body. They have potent effects, and their overuse isn’t healthy for us or our pets.
Always buy your essential oils in small quantities from reputable suppliers and store them away from direct light and heat. Citrus oils can go off, so keep them in the fridge and change them out every six months.
I encourage you to call up a friend and arrange a DIY atmospheric scenting session for you to pause and create space for the process and practice! And if you do, I would love to see yours. Tag us at @thisislagom on Instagram.
