I love essential oils for so many reasons. They can be used for everything from skincare to cleaning your home to repelling fleas and ticks on your pets. In addition to all of these great uses, some of the greatest benefits of essential oils are their ability to affect your mood and wellbeing. Scent can have a powerful influence on everything from our stress levels, sleep habits, confidence levels, even our physical and cognitive abilities. Scent and emotion both stem from the limbic system and are very closely tied. We have all had the experience of a particular scent calling up a memory and its corresponding emotion. Or the intense feelings of love the smell of your baby or significant other can create. It’s real kids. And the best part is we can harness the power of scent to encourage our own feelings of joy and wellbeing! A while back I was working away from home for months and I was feeling a lot of stress. I remembered that on a previous job out of town, I had found a “bedtime” aromatherapy spray that was meant to be spritzed on your pillow for peaceful sleep. It became a calming ritual for me to spray my pillow, and it really did help me sleep more deeply. So this time I decided that instead of spending 20 dollars on a new bottle, I would make my own, and I have been ever since. And it’s SO easy!!! And so much more fun because you can experiment with all different kinds of scents and really customize it to whatever your needs may be.

Make your own signature spray

Here is what you will need:

• Essential oils of choice
• Vodka or witch hazel
• distilled water
• spray bottle (dark-colored glass like blue or amber work best, this is a good one)

Aromatherapy spray Instructions

Choose your essential oils. You can do a single oil or a blend. I prefer a blend because you can address several issues at once. For example lavender for calming, chamomile for sleep and bergamot for confidence building.

Combine your oils in whatever ratio works for you. Then fill the bottle 1/3 of the way with vodka or witch hazel and shake to help emulsify the oils.

Fill the bottle the rest of the way (2/3) with distilled water. You can use bottle or tap but it won’t last quite as long. Shake well and voila! Your own awesome aromatherapy spray that took you all of three minutes to make.

My Aromatherapy spray recipe: UPLIFTING CALM

This is the spray I made today, I wanted something that would uplift my mood, but also provide me with a feeling of calmness. Feel free to try it out, I really love it.

20 drops german chamomile

30 drops lavender

20 drops lime

3 drops vanilla

12 drops cedar

I made this in a small 2 oz glass spray bottle. You can use less drops, I just like my spray pretty strong, but you could easily get away with half the amount of drops and still have a very beautiful and potent aromatherapy spray.

Here is a list of essential oils and their benefits so you can decide what might be right for you. Play around with it and have fun! Please let me know in the comments section if you come up with an awesome formula! I’m always looking for new ones to try!!!

xo