Lavender is well known for its aromatherapy properties. Many people use it to help calm down, or even to go to sleep. One of the great things about using a particular item to help you go to sleep is that you get so used to it happening before you go to sleep, that it becomes a trigger that tells your body to go to sleep.
It's why all the experts recommend bedtime routines for children who can't fall asleep well or even for adults who have trouble falling asleep at bedtime. For me, a spritz of my Lavender Lay Down Spray tells my mind to calm down and get ready to sleep.
Thankfully this sleep spray is one of the easiest and cheapest recipes I make... Because I use it every night, so I go through quite a bit!
You're only going to need three things for each of these recipes. Well, four if you count the spray bottle. Distilled water, witch hazel or micellar water and lavender essential oils.
How To Make Essential Oil to Sleep Spray
There are 2 types of sleep sprays I like and use. The first would be a facial spray and the second would be a linen spray to use on your bed sheets or pillowcase.
The formulas are slightly different as your face is more sensitive than your linens and needs to have less essential oils in it because too much EO on your face can irritate the skin.
I really like this Lavender spray by Mario Budescu. You can buy it through that link on Amazon or be like me and haunt the Ulta site till it goes on sale and stock up when it's cheap!
I like the formula but think it's a little weak, so I actually add a few drops of lavender to the new bottle. If you buy that one, try it alone first before tweaking.
The linen spray I always make myself. There are many companies that make linen sprays that will do the job just fine, but why not make your own?
Linen spray provides a great way for you to make your bed smell great, wake up refreshed and relaxed, and also to help you get better sleep depending on which essential oils you choose from.
Can I use lavender fragrance oil?
Lavender is one of the few scents where artificial lavender can still work for aromatherapy, especially if you already have yourself in a pattern and your body recognizes lavender as a precursor to falling asleep.
If you have a fragrance oil you may be tempted to use that instead of lavender essential oil. I won't do that! While it would still be effective, without knowing what other oils and fragrance was used to make it, I wouldn't want to put it on my face and we don't know if it will stain your sheets!
It's better to stick with real essential oils especially when spraying on skin, and luckily lavender is one of the more affordable oils so you won't come out of pocket much for this spray!
Related reading: Want to get started with essential oils without buying a huge overpriced kit? How to get started with essential oils cheaply!
Choose Your Essential Oils for Sleep
The first step to making your own sleep spray is to choose which essential oils you want to use. This will come down to personal preferences and the main purpose behind why you are making the linen spray.
For example, if the main reason you want to use linen spray on your pillows or sheets is to help you sleep, you naturally want to go with oils that produce relaxation. This is most likely lavender, chamomile or rose essential oil.On the other hand, if you are looking to freshen up your room, citrus scents are amazing. You might want to use sweet orange, lemon, or grapefruit.
Try different scents first to see which you favor before mixing up the linen spray. We're working on a sleep spray today, so I'll be sticking with lavender for the recipe.
If you decide you want a blend of say lavender and chamomile, split the amount of EO drops between the two. You'd do 4 drops lavender and 4 drops chamomile to equal 8 drops.
Mixing it Together
- After you choose your essential oils, you will need a few other items, including:
- Witch hazel (or micellar water for face sprays)
- Glass measuring cup for mixing
- Distilled water
- Spray bottle
Using the glass measuring cup combine the ingredients together, then pour it into your spray bottle. A small funnel can also be used for this.
Using the Linen Spray
Linen spray is super easy to use, and can be used as much or as little as you prefer. When you first start using it, just do a few spritzes on your pillow and sheets before bed.
If it is too strong, you know to spray less next time. You can open your window to diffuse the scent or flip your pillow right before you go to bed so it doesn't smell as strong.
If you barely smell anything, it might be good to spray a bit more. But less is always more, especially if you used a strong scent for your linen spray. Remember to let it dry completely before laying down on your linens after it has been sprayed.
Using the face spray
Close eye and spritz once or twice on face right before going to bed.
Here's the exact recipes in case my way of explaining has you confused. I'm giving you small batch sizes to start. This is so you can easily double or triple the batch size to make as much as you want.
Lavender Sleepy Face Mist Recipe
3 ounces of distilled water
1 ounce of witch hazel or micellar water depending on your skin type.
8-10 drops lavender essential oil
Mix together and pour into a spray bottle with a fine mist. Shake before using. Close eye and spritz once or twice on face right before going to bed.
Lavender Lay Down Linen Spray Recipe
3 ounces of water
10-12 drops of essential oils
1 ounce of witch hazel. You can also use rubbing alcohol if you don’t have witch hazel.
Mix together and pour into a spray bottle. Shake before using. Spray on sheets and pillowcase a few minutes before bed. You want to give it a minute to dry a little before laying down.
I do have a little secret!
When my daughter was younger I started spraying the linen spray around and under her bed each night. She was going through a bit of a 'monsters under my bed' phase and I grabbed my linen spray and told her it was "monster spray".
Well, it worked not only to get rid of the monsters (allegedly) but also to help send her into dreamland! Just...give it a try if you're having the same problem. It might help! You could also try making one of these cute, purple Lavender Bedroom Gnomes!
Related reading: Want to start using essential oils more but not sure how? Check out the 10 most popular essential oils and their uses!
~L
Want gardening and healthy living information sent right to your email weekly? Click right here to join my list and get new posts sent directly to you the day they're published!
(This post contains affiliate links. If you chose to purchase something through the link, I will get a small payment from Amazon. It will not affect your purchase price)
No comments:
Post a Comment