Water Based Sprays
DIY Water Based Sprays For Home
We get these questions often, so we decided to write a blog to teach you all you need to know to make room sprays, bathroom sprays, linen sprays and any other water based sprays.
Before we get into the nitty gritty of how to mix essential oils and water, we want to educate you on a few things you should know about making your own sprays.
Three things to consider:
Essential oils and water don’t mix
Water can grow mold and mildew as fast as 24-48 hours
Essential oils will NOT prevent mold and mildew growth in water long-term without additional help
Why Make Water Based Sprays
The biggest reason anyone wants to make their own products is to control the chemical load their bodies are exposed too. And let’s face it, bathroom sprays, linen sprays, scented room sprays can be full of all kinds of chemicals.
Not all chemicals are bad, but to the uneducated consumer, anything that resembles a chemical name may be unknown and many consumers equate chemicals as toxins. The truth is, essential oils are full of hundreds to thousands of chemicals, and many of them are not toxic to our health if we use them correctly. On the flip side, arguably almost anything not used correctly could be toxic to our health.
But what if the homemade spray you were making is also riddled with mold and mildew, yuck! Keep reading to learn how to address both these issues and keep your toxic load as low as possible.
What You Need to Mix Essential Oils and Water
Water and essential oils just don’t mix. If you have ever made a blend you noticed this right away, the oils either float or in some cases (depending on the essential oils used) may sink when mixed with water. If you want to make a blend with essential oil and water, you need an emulsifier.
An emulsifier is a substance that is attracted to both oil and water with features that contain both water loving (hydrophilic) and water fearing (hydrophobic) elements, also known as lipophilic, meaning oil or fat loving. A solubilizer is a similar product, but are usually liquid and have more water solubility and less oil blending properties. Since the majority of sprays we will be talking about are more water than essential oil, we recommend using a solubilizer. Solubilizer and emulsifier are terms sometimes used interchangeably.
When you are searching for a reputable emulsifier/solubilizer, make sure you ask the supplier if the product needs to be used with another emulsifying product or if it will work on its own. Some emulsifiers require a combination of products, such as stabilizers, to create the emulsifying benefit.
Some solubilizers are not considered organic, such as Polysorbate, so if you are reading this article hoping to launch a product line, this may affect your product planning and certifying processes. Solubilizers will make your spray look cloudy, this is normal.
Common solubilizers found in Canada include:
Polysorbate 20
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
BEREcare™ PC90
How to Preserve a Water Based Spray
While preservatives do add a layer of chemicals we often attempt to avoid, not preserving your spray may cause it to mold and grow mildew. These molecules can be so small and discreet, you may not see them or smell them. This is a major reason to use a preservative.
Like most things in aromatherapy, there is a risk versus benefit assessment, and when we consider that a preservative can prevent toxic molecules from growing in our low toxicity alternative spray, it may be the way to go.
Common preservatives found in Canada include
Mikrokill®
Geogard™ ECT
Germaben II
Germall Plus
Everclear®
Everclear® can be found at most liquor stores across Canada, although some provinces or municipalities may require a permit to access it. It has the added benefit as working like a solubilizer and preservative in one. At the end of this article all our recipes will require Everclear®, we feel this is the easier way to blend from home and with limited access to supplies.
Any product with a minimum 60% ethanol content will preserve your spray, this level of ethanol cannot be found in your typical vodka.
Why Distilled Water
Distilled water is the process of collecting the steam from boiled water. All water sources contain contaminants such as pesticides, parasites, bacteria, and minerals. Distillation ensures 99.9% of these contaminants are eliminated, effectively purifying the water.
Myths
Just mix oil and water and shake - this is not a safe practice as microbes can still grow and contribute to health issues
Substitute vodka or another alcohol for Everclear® - this will not properly preserve your room spray as it does not contain a high enough percent of alcohol
Dilute your room spray with a hydrolat/witch hazel in lieu of water - hydrolats are an aqueous substance that are very prone to microbial growth. Even witch hazel with alcohol in it only has enough alcohol to keep that witch hazel safe, as soon as you start to add essential oils and other products to it, it changes the formula and the alcohol cannot be guaranteed to keep your spray safe.
Why An Aromatherapist Might Blend Differently
Aromatherapists possess knowledge on how the chemicals within this article and some not mentioned will blend. The chemistry of their workings will affect how long a product will last and an aromatherapist can assess and direct their clients on potential risks, benefits and shelf life. Everything written within this article is intended to best provide someone with little to no aromatic training the tools to create a simple, effective and safe water based spray.
Some Recipes to Try
Be sure to properly sterilize any surfaces, hands and containers you use before creating your blend. You can use a simple rubbing alcohol for this purpose.
Smudge Cleansing Spray (50ml) - 3% dilution
12.5ml Everclear®
36ml distilled water
20 drops Sage, Salvia officinalis
5 drops Clove Bud, Eugenia caryophyllata
5 drops Black Pepper, Piper nigrum
Refreshing Linen Spray (50ml) - 3% dilution
12.5ml Everclear®
36ml distilled water
15 drops Cedarwood Himalayan, Cedrus deodora
10 drops Lavandin, Lavandula x intermedia
5 drops Bergamot, Citrus bergamia
References:
Francombe, Gail, and Tina Svetek. A-Z Of Natural Cosmetic Formulation: The Definitive Beginners' Guide to the Essential Terminology, Theories and Ingredient Types Needed to Formulate Professional Cosmetic Products. Goodness and Wonder, Ltd., 2019.
GingerLMoore. “Effective Use of Alcohol for Aromatic Blending.” Tisserand Institute, 15 July 2020, https://tisserandinstitute.org/effective-use-alcohol-aromatic-blending/.
Blades, Nicole. “Distilled Water Overview.” WebMD, WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/diet/distilled-water-overview.
LEARN MORE WITH ESSENTRIA
Want to learn more about how to use essential oils in your home? Check out our free no strings attached online course here.
Plus consider joining us in our Facebook group Love Essential Oils with Essentria where we post tips and tricks on how to use aromatherapy safely in your daily life.
Want to learn more about how to become an aromatherapist, check out our certification courses and bundles offered online here.