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Body mists (aka body sprays) are the easiest way to refresh the skin and provide a much-needed pick-me-up with a hint of fragrance. Whether you like a refreshing burst of citrus or prefer a soothing scent of lavender, you can customise them to fit your mood and personality. Easy to prepare and use, these body mists are fun to make.
In today’s post, I will cover the basics of body mist (body spray) making and show you how to make them using simple natural ingredients. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- Why Do You Need Body Mists?
- How Do Body Mists Work?
- DIY Body Mists: The Basics
- Body Mist Ingredients
- Uplifting Floral DIY Body Mist Recipe
- 7 More Body Mist Recipes to Inspire You
- Looking for even more recipes?
- How To Make the Most of Your DIY Body Mists
- Using Essential Oils Safely
- Tools
- Shelf Life and Storage
- Troubleshooting
- FAQs
Why Do You Need Body Mists?
Body mists are ideal for hydrating your skin and refreshing the mind with a spritz of fresh aromatherapy. They are a natural alternative to commercialised perfumes, often loaded with artificial fragrances. Made of floral waters, herbal extracts and essential oil, body mists are great for your skin and mind.
How Do Body Mists Work?
Primarily body mists help to hydrate the skin and make you smell great. They can also cool off and refresh your skin on hot summer days, soothe flushed after-gym complexion, and fix your mood.
Made with hydrating ingredients like glycerol, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide (vitamin B3), and sodium PCA, they deliver much-needed hydration to the skin.
In addition, essential oils in the body mists offer therapeutic and aromatic qualities that can positively benefit your mind and body. Depending on the ingredients used, body mists can cool you off, relax, energise and invigorate, relieve sore muscles, or uplift your mood.
DIY Body Mists: The Basics
When making a body mist, there are three basic things to remember. They are:
- What is the function of the body mist? Is it to hydrate, soothe, cool down, repair, refresh or make your skin glow?
- What is the theme of the body mist? Is it to calm, soothe, refresh, relax, rejuvenate or energise?
- What ingredients can help achieve this task?
With these three things in mind, we can now make some homemade body mists! Let’s start with basic ingredients.
Body Mist Ingredients
When creating a body mist, picking ingredients for your needs is vital. That way, you know that the product will provide the type of effect you are looking for. So what can you include in body mists?
Distilled or deionised water
Distilled or deionised water is essential in moisturising the skin and keeping it hydrated. When combined with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA and glycerol, water will work to keep your skin plump and healthy looking.
Floral waters and hydrosols
Floral waters and hydrosols are an obvious choice for making body mists. Many hydrosols possess therapeutic properties, which are perfect for the skin. They also provide a subtle fragrance, making them ideal in body mists. Below is the table with their key skin benefits and aroma.
| Floral Water | Key Attributes | Aroma |
|---|---|---|
| Chamomile Floral Water | It is soothing and suits all skin types. Chamomile floral water promotes a sense of well-being. | Fresh, spring-like |
| Geranium Floral Water | It is well-known for its balancing effect. It is perfect for combination skin as it helps moisturise dry skin and smooth oily skin. Fragrant and reviving, it helps to promote positivity. | Floral |
| Juniperberry Floral Water | Reviving, rejuvenating, and kick-start skin circulation. | Woody, spice |
| Lavender Floral Water | Calming and balancing, its rich floral scent and regenerative properties make this floral water one of the most sought-after. It can help soothe redness, cool the skin, and reduce itching. | Herbaceous |
| Lemon Floral Water | Bright and refreshing lemon floral water helps to revitalise the senses and is a good choice if you’re having a bad skin day. Don’t apply to the skin if you plan to stay in the sun all day. | Citrusy |
| Manuka Floral Water | Calming and rejuvenating, manuka honey is known for its skin-soothing and anti-ageing properties. It works beautifully with rose or lavender floral water. | Grassy |
| Melissa Floral Water | Gentle yet highly effective for dull skin needing a pick-me-up. Its soothing aroma will help calm your mind and ease you into a new day. | Grassy |
| Orange Blossom Floral Water | Light yet long-lasting, orange blossom floral water is excellent for refreshing the skin on a hot afternoon. Its fresh fragrance and skin circulation-stimulating properties help to encourage a healthy glow. | Floral, citrusy |
| Peppermint Floral Water | Refreshing and cooling peppermint floral water is a must-have in the hot summer heat. It will keep the skin hydrated and soothe inflammation related to excess sun exposure. | Minty |
| Rose Floral Water | Sensual and romantic, rose floral water’s divine smell helps calm the mind. Adding it to body mist can help balance skin tone, hydrate, reduce redness and protect the skin from premature ageing. | Floral |
| Rosemary Floral Water | Adding a refreshing rosemary floral water to your body mist may help tone the skin, reduce the skin damage caused by UV radiation, and reinvigorate the mind. | Refreshing |
| Sage Floral Water | Fresh and calming sage floral water is perfect for blemished and spot-prone skin. | Herbaceous |
| Tea Tree Floral Water | Refreshing, cleansing and antifungal, tea tree aids acne-prone skin. Add to your mists to keep your skin bacteria-free. | Medicinal |
| Witch Hazel Floral Water | Antioxidant, astringent, great for acne-prone skin. | Herbaceous |
Botanical extracts
Botanical extracts, such as glycerites, tinctures and herbal infusions, can help to regenerate and rejuvenate the skin and restore its natural glow by infusing your formula with active compounds.
Essential oils
Essential oils form the base of a body mist. Adding them to the product is a great way to add fragrance to your formula, improve your skin health and elevate your mind. Below is a table with various essential oils and their key attributes to inspire you.
| Essential Oil | Key Attributes | Aroma |
|---|---|---|
| Benzoin Essential Oil | Benzoin essential oil’s warming and soothing scent is a perfect remedy for an anxious mind. Blending it with clary sage and ylang-ylang essential oils creates a harmonious blend that helps to mend frazzled nerves, soothe senses and lift the mood. | Sweet, vanilla-like |
| Bergamot Essential Oil | Known for its uplifting and revitalising aroma, bergamot essential oil is perfect for relieving anxiety and fatigue. The refreshing, invigorating scent of bergamot works beautifully with palmarosa, orange, ginger and benzoin essential oil. | Sweet, lemon-like |
| Cedarwood Essential Oil | Dry, woody aroma of cedarwood essential oil has a calming effect. Blending it with lavender, geranium, and rosemary creates a soothing blend you can use to relieve hot flashes. | Dry, woody |
| Clary Sage Essential Oil | It has a euphoric, soothing, sedative aroma that is ideal for calming and relaxing. Blend with benzoin and lemon essential oil to ease feelings of anxiety. | Herbaceous |
| Chamomile Essential Oil | Soothing and comforting, this gentle multitasker helps calm sensitive skin and reduce inflammation and irritations. Pair with melissa floral water to create a relaxing yet uplifting blend. | Herbaceous |
| Geranium Essential Oil | With a sweet and rosy aroma, this lovely floral oil has a calming effect, promotes relaxation, and alleviates depressive moods. | Floral |
| Ginger Essential Oil | A warm spicy aroma that boosts energy and brings warmth to the body and mind.Ginger essential oil goes well with uplifting bergamot and comforting rose essential oil. | Warm, spicy |
| Jasmine Absolute | Renowned for its evocative scent, it works as a natural fragrance ingredient . It helps to calm nerves and restore energy. | Floral |
| Lavender Essential Oil | Calming, soothing and balancing, this is a popular essential oil that works wonders on the mind and for the skin. Blend with cedarwood and sandalwood essential oil to create a beautiful body mist or spray for bedtime. | Fresh, floral, herbaceous |
| Orange (Sweet) Essential Oil | Sweet orange oil’s fresh, uplifting scent brings sunshine to the body mists. Pair it with clove, cinnamon or benzoin essential oils for a warming, zesty fusion. | Fresh, sweet, citrusy |
| Rose Absolute | Widely used as a perfume ingredient, this precious ingredient adds a sweet, rosy fragrance. It is also a naturally hydrating and anti-inflammatory ingredient that helps to reduce redness and keep the skin healthy. Add to your blends to nurture feelings of calmness. | Warm, rich, intensely floral |
| Rosemary Essential Oil | Soothing, warming and refreshing rosemary essential oil may ease stress, improve concentration, and clear the mind. It blends beautifully with peppermint, ginger, tea tree and lemon essential oil. | Green, camphorous |
| Sandalwood Essential Oil | Known for its calming aroma, it is a natural remedy for stress and nervous exhaustion. Blend it with aloe vera and manuka floral water to relieve dry skin. | Creamy, woody |
| Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil | Ylang-ylang adds a sweet, evocative aroma to body mists. Blending it with clary sage and lime creates a refreshing blend that can help ease tension and refresh your senses. | Floral |
Hydrating ingredients
Hydrating ingredients, like vegetable glycerol, glycerites, honey, hyaluronic acid, and lactic acid, help to keep the skin hydrated by attracting water. Niacinamide (vitamin B3) is another ingredient in body mists. It can help hydrate the skin, improve skin elasticity, and decrease redness.
Regenerating ingredients
Regenerating ingredients like allantoin, panthenol, and sodium PCA offer numerous skin benefits:
- Allantoin is a naturally occuring compound that can help soothe the skin, reduce irritations, provide hydration, and aid collagen production in the skin.
- Panthenol, also known as vitamin B5, is a skin-restoring ingredient that can help smooth, soften and hydrate the skin, reduce skin inflammation, and improve the appearance of ageing skin.
- Sodium PCA is another excellent moisturising ingredient that can help reduce skin dryness by drawing moisture to the skin and preventing water loss. It also has anti-ageing qualities, making skin look plumper and youthful.
Solubiliser
Solubiliser allows you to disperse essential oils in a water-based product, making the body mist appear transparent.
Preserving your body mist
Now, your natural body mist is all made. How do you keep it fresh and safe? Adding water-soluble preservatives like Dermosoft 1388 eco will help to keep them from going bad and prevent bacterial growth and moulds from forming.
Alcohol
In addition, body mist may also contain alcohol, which, when used in sufficient quantity, can function as a preservative and a solubiliser. It also helps extend the sillage of a fragrance. Alcohol can be drying for the skin, though. You can learn more about it here.
Adding colour to your body mists
Colours are often added to make the mists (sprays) more visually appealing. Body mists are water-based, so you can infuse them with water-soluble extracts. which will add an extra dimension to your recipes.
To add a shade of:
- Yellow or orange, use saffron extract.
- Red or pink, add beetroot or elderberry extract.
- Green, use spirulina.
- Blue, consider butterfly pea glycerite or infuse it in distilled water.
Note: Vegetable glycerites can stain, so be careful when spritzing on your body or clothing. Little goes a long way.
Uplifting Floral DIY Body Mist Recipe
Homemade body mists have become extremely popular as we pursue a healthier, greener lifestyle. Natural aromas used in body mists can relax, refresh and rejuvenate your senses. You can create body mists with various scent options and functions by blending fragrant essential oils with botanical extracts and floral waters. Below are some of my favourite recipes.
Uplifting Floral DIY Body Mist Recipe
Difficulty: Intermediate Formulator100
grams5
minutes10
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minutesThis body mist is a great way to get your day off to a sparkling start. Geranium essential oil is known for its uplifting scent, and it works wonders when combined with the sweet, sensual aroma of rose essential oil, which will help to lift your mood.
Ingredients
- Phase A
40.00g rose floral water
27.75g distilled water
20.00g aloe vera juice
3.00g beetroot glycerite (learn how to make glycerites here)
2.00g ginger glycerite
2.00g D-panthenol (liquid)
- Phase B
0.05g geranium essential oil
0.05g benzoin essential oil
0.05g ginger essential oil
- Phase C
1.00g preservative ECO
Directions
- Weigh rose hydrosol, distilled water, aloe vera juice, beetroot glycerite, ginger glycerite and D-panthenol (phase A) in a glass beaker and set aside.
- Weight solubiliser and essential oils (phase B) in another glass beaker and stir till well combined.
- Add solubiliser-essential oil mixture (phase B) into the water blend (phase A) and combine well using a mini whisk or milk frother until thoroughly combined.
- Check the pH and adjust it to 5.0 – 5.5 if required. You can use a drop or two sodium bicarbonate solutions (10% sodium bicarbonate to 90% distilled water) to increase it or a drop or two citric acid solutions ( 10% citric acid to 90% distilled water) to lower it.
- Add preservative ECO (phase C).
- Measure the pH again and adjust it to 5.0 – 5.5.
- Pour your body spray into a bottle with a spray mist nozzle, label and date.
Notes
- If you are pregnant or have any health condition, please consult your healthcare professional before using essential oils.
- Carry out a skin patch test before incorporating DIY Body Mist into your beauty regimen. Although ingredients used may be well-tolerated by most people, some may be sensitive or even allergic to them. Apply a small amount of the product onto a clear skin patch and leave it for 24-48 hours. If your skin turns red or itchy, or you experience any irritations, discontinue using the product.
7 More Body Mist Recipes to Inspire You
Don’t you love body mists? I sure do! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post and that it has inspired you to make your own body mists. Use this recipe as a guide, and experiment with different ingredients to create new variations. Your imagination is the limit.
Here are just a few body mist recipes to inspire you:
Hydrating DIY Rose Sandalwood Body Mist
Whether you suffer from dehydrated skin, need something to soothe your reddened complexion, or want to breathe in the soothing scent of roses and feel a little more zen, the hydrating rose mist is for you. A quick spritz may help freshen up and hydrate your skin and soothe inflammation, leaving your skin looking dewy.
<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://skincrest.com/calming-diy-after-sun-body-spray-recipe/" target="_blank">Calming DIY After-Sun Body Spray Recipe
A calming DIY after-sun body spray is a calming product formulated to soothe and restore red, sun-irritated skin. Spray it all over your body whenever you get out of the sun. A combination of hydrating and regenerating ingredients can help to repair and restore your skin.
Energising DIY Citrus Body Spray Recipe
This energising body spray is excellent for boosting your mood and energy. The combination of palmarosa, sweet orange, bergamot, ginger and benzoin essential oils helps to reduce fatigue, lift your mood and offer light moisturisation. Spray it all over your body whenever you feel drained and want a quick pick-me-up.
3 DIY Cooling Sprays For Hot Flashes With Essential Oils
Cooling sprays offer instant relief from hot flashes by cooling and calming the skin and reducing redness. Here you’ll find three easy-to-make homemade remedies with essential oils that may help relieve some of the symptoms.
Energising DIY Body Spray For Men With Essential Oils
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The uplifting scent of bergamot blended with the rejuvenating scent of elemi and calming scent of cedarwood and palmarosa essential oil will leave you men refreshed, energised and feeling ready to take on the day.
