Make Citrus Spray
If you love the smell of citrus, making your own citrus spray at home is a delightful way to bring the scent closer to you all the time. This spray is ideal for wearing or for scenting the air or dabbing on wardrobe sachets.
Note: This is a very lightly scented spray; clearly it hasn't been distilled or created from absolutes, essential concretes or concentrated essential oils and is therefore a very light, short lived fragrance. Still, it is a fresh and easily homemade fragrant spray.
Ingredients
- Distilled or spring water
- Citrus fruits (choose oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit etc. as you prefer) – just be aware that some have nicer scents than others so do smell tests before you decide to use the fruit in question; also be aware that the time of the season can affect the fragrance
- Few drops pure alcohol as preservative (optional, see "Tips" below)
Steps
- Assemble the necessary ingredients. There are some further items you will want, listed below under "Things You'll Need".
- Pour the water into the jar. Set to one side.
- Remove as much of the peel from the citrus fruit as you can. Use either the vegetable peeler or the knife and focus on getting down to the pith when peeling but not into the pith.
- Drop the citrus fruit peels into the jar of water.
- Tightly fasten the lid. Set the jar aside in a cool, dry place.
- Shake the jar and sniff it every day. Allow it to sit at least overnight before testing. Once the spray has taken on a fragrance you like, go ahead and strain the water through a cheesecloth or coffee filter into a spray bottle.
- If it doesn't yet have the scent you desire, keep letting it sit and shaking it every day until it forms a lovely, strong fragrance.
- Use the citrus spray. Once you have the desired smell, spritz on yourself, in the air or on sachets for a quick citrus pick-me-up.
Tips
- Put in as much water as you want, but the more water you add the more fruit peel you'll have to add.
- Experiment using different citrus fruits at different times of the year for varying fragrances.
- Owing the fact that this has no alcohol in it to preserve it, this spray should be used within one month and kept in a dark, cool place. The jar used should preferably be dark to prevent sunlight or light from breaking down the organic contents and turning them rancid. Alternatively, add a few pipette drops of pure alcohol such as vodka to give it more preservative power.
Warnings
- It is recommended that you use organic citrus fruit so that you're not amplifying the effects of any chemicals that might be found on the surface of the citrus peel. Chemicals can easily penetrate into your blood and lymphatic systems through the application of cosmetics, so bear this in mind.
- Always patch test citrus on a small area of skin before using; some people are allergic to acids and other ingredients in citrus.
Things You'll Need
- Jar with a lid, Sterilize Glass Jars for Cosmetic Products prior to use
- Vegetable grater, or knife
- Cheesecloth or coffee filter
- Container for the finished perfume
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