Make a Homemade Refreshing Face Spray

Facial sprays or mists are a simple way of keeping the skin of your face refreshed and hydrated while also giving you a calm and rejuvenated feeling and complexion. Sprays for the face are particularly useful and refreshing in hot summer months when a lot of heat and sweat builds up in the head and face. Learn how to make and use your own homemade facial mists from some simple ingredients.

Ingredients

Cucumber aloe spray

  • 1 small cucumber
  • 1 tsp aloe vera
  • Distilled or purified water

Sweet almond spray

  • 1 part coconut water
  • 1 part aloe vera
  • Drops of sweet almond & macadamia essential oils, to preference

Citrus spray

  • 1-2 orange peels
  • 1-2 lemon peels
  • 2 Vitamin E oil capsules
  • Distilled or purified water

Lavender spray

  • Distilled or purified water
  • Drops of lavender essential oil, to preference
  • Witch hazel or aloe vera (optional)

Rosewater spray

  • Rosewater
  • Distilled or purified water (optional)
  • Preferred essential oils (optional)

Green tea tree spray

  • Loose or bagged green tea
  • ½ cup distilled or purified water
  • 4 drops tea tree oil, or to preference

Steps

Making a Cooling, Refreshing Spray

  1. Combine cucumber and aloe. Peel and dice one small cucumber and add it to 1 teaspoon of aloe vera and enough water to fill your spray bottle. This combination acts as a cooling and soothing mixture for the face.[1]
    • To properly prepare the cucumber, you can either put the diced cucumber in boiled water and leave it to soak overnight before straining[2], or you can put it in a blender and then strain it through a cheesecloth to get all the liquid out.[3]
    • Cucumber may have a cooling or soothing effect when applied to the skin. Aloe vera has been shown to improve acne and mild burns like sunburn.[4]
    • You may also add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice to the mixture for an extra refreshing twist.
  2. Try a reinvigorating sweet almond spray. Combine equal parts coconut water and aloe vera for the base of this spray. Then add sweet almond and macadamia essential oils for hydration and a sweet, tropical scent.[5]
    • Coconut water may go bad quickly, so it’s best to make this spray in small batches, make sure to store it in the fridge, and use it up in about a week.
    • Add the essential oils in whatever quantity you like to achieve a nice scent and consistency.
  3. Use simple, refreshing citrus. Peel one or two oranges and one or two lemons and allow the peels to sit in boiled water overnight. Add Vitamin E oil from two capsules to the mixture and shake to combine.[6]
    • Be sure to strain the water with the citrus peels after leaving to soak overnight. You will use only the resulting water and not the peels themselves in the spray.
    • The Vitamin E oil is used as a natural preservative, which you can add to any face spray via capsules or by purchasing a bottle of the oil. Combined with the Vitamin C in citrus used here, Vitamin E may also help to protect against skin inflammation related to sun exposure.[7]

Making a Soothing, Relaxing Spray

  1. Create a soothing lavender spray. Use as many drops as you like of lavender essential oil in water. Lavender provides a scent that is very calming to many people, making this spray a great one to use before bed.
    • Witch hazel or aloe vera are great additions to this spray. Just fill your spray bottle about ¾ of the way with water, then add your lavender essential oil and top off the rest of the bottle with witch hazel or aloe vera.[8]
    • Both lavender and witch hazel may have slightly astringent properties, making this spray great for those who have very oily skin or acne.[3]
  2. Try a spray with rosewater. Use rosewater as a popular soothing spray with a wonderful scent. Dilute 3 parts rosewater with 1 part water, or use only the rosewater if you like a stronger scent.[9]
    • Rosewater can be hydrating for the skin, as well as providing anti-inflammatory properties, so this spray could be great for use on redness or other mild skin irritation.
    • Try adding a few drops of essential oil like evening primrose or ylang ylang for some additional moisturizing and scent.
    • Rosewater can be found in health food stores, or in Asian or Middle Eastern sections of grocery stores. You can even make your own by letting the petals of fresh roses simmer in water on low heat for 30 minutes.[6]
  3. Use green tea and tea tree oil. Create a spray by brewing ½ cup of green tea and adding 4 drops of tea tree oil, or to preference. This makes a great spray that may help with acne, as these ingredients may contribute to clearing and soothing skin.[1]
    • Let loose leaf green tea or a tea bag steep in boiling water for about 5 minutes. After steeping, let it cool in the refrigerator before use.
    • Green tea may be useful in the treatment of acne.[10] Tea tree oil is a known antibacterial and antifungal, so it may help soothe mild skin irritation and acne.[11]
    • You can also consider including witch hazel and neroli essential oil, which both have properties that may also help in the treatment of acne.[12]

Using and Storing the Spray

  1. Make small batches in small bottles. Keep facial spray in a small spray bottle of about 3 or 4 ounces. Even this small amount can last quite awhile, depending on how much you use the spray, and will prevent the ingredients from spoiling over longer periods of time.
    • Adjust the recipes for facial spray according to your size of spray bottle. If you make too much, consider storing it for a short period of time or giving some away as a gift.
    • You can find small plastic spray bottles for this purpose in the travel items section of most big-box stores. Some prefer glass bottles to prevent the possibility of leaching from plastic.
  2. Keep spray in the refrigerator. After combining ingredients in your spray bottle, keep face sprays in the fridge to make them extra cool and refreshing before use. This will also help to preserve the ingredients.
    • You may want to keep a face spray meant for relaxation by your bed where it is convenient to use before sleep. If you still want to keep it cool, put it in the fridge during the day and pull it out in time for bed.
    • Pack facial spray into a cooler with any food and beverages you might be taking out to the beach, pool, etc. That way your spray will remain cool for use throughout your day in the sun.
  3. Spritz on the mixture throughout the day. Use your facial spray anytime you need a little pick-me-up or extra moisture. Some like to spritz it on in the morning to wake up and even help set makeup, while others like using it as a fragrance for evening or to calm down before bed.
    • A cooling spray would be great for use during or after spending time outside in the sun or in other hot environments.
    • You might use a relaxing spray after a long day or before bed to help you fall asleep.

Tips

  • You can adjust the ingredients and proportions of face sprays in any way you like according to preference. Add more water for a milder scent, or more of the fragrant ingredients for a stronger scent. The inclusion of essential oils is completely up to your preference.
  • Shake your spray bottle before each use in order to mix ingredients that may have become separated.

Warnings

  • Test any ingredients on a small patch of skin first to see how you react to it. Not all of these ingredients are right for everyone for a face spray, as each body reacts to them differently.
  • While some experience positive effects from the ingredients listed here, these facial sprays are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Things You’ll Need

  • Small glass or plastic spray bottle (3-4 oz.)
  • Distilled or purified water
  • Essential oils & other ingredients according to preference

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Sources and Citations