DIY Pillow Spray to Get Your Beauty Sleep

If you’re struggling to get your beauty rest, try a DIY pillow spray. This easy homemade sleep spray recipe includes 3 calming lavender essential oil blends to promote relaxation and deep, restful slumber.

It can be so difficult to wind down at the end of a stressful day. We eat right, exercise, and take care of ourselves the best we can, but sleep is often one of the pillars of a healthy lifestyle that we struggle with the most.

And in today’s world, it’s really no wonder why!

It’s more vital than ever to create a relaxing bedroom sanctuary to retire to at night. Besides good sleep habits, natural tools like aromatherapy can help set the mood for deep sleep.

That’s where a calming essential oil pillow spray for beauty sleep comes in. This DIY pillow spray recipe is a simple remedy to infuse your bedding with a relaxing fragrance that can help lull you to sleep.

Though this recipe includes essential oils, I’ve also included options without essential oils and without alcohol too. So whatever supplies you have on hand, you’ll be able to make your own pillow mist.

For the perfect pairing, use a relaxing lavender shower steamer during your bedtime shower. To help you relax even more, apply this homemade magnesium lotion once you get into bed!

How this pillow spray helps for sleep

As discussed in our post on DIY aromatherapy perfume, the aromas of certain essential oils can help calm the mind and body. That’s why, if you struggle with sleep, essential oils can be powerful tools to incorporate into your bedtime routine.

And where better place to apply them than right beside your head?

It’s not advisable to put essential oils directly onto your pillow. But making your own DIY sleep spray ensures they are properly diluted for safe use.

As an added bonus, it’s a great way to use essential oils (and enjoy their benefits) without a diffuser.

Lavender essential oil for sleep

Below I’ve included 3 calming essential oil blends for your pillow spray, all of which include Bulgarian lavender oil.

Why make a lavender spray for sleep? Lavender is one of the most popular and well-researched essential oils for sleep aid and stress relief. Countless studies have demonstrated lavender oil’s potent sedative, anxiety-reducing, and calming effects when used in aromatherapy^1,2.

Lavender’s sleep-promoting benefits are three-fold. Since lavender oil is a sedative, it can help you feel sleepy. And its anxiolytic effects can help reduce the anxious feelings that may be keeping you awake in the first place.

Not only can lavender essential oil help you fall asleep faster, but it can also help you sleep better. Multiple studies have shown that lavender’s fragrance improves sleep quality and promotes deeper sleep^3,1.

But it’s worth nothing that this effect is even more pronounced alongside good sleep hygiene. So, be sure to incorporate other good habits into your nighttime routine, such as blocking blue light.

It’s also important to engage in relaxing activities at bedtime. One example of a calming ritual? Massaging your face with a homemade lavender cleansing balm. While you’re at it, see 5 tips to protect against blue light.

DIY sleep spray ingredients

Of course there are plenty of store-bought pillow sprays, but there’s no need to purchase one when it’s so easy to make your own at home.

All you need is a liquid base such as vodka or witch hazel, a natural emulsifier (pictured below), and your chosen essential oils (or hydrosol). As well, a glass spray bottle to dispense the pillow spray.

Vodka, alcohol or witch hazel

For the longest shelf life, I recommend using vodka or high-proof alcohol, which will prevent bacterial growth. However, you can also use witch hazel to make a pillow spray without alcohol, as long as the product contains a preservative to keep it fresh.

Tip: you can use any leftover to make DIY perfume.

Natural emulsifier

A natural emulsifier helps disperse the essential oils in your pillow spray. Essential oils and water don’t mix, so without an emulsifier, the oils will simply float on top.

You can likely imagine how this is a problem, since spray nozzles dispense from the bottom, not the top!

There are a variety of natural liquid emulsifiers and solubilizers you can use for this sleep spray recipe. I used Capryl/Caprylyl Glucoside from my Simply Earth essential oil box. It’s packaged in a handy dropper bottle that makes it easy to dispense and measure each drop.

If you don’t have access to Capryl/Caprylyl Glucoside, I’ve also included other options in the how-to section below.

Finally, if you’re hesitant to buy another DIY ingredient, keep in mind that emulsifiers ensure your homemade essential oil products are properly mixed. They’re also easy to use – simply mix with your essential oils before adding the rest of your ingredients.

Besides, any leftover emulsifier won’t go to waste. You can use it to make essential oil deodorant spray or room spray, for instance.

If you don’t have an emulsifier, remember to shake your homemade pillow spray well between each use. But just know that this isn’t ideal, as you’ll get an uneven amount of essential oils with each spritz.

Essential oils

I cringe whenever I see aromatherapy sprays made with toxic artificial fragrances, especially pillow sprays! I don’t know about you, but using one of these synthetic products would give me a headache that would actually keep me awake.

Unlike synthetic fragrances, essential oils such as lavender oil contain natural aromatic compounds with tangible benefits.

And while lavender may be one of the best essential oils for relaxation, but it’s by no means the only one. This homemade pillow spray recipe include 3 different essential oil combinations for promoting sleep, which you can find below.

Hydrosol

If you’d prefer to make a homemade pillow spray without essential oils, you can also use lavender hydrosol, which is the floral water leftover from essential oil distillation.

So, instead of following this recipe, you could simply spritz a bottle of lavender hydrosol onto your bedding. No need to mix it with anything else – that’s all you need!

While not as potent as essential oils, hydrosols retain many of their own benefits. They’re lightly fragrant and may be more suited to those who are sensitive to fragrances, or for children.

Essential oil blends for pillow spray

Below I have included 3 calming essential oil blends for your lavender sleep spray. You can also find more information about each blend’s fragrance and benefits below.

• Sleepytime Lavender: 12 drops Sleepy essential oil blend OR 5 drops lavender essential oil, 3 drops ho wood essential oil, 2 drops bergamot essential oil, 2 drops grapefruit essential oil
• Lavender Vanilla: 5 drops lavender essential oil, 5 drops vanilla essential oil, 2 drops patchouli essential oil (or copaiba essential oil)
• Lavender Chamomile: 5 drops lavender essential oil, 4 drops chamomile essential oil, 4 drops amyris essential oil

Sleepytime Lavender

Sleepy is a relaxing blend of lavender, ho wood, grapefruit and bergamot essential oils that I received in my Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipe Box.

I was curious about the choice of oils in this blend, as citrus oils are known to be invigorating. For instance, I use them in wake me up shower steamers and energizing essential oil roll-ons. But I was pleasantly surprised.

This blend has a hint of citrus to mellow out the lavender, which can be overpowering and floral. So this is a great way to reap the benefits of lavender essential oil for sleep if you have a sensitive nose.

Ho wood adds a grounding, earthy note that anchors the fragrance. Ho wood is also a fixative oil, which means it can help your pillow spray’s fragrance last longer.

Sleepy comes pre-bottled as a blend. You could recreate it using the individual oils, but the blend is more affordable than buying each individual oil.

Lavender Vanilla

Lavender essential oil is an effective natural sleep aid on its own, but pairing it with vanilla oleoresin creates a calming sleepy time blend that smells like dessert. Since the smell of vanilla is also associated with relaxation, it’s a win-win⁴.

I also added a couple drops of patchouli to this lavender vanilla pillow mist. Love it or hate it, patchouli has powerful aromatherapeutic properties that can help reduce anxiety⁵.

It’s also the most well-known fixative essential oil. So, adding patchouli to your pillow spray can help its fragrance last all night long.

That being said, I know not everyone loves patchouli’s divisive aroma. So, you also have the option to replace it with copaiba oil, another essential oil useful for sleep and relaxation.

Copaiba’s sweet and slightly spicy scent pairs well with lavender and vanilla. Finally, vanilla essential oil is pricey, so you can also opt for a less expensive vanilla blend.

Lavender Chamomile

Floral lavender, herbal chamomile, and sweet amyris combine for a pillow spray recipe that smells like a calming lavender chamomile tea.

Chamomile and its extracts are known for their relaxing properties, which is of course why chamomile tea is a classic bedtime beverage.

These benefits also extend to chamomile essential oil – it has sedative effects that can help treat insomnia and promote calm⁶.

The addition of amyris adds a rich, vanilla-like aroma to this sleep spray. Amyris might not be as well studied as lavender oil for relaxation, but it’s linked to sleep aid⁷. And after one whiff, you’ll know why.

With its calming fragrance, amyris is said to help alleviate anxiety and stress. For me, smelling it invokes feelings of peace and relaxation. Tip: you can also replace it with benzoin oil for a sweeter scented pillow spray that kids will love.

DIY Pillow Spray Recipe

Ingredients

12 drops lavender essential oil blend (blends above)
36 drops natural liquid emulsifier (options below)
1/4 cup vodka, high-proof alcohol or witch hazel

Equipment

2oz glass spray bottle
Small funnel
Glass pipette for measuring

How to make essential oil sleep spray

1. Before you begin, make sure your spray bottle and supplies are clean and sanitized.
2. Add your sleep essential oil blend to your glass spray bottle.

3. Using a glass pipette, drop your liquid emulsifier into your bottle. Pause to swirl gently as you go.

4. Once you’ve added all the emulsifier, replace the nozzle of your spray bottle and shake gently to ensure the solution is thoroughly mixed.
5. Using a funnel, pour your vodka, high-proof alcohol or witch hazel to fill the rest of your bottle.

6. To finish, affix your spray nozzle and shake well to combine. Your sleep spray is ready to use!

Natural emulsifiers for essential oil sprays

The following solubilizers and liquid emulsifiers can all be used in this pillow spray recipe. You can choose whichever one is most accessible to you, as certain products may not be available in your area.

• Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
• Emulsium (Canada only)
• CreamMaker FLUID (Canada or USA)
• Polyglyceryl Oleate
• Poly Suga Mulse D9

How to use your pillow mist for sleep

Perhaps the most obvious way to use this calming spray is to spritz it onto your pillows before sleep. Simply dispense 1-3 sprays onto your pillow and enjoy the relaxing scent as you drift off.

You can also spritz it onto your sheets or duvet as a homemade linen spray – this will imbue all of your bedding with a relaxing fragrance.

Another option is to use your pillow spray as a calming bedtime room spray. This is a great way to enjoy aromatherapy without using a diffuser.

Please note that darker essential oils such as vanilla and chamomile can stain light coloured fabrics. So it’s always good practice to do a patch test in an inconspicuous area to ensure you sleep spray is safe for your pillow.

As well, please be careful with delicate fabrics like silk. I use 30 momme silk pillowcases and haven’t had an issue using this sleep spray on them, but I always recommend doing your own tests.

Sweet dreams!

More essential oil recipes for relaxation

Looking for more DIY recipes for relaxation and aromatherapy?

• DIY Magnesium Lotion for Sleep & Anxiety
• DIY Aromatherapy Shower Steamers
• Lavender Cleansing Balm Recipe
• 5 Aromatherapy Perfume Recipes
• DIY Bath Salts for Relaxation

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