A recent Refinery29 interview with actor and Prada cologne ambassador Jake Gyllenhaal touched upon his “impressive scent memory” and his belief that “scents can change the mood and clear spaces.” For example, for him, the simplicity and comfort of pasta pomodoro signifies home. Jake also expressed the idea that Prada fragrances are technological and functional, yet really artistic and abstract. The Prada campaign in which he’s involved “was all about being out, being open, being adventurous, taking risks, and being courageous.” But what if we want to use fragrances to dial down our anxieties or recover from adventures? Lavender springs to mind as a reliable classic from the mint family!

When clinical trials investigated whether lavender oil could help to ease anxiety disorders, restlessness, and agitation, it beat out the placebo in 221 patients suffering from anxiety disorders and improved associated symptoms. This type of research has been seen as a validation of lavender’s use in traditional medicine. But if you’re a creative, digitally-oriented learner, you may be ready to explore the DIY methods for creating lavender oil spray that have become popularized on social media.

A video from the crafty tutorial and traveler lifestyle YouTube channel ChicDesignCafe shows how to create a soothing lavender oil spray that can be spritzed onto linens. First posted in 2013, it has currently racked up just over 46,000 views, suggesting that not everyone is content with pasta pomodoro as their dominant home scent or scent association! But we’re sure Italy is all in for you, Jake. 😉

According to ChicDesignCafe, you’ll need the following ingredients to make lavender oil spray:

• lavender essential oil
• distilled water
• rubbing alcohol
• a spray bottle
• a measuring cup
• a tablespoon
• a stirring stick (even a disposable straw)

Here are the steps:

1. Pour distilled water into the measuring cup, until you reach 1 1/4 cups as indicated by your cup’s metrics/lines.

2. Squeeze about 25 drops of lavender oil into the spray bottle, 20 drops if you want something a little bit more mellow, or 23 if you want to split the difference.

3. Fill your tablespoon with rubbing alcohol and add that into the spray bottle.

4. Use your stick to blend/emulsify the oil and alcohol.

5. Pour the distilled water from your measuring cup into your spray bottle.

6. Twist the spray bottle cap back on tightly. Go freshen up your sheets and create relaxing environments!

The tutorial does emphasize the importance of blending everything together well in step 4, because if you don’t, your spray bottle may have separated liquids and “it could also stay in your sheets.”

Other recipes or formulations suggest witch hazel, a shrub with its own traditional medicine associations (as a topical ointment), instead of rubbing alcohol, partly due to the belief that witch hazel will help the spray to dry faster on your sheets or furniture. A video by another DIY YouTuber, Emilie Lefler, adds that a blue glass spray bottle might keep your essential oils from breaking down under UV from sunlight.

With those key ingredients, steps followed, and precautions, it’s possible to create a lavender oil spray on your own and, ultimately, create a relaxing home! Or you can cook up some pasta pomodoro like Jake, which by the way, sounds fancy but is basically just pasta with tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, butter, and maybe a little basil or a few other chopped/minced flavor enhancers!