DIY Nighttime Bug Repellent Cream

I love being outside at night, but mosquitoes do too. We have natural bug spray that works, but I don't like smelling like bug spray before bed. I'm kind of sensitive to certain smells, and the smell of citronella or lemongrass bothers me when I'm trying to go to sleep. I made this cream that is easy to use and simple to make. I really think it does help, plus it smells nice!

Ingredients:

25 drops lavender oil

25 drops geranium oil

10 drops cedarwood

Lotion (unscented is best)

2 oz plastic bottle*

*We have empty two-ounce plastic bottles with lids at the store, which is what I use to make this.

Lotion: I used the Everyone lotion in a pump, which was easy to pump into the little container.

First, I filled the bottle about halfway with lotion and then added the oils. I put the top on and shook it really well so it was all mixed together, then I filled it the rest of the way with lotion. Put the top back on and shake it well and then try it out! It's nice because it's not greasy and it absorbs well. It seems to work great (and it smells good)!

Lavender, geranium, and cedarwood have each been shown to help repel mosquitoes.

The amounts above are a 5% dilution, which are safe to use regularly. I would avoid the face and for children I would slightly reduce the amount of essential oils.

I also made a stronger version using 30 drops each of the lavender and geranium and 15 drops of the cedarwood, which probably equals about a 7% essential oil dilution. That's the one I prefer since I have a ton of mosquitoes in my yard at night.

Give it a try and see what you think!

Essential Oil Rollerbottles for Stress and Focus [Recipe]

With school starting and our hectic lives, I thought it would be helpful to write about essential oil blends for stress and focus. I’ll list some of the recommended oils for stress, anxiety, and concentration below, and guidelines on how to craft your blends. The best oil blends are those you like the smell of, and everyone’s preferences are different. Even if there’s an oil that people say is the best for one thing or another, if you hate how it smells, it’s not for you.

 Recommended oils:

Stress/Relaxation:

Lavender

Cedarwood

Vetiver

Rose

Bergamot

Sandalwood

Oils for focus:

Peppermint

Rosemary

Basil

Grapefruit

Oils for mood:

Orange

Lemon

Lemongrass

Ylang Ylang

Now don’t feel like you need to make a blend with all of these oils, they’re just to give you some ideas for your blends. Any can be used to make a rollerbottle with a carrier oil, but I’d recommend trying them in a diffuser first to make sure you like how the blend goes together.

A few of our favorites to try are:

Lemon and Rosemary

Lavender and Bergamot

Peppermint and Rosemary

Rose and Orange

Peppermint and Lemon

Cedarwood, Lavender, and Orange

The above oils can also go well on their own if you don’t like them blended. To make a rollerbottle, we’d recommend using a total of 4-10 drops of essential oil in a 10ml rollerbottle, with the remainder being filled with a carrier oil like grapeseed oil.

See our full article on essential oil dilutions and rollerbottles on our website here:

Essential Oil Dilutions for Rollerbottles

We have all the supplies needed at Pass Health Foods to make your blends including rollerbottles, essential oils, and carrier oils. Stop by the store at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights.

Peppermint Oil Spray for Spiders and Ants

I like bugs in general but have always had a fear of spiders, it’s gotten a little better over the years, but we’re still not friends. I know spiders are beneficial, and eat mosquitoes, but there's something about them that I just do not like, I think it's the legs...

I wish they would stay away from me of their own accord, but they don't seem to understand that I don't want them around.

I don't love the idea of spraying poison around, however, so, peppermint oil to the rescue!

Peppermint oil is safe to use around the house, and I think it smells good, but for whatever reason, spiders (and ants!) don't like it. See below for a simple recipe to help to encourage spiders to stay away and do their spider business elsewhere.

This recipe is stronger than recipes to use on skin and is meant to be used around the house as a spider and ant repellent. See our article on essential oil dilutions on our website here for topical use.

Spray around doors, windows, baseboards, and wherever you see them to get them to go away and hopefully not come back!

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz bottle*

1 teaspoon peppermint oil

2 tbs witch hazel (optional)

Water (purified or distilled)

* We have both glass and plastic 8 oz bottles of the store. I know everyone used to say that you should really only use glass bottles with essential oils, but Zum, a brand we carry and love, makes essential oil sprays and puts them in plastic bottles, so I'm starting to think maybe glass versus plastic doesn't matter as much in regards to essential oils. If you were going to store a mixture with essential oils for years and years it's probably better to have it in glass, but for things being used in a regular amount of time, I don't think that using plastic is the worst (other than just avoiding plastic use in general for environmental reasons, but I feel like if you're reusing a plastic bottle it's fine).

DIRECTIONS:

Combine peppermint oil and witch hazel (if using) in an 8oz bottle and then carefully fill with water. I like to use witch hazel since it acts as a natural preservative and helps to keep the mixture blended better.

Shake well before using and spray liberally on places spiders and ants hide as well as around doorways and baseboards to help keep them away.

Top 5 Simple Ways to Use Essential Oils

Essential oils are wonderful, but many people wonder how to use them on a daily basis. Here are our top five (simple) ways to use essential oils every day!

In a diffuser

If you don’t have a diffuser, it’s an idea to look into. It’s a way to enjoy the scent of essential oils in your home all day. The diffusers we have at the store turn off automatically at the end of their cycle, so there’s no worry about turning it off. Essential oils are a great way to scent your home naturally!

In a pot of simmering water

If you don’t have a diffuser, adding a few drops to a small pot of simmering water over the stove can help to disperse the scent of essential oils throughout your home, and it’s also a way to add a bit more moisture to the air, which can be beneficial in the winter months.

In a bath

Essential oils are wonderful in a bath, but it’s important to mix them with a carrier oil or other unscented oil like grapeseed or almond oil before pouring them in the bath so they don’t irritate the skin. A bath with lavender oil before bed is extremely relaxing

In room sprays

Room sprays with essential oils are extremely easy to make, and we have all the necessary ingredients at the store. You can use them as a quick pick-me-up, as a linen spray, or even to freshen up clothing. You can see our room spray recipe on our website here: Room Spray Recipe

In an unscented lotion

An easy way to enjoy essential oils topically is to mix them with an unscented lotion (we love the Everyone unscented lotion at the store since it comes in a pump). Of course, you can make your own lotions from scratch, but mixing a drop or two of your favorite essential oil with a generous dollop of lotion in the palm of your hand before applying is an easy way to enjoy the scents of essential oils. Here is a post from our website on how to mix essential oils into an entire container of lotion: DIY Essential Oil Lotion

Also check out our article: DIY Holiday Gifts with Essential Oils

Natural Moisturizing Foot Treatment

May brings sandals (though to be honest, I’ve been wearing sandals pretty much exclusively since March as defiance against winter). After a long winter, our feet can sometimes need a little bit of care to smooth off the rough edges to get ready for summer!

A natural way to pamper your feet uses just a few ingredients: apple cider vinegar, shea butter, coconut oil, lavender oil, and a pumice stone.

The first step is to soak feet in apple cider vinegar for 10 minutes. Apple cider vinegar is revitalizing to feet but also helps to soften dead skin. After soaking, rub feet and heels with a pumice stone to remove dead skin.

After exfoliating feet, rub liberally with a prepared mixture of coconut, shea, and lavender below:

Moisturizing Foot Balm:

Ingredients:

2 tbs shea butter

1 tbs coconut oil

12 drops lavender oil

Directions:

Melt shea butter and coconut oil in a glass container in the microwave just until melted. Mix in lavender oil and apply liberally to slightly damp feet once it has cooled a bit. It’s nice to do it when it’s still warm but you obviously don’t want to burn yourself.

After applying the foot balm, put on a pair of white cotton socks for the night and then enjoy your soft lovely feet!

DIY Healing Cuticle Rub

With the dry winter temperatures, most of us have pretty dry and ragged hands and cuticles. This simple DIY recipe can help!

 Ingredients:

1/4 C. shea butter

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 Tbsp. jojoba oil

1 Tbsp. Vitamin E oil (or substitute more jojoba oil)

20 drops Lavender oil

20 drops Tea Tree Oil

Instructions:

Heat all ingredients except for the essential oils and vitamin E over the stove over medium-high heat. You can also use the microwave in a glass container. Once the mixture has melted, stir thoroughly and mix in essential oils and vitamin E oil if using.

Let the mixture cool. It will become more solid as it cools down. You can use it as is or else whip the mixture with a handheld mixer until it becomes fluffy.  Store in a sealed jar and apply liberally to the cuticles and nails before bed every night! 

Fall Essential Oil Blend for the Home

This month I wanted to share our favorite fall essential oil blend. We always get compliments when we’ve used it at the store! This combination of oils smells extremely comforting and is perfect for the chilly, dreary days of fall.

How many drops you use in your diffuser is entirely up to you, and can be increased or decreased depending on how strong of a scent you prefer.

Generally, in a diffuser at home, I use 8-10 drops, though at the store we’ll often use 13-15 drops at once since it’s a large, open room.

IN YOUR DIFFUSER, DROP IN EQUAL AMOUNTS OF:

ORANGE ESSENTIAL OIL

PATCHOULI ESSENTIAL OIL

CLOVE ESSENTIAL OIL

CINNAMON BARK ESSENTIAL OIL*

Patchouli sometimes has a bad stereotype associated with it, but it adds creaminess and depth to other essential oils. The scent of patchouli is also relaxing as well as mood-boosting. It’s actually one of my favorite oils.

Orange oil is also a nice mood-boosting essential oil. Increase the amount of orange in this recipe for a brighter, cheerier blend.

Clove and cinnamon bark essential oils are fantastic spice oils that have a warming effect on the body. Both of these spice oils also have antibacterial properties and are effective against airborne bacteria when diffused into the air. 

Other ideas are to trade lemon oil for the orange oil in this recipe or to add a drop of anise or nutmeg oil for a slightly different blend. The possibilities are endless. The more you use this blend, the more familiar you will be with the scents of the different oils and what your own preferences are. Also, if you make it too strong or with too much of an ingredient and you don’t like it, just dump it out and start again. An ounce of essential oil has thousands of drops, so it’s no problem to start over. 

*For a less expensive option than cinnamon bark oil, you can use cinnamon cassia (we have both at the store). Cinnamon cassia is made from the bark, leaves, and twigs of the cinnamon tree rather than just the bark. Cinnamon cassia can be used interchangeably with cinnamon bark oil, it just isn’t as pure of a cinnamon scent (but it still smells great!).

Soothing & Cooling Aloe Vera Gel Recipe

We were able to get a shipment of Lily of the Desert aloe vera gel at a good price that we can pass on to our customers, a 4oz. bottle usually retails for $4.99, but with the sale we’re able to sell them for $2.99 a bottle while supplies last.

We’ve developed this recipe based off a favorite soothing aloe vera gel that is no longer being made. It’s wonderful for sunburned skin or even just to cool off and calm down skin this summer (my daughter actually feels like it helps with reducing itching from bug bites).

You can either make this recipe in a single use handful, or else for the whole tube, I’ll list amounts for both below. The below recipes use a 2% essential oil dilution, which is recommended for regular adult use, though if used on young children I would reduce the amount of essential oils by half.

Soothing and Cooling Aloe Vera Gel Recipe

Single Use Recipe (one handful):

1 tbs. aloe vera gel

4 drops peppermint oil

2 drops lavender oil

Whole Bottle Recipe:

4 oz bottle aloe vera gel

32 drops peppermint oil

16 drops lavender oil 

Stir oils into the aloe gel and apply generously to sunburned or itchy skin. Do not use near the eyes.

When making the recipe for the whole bottle, we recommend pouring contents into a plastic bag, cutting the tip, and squeezing back into the original aloe vera tube for a more convenient application.

Try storing this in the fridge and applying cold to the skin for even more of a cooling sensation.

Our Favorite DIY Product Recipes

With people staying home, it’s a perfect time to make some DIY products! I’ll link some of our favorites below:

Essential Oil Room Spray Recipe

DIY Shea Butter & Vitamin E Lip Balm

Natural Odor Eliminator with Essential Oils

DIY "Poo-Pourri" with Essential Oils

Natural Beard Oil Recipe

Warming Muscle Rub with Essential Oils

Essential Oil Roll On for Headache and Migraine

Essential Oil Flea and Tick Recipes for Dogs and Cats

DIY Sugar Scrub with Essential Oils

If you need any supplies, call us at the store to order, and we’ll run it out to your car when you get to the store. We’re open for curb side pickup Monday through Saturday from 10-2, and you can call us at 708-448-9114.  

Homemade Hair Serum for Split Ends

If your hair is feeling dry and damaged, try a bit of this simple to make serum on the ends of hair to help to restore moisture!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp castor oil

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp organic aloe vera gel

a few drops of tea tree essential oil or lavender oil

This recipe can also easily be increased and stored for regular use.

See the entire recipe and directions at Style Tips.

DIY Holiday Gifts with Essential Oils

This month we wanted to share some of our favorite DIY recipes that make wonderful holiday gifts! In addition to a large selection of high quality, pure essential oils, we also have a great selection of DIY beauty supplies and ingredients available at the store.

Shea Butter & Vitamin E Lip Balm

DIY Beard Oil

Dog and Cat Foot Pad Protectant Salve

Essential Oil Room Spray Recipe

DIY “Poo-Pourri” Copycat Recipe

We have many more great DIY recipes on our Health and Beauty Blog, found here. We also have several new essential oil bracelets on sale for $5 each that make wonderful stocking stuffers!

DIY Pumpkin Pie Spiced Lip Scrub

This lip scrub is wonderful to help slough off dead skin on dry, chapped lips to reveal smooth, moisturized lips- plus it smells amazing!

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons cane sugar

• 1 – 1½ teaspoons coconut oil

• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or a combination of any fall spices- cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves)

• small jar(s) or tins (available at the store)

See the entire recipe and directions at DIY Natural.

Our Favorite Fall Essential Oil Blends

This month I wanted to share our favorite fall essential oil blend. We use it in our diffuser all the time at work and always get compliments!  This combination of oils smells extremely comforting and is perfect for the chilly, dreary days of fall.

How many drops you use in your diffuser is entirely up to you, and can be increased or decreased depending on how strong of a scent you prefer.

Generally, in a diffuser at home, I use 8-10 drops, though at the store we’ll often use 13-15 drops at once since it’s a large, open room.

IN YOUR DIFFUSER, DROP IN EQUAL AMOUNTS OF:

ORANGE ESSENTIAL OIL

PATCHOULI ESSENTIAL OIL

CLOVE ESSENTIAL OIL

CINNAMON BARK ESSENTIAL OIL

Patchouli sometimes has a bad stereotype associated with it, but it adds creaminess and depth to other essential oils. The scent of patchouli is also relaxing as well as mood-boosting. It’s actually one of my favorite oils.

Orange oil is also a nice mood-boosting essential oil. Increase the amount of orange in this recipe for a brighter, cheerier blend.

Clove and cinnamon bark essential oils are fantastic spice oils that have a warming effect on the body. Both of these spice oils also have antibacterial properties and are effective against airborne bacteria when diffused into the air.

Other ideas are to trade lemon oil for the orange oil in this recipe, or to add a drop of anise or nutmeg oil for a slightly different blend. The possibilities are endless.

DIY Essential Oil Roll On for Headache and Migraine

These simple recipes are can be very helpful for natural headache and migraine relief and use essential oils backed by scientific research for headaches and migraines.

Peppermint oil has been researched as an effective topical remedy for tension headaches. It gives a wonderful cooling sensation when used on the temples, and using it in a rollerbottle is convenient and mess-free.

Lavender oil has also been researched with positive results for helping with migraine headaches in placebo controlled trials (here’s a link to the study on Pub Med).

 I am going to list two recipes below. Generally essential oils are meant to be diluted before use on skin due to concerns about irritation. A 10% dilution is recommended by aromatherapists for acute issues, and a  recipe using a 10% dilution is below:

10% Dilution Headache Roll On

1 10ml rollerbottle (available at Pass Health Foods)

15 drops peppermint oil

15 drops lavender oil

Grapeseed oil or other carrier oil

Directions:

Put essential oils in rollerbottle first and then fill the rest of the way with a carrier oil. Take care not to overfull the bottle. Roll on temples and forehead if desired as needed.

The New York Institute of Aromatherapy states that occasionally, for acute issues, essential oils may be used undiluted. They give migraine headaches as one issue where undiluted essential oil use may be helpful. The following rollerbottle recipe uses undiluted oils and should be used at your own risk, though many people find it helpful.

Migraine Relief Rollerbottle

1 10ml rollerbottle

Lavender oil

Peppermint oil

Directions:

Fill rollerbottle with half peppermint oil and half lavender. Apply to temples with rollerbottle to help combat migraine headaches. Use with caution on people with sensitive skin. This rollerbottle recipe should not be used on children.

As with all essential oil recipes, its important to note that essential oils are powerful and should be used at your own risk.

DIY Hair Serum with Essential Oils

The summer sun can be damaging to hair, as well as exposure to pool chemicals. This easy DIY serum is great for hair, helping to deeply moisturize the ends of the hair.

I’d recommend using this at night or after washing hair. Start with just a few drops and only apply to the ends of hair, or from the shoulders down depending on your hair’s length.

You can use any carrier oil with this blend, though personally I recommend a fractionated coconut oil. Coconut oil is often a solid at room temperature, but a fractionated coconut oil is made to be liquid all the time. Coconut is especially helpful for dry and damaged hair since it’s so moisturizing and full of fatty acids that benefit the hair.

Essential oils that can be beneficial to the hair are lavender, rosemary, cedarwood, and geranium. Feel free to use any combination of those oils in your blend depending on the oils you have available.

Ingredients Needed:

1oz amber dropper bottle

Fractionated coconut oil

15 drops essential oils (we recommend lavender, rosemary, cedarwood, and geranium for hair)

Put the essential oils in your dropper bottle and then fill the rest of the way with coconut oil or a carrier oil. Take care not to overfill the bottle so the dropper top can go back in.

Use a 2-3 drops on the hair daily (or more depending on thickness and length) making sure to distribute through the ends of the hair evenly.

Natural Beard Oil Recipe - DIY with Essential Oils

There are a variety of essential oils that are great for using as part of a beard oil recipe, and you can mix and match depending on your personal preferences. See below for more information on the benefits of specific essential oils for beard health and growth.

Bergamot has natural antiseptic properties and has a nice, fresh, slightly green, slightly lemony scent. Bergamot is best known as an ingredient in Earl Grey tea.

Cedarwood has a great woodsy scent without being overpowering. It has antbacterial and antifungal properties and is said to help with increasing circulation.

Clove oil gives blends a wonderful, slightly spicy depth. Like the oils listed above, it has natural antiseptic qualities and is also said to help with hair growth and preventing hair loss.

Rosemary oil is used to help with strengthing hair, it also has a nice, fresh scent. It can help with reducing skin redness and stimulate circulation around hair follicles, encouraging hair growth.

Other oils with benefits for beards would be lavender, tea tree, peppermint, and patchouli, so feel free to experiment with scents in making your beard oil.

Essential oils should always be mixed with a carrier oil before being applied to the skin, since essential oils are very strong and can irritate the skin when not diluted.

There are many different carrier oils available, though we recommend using jojoba oil for this recipe since that oil is closest to the skin’s natural oils and helps to protect and moisturize hair without feeling oily. It also helps to prevent acne and skin irritation around the beard.

DIY Beard Oil:

1 oz dropper bottle (we sell amber glass dropper bottles at the store)

Jojoba oil

5 drops cedarwood essential oil*

4 drops bergamot oil*

3 drops clove oil*

3 drops rosemary oil*

*Alternately, you could do a combination of 15 drops total of any of the essential oils for beards listed above.

To make the beard oil, fill an empty 1 oz dropper bottle with 15 drops of essential oils (either the oils listed above or any others you prefer) and then fill the rest of the way with jojoba oil. Make sure to not fill the bottle too high with oil so it doesn’t overflow when the dropper is put back in.

To use, apply on a freshly washed beard, warming the oil in your hands before rubbing on to the beard. Once the oil has been applied and gently rubbed in, it can be helpful to use a comb on the beard depending on length.

The amount needed depends on the length of the beard. Shorter beards might only need 2-3 drops, whereas a longer beard may need 4-6. Experiment with what works best for you. Apply once or twice a day to encourage beard growth and to condition your beard.

In particular, we recommend our NOW brand of essential oils. They’re a local company that makes high quality essential oils for a very reasonable price. They test each batch of their essential oils for purity and quality (read more about their testing methods here). Stop by the store to try them out- we have essential oil testers of each essential oil we sell- at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights, IL.

Castor Oil for Eyelash Growth- DIY

We have had numerous people asking about castor oil for eyelash growth (eyebrow growth as well). We do carry pure, cold pressed castor oil at the store and have also found empty mascara tubes that we have available for sale so you can make your own eyelash (or eyebrow) serum preparations.

Castor oil has been getting a lot of press lately for possibly helping to encourage eyelash growth. There is some research that has linked an ingredient in castor oil with encouraging hair growth and preventing hair loss, though it is far from conclusive. Still, using castor oil (particularly when it is used with an eyelash brush container like we have at the health food store) won’t hurt, and will definitely help with moisturizing eyelashes as well as reducing damage and breakage of eyelashes. Using an eyelash brush will help to apply castor oil only to the eyelashes, since you don’t want to put castor oil inside your eyes.

I’ve started using just straight castor oil on my eyelashes to see if it makes a difference- the oil is thick so it coats the eyelashes really well without dripping or anything. I don’t feel extremely hopeful that it’s going to make my eyelashes significantly different, though I guess conditioning eyelashes (which I know it at least is doing that) is only beneficial, but who knows. It’s inexpensive and doesn’t hurt, so I figure it’s worth a try!

I’ll link a couple other recipes below that I’ve found online that you may want to try:

Growth Serum with Castor Oil, Emu Oil, Coconut Oil, and Vitamin E

Eyelash Growth Serum with Castor Oil and Lavender and Cedarwoood Essential Oil

I would especially advise making sure to use an eyelash brush with the above recipe, since you don’t want essential oils going in your eyes.

Good luck!

DIY Shea Butter & Vitamin E Lip Balm

This lip balm recipe is incredibly simple. I usually make my lip balm with a combination of beeswax, coconut oil, and cocoa butter, but wanted to try something a little different.

This recipe uses vitamin E softgels, shea butter, and beeswax. If you want something simpler, you could even substitute the vitamin E for more shea butter or a different type of oil, but I liked wanted it in the recipe since vitamin E is so healing to the skin.

This recipe makes a ton of lip balm- 16 tubes, though making that many tubes is unnecessary if you don’t have that many empty lip balm tubes. Excess can be put into a small container or tin. We have all the ingredients available at the store, including lip balm tubes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 2oz. bar of beeswax

3 tbs. NOW Foods shea butter

2tsp. vitamin E oil*

40 drops essential oil (I used Simpler’s Botanicals lavender oil)

*Note: I used Solgar’s 400IU vitamin E softgels to make this lipbalm, though we do have liquid vitamin E at the store. It took me 13 softgels to make 2 tsp.

DIRECTIONS:

Assemble all ingredients before starting, and have all the lip balm containers opened and laid out, since the melted mixture needs to be poured before it begins to cool and solidify.

Melt the beeswax in a small pan over medium low heat.

Once the beeswax is almost entirely melted, add the cocoa butter.

When the beeswax and cocoa butter are melted, remove from the heat and add the vitamin E oil and essential oils, stirring until combined.

Pour the mixture into a glass Pyrex measuring container and carefully pour into each of the empty lip balm tubes.

Leave the tubes uncovered until the mixture becomes solid.

If desired, when the lip balm is completely solid, you can turn the lip balm a couple millimeters above the edge of the tube, cutting off the tops with a knife to make a flat top (the tops of the tubes solidify a bit concave in the center).

DIY Warming Muscle Rub with Essential Oils

We found an amazing recipe that uses essential oils that works really well for pain- plus it’s easy to make!

Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup shea butter

2 tablespoons beeswax pellets

45 drops camphor essential oil

35 drops peppermint oil

20 drops eucalyptus essential oil

25 drops cinnamon essential oil

15 drops clove essential oil

See the entire recipe and directions at Hello Glow!

DIY Essential Oil Dryer Sheets and Laundry Deodorizer

This simple recipe works very well as naturally a scented “dryer sheet”, and also as an effective deodorizer for laundry!

Ingredients:

½ c. white vinegar

16 drops essential oils

Bottle for storage (I’m using an old water bottle)

Directions:

Combine the vinegar and essential oils in your bottle and shake before using. Before putting laundered clothes in the dryer, pour a small amount (a couple tablespoons) of the vinegar mixture on a clean cloth or sock. The vinegar smell will deodorize the laundry but dissipate as it dries, leaving you fresh smelling laundry lightly scented with essential oils!

You can use any combination you like (my favorite is a mix of bergamot and spearmint, I also like lavender), just avoid using thick, dark colored essential oils like patchouli, myrrh, etc.

I have used this recipe on several loads of laundry without any issues with staining, but I would use caution with delicate fabrics.

If you like the recipe, feel free to double or triple it for convenience. I personally like making it in small batches so I can change the scent frequently.