# help with making body spray!



## aimeruni (Apr 1, 2017)

I would like to make body spray.  The procedure sounds simple enough; put everything into a bottle and shake it until everything is well combined.

Below are the TWO recipes I am considering using.  Please look at BOTH of them.

5 ounces distilled water
2 ounces vodka, perfumer’s alcohol, or witch hazel
1/2 ounce Polysorbate 20
1-2 teaspoons fragrance oil or essential oil
1/2 teaspoon liquid glycerin

My question is, do I have to use a preservative?  The preservative I'm referring to is the polysorbate 20.

The whole reason I want to make a body spray from scratch is because I don't want it to have all the chemicals commercial body sprays have.  I realize that if something has water, it needs a preservative.  However could I just use all witch hazel, or would it mess up the recipe?

Also it calls for 1-2 teaspoons essential oil(s).  How many drops are in 1 teaspoon of essential oil?


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## LilyJo (Apr 1, 2017)

Polysorbate is not a preservative.

This is similar to the other questions you have already asked about witchhazel, can I suggest you read the other replies first?


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## Zany_in_CO (Apr 1, 2017)

aimeruni said:


> Below are the TWO recipes I am considering using.  Please look at BOTH of them.


I only see one recipe. What am I missing?


> My question is, do I have to use a preservative?


Yes. As long as you have 20% alcohol in your formula, the alcohol acts as a preservative. 190 Proof (95% alcohol by volume) Everclear Grain Alcohol works best. If you use vodka, most of them are 80 Proof (40% alcohol by volume) so you need to adjust your recipe accordingly. I've never used perfumer's alcohol or witchhazel in my sprays so I can't help ya there.



> The preservative I'm referring to is the polysorbate 20.


DITTO what LilyJo said. Polysorbate 20 is NOT a preservative. It's a solubizer typically used in non-foaming products like body mists. It dissolves EO or FO in water so you have a clear spray. This takes a little T & E.
Pour an ounce or so of water into a glass. Add 1 tablespoon of Poly-20. Stir well.
Add 1 teaspoon EO or FO. Stir well. It should be milky at first, then clear. If it doesn't clear, wait an hour or so, then add another teaspoon of Poly-20. That should do it. I find that with EOs, I need 3-4 Polys to 1 EO to get it to clear. This keeps the oil from floating on top of the water. No need to shake before spraying. I like that. :mrgreen:



> Also it calls for 1-2 teaspoons essential oil(s).  How many drops are in 1 teaspoon of essential oil?


100 drops = 5 ml = 1 teaspoon


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## BattleGnome (Apr 1, 2017)

I will also note that whitch hazel contains a lot of water. If you choose to use it double check what the alcohol % is and add a preservative to be safe if you need to.


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