A vanilla clove DIY body oil spray has a warm, spicy, and comforting scent. Plus, this oil makes your skin feel so smooth and silky—perfect for when you're in the mood!
It's hard to feel romantic when it's freezing outside—I can't even think about a sexy red dress when all I want to do is layer on clothes and huddle by a cozy fire. But what I can do is take care of my skin and smell great at the same time.
Winter is so hard on your skin, and body oil helps beat the dry heat more than lotion. Lately, I've been slathering myself in coconut oil, but this essential oil body spray recipe smells so amazing!
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Basic Body Oil Spray Recipe
Making a body oil spray is super simple. Here's the basic recipe to follow, and below are my favorite scent combinations.
Carrier Oil: Choose a carrier oil that doesn't have a competing scent, is lightweight, non-greasy, and easily absorbed by the skin:
- Fractionated coconut oil
- Sweet almond oil
- Jojoba oil
- Grapeseed oil
Essential Oils: Choose essential oils based on your preference and therapeutic effects. A common dilution ratio is around 2-3% essential oil to carrier oil or 15-25 drops per ounce of carrier oil.
If you plan to wear the oil every day, drop down a 1% dilution (10-12 drops per ounce of carrier oil). And always research each essential oil's safety and dilution guidelines.
Vitamin E Oil: Optional, acts as a natural preservative and provides skin nourishment.
Ingredients: Vanilla Clove Body Oil
Combining an oil with fragrance is the perfect thing—sweet almond oil seals in moisture (no more ashy skin here!) while clove and vanilla combine to create an alluring, luscious homemade perfume. Who could resist?!
Sweet almond oil
2 ounces almond oil - I like sweet almond oil but grapeseed, jojoba, or fractionated coconut oil would also work)
Vanilla
½ to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 30 vanilla essential oil - Experts say the scent of vanilla stirs up feelings of intimacy. Maybe it reminds people of homemade cookies? Vanilla essential oil usually comes prediluted so you may need to use more drops.
Clove
1–3 drops clove essential oil - Clove has a signature sweet and spicy smell, creating an aroma that feels homey and exotic all at once. But the smell of cloves can easily overpower everything else, so I recommend adding it last—1 drop at a time.
Clove is a hot oil that should be diluted to 0.5% so no more than 4 drops per ounce of carrier oil. High levels of clove oils also have a numbing effect, so it's best to avoid that by adding a little bit at a time instead of pouring too much in at once.
- Vitamin E oil — 1 teaspoon (acts as a natural preservative and provides skin nourishment)
- Small spray bottle - cleaned and sterilized
Instructions
Add Carrier Oil: Pour sweet almond oil into the spray bottle.
Add Essential Oils: Add vanilla essential oil and clove essential oil to the carrier oil.
Add Vitamin E Oil (Optional): If you're using vitamin E oil, add it to the mixture. This acts as a preservative and provides additional skin benefits.
Mix Thoroughly: Close the spray bottle and shake well to ensure all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Test the Spray: Test your vanilla clove body oil spray on a small patch of skin to ensure you don't have any adverse reactions to the ingredients.
Adjust Scent: If you find the scent too strong or too weak, adjust the number of drops of essential oils.
Label Your Spray: Label your spray bottle with the ingredients used and the date of preparation for future reference.
Tips
- If you're not smelling enough vanilla extract, go ahead and add a ½ teaspoon more.
- Vanilla essential oil can sometimes be thick or have a tendency to separate. Shake the bottle well before each use to ensure the oil is evenly distributed.
- Clove essential oil has a strong scent and is a hot oil so start with 1-2 drops.
- Always perform a patch test before using any new product, especially if you have sensitive skin or allergies.
- You can also experiment with other essential oils, such as cinnamon, ginger, or orange, to add depth and complexity to the scent.
More Body Oil Scents with Essential Oils
If you'd rather avoid clove or it irritates your skin, here are a few more essential oil perfume blends to experiment with:
1. Vanilla Blends
Vanilla essential oil has a warm, sweet, and comforting aroma that pairs well with a variety of other essential oils. Try it with lavender, sweet orange, sandalwood, bergamot, cedarwood, peppermint, rose, geranium, jasmine or patchouli.
2. Soothing Blends
Mix carrier oils with essential oils like lavender and chamomile for a calming and soothing effect.
- Lavender Mint: 20 drops lavender and 10 drops peppermint
- Frankincense Sandalwood: 20 drops frankincense and 20 drops sandalwood (usually comes prediluted)
- Cedarwood Vetiver: 16 drops cedarwood and 10 drops vetiver
3. Refreshing Citrus
Use carrier oils like sweet almond oil with citrus essential oils like lemon, orange, or grapefruit for a refreshing and uplifting scent.
- Citrus Spice: 10 drops sweet orange, 5 drops ginger, 1 drop cinnamon
- Ylang-Ylang Bergamot: 5 drops ylang-ylang and 20 drops bergamot - start small with ylang-ylang and always use BF-free bergamot.
- Grapefruit Eucalyptus: 15 drops grapefruit and 10 drops eucalyptus
4. Exotic Blends
Experiment with carrier oils like fractionated coconut oil and essential oils like jasmine, ylang-ylang, or patchouli for a sensual and exotic fragrance.
- Jasmine Ylang-Ylang: 5 drops jasmine and 5 drops ylang-ylang - both of these oils have strong scents so start small.
- Patchouli Rosemary: 16 drops patchouli and 14 drops rosemary
- Rose Geranium: 16 drops rose absolute and 14 drops geranium
Where To Apply Body Oil Spray
Body oil spray to keep your skin hydrated, nourished, and smelling great throughout the day. Here's how—and where—to apply it.
Shake the Bottle: Before each use, shake the bottle well to ensure that the ingredients are evenly mixed. This helps to distribute the oils properly.
Spray onto Skin: Hold the spray bottle a few inches away from your skin and lightly spray the body oil onto your skin and massage it in.
You can use it all over—legs, arms, whatever. It makes a great perfume, so again, be careful not to overdo it with the cloves.
For a subtle but long-lasting smell, don't forget about your pulse points. These are points on your body where your major blood vessels are closer to your skin's surface, so the skin is a little warmer there than everywhere else.
This gives a boost to the strength of perfumes and mists, and it's a great way to ensure that you smell amazing all the time—without over-applying perfume.
Wash Hands: After applying the body oil, wash your hands to remove any excess oil and prevent it from transferring onto other surfaces.
Storage
I like to use a small 2 oz spray bottle. Always store your body oil spray in a cool, dark place to prolong its shelf life.
For portability, this can be used in a rollerball container as well—then it's super easy to discreetly apply and freshen up anywhere, anytime. Just roll over where you want to apply and massage it in to activate the perfume a little and give you a signature scent.
FAQ
A DIY body oil spray is a homemade concoction that combines essential oils with carrier oils and other ingredients to create a fragrant and moisturizing oil spray that can be applied to the body.
The recommended amount of essential oils for a body oil spray is usually around 15-25 drops per ounce of carrier oil. However, you can adjust the amount based on your personal preference and desired scent strength. Don't use any essential oils that you've had a bad reaction to previously.
Yes, you can mix different essential oils to create your own unique fragrance. Experiment with various combinations of essential oils to find your favorite scent profile.
While fragrance oils may be used in body oil sprays, it's important to note that they are synthetic fragrances so only use ones that are safe for use on the skin.
Yes, you can use this body oil spray on your body to moisturize and nourish dry skin, but avoid sensitive areas like the face and mucous membranes.
Body oil spray scents can vary depending on the types and amounts of essential oils used, as well as your personal body chemistry.
Photos by Ana Stanciu
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Connie says
My granddaughter loves vanilla and lime...it's devine! She uses essential oils. A few drops in her bath water or puts it in a spray.
Melanie Kehoe says
Vanilla extract like the one you use to cook? Thats awesome, it doesnt get sticky on your skin?
Rikki says
This sounds great. I also was wondering if you could infuse the cloves with whichever oil you used and if Argan oil would work. Thanks!
Aler says
How many cloves would you recommend instead of the oil drops?
Shan C says
The main problem with doing that is the strength will increase over time.
Amber says
what do you mean that the strength will increase over time?
CountryMouse says
This sounds wonderful, but I was wondering if I could use another non-hardening oil, like olive oil? (I don't have the ones suggested.)Would the oil smell be too much? Thank you!
Ashley says
I used fractionated coconut oil, and it works just fine.
Jon says
Ran across this while trying to figure out some scent combinations for a homemade beard oil. I have some scent aversions so most of what is on the market gives me headaches. Vanilla and clove and a few others are some scents that I can handle. So I guess I wanted to know if this could be a "Manly" scent or just a scent that men like?
Shan C says
Maybe try orange or sandalwood with the clove? What other scents do you know you can use? Some stores such as Sprouts out here have an essential oil section with tester bottles.
Stephanie says
I just made this after saving it months ago. I added a bunch of vanilla, but really can't smell it. I was wondering if I can add vanilla essential oil to ramp up the vanilla scent? I love the clove scent!
Rebecca says
(One year later) I was wondering if you could do this with any fragrance, not just vanilla? Haha, sorry for bringing you back to this post you probably haven't looked at lately, but I would love to know!
Stephanie Gerber says
You can definitely combine oil with whatever fragrance you like best - you'll still smell great :)
Amber says
Will this perfume work in a roller ball container?
Stephanie Gerber says
Sure! You can definitely apply that way if you prefer.
Stella says
Can u use grapeseed oil?
gerbermom says
Sure! I think that would work just as well.
alix says
You mix it with Vanilla extract, stupid question but we cook with that so did you mean vanilla fragrance or essential OR did you mean the vanilla you can flavour icing and cakes with? I so am going to make this please let me know about the extract please asap
Many thanks
Alix
gerbermom says
Yes, I used the same stuff you cook with! I'm sure you could use essential oil if you have it but I just used what I had on hand. Good luck! :)
Alix says
Many thanks, it sounds really exotic l can't wait to make it
Andrea says
Is this a fragrance that will last the day or will it need to be re-applied every few hours?
Deborah Jenings says
I love this. I may have to make some, but leave out the cloves. Just make a Vanilla. I love it. Maybe put a bit of Lavender in it. My favorite scent is cucumber-Melon. I make soap with this scent, and my Son-in-law and husband both love it.
gerbermom says
Lavender would be great! How do scent the soap with cucumber/melon? Do you just use the veggie/fruit or some kind of extract? Would love to know b/c that sounds amazing!
Deborah Jennings says
I use the Cucumber-Melon FO and scent the soap with it. You can "juice" a cucumber and put that in there, but I use the FO. We all love the smell.
Sarah says
I can't wait to try this. It smells great....in my imagination.
Donna Bennett says
Also makes a great massage oil I buy almond oil by the quart and add extracts and oils. SO good for the skin! I feel so silky and indulged after!
Shannon of HAPPINESS IS says
I love this! I read a survey somewhere that vanilla is a man's top scent (have you ever met a man who didn't like it?) and cucumber is a woman's favorite (true for me!) xo
Sherry says
I made this and had it on when I went to the grocery store, as we were leaving man came over to me and asked if he could take my cart and keep my quarter! Does that count?
Anyway, it smells wonderful. Thanks!
gerbermom says
Haha, that definitely counts! Glad you - and the random grocery guy - like the smell :)
Reba says
I love your DIY projects. I've made your lip balm and those awesome earrings you just posted! My friends and I have at least one craft day a month while the kiddos are at school and your projects are perfect for the few short hours we have. Can't wait to try this spray!
gerbermom says
That is so great to hear Reba! And what a fun tradition you have with your friends. I love a good crafternoon with the girls :)
Susanna says
How versatile you are Steph, now expanding your skin care product line! :) love it, sounds like it would smell lovely!
Joen says
Thanks for sharing this, I'm going to give this a try. The cold weather has finally hit NJ and really drying me out! I bet it's great right out of the shower.
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
I know I should be saying, "Ooh, that would smell so good," but all I can think of is that I bet it would taste good too. :)
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
wow you are amazing! I want to make this too!
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
I've never tried body sprays before but I do get terribly dry skin. I might have to get experimenting.
Tonia@thegunnysack says
That does sound lovely! I will have to give it try.
Loulou says
Ohhh, I bet that smells amazing! I love making my own oils ... So nice on your skin and also nice to know exactly what goes into them. I've not tried using almond oil as a base though, but it sounds great.
gerbermom says
I made my own rose petal almond oil a while back and it felt great - def give it a try!
Alyssa says
Haha anything dubbed "man magnet spray" I'm willing to try!
daria says
must be a magnet because it smells like baking. and what man doesn't love the smell of baking? :)
gerbermom says
So true! And hopefully the spray will make up for the fact that my kitchen skills are a little subpar :)
elle sees says
i swear by almond oil!! and vanilla :)
Jen @ Eat. Sleep. MAKE. says
You know I had to check this out based on the name "Man Magnet" alone. Sounds delish!
gerbermom says
I couldn't resist the 'Man Magnet' title, haha :)