How to Improve Your Pillow Mist for Stronger, Longer-Lasting Scent

Okay, I understand you're trying to make a pillow mist and the scent from your current formula is too weak and doesn't last. Your formula uses essential oil, witch hazel, and distilled water.

The main reason for the weak and fleeting scent is that essential oils are not water-soluble. They don't mix evenly with water-based liquids like distilled water and witch hazel. This causes the oil to separate, resulting in an inconsistent scent that doesn't disperse well when sprayed.

To fix this, you need to add an ingredient called a solubilizer. A solubilizer helps the essential oil mix completely and evenly into the water base, creating a stable, clear solution where the scent is properly dispersed.

Based on the available ingredients, here are some suitable solubilizers:

• Flora Solve™ Clear (Fragrance Solubilizer): This is specifically designed to mix essential oils and fragrance oils with water without using alcohol. It's clear, colorless, and odorless, which won't interfere with your essential oil scent.
• Ultra Solve™: This is a highly effective solubilizer that can handle various oils, including essential oils. It's more potent than Flora Solve™ Clear.
• Free Solve™ (PEG-Free Solubilizer): This is another high-performance solubilizer that is PEG-free and works well for dissolving essential oils in water while maintaining clarity.

How to Adjust Your Formula Using a Solubilizer:

The key is to mix the essential oil with the solubilizer before adding it to the water and witch hazel. The amount of solubilizer needed depends on the specific essential oil you are using, but a common starting ratio is 2 to 5 parts solubilizer to 1 part essential oil.

Let's use Flora Solve™ Clear as an example, as its description provides specific ratio guidance for essential oils.

Your current formula uses approximately 30 drops of essential oil (which is roughly 1.5 ml, assuming 20 drops per ml). Your liquid base is 1 oz (approx 30 ml) of Witch Hazel + 2 oz (approx 60 ml) of Distilled Water, totaling about 90 ml.

Recommended Adjusted Formula (Example using Flora Solve™ Clear):

• Natural Essential Oil: 30 drops (approx 1.5 ml)
• Flora Solve™ Clear: 4.5 ml (This is a 3:1 ratio of solubilizer to essential oil. You might need slightly more or less depending on your specific essential oil - start here and adjust if needed, up to a 5:1 ratio or slightly higher if necessary for clarity).
• Witch Hazel: 1 oz (approx 30 ml)
• Distilled Water: 2 oz (approx 60 ml)

Mixing Instructions:

1. In a separate container, mix the 30 drops (approx 1.5 ml) of Natural Essential Oil with 4.5 ml of Flora Solve™ Clear. Stir or gently swirl until the mixture is completely clear and uniform. This ensures the essential oil is fully solubilized.
2. In your main container, combine the 1 oz (approx 30 ml) of Witch Hazel and 2 oz (approx 60 ml) of Distilled Water.
3. Slowly add the essential oil/solubilizer mixture from step 1 into the water/witch hazel mixture from step 2. Stir well until everything is combined.

By using a solubilizer like Flora Solve™ Clear, Ultra Solve™, or Free Solve™, your essential oil will be properly dispersed throughout the mist, resulting in a stronger and more consistent scent when sprayed. While solubilizers primarily help with dispersion and initial strength, proper dispersion also contributes to the perceived longevity of the scent in the air or on fabric.

If using Ultra Solve™ or Free Solve™ instead of Flora Solve™ Clear, you would follow a similar mixing process (mix oil with solubilizer first, then add to water base). The usage rate for these is typically 1-10% of the total formula, but the ratio to the oil is the critical factor for effective solubilization. You might need to experiment slightly to find the optimal ratio for your specific essential oil.