My favorite homemade yoga mat spray recipe! Simple and yummy and sure to inspire you back to the yoga mat. A little goes a long way with this fun at home recipe. Also really great as a room freshener! Use on your pillow or even in la toilette! This bottle of love also makes a great gift. Check out the Whole Foods Market YouTube channel to view my video-blog journey to collect items to make my spray – plus a treat for Benji, of course.
Ciao Adriene!
This video is just so helpful! I have always wondered how to clean my mat 🙂
And I have a question, too 🙂
As I live in Good Ol’ Europe (and in even older Italy) I’ve never heard of Witch Hazel, I googled it but nothing comes to my mind when I think about a good substitute in the mix.
Any suggestion? I thought about a skin toner with Burdock (Arctium, actually great for the skin).
Tanti baci,
Silvia
Vinegar/Apple cider vingar would work as a substitute, but it doesnt smell great. Tea tree oil is an astringent just like witch hazel, you could probably just get away with using that.
Ciao Silvia,
Have a look if you can find “Hamamelis”. i’ll definitely will go out and get that one. Thats the only missing part for me 🙂
Sounds wonderful Adrienne!
Love
Andrea from Frankfurt, Germany
I wondered the same thing. I’m in the Netherlands. I did find out that hamamelis water is the same thing as what Adriene uses. You could look online. I actually wondered if adding some tea tree solution would work as well.
Did you find it Tessa? It is toverhazelaar. 🙂
Yes! I ended up finding it on a website that sells all sorts of things to make homemade stuff. It wasn’t alcohol free, but it does the trick :).
I found that Hamamelis water does exist even in Italy!!
Thank you girls!! I am going to try this as soon as possible!
Hi, Amazon.it has Witch Hazel
🙂
You can get witch hazel in Europe . Not as easy s it used to be but persevere
🙂 thank you!
Hi, I found that it translates to Amamelide in Italian. Kind regards, Suhela
🙂 thank you!
Dear Sylvia- try asking your pharmacist for hamamelis which is the Latin botanical name for witch hazel X
🙂 thank you!
If you are looking for good online stores for witch hazel check out naturallythinking and Aromantic : )
thank you! 🙂
Silvia,
Where in Italy do you live? My daughter, tess, has a yoga studio in Florence. It’s called yoga garage. If you’re ever there, drop in. You can also follow it on Instagram at yogagaragefirenza.
Will do! I live in Milan right now, but I can advice the yoga studio if someone asks me about a place in Florence!
Hi Silvia, Laura from Rome here. Same doubts. I guess I’m gonna try with vinegar for now 🙁
🙂
Silvia I am in Italian it’s Hamamelis 🙂
Definitely I will try and find it!
In French, it’s called Hamamelis water, maybe that can help 🙂
OMG I am sitting here watching the video and also have NO IDEA what witch hazel is. I know the other ingredients.
Thank you for your comments! So helpful!
I am Day 15 on 30 days of Yoga revolution and am loving it.
Love this different approach. I have been doing Yoga for about 0 yrs but I always saw it like other sports, achieving, working out,, doing the form.
Now I fell in love with Yoga again,new.
Namaste.
I had the same dilemma, it’s ‘Hamamelis Wasser’ in Germany- google translate it into your language and check with the pharmacy, they might have it and it will probably be cheaper than getting it on amazon!
I have been using a custom made yoga mat. The surface is 100% cotton and there is no odor. You can even have your own design made. It is made by FabricDome.
Si chiama amamelide in italiano e lo trovi da Amazon o in erboristeria
I made this today and found on this evening that the eucalyptus and lavender version can double as a sleep spray for my little guy. Love it so much! Thanks!
I made the first one yesterday and love it! I’m obsessed with the smell! Thank you soooo much for sharing!!!!
I am preparing it right now and had the same problem: looked for over a week for witch hazel. Finally found it (hamamelis water) and my order just arrived today. Can’t wait to use it!
i have been trying to find a list of essential oils and which ones are “cleansing” or otherwise. Does anyone know. I wanted to try a few mixes but I wanted to make sure I got the right properties together.
Lemon and orange ( any citrus oil really) have cleansing properties…they are known disinfectants and are generally thought to be emotionally uplifting and energizing. Other oils known to have excellent cleansing properties…are Melaleuca ( anti-fungal)…Rosemary, Thyme, Lavender, Eucalyptus and Pine. ( certainly this isn’t an exhaustive list)
On Guard and Thieves oil are proprietary blends by two different companies. Both contain signature oil blends that are antimicrobial and defend the body against illness.
I LOVE Lavender and Rosemary…as well as Melaleuca and lemon.
Hope that helps. 🙂
I made the Yoga Mat spray this weekend with tea tree and lemon balm! I love it! So refreshing and invigorating! Thank You for sharing!
I made one with Ylang Ylang and pink grapefruit, it’s lovely.
Thanks Adriene xx
These sprays smell so good! My son and I cleaned our mats with the spray yesterday and they smell great. Then we did some yoga with lovely lavender smells.
Great idea! Thank you .
I was so excited to enter my first whole foods store yesterday to get the ingredients and even more excited to make the spray. I love learning about household hacks and this turned out to smell fantastic! I used lavender and lemon eucalyptus oils. It made getting on my mat an even richer experience!
Hi Adriene,
I’m from Kenya and we don’t get witch hazel here. What do you suggest I can use instead?
Plain unscented vodka works very nicely…I prefer it to vinegar…as it adds no funky scent.
Hello, does the alcohol hurt the yoga mat?
Adriene,
I wanted to thank you for the amazing yoga videos! I have been watching yoga videos since VHS tapes! You are the best and my favorite yoga teacher! So happy to have found you on YouTube and have told everyone to try your channel! Great job and much thank you. Namaste Janine
I am so going to try this!! going to whole food right naw!! Adriene you are so inspiring!
What size bottle did you use? Also which eucalyptus? Thank you
You guys…the purpose of Witch Hazel more than anything is to emulsify or help distribute the essential oils thoroughly through the distilled water…otherwise…the oils tend to remain on the surface of the water. Plain unscented vodka works very nicely…I prefer it to vinegar…as it adds no funky scent.
My favorite is the Lemongrass/ Tea Tree (Melaleuca Oil). So invigorating.)
Looovvveeee . Thanks for posting 🙂
Why does it need to be alcohol free witch hazel? I bought the same brand as Adriene and the second ingredient is SD Alcohol 40. Should I not use it?
SD alcohol isn’t the drying alcohol. It’s different than isopropyl alcohol which is what is used medically and 1st aid & would cause your mat to become brittle over time.
Thanks for posting this lovely video!
I finally got to the store and got all the same ingredients! I just made it and while it does smell lovely as a room spray, I noticed that the smell dissipates quite quickly. Is that how it is for you, too?
That is a really good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere.
Brief but very precise information… Many thanks
for sharing this one. A must read post!
Yoga practice can make us more and more sensitive to subtler and subtler sensations in the body. Paying attention to and staying with finer and finer sensations within the body is one of the surest ways to steady the wandering mind.
That is a really good tip for all
Thank you so much for this, Adriene! This mat spray was the gateway drug to my obsession with essential oils. My yoga experience is 10x more yummy with the lingering scent of essential oils on my mat. My favourite combination is lavender + clove + vanilla, it is absolutely intoxicating– relaxing, soothing, and totally mellows you out. Great vid!
Sandra – that combination sounds delicious. I may need to buy some clove oil…
I really like this video and thanks for sharing! I clean my mat with an all natural mineral & plant based cleaner called Thieves household Cleaner, as well as, make some blends with EO’s, as well. The Thieves cleaner smells wonderful like Cinnamon & Clove….it’s yummy. I notice that you also use a store bought brand, which I also used to use but, now use a much better grade oils from Young Living & it’s now all that I use. Such a lovely brand and the greatest quality…I’m happy to help you to access them, if interested. 🙂
This is so awesome–I made it this afternoon 🙂 thanks, Adriene!
I have made this yoga mat spray and it is very nice!
Hi i have also a yoga traninig center in uppsala
http://uppsalahotyoga.se
Can you use witch hazel with 14% alcohol?
This is what i want to know! Please let me know if you find an answer
Love this, Adriene. Thank you!
Is it possible to use normal water instead of distilled water?
What is the purpose of distilled water?
Thank you! I made the eucalyptus and lemongrass version this week, it smells wonderful. My mother used to dab witch hazel on my childhood bumps and bruises, but it’s not so easy to find now, I got mine on Amazon.
Hi Adriene,
How long should I keep the cleaning water in the bottle? Should it be changed daily? Need your advice. Thank you.
Hi Adriene my yoga practice started about 3 yeays ago. Im a Canadian girl (actually a 65yr old Canadian girl) I recently had a trampoline accident and couldn’t excerise. My friend was taking yoga lessons and asked me to give it a try. That was the best advise I have ever gotten,. When my back acts up I pull out my tablet and do my yoga with you. You are easy to follow and I love your voice. You keep me going when I think I can’t. Please keep up videos and little talks. I really really like your yoga classes. Thanks for keeping me going.
Hi Adriene,
I would love, love, love to make this DIY yoga mat spray. Luckily, I have a friend who is traveling to the states soon, who has agreed to buy me some witch hazel (can’t find that nor hamamelis water in Denmark).
However, I can’t find distilled water anywhere – only demineralised water. Can I use that or tap water instead?
Thx a lot in advance for your help :).
Shouldn’t the essential oils be mixed with the witch hazel before adding the water? I think the purpose of it is an emulsifier (ie the water and oils don’t mix so it facilitates that mixing throughout). Also, auracacia oils, even if “organic” are not high quality therapeutic grade oils, in general (unfortunately it’s a very unregulated industry and few oils sold in health food stores are – look for certifications)… from a friendly certified aromatherapist 🙂
This little tutorial was awesome! I used Lime essential oil (“freshening”) and it worked really well. I also bought the Witch Hazel with Aloe which added a very nice fresh scent, as well as a soothing quality. It was fun, and with the help of my 8YO son, adventurous as well. Making the cleaner made him want to clean my mats (all of them), which was a WIN WIN!
XO
Oops! I just made 4x 100ml with witchazel containing alcohol. Does anyone know if i need to throw this away?
Also im adding 10 drops of essential oil to 100ml of combined distilled water & witch hazel. Does that seem right?
Ps. Adrienne – youre amazing. I’ve learned so much from you. THANK YOU
So excited I found this recipe for a gentle, effective way to clean my yoga mat! Thank you for sharing Adriene
Thank you for posting this. The studio I go to has a good smelling cleaner and I wanted one for home practice as well. I started yoga this year to help recover from a back injury and I’m feeling so much better! The scent does has positive association for me so I think it does make practice that much better. Between your videos (thank you) and the studio classes and my own routine, I’m on the mend. Hurrah!