For the last year, I've been spending a small fortune on candles. For whatever reason, burning them—and being enveloped in a gorgeous scent—has brought me comfort. But I've also realized that I'm quite literally burning through money, and also that having an open flame in my apartment for 16 hours a day is probably not the best for one's lungs. We had received a diffuser as a gift (thanks, Christine!) a few years ago, but I've found that most essential oils are either too basic and/or not strong enough for my taste—until I discovered Santal oil from Doratelier on a tip from another blogger (thanks, Katwalk!). This tiny vial of delight has brought me so much joy that I couldn't wait to share all the ways I'm using it to scent my home.
In a diffuser
So first things first, Santal oil smells exactly like Le Labo Santal 33, which you can purchase in perfume, candle, or laundry detergent form. I do own the perfume oil, and while I like it on my skin, I actually prefer it more as a home scent, although, at $152, it's prohibitively expensive. The Amazon version, however, smells exactly like the real thing and is only $18—it is basically the dupe to end all dupes. (Side note: the branding is a weeee bit close to Le Labo's, and if I were an intellectual property lawyer, I'd be licking my chops right about now. But I digress.) My gateway drug for this oil was to put it in my diffuser—I do about 8 drops with the maximum amount of water, and together, it's about 5 or 6 hours of pure blissful scent. I let my diffuser run for 3 hours at a time, twice a day, and my apartment pretty much smells like Santal 33 24/7. I know it seems like such a small thing, but I can't tell you how happy it makes me. I feel like I'm winning at life, such as it is nowadays.
On dryer balls
I had legitimately never heard of dryer balls until I read a random blogger's article on life hacks, and now I wonder how I ever lived without them. If you have a pet, clothes that pill or attract lint, or a not-so-efficient dryer, these woolen balls will change your life. Mine are made from 100% New Zealand wool, and they can last for 1,000+ loads, saving a ton of money on dryer sheets and creating little to no waste (they're biodegradable!). The icing on the woolen, eco-friendly cake is that you can sprinkle them with essential oils to scent your laundry and—you know where this is going—of course I use Santal oil on them. I do about 4-5 drops per ball (and I use 3-4 balls per load because I have a teeny-tiny dryer) and my sheets and towels now smell like pure heaven. I literally can't wait to do another load of laundry, and I think that's the first time in my life that I've ever said that.
DIY air freshener
The one place in my home where I use Air Freshener is the bathroom, because, well, you know. Most air freshener smells really cheap to me, except for the expensive stuff, which tends to come in a glass bottle and thus makes me nervous about dropping and breaking it for some reason. Case in point: the home fragrance spray version of Santal 26 (Side note: why is the home version 26 and the personal version 33? God only knows...), which is $120 and comes in a big ol' glass bottle. Sorry, but that's just ridiculous. Luckily, you can use your Santal oil to make your own air freshener! All you need is a little spray bottle, some witch hazel, filtered water, and your trusty oil. Fill the bottle halfway with the witch hazel (it helps dissolve the oil in the water), fill the rest with distilled water, then add about 25 drops of oil (or more) and voilà. Now you have a layered effect of linens, diffuser, and air freshener, and your home will smell ah-may-zing at all times. (You're welcome!)
