Fresh Linen Essential Oil Recipe + DIY Clean Cotton Candle

Learn how to make a fresh linen essential oil recipe! This homemade essential oil blend is the perfect scent to refresh your home and fill your space with the crisp aroma of freshly washed laundry. The post also includes a candle-making tutorial showing you how to make a DIY clean cotton candle.

DIY fresh linen essential oil recipe

My sister Cyna LOVES scented candles, and Yankee Candle’s Clean Cotton is one of her favorites. Every time they’re on sale at Debenhams, she buys them by the dozen. She’s also asked me for years to create a homemade version and come up with a DIY clean cotton essential oil recipe.

It took me quite a few trials, but I’m convinced that my fresh linen essential oil recipe is one of the best essential oil blends. It’s made with pure, high-quality essential oils and has that fresh, clean scent that we associate with the smell of freshly washed laundry and clothes.

What is fresh linen essential oil?

Is there a linen essential oil? On the risk of stating the obvious: fresh linen essential oil technically doesn’t exist. It’s always a blend of different essential oils, not a single oil.

You may find fresh linen or clean cotton oils offered in craft stores or online. Again, these products are blends, not a pure essential oil. And more often than not, they’re made with synthetic fragrances, without any traces of real essential oils.

What does fresh linen smell like?

Fresh linen is a clean, crisp scent that resembles the smell of laundry fresh from the dryer, still warm, and super cushiony. Some also say that the fresh linen fragrance evokes the smell of fabric softener, crisp sheets,or laundry drying in the sun.

What is fresh linen scent made of?

Since there is no exact definition of what “fresh linen essential oil” smells like, I sought out different candle and air freshener brands. I bought a few products from Yankee Candle, Glade, Airwick, and others for reference and looked up how each company described the composition of their scent.

I found a common theme of musky undertones, greens, white florals, and hints of citrus. Some products contain scents of “lily of the valley,” “powder,” or “ozone,” which we can’t replicate since no such essential oils exist.

Materials for a fresh linen scent

What essential oils make clean linen scent? Since it’s Cyna’s favorite, I based my fresh linen essential oil recipe on Yankee Candle’s clean cotton scent. You’ll need:

• Top notes: bergamot and petitgrain
• Middle notes: rose absolute, jasmine absolute, and clary sage
• Base notes: vetiver, cedar, and elemi

The top notes provide the first impression of the scent and will evaporate the quickest. The middle notes make up the main body of the fragrance and are also known as the heart or bouquet notes.

The base notes ground the scent and create the final impression. They also act as a fixative for the top two notes, making them last longer.

Here’s a breakdown of the quantities. If you’re making this blend for the first time and want to give it a test run to see how you like it, use the following amounts (makes 20 drops / 1 g):

• 2 drops petitgrain essential oil
• 3 drops bergamot essential oil
• 4 drops jasmine absolute
• 3 drops rose absolute
• 3 drops clary sage essential oil
• 2 drops vetiver essential oil
• 2 drops cedar essential oil
• 1 drop elemi essential oil

If you love the scent and want to mix a larger batch, use the following quantities, which yield 100 drops / 5 g (approx. 5 ml):

• 10 drops / 0.5 g petitgrain essential oil
• 16 drops / 0.8 g bergamot essential oil
• 20 drops / 1 g jasmine absolute
• 17 drops / 0.85 g rose absolute
• 12 drops / 0.6 g clary sage essential oil
• 10 drops / 0.5 g vetiver essential oil
• 10 drops / 0.5 g cedar essential oil
• 5 drops / 0.25 g elemi essential oil

How to make fresh linen essential oil blend

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, follow these quick steps for how to make clean linen scent with essential oils:

1. Remove the cap from a 5 ml amber glass essential oil bottle. This recipe makes approximately 5 ml, but you can easily reduce or double the amounts.
2. Using a small funnel, transfer the essential oils into the bottle.
3. Attach the dropper cap and close the bottle tightly.
4. Give it a good shake to blend everything together and optionally apply the printable label.
5. Let the blend rest for 1 to 2 days before use, as the fragrance can change a little during this time.

Tips for the best fresh linen essential oil

• Most perfumery recipes recommend that you don’t use more than 3 to 7 essential oils per blend. Since fresh linen is a fairly complex fragrance, I used slightly more than that.
• I don’t recommend sniffing at the bottle because the undiluted blend is extremely concentrated. To get a true feel of what this linen scent smells like, put a drop on a cotton ball and inhale.
• Consider this recipe as a suggestion. This is just my take on clean linen essential oil and what I feel smells close to a clean cotton fragrance. Everyone’s sense of smell is different, and so feel free to play around with my formula and try different ratios to make the fresh laundry scent perfect for you.
• Smell coffee beans or ground coffee if you need to clear your smell palate while blending.

Variations

I experimented with different fresh essential oil blends and came up with 2 additional variations that I really like.

Clean cotton essential oil blend

Clean cotton is a warm, homely aroma with a touch of vanilla:

• 2 drops petitgrain essential oil
• 3 drops bergamot essential oil
• 4 drops rose absolute
• 3 drops geranium essential oil
• 1 drop clary sage essential oil
• 2 drops vanilla oleoresin
• 3 drops vetiver essential oil
• 2 drops Siam wood

Clean Linen essential oil recipe

Clean linen contains more citrus oils and smells ultra-refreshing:

• 2 drops lime essential oil
• 3 drops bergamot essential oil
• 1 drop lemon essential oil
• 4 drops jasmine absolute
• 3 drops rose absolute
• 3 drops clary sage essential oil
• 2 drops vetiver essential oil
• 2 drops ho wood essential oil

How to use fresh linen essential oil blend

What is fresh linen essential oil good for? There are so many applications how you can use your fresh linen scent essential oil recipe. I’ve listed a few ideas for you below:

• Diffuser: Diffusing is the easiest and quickest way to enjoy your clean linen scent. Simply fill the basin of your diffuser with water, add 3 to 6 drops of the linen essential oil mix, and start it up.
• Room spray: Mix 20 drops / 1 g fresh line essential oil with 1 cup / 120 ml vodka and transfer into a fine mist bottle. Spray a few spritzes into the air to freshen up your space.
• Linen spray: To make a refreshing linen spray, follow the instructions for room spray. Instead of applying the spray directly to your clothes or linen, which could result in discoloration, spritz the linen spray on fabric scraps or cotton rounds and place them in your linen cabinet.
• Potpourri: Fill a decorative bowl with dried plant materials (leaves, flowers), stones, and pieces of wood. Sprinkle a few drops over the arrangement and top up as necessary.
• Wax melts: Melt 1 cup / g soy wax flakes in a double boiler. Let cool slightly and add 100 drops / 5 g linen oil blend. Pour into a silicone mold and let harden. Check out my post on homemade wax melts for more detailed instructions.
• Candles: Scroll to the end of the post to see how to make a homemade fresh line candle.

FAQ

What essential oils smell like fresh linen?

None. You’d have a hard time finding a single essential oil that smells like fresh linen. As I explained earlier, the fresh linen scent is a blend of different smells, including florals, greens, and citrus.

Is fresh linen fragrance oil natural?

No, clean linen fragrance oil is probably not natural. The term “fragrance oil” usually indicates that the scent was developed in a lab and synthetically made, whereas essential oils are sourced from plant materials.

Synthetic fragrance is a pretty broad term and doesn’t automatically mean bad or unhealthy. If you prefer to use a clean cotton fragrance oil, be sure to check that your scent oil of choice is free of phthalates, parabens, nitro musk, and formaldehyde. These chemicals are suspected to be cancerogenic and disrupt the endocrine system.

Is fresh linen essential oil natural?

Yes, my clean cotton scent is natural. To ensure you have a natural product, only buy pure therapy-grade essential oils from a reputable company. I like Plant Therapy (US) and Tisserand (UK).

Is fresh linen essential oil good for aromatherapy?

Yes, the essential oils in this fresh linen fragrance recipe have aromatherapy benefits. Each oil offers different benefits that complement each other. Here are the possible fresh linen essential oil benefits:

• Bergamot and petitgrain are said to alleviate stress and alleviate the mood.
• Rose can help to combat anxiety and headaches, while jasmine provides calm and positive emotions.
• Clary sage can aid to soothe and relax the mind and improve your overall wellbeing.
• Vetiver encourages feelings of tranquility + confidence and helps to relieve nervousness.
• Cedar and elemi are grounding essential oils and restore a sense of peace and serenity.

Can I use this clean cotton essential oil blend in skin care?

Yes, but with reservations. I totally understand that you might want to create fresh linen-scented soap or body butter. However, I developed this fresh essential oil recipe for home fragrance applications, not with skincare in mind, so we need to take a few precautions.

This fresh linen scent contains a great number of essential oils, which can cause skin irritation. I recommend that you only use the blend at a concentration of 0.5% to 1.5% in your formulation.

You also need to make sure that your citrus oils (bergamot, lemon, lime) are steam-distilled. Otherwise, they can cause a phototoxic reaction if your skin is exposed to the sun.

Finally, be sure to perform a patch test to see how your skin reacts to the linen scent. To this, dilute 1 drop fresh line essential oil in 1 tsp liquid plant oil (coconut oil, jojoba oil, etc.). Apply a little to your arm or elbow and wait for 24 hours. If you see no reaction, you can include linen oil in your skin care products.

Is this homemade fresh linen essential oil safe for pets?

My fresh linen scent essential oil is safe for dogs, but the citrus oils are toxic to cats if ingested or through skin contact. Diffusing essential oils or lightening a candle around pets is generally safe, but should be avoided for pets with respiratory problems.

You should also leave a door open, so your furry friends have the option to move to another area if they don’t like the fresh linen smell.

Storage and shelf life

How to store fresh linen essential oil

For the best shelf life, store your clean linen scent essential oil in an amber glass dropper bottle at room temperature. You can download printable labels at the end of the post, after the DIY box.

When you’re not using your clean linen essential oil, keep the essential oil bottle tightly closed tightly and avoid direct sunlight and heat. UV rays and heat degrade volatile essential oils, and your blend would lose its fragrance intensity.

How long does this clean cotton essential oil recipe last?

When using this fresh linen oil blend, you might notice the smell changing after a few hours. The reason is that some essential oils evaporate quicker than others. The fastest to evaporate are the top notes, while the base notes last the longest, and the middle notes ranging in the middle of the other two.

How to make DIY clean cotton candles

Before ending this post, I thought it would be fun to show you how to create your own fresh linen scented soy candles. Since making homemade essential oil candles isn’t the main focus of this post, I’ll keep the instructions relatively brief.

Check out my other candle-making tutorials if you want to learn how to make natural candles in more detail, for example, these lavender candles, pumpkin spice candles, citronella candles, and eucalyptus candle recipe.

Supplies and materials

The following materials are enough for one 7-oz soy candle:

• 7-oz / 200 g / 1 cup soy wax flakes (I used Golden Brands 464 soy wax) 
• 100 drops / 5 g fresh linen essential oil blend (see recipe above) 
• 1 pre-tapped cotton wick 
• 1 x 7-oz / 200 ml heatproof container (I used a flip-top glass jar)
• wax melting pot 
• spoon or stirrer
• infrared thermometer 
• wick holders 
• scissors

Instructions

Here are the easy steps for how to make a DIY fresh linen candle:

1. Prep work. Measure the materials and set everything up. Ensure that the candle containers are dry and clean.
2. Melt the wax. Add the wax to a heatproof pot or pitcher (something with a spout works best). Melt the wax over medium-high heat, occasionally stirring. Heat until the wax reaches 156°F / 68°C on a thermometer.
3. Add the linen essential oil. At 156°F / 68°C, take the wax off the heat and add the fresh linen essential oil. Stir the mixture 30 to 40 times so ensure the wax and essential oil bind together. Let the wax cool to 135° F / 57°C, which is the best temperature to pour 464 soy wax.
4. Pour the candle. Give the wax a good stir, and then pour it into your candle container. Thread the wick through the wick holder and secure it in the notch. Place the wick in the center of the candle.
5. Cool. Let the candle cool overnight at room temperature.
6. Cure. Cover the candles with a lid and let them rest at room temperature for 3 days to 1 week.
7. Light the clean cotton candle. Cut the candle wick to 1/4 in / 0.6 cm before lighting because that wick length will give the best burn. When burning your DIY clean linen candle for the first time, let the candle burn until the entire surface has melted to the edge of the container. Be sure to place your homemade essential oil candle on a heatproof surface, away from anything flammable (e.g., curtains). Never leave a burning candle unattended and extinguish the flame if you leave the room. Take extra precautions if small children or pets are around.