My name is papershotglass and I’ve been smelling things for the past four years. Okay, I’ve been smelling things a lot longer than that, but the degree of thought I put into the basic sense initially was nowhere close to the effort now. You see, I began a little hobby called aromatherapy and perfumery around the previous mentioned time. Suddenly, a smell wasn’t “gross” – it was “balsamic,” and perfumes weren’t just one note numbers like “applelicious” or “cotton candy”; they had layers like a delicious, delicious cake. But at the end of the day, it’s distracting to come home to cake when I just want to relax (and diet!), which is why I decided to give System JO Aroma Mist in Lavender a try.

The bottle is a generous 120 ml and is in a basic non-aerosol spray. The ingredient are just three things: purified water, alcohol and lavender oil. The spray, while some might find a little weak or lacking in a wide range/cone, suits me perfectly fine as it allows me to control the degree of scent in any given place. It has yet to stain fabrics, which I assume is because the molecules of the oil are too small to do much damage, but I tested on a pretty antique dirty rug and an old shirt with no problems. The viscosity is pretty much like water – it’s very hard to tell if there are any oils in there (molecule thing again) which makes the spray a nice even cone and mist. It also lasts for a couple hours (3 or 4 I would say), going strong in the beginning and mellowing out to just the faintest hint.

But what about the most important thing – the scent? Well, it’s definitely authentic lavender and of the more sweet variety rather than the peppery kind. If I was to choose between the kinds I know of (Bulgarian, French, Spike), I would say this is closer to French because it’s a very soft scent with the very slightest peppery aftersmell (is that a word? If it isn’t, I’m making it one). Perhaps a slight mix? In any case, it's definitely not a one note wonder! I typically make my own air fresheners but I’m quickly finding System JO Aroma Mist in Lavender to be an excellent replacement when I just want to relax, pamper and not have to dig through a dozen essential oils.

So I mentioned some slightly technical terms like Bulgarian lavender or Spike. Essentially, lavender can come from different places and much like wine, it can vary with the scent based on the place, how it was grown, soil, etc. English lavender and French smell very sweet while Dutch lavender, with it's higher contents of terpenes (including camphor), adds a sharper overtone to the overall scent. Bulgarian is a lot more floral than say English while Tasmanian is a lot more peppery and a lot less floral. But your mileage may vary.

Some interesting facts about lavender you may or may not know:
The essential oil has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps to heal acne and minor burns and wounds. But the thing lavender is best known for is helping people get to bed a little sooner and stay in there a little longer! The plant has been found to help aid with relaxation and sleep due to the high levels of linalool and linalyl acetate within it. Scientists found that when they exposed test animals to stressful conditions, inhaling linalool saw their stress-elevated levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes fall to near-normal levels compared with the controls. Inhaling linalool also reduced the activity of more than 100 genes that "go into overdrive" in stressful situations (The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry (American Chemical Society)).