Spritz your pillow with This Works Pillow Spray — a soothing blend of lavender, chamomile, and vetiver oils to calm your mind and drift off more easily.
This Works is a self-described “holistic body care” brand that sells scrubs, washes, oils, and ointments that claim to help with everything from acne and dry skin to stress and poor sleep. The unsubtle name alone is enough to make one automatically skeptical. And their popular Deep Sleep pillow spray sounds like a product I decidedly do not need. Yet, I genuinely believe that (agh!)… this works.
The blend of lavender, chamomile, and vetiver comes in a small, simple bottle, and you’re supposed to spritz your pillows, sheets, or pjs (or all three) before you go to bed. The formula, which is specifically designed to be calming, smells amazing but is still neutral. Lightly floral with a little depth, it’s supposed to clue our brains in to the fact that this is the time and place to rest. It’s very much a room smell — not overly perfumey — and not distinctly feminine or masculine. That said, I have 100 percent sprayed it on my clothes before leaving the house because I love it so much.
This Works claims this pillow spray is “proven” to improve sleep and that “89% of panel users fell asleep faster than usual” and “97% of panel users slept better,” though they don’t explain what that panel looked like, how many folks participated, or what the controls were. While I’m not convinced that those claims would bear out in a clinical trial, I am a big believer in ritual and scene-setting when it comes to falling asleep.
Read More: Tips for an Anxiety-Free Bedtime
So many people struggle to get the rest they need, and no single product can fix your sleep cycle. The sleep industry is growing rapidly, and it’s worthwhile to raise your eyebrows at anything that 1. costs money and 2. promises to fix a problem as complex as poor sleep. I don’t think this pillow spray will cure insomnia, or even earn you more than a few extra minutes of rest. But I do think it’s lovely, and I still recommend it.
I’ve had a really hard time winding down in the last year. My mind starts to run laps on me as soon as I hit the pillow — chasing down old memories, missed texts, errands un-run. Anything I can do to cue my brain that it’s time to rest is a bonus: I’ve invested in cozy pajamas, wash my sheets more often than I probably need to, practice sleep meditations, and leave my phone plugged in on the other side of the room. This wind-down ritual now includes a few spritzes of this sweet and soothing pillow spray — and all of that together seems to do the trick.
Read More: How to Optimize Your Sleep
Tell us about your favorite wind-down ritual by tagging us on Instagram with #avocadomagazine.
Shop Pillows
The Essential Organic Pillow Collection
Gentle, breathable, non-toxic support.