Heidi Norton
Creating your own oil-based perfume is a fun and rewarding process that allows you to develop a unique scent that reflects your personality and preferences. The art of perfumery involves blending different notes, including top, middle, and base notes, to create a harmonious fragrance. These notes can be various essential oils, such as citrus, floral, or woody scents, which are combined with a carrier oil like jojoba or sweet almond oil. The ratios of these notes are crucial, with base notes typically comprising the largest proportion for longevity, followed by middle and top notes. The process is both creative and scientific, requiring an understanding of scent combinations and the properties of different oils. With careful formulation, patience, and experimentation, you can craft a signature perfume that expresses your individuality and captivates the senses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Essential oils, fragrance oils, infused oils, flavour extracts (vanilla extract), perfumers alcohol, distilled/spring water, glycerine, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, grape seed oil, beeswax |
| Scent | Citrus, herbal, floral, woody, musk, etc. |
| Notes | Top/head, middle/heart, base |
| Ratios | 2 parts base, 1 part heart, 1 part head, the rest is carrier oil |
| Bottles | Preferably coloured glass |
| Storage | In a cool, dark place, out of direct sunlight |
| Quantity | 5ml, 10ml |
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What You'll Learn
Choose your fragrance oils
Choosing the right fragrance oils is a key step in making perfume. The fragrance oils you choose will depend on the kind of perfume you want to make. Do you prefer woodsy, citrus, floral, or musky scents?
Once you have an idea of the overall scent you want to create, you can start selecting specific fragrance oils. The fragrance oils can be classified into top, middle, and base notes. Top notes are the scents you smell first, and they tend to be lighter fragrances that evaporate quickly. Examples of top notes include citrus fruits like lemon, grapefruit, and bergamot, as well as soft florals. Middle notes, also known as heart notes, provide a balance between the top and base notes. These are usually bright florals, gourmands, fruits, or lighter woods. Examples of middle notes include rose, geranium, iris, jasmine, magnolia, peony, and ylang-ylang.
Base notes are the slowest to evaporate and provide depth and longevity to the perfume. Examples of base notes include vanilla, spices, musks, woods, amber, cedarwood, clove, frankincense, myrrh, patchouli, sandalwood, and vetiver. These notes are typically blended in a ratio of 2 parts base notes to 1 part heart notes and 1 part head notes. However, you can adjust these ratios slightly depending on the strength and smell of your oils and your personal preferences.
When choosing fragrance oils, it's important to consider any health advisories and potential skin irritation. Some fragrance oils, such as citrus oils, can cause photosensitivity, while others like herbaceous oils derived from peppermint, oregano, clove, thyme, and cinnamon may induce allergic reactions. It is recommended to test a small amount of your blend on your forearm to check for any allergic reactions before using it liberally.
Additionally, if you have pets, be cautious when using essential oils as some are considered potentially toxic to animals, including tea tree oil, cinnamon oil, clove oil, and citrus oils.
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Select a carrier oil
Carrier oils are a crucial component of perfume-making as they serve as a base for blending and diluting essential oils. They help to carry and disperse the aromatic molecules of essential oils, allowing the scent to linger on the skin and releasing its fragrance gradually. They also influence the texture and longevity of the perfume.
When selecting a carrier oil, it is important to consider factors such as skin compatibility, scent, and viscosity. Some popular carrier oils include jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, sunflower oil, and grapeseed oil.
Jojoba oil is a popular choice due to its similarity to the skin's natural sebum, ensuring excellent absorption and compatibility with various skin types. It is also highly stable, maintaining the integrity of the fragrance over extended periods. Sweet almond oil is another favoured option for its light and easily absorbable nature, richness in essential fatty acids and vitamins, and its soft and subtle scent. It is particularly suitable for individuals with sensitive skin.
Fractionated coconut oil is a versatile choice as it remains liquid at all temperatures, facilitating the blending process and leaving a non-oily finish. It has a sweet, energizing aroma and is widely used in hair and skin care.
Sunflower oil offers a light and non-greasy texture, while grapeseed oil is known for its skin-nourishing properties.
The choice of carrier oil will depend on your specific requirements and preferences, allowing you to create diverse perfumes with unique characteristics.
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Measure and mix
The first step in making perfume is to decide on the notes you want to include. The three types of notes are base, heart, and head notes. Base notes are the slowest to evaporate and are usually derived from woods and spices. Examples include cedarwood, clove, vanilla, and sandalwood. Heart notes are generally floral, with popular options including rose, geranium, and jasmine. Head notes are potent and assertive, with citrus scents like bergamot, lemon, and grapefruit working well.
Once you have decided on your notes, it is time to measure and mix them together. The ratios of the notes are typically 2 parts base, 1 part heart, and 1 part head. The rest of the mixture is carrier oil, such as jojoba, sweet almond, or grape seed oil. For a 5ml bottle of perfume, this equates to 10 drops of base, 5 drops of heart, 5 drops of head, and 80 drops of carrier oil.
It is important to add the notes in a specific order. Start with the base notes, followed by the heart notes, and finally, the head notes. As you add each material, swirl it in the oil to blend, and smell as you go.
If you are making a larger batch of perfume, the ratios will remain the same, but the number of drops will increase. For a 10ml bottle, use 20 drops of essential oil for a 10% fragrance or 30 drops for a 15% fragrance. This would mean 8 drops of base notes, 6 drops of heart notes, and 6 drops of head notes for a 10% fragrance, and 12 drops of base notes, 9 drops of heart notes, and 9 drops of head notes for a 15% fragrance.
You can also add 2 tablespoons of distilled or spring water to make a perfume spray, along with 5 drops of glycerine to help preserve the fragrance.
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Bottle and store
Once you've blended your perfume, it's time to bottle and store it.
First, you'll need to choose your bottle. You can use a new bottle or reuse an old one. If reusing, make sure to sterilise it first by washing it in the dishwasher. It's important to use a clean and sterile bottle to avoid contaminating your perfume.
Next, carefully pour your perfume into the bottle. If using a narrow-necked bottle, you may need to use a funnel. Leave a small amount of space at the top of the bottle, as you don't want to fill it to the brim. Place the lid on the bottle and seal it tightly.
Label your perfume bottle with the name of your creation and the date it was made. This is especially important if you plan on making multiple perfumes, so you can keep track of them.
Proper storage is essential to maintain the quality of your perfume. Store your perfume in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight. Keep the bottle upright and avoid exposing it to heat, light, oxygen, and moisture, as these elements will cause the perfume to degrade.
If you're using a clear bottle, cover it with aluminium foil or wrapping paper to protect the fragrance from the light.
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Test on skin
Testing your oil-based perfume on your skin is an important step in the creation process. However, it is recommended that you do not spray perfume directly onto your skin when testing it for the first time. This is because your skin absorbs the scent, and the smell will linger on your skin for the rest of the day.
Instead, you can test the perfume on your skin in a few different ways. Firstly, you can ask a staff member at a store for a piece of paper (a sample sheet) to spray the perfume on. They might also have little bottle, glass, or plastic samples that you can take home and test later. If you want to smell the perfume from the paper sample right away, you can ask for coffee beans, which are usually kept at the counter, as they will take away the smell of the perfume.
If you are testing a perfume that you have made yourself, you can apply a small amount to your forearm and wait to see if you have any allergic reactions. You can also test it by applying a small amount to your wrist to experience the different notes of the perfume over time. When you first apply it, you will smell the top note, after 20 minutes you will smell the middle note, and an hour later you will smell the base note.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need a combination of essential oils, fragrance oils, and carrier oils. Common carrier oils include jojoba, sweet almond, or grape seed. You can also add distilled/spring water and glycerine to help preserve the fragrance.
First, decide on the scent profile of your perfume. Choose a combination of top, middle, and base notes. Top notes are light and evaporate quickly, middle notes are mellow and floral, and base notes are rich and deep. Next, add your fragrance oils to your carrier oil, starting with the base notes and working up to the top notes. Swirl the mixture as you add each oil. Finally, pour the mixture into a bottle and store it in a cool, dark place.
The ratio of notes in your perfume is up to your personal preference. However, a common ratio is 2 parts base, 1 part heart, and 1 part head. The rest of the mixture is carrier oil. For a 5ml bottle of perfume, this would translate to 10 drops of base, 5 drops of heart, 5 drops of head, and 80 drops of carrier oil.
