Katrina Rosales
Making your own perfume at home is a fun and easy way to create a unique scent that you love. It's also a great way to save money, as brand-name perfumes can be quite expensive. All you need are a few simple ingredients, such as essential oils, a base like vodka or rubbing alcohol, and possibly some carrier oil, along with a glass bottle or container to store your creation. The process is straightforward: simply mix your chosen ingredients, let them infuse, and then transfer the liquid to a bottle—preferably dark glass to protect your perfume from light. You can even get creative and experiment with different scent profiles, like floral, musky, or energizing fragrances, or model your scent after your favourite foods and drinks.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Essential oils, carrier oils, alcohol, flower petals, vanilla beans, glycerine, distilled/spring water, beeswax |
| Equipment | Glass bowl, saucepan, glass spray bottle, coffee filter, funnel, pipette/dropper |
| Process | Clean glassware, prepare ingredients, mix, infuse, simmer, cool, strain, store |
| Notes | Top, middle, base |
| Top Notes | Citrus, Bergamot, Lemon, Grapefruit, Lime, Spearmint, Peppermint, Mandarin, Jasmine, Orange Blossoms |
| Middle Notes | Coriander, Palmarosa, Marjoram, Basil, Rosemary, Rose Geranium, Petitgrain, Lavender |
| Base Notes | Patchouli, Vetiver, Frankincense, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Amber, Oakmoss |
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What You'll Learn
Choosing a base: alcohol, jojoba, or coconut oil
When making perfume at home, the base you choose depends on the type of scent you want to create. The two most common diluents in perfumery are alcohol and oil. Each brings its unique characteristics to the final product, influencing the fragrance's diffusion, intensity, and longevity.
Alcohol-based perfumes have a faster evaporation rate and require strong fixatives, many of which are synthetic and harmful. Alcohol is a good option if you want to be able to spray your perfume, as it functions as a preservative. Alcohol lifts a fragrance, and as it evaporates, the scent will radiate outward. Vodka is a popular choice for homemade perfumes as it helps to extract the scent from ingredients like rose petals and acts as a preservative.
On the other hand, oil-based perfumes have a slower evaporation rate, allowing the scent to linger longer on the skin. Oils provide moisturizing benefits, making them an excellent choice for dry skin types. The most commonly used perfume oils are fractionated coconut oil, jojoba oil, and sweet almond oil. Fractionated coconut oil is odourless, colourless, and has an indefinite shelf life, making it a perfect neutral base that doesn't interfere with the fragrance profile. Jojoba oil is also a popular choice due to its long shelf life and similarity to the skin's natural sebum, making it an excellent carrier for perfume oils. Sweet almond oil is known for its pleasant, nutty aroma and is often used for a warmer, subtly sweet base.
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Selecting essential oils: floral, herbal, or citrus
When making perfume at home, you can select essential oils based on their unique top, middle, and base notes to create a well-rounded scent profile. Each essential oil falls into one of these three fragrance layers:
- Top notes are the scent that you smell first. Examples include citrus scents like lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, lemongrass, and tangerine.
- Middle notes come out after the top note fades. Examples include floral scents like rose, geranium, jasmine, magnolia, peony, and ylang-ylang.
- Base notes provide depth and linger the longest. Examples include woodsy scents like cedarwood, sandalwood, and patchouli.
You can also experiment with other essential oils to create different scent profiles. For example, you can use herbal essential oils like chamomile, lavender, peppermint, clary sage, and eucalyptus, or spicy essential oils like cinnamon, clove, cardamom, frankincense, and ginger.
When selecting essential oils, it is important to consider the number of oils you will use. A good rule of thumb is to use three essential oils, including one top note, one middle note, and one base note. However, as you become more experienced, you can start to experiment and increase the combinations. For example, you can use the 30/50/20 rule, which involves adding 30% of a top note, 50% of a middle note, and 20% of a base note.
In addition to the types and number of essential oils, you should also consider the concentration of essential oils in your perfume. A safe concentration of essential oils in your carrier oil mixture is 20%. This means that for a 5 ml bottle, you will need 80 drops of carrier oil and 20 drops of essential oil.
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Using a carrier oil: almond, for instance
Making liquid perfume at home is a fun and rewarding process. You can create a natural, handmade fragrance that is uniquely yours.
Carrier oils are what carry the scents in a fragrance onto your skin. They help to dilute essential oils and ensure they are safe for the skin. Almond oil is a great option as it is gentle, has a mild, sweet aroma, and is rich in vitamins A and E, nourishing the skin while providing a smooth base for your perfume. It is also known for its moisturising properties.
To make a liquid perfume with almond oil, you will need a minimum of three essential oils. Essential oils are highly concentrated and retain their natural plant and herbal properties, so a 20% concentration in a carrier oil is recommended. You can choose essential oils for their unique top, middle, and base notes to create a well-rounded scent profile. For a 5ml bottle, you will need 100 drops of liquid, with 20 drops of essential oils and 80 drops of carrier oil.
First, decide on your essential oils and their ratios. A good rule of thumb to follow is the 30/50/20 rule: 30% top note (6 drops), 50% middle note (10 drops), and 20% base note (4 drops). Mix your essential oils in a separate bowl, adding more or less depending on how strong you want your perfume to be. You can also add vodka to your mixture as a preservative to help dissolve the essential oils and enhance the longevity of your perfume.
Next, add your almond carrier oil. You can also add beeswax to solidify your perfume and help seal in the fragrance, making it last longer. Heat the beeswax on low to medium heat, stirring as it melts. Once melted, remove from the heat and add your essential oil mixture, stirring gently.
Finally, pour your liquid perfume into a glass container or tin and allow it to cool and solidify. You can then transfer your perfume to a glass spray bottle. To make your perfume last longer, store it in the refrigerator.
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Adding water and glycerine
Adding water to your perfume can be beneficial in small amounts, such as 5%. It can make your perfume last longer as it will not evaporate as quickly. However, it is important to note that water can create solubility problems and make your fragrance sticky. If you are using perfumer's alcohol that contains isopropyl myristate, it is advised not to add water as your mixture may turn cloudy.
Glycerine is a humectant, which means it attracts water molecules from the air and can make your perfume too moist. It can also create solubility issues and make your fragrance sticky. However, glycerine can be useful as a carrier agent for fragrance diffusers.
When making perfume at home, it is important to use dark glass containers as they protect your perfume from light, which can shorten its lifespan. You can add 2 tablespoons of bottled water to your perfume and shake the bottle vigorously for one minute to ensure the contents are well blended. You can then transfer your perfume to another bottle using a funnel.
Some recipes for homemade perfume include vodka, which acts as a preservative and helps dissolve essential oils. It also enhances the longevity of the perfume. You can also experiment with different essential oils to create your desired scent profile.
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Storing in a dark glass bottle
When making liquid perfume at home, it is important to store your creation in a dark glass bottle. Dark glass bottles are recommended because they protect your perfume from light, which can shorten its lifespan. If you use a clear glass bottle, you will need to cover it with aluminium foil or wrapping paper.
You can reuse old bottles, but make sure they are properly cleaned and sterilised before use. Wash them with the hottest water possible, then place them in a baking pan and dry them in the oven at 110 degrees Celsius. You can also sterilise them in the dishwasher, especially if you are reusing bottles.
When transferring your perfume to the bottle, use a funnel to avoid spillages. If you are giving the perfume as a gift, you may want to transfer it to a fancy bottle. You may also want to label the bottle with the ingredients and the date so that you can keep track of how long it lasts.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need essential oils, a base such as vodka, rubbing alcohol, or carrier oil, and a container to hold the perfume. You can also add beeswax to solidify the perfume.
The essential oils you use depend on the scent you want to create. Common top notes include citrus fragrances like lemon, orange, and grapefruit, while middle notes include coriander and basil. Base notes include patchouli and sandalwood. You can also use flower petals such as rose and lavender.
It is recommended to use dark glass containers as they protect your perfume from light, which can shorten its lifespan. You can reuse old bottles as long as they do not contain any residual scents unless you want them to be part of your perfume.
After choosing your ingredients, add the base notes, then the middle notes, and finally the top notes. If you are using flower petals, wash them and soak them overnight in a cheesecloth-lined bowl. Squeeze the pouch of flowers over a saucepan and simmer the extract over low heat until you are left with a teaspoon of liquid. Pour in cold water and let it set overnight. Add 2 tablespoons of distilled/spring water and 5 drops of glycerine to preserve the fragrance. Pour the perfume into your bottle and shake vigorously for 1 minute to ensure the contents are well blended.
