Katrina Rosales
Making natural perfumes at home is a simple and cost-effective way to create a unique scent. Using essential oils, a carrier oil, and alcohol, you can blend your own fragrance without the use of synthetic ingredients. The process is straightforward: choose 1-3 essential oils with scents you love, such as floral, musky, or citrus notes, and blend them with a carrier oil like coconut or jojoba oil. You can then add alcohol to create an eau de parfum or eau de toilette, which can be sprayed or rolled on for a subtler scent. With some experimentation, you can create a signature fragrance that is healthy, inexpensive, and perfect for gift-giving.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Essential oils, carrier oil, alcohol |
| Container | Glass roll-on bottles, atomizer bottle, spray bottle |
| Scent | Floral, musky, energizing, citrus, etc. |
| Notes | Top, middle, base |
| Cost | $30-40 |
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What You'll Learn
Choose a base: e.g. rubbing alcohol, jojoba, coconut oil
When making a natural perfume, it's important to choose a base that will complement your chosen scent. Here are some popular options for bases:
Rubbing alcohol
Alcohol is a popular base for perfumes as it has little to no scent of its own and will combine well with essential oils to create your desired fragrance. High-proof alcohol is ideal, but if you can't find any, you can use denatured alcohol from a home improvement store or order perfumer's alcohol online. You can also use vodka or grape alcohol.
Jojoba oil
Jojoba oil is a common carrier oil used in natural perfumes. It has a long shelf life and is less likely to irritate the skin. It is often used as a base for oil-based perfumes, which are typically applied directly to the skin using a rollerball or dropper.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is another option for an oil-based perfume base. It has a subtle scent that can enhance the fragrance of essential oils. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so it is suitable for solid perfume formulas.
When choosing a base, consider the type of perfume you want to create. Alcohol-based perfumes are typically sprayable, while oil-based perfumes are often applied directly to the skin.
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Pick essential oils: e.g. floral, musky, citrus
Picking the right essential oils is a crucial step in making natural scented perfumes. You can choose a mix of top, middle, and base notes. Each essential oil falls into one of these three fragrance layers, and they work together to create a harmonious scent.
For top notes, you can choose from a variety of citrus scents, such as lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, lime, orange, tangerine, or lemongrass. These scents are refreshing and energizing, making them perfect for a morning pick-me-up or a summer day.
Middle notes form the heart of your fragrance. Floral scents like rose, geranium, jasmine, magnolia, peony, lavender, or ylang-ylang are popular choices for this layer. They add a romantic, elegant touch to your perfume.
Base notes are the scents that last the longest in your perfume, and they often provide an earthy, sensual, or musky aroma. Examples include vetiver, white musk, ambrette, cedarwood, sandalwood, patchouli, and vanilla.
You can also experiment with gourmand scents like chocolate, caramel, and tonka bean, or spicy notes such as cinnamon, clove, cardamom, frankincense, or ginger.
It's important to note that essential oils are highly concentrated and can cause skin irritation or allergic reactions, so it's recommended to perform a patch test before using them as perfume. Additionally, some essential oils may have health advisories, so be sure to research and select oils that are safe for skin application.
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Blend oils: e.g. top, middle, base notes
Blending oils is an art form that requires creativity and experimentation. While there are no strict rules, there are some guidelines that can help you create harmonious and balanced perfumes.
Firstly, it is essential to understand the different types of fragrance oils used in perfumery: essential oils, aroma chemicals, and fragrance oils. Essential oils are natural plant extracts, while aroma chemicals are synthetic compounds designed to mimic natural scents. Fragrance oils, on the other hand, are blends of essential oils, aroma chemicals, and carrier oils.
When blending oils, it is common to use a combination of top notes, middle notes, and base notes. Top notes are the initial impression of the perfume and tend to be more volatile and noticeable within the first 20-60 minutes after application. Middle notes emerge after the top notes fade and provide a more foundational fragrance, lasting for about an hour or two. Base notes provide depth and longevity to the fragrance and are typically rich and relaxing scents.
To create a well-rounded fragrance, it is recommended to start with a base note, add middle notes for complexity, and finish with top notes for a fresh and inviting scent. For example, you could combine a base note of cedarwood with middle notes of geranium and rosemary, and top notes of sweet orange and lime.
It is also important to consider the intensity, longevity, and compatibility of the oils you are blending. Some oils, such as spicy oils, can overpower a blend, while others, like woodsy notes, can complement a variety of categories. Additionally, the quality of the oils is crucial, and it is recommended to choose oils that are free from additives and synthetic ingredients to ensure purity and potency.
Finally, allow your blends to mature and develop. The aroma of a perfume can change over time as the scent molecules meld together, so it is important to give your blends a few days to sit before making a decision. You can also test your blends on different skin types, as they will smell differently on various people.
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Add alcohol: e.g. perfumer's alcohol, vodka, Everclear
When making natural perfumes, you can use perfumer's alcohol, vodka, Everclear, or even rubbing alcohol. The alcohol you use should be high-proof, with little to no scent, and will combine with the oils to make your perfume. If you can't find a high-proof alcohol, you can use denatured alcohol, which you can buy at most home improvement stores. You can also use perfumer's alcohol, which you can order online.
For a 30ml perfume bottle, you will need 23.5ml of perfumer's alcohol or vodka. If you are using an atomizer bottle, you will need 7ml of 190-proof grain alcohol. If you can get your hands on some Everclear, that is ideal for making perfume at home, but it is illegal in many states. You can also use grape alcohol.
Before adding the alcohol to your perfume, make sure to blend your essential oils together to create your desired scent. You can use a measuring cup and a funnel to pour the alcohol into the bottle of essential oils, minimizing mess and the need to count out individual drops. Once you have added the alcohol, seal the bottle tightly and shake gently to combine the ingredients. You should only need to shake the bottle once to mix the alcohol with the oils. If you are using a clear bottle, you should see that the liquid is one uniform color when it is completely combined.
It is best to leave the blend for at least three hours or, even better, a full day before using it. You can test the perfume by spraying it into the air or onto a piece of paper. Let it dry for about 10 seconds before smelling it, and then adjust the scent by adding 3-5 additional drops of oil to the bottle if needed.
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Bottle: e.g. atomizer, rollerball, glass
When making your own natural perfume, you'll need to consider what type of bottle to use. The type of bottle you choose will depend on the kind of perfume you're making and how you intend to use it.
If you're making an alcohol-based perfume, you can use a spray bottle or atomizer. You can reuse an old perfume bottle, but make sure to wash it out with rubbing alcohol and run it through the dishwasher first. Atomizer bottles typically come in 10ml sizes, but you can also find 1-ounce (30ml) atomizers. If you prefer a subtler scent, you can put your alcohol-based perfume into a rollerball jar.
Glass is the best material for perfume bottles due to its transparency, hardness, and adsorbent properties. However, keep in mind that light, heat, and oxygen can accelerate the aging process of fragrances, so it's important to store your perfumes in a dark place, away from direct sunlight and artificial lighting. You can also keep the bottle in its original packaging and put it inside an airtight bag to ensure that no air or light reaches the bottle.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need essential oils, a base such as rubbing alcohol, jojoba or coconut oil, and a container to hold the perfume.
First, decide on the scent you want to create. Pick 1-3 essential oils for your perfume. You can decide if you want a floral, musky, or energizing scent. Then, blend the oils together. Add 40 drops of carrier oil like coconut oil to the perfume bottle. Add in 10 drops of the essential oil base notes, followed by 5 drops of middle notes, and 5 drops of top notes. Seal the bottle and shake well.
You can store your natural perfume in a glass bottle or a rollerball jar.
