Creating Your Signature Scent: Making Cologne At Home

Creating your own cologne is a fun and rewarding hobby that allows you to express your creativity and develop a unique fragrance that defines your olfactory footprint. While it may seem daunting at first, making your own cologne is fairly simple and only requires a few basic ingredients and tools. In this guide, we will explore the steps and techniques involved in crafting your signature scent, from understanding fragrance scales and notes to blending essential oils and preserving your final product. So, get ready to dive into the world of perfumery and discover how to make your own bespoke cologne!

Choosing your essential oils

The essential oils you choose will make or break your cologne. It's important to select the right oils and understand how they work together.

Understanding fragrance notes

Fragrance notes are divided into three classes: top, middle, and base. Top notes are the first scent you'll notice after application, but they also fade the quickest. The middle notes come through next, blending the scents together, and the base notes are the longest-lasting scents.

When creating your cologne, you'll want to include a mix of these different notes to create a well-rounded fragrance. A good starting point is to use approximately 10-15% top notes, 25-30% middle notes, and 55-65% base notes. However, you can play around with these percentages and adjust them as needed.

Popular essential oils for cologne

There are many different types of essential oils that can be used in cologne, but some are more popular than others. Here are some of the most common essential oils used in men's colognes:

• Bergamot
• Cedarwood
• Sandalwood
• Basil
• Cinnamon
• Black pepper
• Wild orange
• Frankincense
• Lemon
• Cardamom
• Ylang-ylang
• Vetiver
• Lemongrass
• Douglas fir
• Clove
• White fir
• Siberian fir
• Lavender

These oils are popular because they have stimulating, refreshing, and natural characteristics. They can also provide additional benefits such as grounding emotions, balancing moods, promoting focus, and boosting the immune system.

Creating your own blend

When creating your own cologne blend, it's important to consider the different aroma categories that essential oils fall into. Some essential oils will not blend well with others, resulting in an unpleasant fragrance. Here are some examples of aroma categories:

• Citrus aromas: Bergamot, orange, lime, and lemongrass
• Herbal aromas: Fennel, spearmint, camphor, and clary sage
• Resin aromas: Frankincense, balsam fir needle, and myrrh
• Spice aromas: Clove, black pepper, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom
• Woodland aromas: Cedarwood, juniper, eucalyptus, cypress, and pine
• Floral aromas: Roman chamomile and neroli
• Exotic aromas: Ylang-ylang, sandalwood, and vetiver

By combining essential oils from different aroma categories, you can create a well-rounded and appealing cologne that suits your personal preferences.

Mixing the oils

Firstly, you must understand the different levels of scent notes and how those notes come together to form the final product. Top notes are the first scents you will smell in a composition and they wear off first, typically lasting about 15 to 20 minutes upon application. Middle notes appear once the top notes dry down and these wear off after an hour or so. Base notes are the foundation of the fragrance and will last on your skin, usually about 5 to 7 hours.

When mixing the oils, it's important to follow the basic pyramid accord, which is 60% base notes, 30% middle notes, and 10% top notes. However, you can adjust the ratios to create the profile you're trying to achieve. For example, you could use 20% base, 50% middle, and 30% top.

When you've decided on the ratios, you can start adding the oils to the alcohol. Start by adding a few drops of a base note, swirling the solution, and smelling it until you're happy with the scent. Then, you can add another base note or move on to the middle notes, and finally the top notes. Make sure to keep track of how many drops of each note you use and what each scent is by keeping a log in a journal or recipe book.

Once you have your desired formula, add two ounces of alcohol. Now, the cologne needs time to compose. Allow the fragrance to brew and sit for 48 hours and then refrigerate for two weeks. After this, shake the mixture so that the molecules can mix.

Finally, the fragrance needs to be diluted. In a spray bottle, add two tablespoons of distilled water and five drops of glycerin. Then, slowly and carefully, swirl in your cologne mixture.

Storing the cologne

Now that you've crafted your own cologne, it's time to talk about storage. Proper storage is key to preserving your cologne's scent and ensuring it lasts for as long as possible. Here are some detailed tips on storing your cologne:

Location, Location, Location

Keep your cologne in a dark, dry place, away from direct sunlight. Sunlight can damage the bottle and its contents, so it's best to avoid displaying your cologne bottles. A closet or drawer is ideal, as it keeps the cologne away from light and temperature fluctuations. Avoid storing your cologne in the bathroom, as the heat and humidity from showers can affect the quality of your cologne. The kitchen is also off-limits due to the high temperatures during cooking.

Original Packaging

It is best to store your cologne in its original bottle and box. The original packaging is designed to protect the cologne from light, air, and temperature changes. If the original bottle is unattractive, you can transfer the cologne to an opaque decorative bottle, but this may expose it to air and cause it to lose some of its scent.

Keep it Sealed

Always keep the cap on your cologne bottle tightly sealed when not in use. Oxygen is perfume's worst enemy, and leaving the cap off can cause the cologne to evaporate and the mixture to become imbalanced.

Avoid Shaking

Resist the urge to shake your cologne bottle before use. Shaking introduces unwanted oxidation and can easily compromise the delicate chemical bonds in the fragrance.

Low and Steady

Store your cologne on a low shelf or in a cabinet. This reduces the risk of breakage if the bottle is knocked over or falls. Spilling a bottle of cologne is wasteful and can leave a strong scent in the room for weeks.

Temperature Control

Maintain a consistent temperature for your cologne. Extremely high or low temperatures can affect its quality. Aim for a temperature of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit if possible. Avoid storing your cologne in the refrigerator unless it is not cold enough to freeze items.

Diluting the solution

Choosing the Right Diluent

The choice of diluent depends on the intended use of your cologne. If you are making an alcohol-based cologne spray, perfumer's alcohol is the best option. This type of alcohol is commonly used in commercial colognes and helps to disperse the essential oils while making the fragrance more intense and long-lasting. However, if you plan to add your cologne to bases such as candles, creams, detergents, or oils, you should opt for Di Propylene Glycol (DPG) as it is more versatile and can be used with non-alcoholic bases.

Dilution Ratios and Techniques

When diluting your cologne materials, it is generally recommended to stick to a 10% concentration for most materials. However, for strong materials like Ethyl Vanillin, Calone, and Violet Leaf, a 1% concentration is sufficient. Use a scale, preferably a jewellery scale that measures down to 0.01g, to ensure accuracy and consistency in your formula. For a 10g solution at 10% concentration, you will need 1g of the material and 9g of the diluent.

Handling Thick Materials

Some materials, such as Tonka Absolute and mimosa absolute, may require gentle heating to liquefy before dilution. Use a water bath by standing the bottle of material in hot water until it becomes more mobile. For thicker materials, an electric leg wax melter can provide additional heat. When working with absolutes, blend them with alcohol and return the mixture to the water bath, stirring carefully to facilitate blending without excessive evaporation.

Don'ts of Dilution

Do not dilute your cologne materials if you intend to add them to bases such as creams, detergents, candles, or soaps. Diluting in a carrier oil is not ideal for perfumery unless you are creating an oil-based fragrance. Additionally, avoid using drops when measuring as it is difficult to achieve accuracy and repeatability.

Time for Dilution

After blending your essential oils and allowing the fragrance to mature, it's time to dilute. Add two tablespoons of distilled water and five drops of glycerin to a spray bottle. Then, slowly and carefully swirl in your bespoke fragrance mixture.

Pouring into a bottle

Now that your cologne has matured, it's time to pour it into a bottle.

First, you'll need to filter the cologne through a coffee filter to remove any sediment. Even if there doesn't seem to be any sediment, it's best to filter just in case.

Next, pour the cologne into a glass perfume bottle using a funnel. You can use a glass perfume bottle with a spray top or a rollerball, depending on your preference. If you're using a spray bottle, you'll need to add distilled water and glycerin to help the cologne spray and stick to your skin.

If you're using a glass perfume bottle with a rollerball, you can fill the bottle with the cologne directly. However, if you're using a spray bottle, you'll need to dilute the cologne first. Add two tablespoons of distilled water and five drops of glycerin to the bottle, swirling slowly and carefully to combine.

Now your cologne is ready to use! You can test it by spraying or rolling it onto your skin and enjoying your unique fragrance.

Remember to store your cologne in a cool, dark place to preserve the fragrance and prevent it from weakening.

Frequently asked questions