Antonio Mcgowan
Creating your own lavender perfume is a fun and simple process that can be done at home. The first step is to collect fresh or dried lavender flowers and leaves, which can be picked from your garden or purchased. You can also add other complementary essential oils, such as vanilla oleoresin, to enhance the scent and provide aromatherapy benefits. The next step is to crush the lavender with a pestle and mortar and submerge it in distilled water or a carrier oil such as jojoba, light olive oil, almond oil, or grapeseed oil. After a few hours, strain the mixture into a glass bottle and add a tight-fitting screw cap. You can also include a small amount of alcohol to create a cologne, which has a more subtle fragrance and a cooling effect on the skin. Finally, you can decorate your bottle with a personalised label and enjoy your unique, natural perfume.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Lavender, carrier oil (jojoba, almond, grapeseed, olive, or coconut oil), essential oils, alcohol, water |
| Equipment | Glass bottle with a tight-fitting screw cap, small funnel, roller ball lid |
| Method | Clean and crush lavender with a pestle and mortar, submerge in distilled water for 4 hours, strain into a glass bottle, add carrier oil and essential oils, shake to blend |
| Notes | Perfume can contain up to 40% essential oils, cologne has a higher alcohol content and lower essential oil percentage (5%) |
| Additional Tips | Leave the blend to "marry" for 24 hours before testing the aroma, inhale deeply when applying for aromatherapy benefits |
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What You'll Learn
Gather lavender flowers and leaves
To make your own lavender perfume, you'll need to start by gathering lavender flowers and leaves. You can purchase dried lavender flowers, but for a more authentic and sensory experience, you might want to collect fresh lavender from your garden or a local farm.
When collecting lavender flowers and leaves, use baskets or trays to hold your fragrant treasures. You can strip the leaves, crush the flowers, and roll the stems to fit into your bottles. You can also add some dried lavender to your collection for a more intense fragrance.
If you're using fresh lavender, make sure to clean and crush the flowers and leaves with a pestle and mortar before proceeding to the next steps of making your perfume. This will help to release the essential oils and intensify the fragrance.
Another option is to fill your chosen bottles with lavender buds. You can fill each bottle with 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of lavender buds, depending on your preferred intensity. This method will infuse your carrier oil with the lavender scent, creating a subtle and natural perfume.
Whether you choose to use fresh or dried lavender, the process of gathering lavender flowers and leaves is an enjoyable and sensory experience that allows you to connect with nature and create a unique, personalised fragrance.
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Use a pestle and mortar to crush lavender
To make your own lavender perfume, you'll need to crush the lavender buds to release their aromatic oils. One way to do this is with a pestle and mortar.
First, make sure you have organic lavender buds, grown without pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. You can grow your own or purchase processed buds. If you're picking the buds yourself, spend a few hours gently stripping the flowers off the stems using your thumbnail and index fingernail. The stalks do contain oil, but not as much as the buds.
Next, dry the buds. Avoid placing them in direct sunlight—it's best to let them dry in the shade or in a darkened room.
Now, you're ready to use your pestle and mortar. Place the lavender buds in the mortar and use the pestle to lightly crush them. You just want to bruise the flowers to release their oil, so be gentle—too much agitation will result in a soupy mess.
Once you've lightly crushed the buds, you can move on to the next step in your perfume-making process.
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Add a carrier oil
Classic perfumes use a non-scented carrier oil to form the base of the fragrance. For lavender perfumes, jojoba oil is a good option as it is nearly odourless. If you want a carrier that complements and enhances the skin benefits of lavender, you might try a very light olive oil. However, avoid olive oils with an aggressive scent. You can also use almond oil, grapeseed oil, or fractionated coconut oil if you find the scent profile to your liking.
When making your own lavender perfume, you can fill a bottle with 1/8-1/4 tsp of lavender buds if you are using them. Then, carefully fill the bottle with your chosen carrier oil, leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top. Next, add your essential oils. If there is still space in the bottle, fill it up with more carrier oil.
Carrier oils are also important for diluting essential oils. Lavender is one of the few essential oils that can be applied directly to the skin, but it is usually reserved for treating burns and insect bites. It is more elegant if mixed with a few other basic ingredients. A perfume can contain up to 40% essential oils, while a cologne has far less (about 5%) and a higher alcohol content.
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Include essential oils
Essential oils are a key ingredient in creating your own lavender perfume. Firstly, it is important to understand the different types of notes in a fragrance. The top note is the first scent you detect, followed by the middle or heart note, and finally, the base note is the lasting impression.
When creating a lavender perfume, you can use essential oils to achieve these different notes. The top note of lavender oil is floral with distinct lavender properties. To achieve this, you can use a carrier oil such as jojoba, a light olive oil, almond oil, or grapeseed oil, and add lavender essential oil. The middle note of a lavender fragrance is woody or herbal, which can be achieved by distilling a small portion of the lavender stem. Finally, the base note is a small proportion of camphor, reminiscent of rosemary or geranium.
You can also get creative and experiment with different essential oils to complement the lavender. Lavender is known to complement almost any other essential oil fragrance, so you can try mixing different proportions to create a unique scent. For example, you can add vanilla oleoresin essential oil or vanilla extract to your blend for a sweet and relaxing aroma.
When adding essential oils to your perfume, it is important to consider the concentration. Perfumes can contain up to 40% essential oils, while colognes typically have a lower concentration of about 5% and a higher alcohol content. If you are using essential oils, be sure to follow safety guidelines and dilute them appropriately, as some oils can be applied directly to the skin, while others are meant for aromatherapy only.
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Leave to settle and test
Once you have prepared your lavender perfume, it is important to leave it to settle before testing it. This process allows the ingredients to blend and mature, enhancing the fragrance. The length of settling time can vary depending on the recipe and ingredients used. For example, some recipes recommend leaving the mixture for 24 hours to let the blend "marry", while others suggest longer periods. During this time, you can prepare labels or decorate the bottles to your liking. You can also use this time to create additional scented items, such as sachets or scented bags, to complement your perfume.
After the settling period, it's time to test your lavender perfume. Apply it to your wrists and behind your ears, just as you would with any other perfume. Take a moment to inhale the fragrance deeply, as this provides aromatherapy benefits and a sense of relaxation. Compare the aroma to your expectations and make a note of any adjustments you may want to make for future batches. Remember that natural perfumes may require more frequent applications throughout the day to maintain the scent.
If you are gifting your lavender perfume, this testing phase is an excellent opportunity to gather feedback from friends and family. You can ask for their honest opinions on the fragrance, presentation, and overall experience. Their insights can help refine your perfume-making process and make your gifts even more special.
The beauty of creating your own lavender perfume is that you can customise it to your preferences. If you find the scent too subtle or strong, adjust the amount of lavender or experiment with different carrier oils and essential oils. You can also explore complementing the lavender with other essential oil fragrances, as lavender is known to pair well with many other scents.
Through this process of settling and testing, you will refine your craft and develop a deeper understanding of fragrance creation. Each batch will be a unique learning experience, bringing you closer to your ideal lavender perfume.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need lavender (fresh or dried flowers, buds, or essential oil), a carrier oil (jojoba, almond, light olive, grapeseed, or sunflower oil), a container (a glass bottle with a tight-fitting screw cap or a roll-on bottle), and optionally, other essential oils or alcohol.
First, prepare your lavender by cleaning and crushing it with a pestle and mortar, then submerging it in distilled water for a few hours. Next, add your carrier oil, leaving some space at the top of the bottle. Then, add your essential oils, and fill the rest of the bottle with more carrier oil if needed. Finally, seal the bottle and shake it to blend your perfume. Let the blend sit for 24 hours before testing the aroma.
You can experiment with different types and amounts of carrier oils and essential oils to create unique fragrance profiles. You can also try adding alcohol to your perfume, which will give it a cooling effect on the skin and make the intensity of the fragrance more subtle. Additionally, you can use dried lavender flowers to decorate your perfume bottle.
