Make Perfume, a Heavenly Scent You Can Afford

The process to make perfume is really quite simple, although if you plan to pursue this as a hobby or - better still - make perfume frequently for gifts, you would do well to invest in special equipment that you will use solely to make perfume.

The savings will be well worth the initial investment. Think rich, lovely gifts for friends and loved ones, not to mention the perfumes you will enjoy at a fraction of the cost.

Not only can you make perfume, you can also make perfumed oils that not only nourish your skin but leave a lovely, lingering scent.

Here's the Equipment You Will Need to Make Perfume

• Glass measuring cup
• Plastic measuring spoons
• Glass rod
• Glass droppers
• A narrow funnel
• Electric coffee mill should you choose to add dried flowers to your perfume

Storing Your Perfume

Store your creations in glass bottles. The high density polyethylene or HDPE frosted plastic bottles will likely collapse if filled with your fragrance. Besides, you'll be saving so much money when you make perfume, you can splurge on pretty glass bottles. Plastic containers are okay for bath and massage oils, but overall, glass is your safest bet. The two bottles in the picture below cost me about $12 American dollars. The oils cost around $55 American dollars, and the vodka was about $4 American dollars, for a total of about $59.

That may seem like a lot, but you use very little of the oil, and it will last you for years - plenty to make perfume as gifts for everyone you know. Heck, I might even make perfume for my husband's boss for Christmas!

Before You Begin

Storing Your Creations

If your perfume changes color or viscosity, that means it has become old. Throw it out and make a new batch.

Label Everything and Take Notes

Also, when you make perfume, take careful notes of the combination of oils you blend. That way, whether you love it or hate it, you'll have a record to work with.

Stay Away From Metal

A Word of Caution

The Ingredients to Make Perfume

• Essential oils of your choice
• Fragrance oils of your choice
• Vodka - use 100 proof vodka
• Distilled water - for colognes and splashes
• Jojoba oil - if you plan on making perfumed oil




The Amounts and Putting 'Em All Together

The following recipes are based on the assumption that you are putting in 30 to 40 drops of essential oil in your fragrance.

If You're Making Perfume: After choosing your essential and/or fragrance oils, mix them together and add 1/8 ounce of 100 proof vodka.

If You're Making Eau de Perfume: After choosing and mixing your oils, add 1/4 ounce of 100 proof vodka.

If You're Making Eau de Toilette: After choosing and mixing your oils, add 1/2 ounce of 100 proof vodka.

If You're Making Sweet Waters: In a four-ounce glass bottle, mix your oils and add one ounce of 100 proof vodka. Then fill the rest of the bottle with distilled water. Shake and then let it mellow for two weeks, gently swirling the contents every day.

If You're Making Perfume Oil: Jojoba oil is the best base for perfume oil. It disappears into the skin and leaves the scent behind. Plus, it won't go rancid the way other oils will. To make perfume oil, substitute the oil for vodka and do not add oil.

What Oils to Use?

In Nancy M. Booth's book, Perfumes, Splashes and Colognes, she lists dozens of recipes for perfumes, including Hungary Water, the traditional Eau de Cologne and Carmelite Water. But really, the sky is the limit. Choose essential oils you like, blend some different types and write down what you prefer. Work with your recipe and adjust it until it suits you to a tee. A unique fragrance all your own - isn't that the coolest?

A Fragrance That's Pure Joy

And finally, here is a recipe that is supposed to smell just like the very expensive perfume Joy. The Eau de parfum version (means higher alcohol content) currently sells at a cost of $158 for 2.5 ounces from Neiman Marcus. The pure perfume is $228 for half an ounce. The recipe comes from a book I bought at a yard sale years ago entitled Cosmetics From The Kitchen. The book itself is no longer in print, but you can get used copies from Amazon.

At the time, the ingredients seemed impossible to find. Ah, but that was before the internet! Now all of the ingredients are available, including the elusive heliotropin. However, the photos I saw of heliotropin showed large barrels of a synthetic chemical which doesn't thrill me. From the research I have done, heliotropin smells very similar to vanilla, so I would substitute vanilla fragrance for the heliotropin. The rest of the ingredients can be found through the links I have listed below:

Pure Joy

• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla perfumed oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon rose perfumed oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of bergamot essential oil
• 4 drops musk oil
• 15 drops of ambergris essential oil
• 15 drops jasmine fragrance oil
• 4 drops Neroli essential oil
• 8 drops Angelica essential oil
• 8 drops Vetiver essential oil
• Jojoba oil - 3 ounces

Blend all the ingredients. This will make about 3 and a half ounces of perfumed oil.


Looking for Essential Oils?

A wide range of essential oils at wholesale prices are available at From Nature With Love. Visit their fabulous store by clicking here.

Homesteading Links and Recipes

A handmade soap recipe for beginners.
How to render fat to make soap.
Homemade bath care - make luxury bath products you can afford.
Try these great homemade bath salt recipes.
Try these homemade cleaners.
Here's how to make your own perfume!
How to find a homesteading income.
An excellent cleansing cream recipe that will nourish as well as clean your skin.
Learn to make glycerin soap.
A Delicious Homemade Balm Recipe.
Try this fabulous hand cream recipe.


---

Return from Make Perfume to Home



---