How To Make Homemade Perfume

Being a Good Perfumer: Experimenting

The key to creating a great perfume is to experiment with the different oils and the amounts you use. Just by adding a single drop of one oil or another, can drastically change the smell of a homemade perfume. Also it is good to experiment with the recipes you’ll see below, as a perfume can smell differently on different people because of our skin.  So it best to have fun and use different oils to find a recipe and a formula that you like.

The Basics

• The 3 Parts To A Perfume

There are three main ingredients in a perfume:

1. A Carrier Base: Alcohol or Jojoba oil
2. The Fragrance: Fragrance or essential oils
3. Distilled water

• Perfume Carrier Bases: Alcohol and Alternatives

Essential or fragrance oils need to be diluted before they can be applied directly onto the skin. So the perfume carrier base, along with the water dilutes the oils. Alcohol is the most common carrier base in perfumes. In making a perfume for your own use, 100 proof Vodka is normally used because it is odorless. Avoid using rubbing alcohol as it has an odor and evaporates quickly. If you want to sell your perfumes you’ll need to find specialist perfumers alcohol, which is designed for the skin.

Some people who want to go down the organic route are using organic grain alcohol. Here are some brands of organic vodka: Rain Vodka Square One Kanon Vodka

Jojoba oil is an alternative to using alcohol. It won’t work as effectively, as the fragrance will evaporate faster, but the oil can be less harsh on certain skins than alcohol.

• The Fragrance

There are two types of oils that you can use to create the fragrances in a homemade perfume: essential oils and fragrance oils.

Essential oils: These are concentrated oils that are harvested directly from the plant, fruit, flowers, etc. Since they are pure extracts they are all natural perfume oils which produce better quality perfumes, making them slightly more expensive than fragrance oils.

Fragrance oils: Fragrance oils are usually a blend of ingredients, sometimes synthetic, and diluted to create the scent. This makes them cheaper, which is ideal for someone who is starting to make their own perfumes and needs to experiment with a range of different oils to find the right formula – before moving on to using the higher quality essential oils.

• Scents and Notes

There is such a wide choice of scents you can use to create your own perfume at home. These scents/oils are grouped into 3 notes: the base note, the middle note and the top note. It is good to know about these 3 groups, because to make a good perfume you will need to use at least one ingredient from each note.

Base Notes: The base notes are the scents that are active the longest in a perfume. This is the body of the perfume and will include oils made from roots, wood and resins that are heavy and dark in smell.

Examples: Sandalwood, cedarwood, patchouli, vetiver, frankincense, musk

Middle Notes: The middle notes consist of oils that link the base and top notes together – these are the flowery oils. These fragrances don’t last as long as base notes in a perfume, but last longer than the top notes.

Examples: Nutmeg, basil, rose germanium, ylang-ylang, jasmine, coriander, basil, lavender, lemon grass

Top Notes: The top notes are the light scented fragrances and oils. They are the citrus based, fresh and light smells you will notice first when smelling a perfume. At the same time these are the scents that disappear the fastest as they evaporate quickly.

Examples: Lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, mint, peppermint, spearmint, bergamot, neroli, passionfruit

Getting Started: The Process and Directions To Making Your Own Perfume

So there are three main ingredients to making a perfume: the alcohol or the jojoba oil, the aroma oils, and the distilled water. Here is the most common process, using alcohol, which you can experiment with. Afterwards we will go through specific recipes you can try out.

The Basic Process

1. When you start experimenting with different oils to create different fragrances, it is best to start simple. Begin experimenting with mixing 3 different oils first before moving on to include more oils.

2. Start with 10 drops of oil in total. Pick 1 oil from each note.  Choose one which you want to be the focus of the perfume and use that oil the most out of the 10 drops you use. So for example: 3 drops of sandalwood, 4 drops of rose and 3 drops of mint.

3. For 10 drops of oil, you will need ¼ cup of vodka.

4. When you add in the oils to the vodka, you start by adding the base note oil first, then the middle then the top oils.

5. Add 1 drop at a time to the vodka. Stir slowly. Smell the mixture before adding in another drop. Let each drop mix well before adding another.

6. After mixing together the formula that you want, cover the mixture and store it in a dark place for 2 days.

7. After storing the mixture for two days you can now add in the water. You will want to use distilled water, as it is clean from chemicals and impurities that disrupt the oils. For the formula used here, 10 drops of oils and ¼ cup of vodka, mix in 2 Tablespoons of water

8. For a better quality perfume you will need to let the completed mixture mature, so leave it covered in a dark place for 2 weeks.

9. After you have let it matured, put the perfume in a colored glass container/bottle, with a stopper.

For a light smelling perfume use more water and alcohol, and for a stronger perfume use more essential oils.

So that is the basic process to making your own fragrance. It can be easily experimented with, mixing and matching different oils and using different amounts of alcohol and water to find a fragrance and strength to your liking.

Simple and Elaborate Homemade Perfume Recipes

Floral Oriental Combination

• Jasmine, saffron and amber

Tropical Bliss Combination

• Musk, green tea, passion fruit,

Beach Smoothie Combination

• Top notes: mint, anise or passion fruit
• Middle note: rose
• Base notes: musk and sandalwood

Fresh Citrus Recipe

• 5 teaspoons vodka
• 2 drops lemon grass
• 6 drops lavender oil
• 5 drops lime oil
• ½ cup distilled water

Jasmine Flower Recipe

• ¼ cup vodka
• 2 drops patchouli oil
• 6 drops jasmine oil
• 2 drops bergamot oil
• 2 tablespoons of water

Orange Blossom Recipe

• ¼ cup vodka
• 2 drops vetiver oil
• 3 drops frankincense oil
• 4 drops of rose oil
• 4 drops of grapefruit oil
• 2 drops neroli oil
• ¼ cup orange blossom water (add this in after storing the oils and alcohol for 2 days)

The Wooden Cabin Recipe: How to Make Perfume at Home Using Jojoba Oil

• 5 teaspoons jojoba oil
• 3 drops musk oil
• 3 drops sandalwood oil
• 2 drops frankincense oil
• 2 tablespoons of water

Brand Name Perfume Recipes

If you have a favorite perfume that you’d like to make at home, have a look at this website that shows what oils and notes are used to make brand named perfumes: http://www.basenotes.net/fragrancedirectory/

How To Make Your Own Solid Perfume

A solid perfume is a waxy substance that you apply by rubbing it onto the skin, much like a moisturizer. The benefit of making this kind of perfume is that it does not require using alcohol.

Here is a quick overview on creating your own homemade solid perfume:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of beeswax
• 1 tablespoon of almond oil or jojoba oil
• 10 drops of a combination of aroma oils (see recipes and notes above)

Directions: You will first need to melt the beeswax along with the almond oil or jojoba oil. This can be done by putting a bowl of the homemade perfume ingredients into a saucepan of hot water, or microwaving it.

Once the beeswax has melted and mixed together with the almond or jojoba oil, take it off the heat and then mix in the drops of oils. Let it cool down and harden for 30 minutes to an hour. You should then be left with a wax like substance that you can rub onto your skin.

A Word of Caution

People who are pregnant, epileptic and people who have easily irritated skin need to be careful when applying essential and fragrance oils to their skins. Please consult a doctor first.

Shopping Time!

Here are some places where you can buy your homemade perfume oils and supplies:

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

http://www.gracefruit.com/

image credits: antez avrenim_acceber Micah Camara Steve-h

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Some Basic Organic Ingredients For Homemade Bath Products Recipes

Coconut Oil is a thick oil that is used to make body washes, and homemade hair products to make hair smooth and silky.

Aloe Vera is used to make homemade hair and skin recipes. When applied to the scalp it stimulates the hair foliates which helps in making thicker hair. It also provides the scalp or skin a calming and cooling sensation.  It is also used to make lotions for people who have irritated skin.

Avocados are rich in vitamin E making them great for hair and face washes. They make skin soft and help people who have dry hair.

How To Make Homemade Bath Products For Your Hair

How to Make Shampoo at Home

The main ingredient to making your own shampoo is Castile soap. You can find this in a solid or liquid form (using liquid is easier as you’ll have to melt down the solid kind). It is best to use an unscented Castile soap to make your shampoo. Made from olive oil it is an all natural and organic.

Homemade Shampoo Main Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of distilled water
• ¼ cup of liquid Castile soap
• 1 teaspoon of coconut or extra virgin olive oil

Choose one of the recipes below to add to the ingredients above:

Homemade Minty Shampoo Recipe

• 2 drops of peppermint oil
• 2 drops of green tea oil

Cooling Sensation For Thicker Hair

• 2 drops mint oil
• ¼ of fresh aloe vera juice

Smooth and Silky Shampoo Recipe

• 10 drops of vanilla oil
• 10 drops of coconut oil

Directions:

• Simply mix together all the ingredients, shake well and store in a cool, dry place.

Creating Your Own Hair Spa Treatments At Home

Making your own organic homemade shampoo is one way of revitalizing your hair. Another way is to do your own hair spa treatment. For treatments and instructions read here: The Wonders in Treating Yourself to a Hair Spa At Home | How To.

How To Make All Natural Bath Products: Bath Salts, Bubble Baths, and Spa Treatments

Make Your Own Natural Bath Salts

Epsom salt is the main ingredient in making homemade bath salts. A natural ingredient, Epsom salts help extract toxin from the body when you bath in it. This results in fresher looking skin and a rejuvenated body. Read more here: Recipes For Making Your Own Natural Homemade Bath Salts

Create Your Own Bubble Bath

It is easy to make your own fragrant bubble bath using a whole range of scents, from roses to passion fruit, depending on the smells you like. How To Make Homemade Bubble Bath: Fun and Simple Kitchen Recipes

Homemade Spa Bath Treatments

There are a number of spa treatments that you can create in your own bath. From the milk beauty treatment to an aromatherapy bath, have a look here on how to make your own bath products and spa treatments A Guide on Creating Your Own Relaxing Home Bath Spa

image credits: Miss Shari LilyBaySoap  JanetR3

Related articles to making homemade bath and body products:

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Organic Beauty Ingredients

Here is a range of different organic beauty ingredients and how they are beneficial.

Exfoliators

These natural exfoliators will clean and leave skin glowing.

• Oats: are rich in iron, protein and calcium. They are used for homemade facial scrubs, as it helps exfoliate skin but in a softer way than most scrubs.

• Caddlenut: is also a great exfoliator as well as an organic soap. When used to create your own homemade facial scrub, the mixture will turn dark as it draws out the toxins from your skin.

• Sugar: is used in homemade scrubs because it produces glycolic acid which organically exfoliates the skin.

Natural Oils

Using natural oils will keep skin soft, and they don’t strip away the natural oils in the skin. Many store based products such as facial cleansers and scrubs will strip away the natural oils from the skin, making it dry and needing moisturizers to compensate.

The 4 oils below are also carrier oils which means they are used to dilute down essential oils which are too strong to be applied directly to the skin.

• Coconut oil: helps make smooth and silky hear, and can be mixed into homemade body washes.

• Castor oil: helps clean and heal skin. It is ideal for homemade products for people who have oily skin.

• Extra virgin olive oil: is easily absorbed by the skin and is rich in vitamins and proteins. It is an ideal ingredient for homemade beauty products for people with dry skin.

• Almond Oil: helps soften and nourish skin as it is rich in proteins and vitamins.

Natural Organic Ingredients

• Honey: is a natural humecant which means it helps moisturizes and nourish the skin.

• Cucumber: is a great skin food. It helps revitalize and moisturize the skin, cooling it and tightening it. It really helps for those with oily skin.

• Aloe Vera:  when applied to the body it provides a cooling and calming sensation. It works well for irritated skin. It is also great to use in homemade hair products or hair spa treatments as it will stimulate the hair follicles creating thicker hair.

• Avocados: High in vitamin E, avocados are great for homemade hair and face washes. You can make your skin feel soft by mashing up the insides of an avocado and massaging it onto the skin. It is good for hair treatments for people who have dry hair.

• Lime: is high in vitamin C and when applied to the skin will act as a toner, tightening the skin.

• Bananas: Being rich in vitamins A, B and C, potassium and magnesium, bananas are great skin food. They help energize and firm skin, so they are used in making anti aging beauty treatments at home.

• Milk: Being an anti-inflammatory, milk will help calm irritated skin. Because of the lactic acid, milk also helps dissolve and shed away dead skin. This is a homemade beauty tip that goes back to Egyptian times – it was the secret to Cleopatra’s beauty as she would regularly bath in milk.

• Epsom Salt: Bathing in your own homemade Epsom bath salts is a beauty treatment that extracts toxins from the body. As it detoxifies the body, it will rejuvenate the skin, leaving it looking fresh. Bathing in Epsom salts also reduces muscle swelling and tension.

Simple Homemade Beauty Treatments To Do

Creating Your Own Hair Spa

Our hair can get damaged from pollution, the weather, our diet, and using harsh shampoos. Creating your own home hair spa, using organic ingredients will help revitalize the hair follicles. For treatments such as Aloe Vera for Thicker Hair  and The Simple Hair Spa Treatment: Coconut Oil and a Warm Towel have a look here The Wonders in Treating Yourself to a Hair Spa At Home | How To.

Making Your Own Organic Homemade Face Cleansers, Scrubs, and Moisturizers

Using the natural ingredients and oils listed above, you can easily create your own organic face cleansers, scrubs, and moisturizers. For recipes and directions have a look at these posts:

How To Make a Homemade Sugar Scrub: Recipes and Directions for a Sweet Face

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Bathing Beauty

A relaxing warm bath not only calms the mind, but will revitalize and reenergize your skin and the muscles in your body. For homemade spa treatments like the aromatherapy bath or the milk beauty bath have a look here A Guide on Creating Your Own Relaxing Home Bath Spa. For creating your own detoxifying Epsom bath salts, you can find the recipes and directions here Recipes For Making Your Own Natural Homemade Bath Salts.

Miscellaneous Homemade Beauty Tips

These two tips will make at home beauty treatments more effective:

• If you are want to treat your hair to organic ingredients and treatments, first massage the scalp. This will boost circulation, making the hair follicles absorb more nutrients

• If you want to apply organic and natural homemade treatments to your face, first wash the face with warm water or take a hot steamy shower. The warm water increases circulation in the face and opens up the pores, allowing the skin to absorb more nutrients.

image credits: Nina Matthews Photography Shandi-lee Brunna Peretti Loureiro