How to Make Your Own Perfume

I love perfume.  I love having an everyday perfume and a special one for going out at night that makes me feel sexy.  I love having a signature scent.  Unfortunately, perfumes and colognes are made up of several hundred synthetic chemicals, many of which are toxic.  So, I've given up my toxic perfumes for something much safer.  

There are certified organic perfumes made from essential oils and organic carrier oils, but it can also be fun to make your own.  Wouldn't it be nice to have your own signature aroma that no one else has? Or what about making perfumes and colognes to give as gifts this holiday season.  If you start right now the ones that require steeping in vodka should be ready just in time to package, wrap and give to your favorite person.

Use any combination of dried or fresh herbs, spices, dried or fresh flowers, or citrus peels that you like.  Crush them in a mortar & pestle or chop them in a mini food processor.  Add to a cup of vodka and let it sit, covered, for several weeks, shaking daily (some recipes also recommend adding distilled water - not tap - to this combination).  Add as little or as much of the spices as you like to get the desired strength.  When you are finished steeping, filter it through a coffee filter to make sure to remove all solids.

Use any combination of essential oils mixed in either vodka or a carrier oil (ie: jojoba, sweet almond, etc.).  Both vodka and oil work well, but perfumes made with oils will probably last longer on your skin.  Beware that some carrier oils may affect the final aroma of your perfume.  

This is a great place to experiment and have fun.  Essential oils can be potent so start slow with just a couple of drops and adjust as you go.  The benefit of making your own perfume with essential oils is that you also get the therapeutic benefits of the oils as well.  Want a perfume that gives you a pick-me-up? Consider using citrus oils (just be careful as some can make your skin photosensitive).  What something a little deeper or more masculine? Consider clove with sweet orange and vanilla.  You may want to do a quick lookup of the therapeutic benefits of essential oils you are interested in using to make sure their therapeutic benefits don't conflict. Be sure not to add more than 10 drops per essential oil to your mixture so you don't irritate your skin.

When you have made the perfume of your choice, package it in a dark colored glass spray jar or a jar with a dropper.  Dark glass will protect the essential oils from sunlight and your perfume will last longer.

When making your own perfumes, make sure you are using pure essential oils and not fragrance oils.  Fragrance oils are often made from synthetic chemicals and you will rarely see an ingredient list.

If you need some inspiration look at some of the combinations in your favorite natural beauty products, especially products like scrubs and lotions.  You can also google how to make perfume and see a wide variety of combinations others have used.  The sky's the limit.

If you try making your own perfume and find an aroma combination you love, we'd love it if you'd come back and share your recipe in the comments so we can all try it.