Some of my favorite memories as a child were made during summer breaks. My family and I would go back home to Lebanon, and my siblings and I would spend most of our time outside with the neighborhood kids. One of our favorite things to do was play in the garden opposite our house, picking up flowers and leaves to create our one-of-a-kind fragrances. Jasmines, gardenias, and roses of many colors were our top picks of florals to add to our concoctions. We also had an array of herbs at our reach, from rosemary, basil, and quina trees. Our method was simple: gather the florals and herbs that you prefer the scent of, grind them with a pestle we stole from the kitchen, mix them with water in a bottle, and voila! We have a perfume (or so we thought). We also put together a little shack in the middle of our neighborhood to sell these “perfume bottles.”
Pretty innovative for a bunch of 10-year-olds, no? Anyway, we’re now older and have access to adult ingredients like alcohol and concentrated perfume oils, which we can use to make long-lasting perfumes that actually smell good. Put on your gloves and lab coat, and get ready to create your very own perfume that no one else in the world will have access to ( unless you share your recipe with them, of course).
Perfume Layering
Before starting the process of making your own signature scent, there are a few things that you need to know about perfumes, including how to layer perfumes. The article linked provides information on how to layer perfumes, including notes, layering techniques, and their corresponding family fragrances. Give it a quick read, then come back so we can proceed to creating a perfume together!
The Use of Fragrance Oil
Fragrance oils give your perfume its unique scent. You need a combination of fresh notes, florals, and warm notes. You could use citrus, aquatic, or even fruits as top notes for your fresh notes. As for your florals, you can use an oil that carries a combination of florals, or you can go with a specific floral oil that you prefer, like lilies, violets, jasmine, or whatever floral scent you like best. These can be your middle notes. As for the warm notes, you can opt for a woody oil for an earthy perfume, vanilla or a sweet combination for a gourmand fragrance, or aromatics or oud for an oriental perfume. These work best as base notes. My favorite perfume oils to use are the Mark Des Vince concentrated perfume oils. This is because they are safe to use and can be used on their own as well.
Pro tip: You can use more of the oil you like most to make it the prominent aroma of your perfume, adding vanilla to the middle notes and the base, for example, or florals to the top notes. Match, mix, and experiment.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsps alcohol (ethanol)
- 30 drops of fragrance oils (or essential oils)
- 2 tbsps carrier perfume
- 2.5 tbsps water
Note: Alcohol works as a carrier ingredient. It is used in perfume due to its light and volatile nature, making it ideal for lifting and distributing dense perfume oils.
Equipment
- Air-tight clean jar
- Atomizer or spray bottle
- Dropper
- Syringe
Instructions
- Pour the carrier oil of your choice into the jar.
- Combine your notes from opening to base using a dropper. Top notes (20%), middle notes (50%), and base notes (30%).
- Add your alcohol (if you don’t have access to ethanol, use vodka with a high alcohol concentration).
- Then, add the water.
- Finally, transfer the perfume to the perfume bottle. You can also refill your perfume bottle whenever the perfume runs out.
Et Voila! You have a perfume that you custom-made in your home.
Warning
Carrier oils help soften and dilute essential oils, thereby reducing the risk of skin irritation. These won’t be necessary if you’re using concentrated perfume oils, as they’re tested and safe for skin application and already contain a carrier oil. You can add more water or alcohol to dilute your perfume. You can use coconut, jojoba, or sweet almond oil as a carrier oil.
Visit V Perfumes for a wide selection of perfume oils, home fragrances, and more.
