How to Create Your Own Homemade Perfumes

You can make your own homemade perfume once you understand a few basics, and it’s fun! You can create completely unique scents and keep it all natural if you want.

Table of Contents

Why Make Homemade Perfume?

Sure, it’s a money saver, but creating homemade perfumes is really a crafty artistic project, in a way. It lets you express your own personality and preferences through scent.

Unlike store-bought fragrances, homemade perfumes give you the freedom to experiment with any different kind of scent you want and create something truly one-of-a-kind.

The Materials

You’ll need a few things to get started. Modern perfumes are mainly synthetic, and that’s why they last so long.

But for many years before that, going back to ancient times, a perfume consisted of: carrier oil, alcohol, and whatever you scented it with.

Scented essential oils or botanicals such as dried herbs, flowers and fruit zest
Carrier oils (such as jojoba oil or almond oil)
Perfumer’s alcohol or vodka
Glass dropper bottles
Glass mixing beakers or bowls
Funnel
Labels for your finished perfumes

Choosing Your Scent Combinations

Now comes the exciting part—choosing your scent combinations! Experimenting with different essential oil blends is where your creativity truly shines. Here are a few popular scent combinations to get you started:

Floral Delight: Combine rose, jasmine, and lavender essential oils for a romantic and feminine fragrance.
Citrus Burst: Mix lemon, orange, and grapefruit essential oils for a refreshing and invigorating scent.
Woodsy Elegance: Blend cedarwood, sandalwood, and patchouli essential oils for a warm and earthy fragrance.
Fruity Fusion: Combine bergamot, ylang-ylang, and vanilla essential oils for a sweet and fruity aroma.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ratios and combinations until you find the perfect scent that resonates with you.

The Mixing Process

Once you’ve chosen your scent, here’s how you make the perfume if you’re using essential oils.

Start by sterilizing your glass mixing beaker or bowl to maintain cleanliness.
Add 20-30 drops of your chosen essential oils to the beaker, focusing on one scent at a time.
Next, add approximately 2 tablespoons of your preferred carrier oil to the beaker. This helps dilute and blend the essential oils.
Gently stir the mixture using a glass stirring rod or a disposable pipette.
Once you’ve got it well blended, pour in 1/4 cup of perfumer’s alcohol or vodka to act as a solvent.
Stir the mixture again, making sure all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Use a funnel to transfer the perfume into glass dropper bottles.
Label each bottle with the scent combination used and the date of creation.

If you don’t want to use essential oils, you can use botanicals. That means fruit zest, spices, flowers, herbs, etc. Any living plant matter.

Essential oils can make it easier to be exact about the fragrance you were creating, but using botanicals can be much more exciting. And you may find you like the smells better that way, too.

Choose your botanical ingredients.
Crush or chop the botanicals to release their fragrance and oils.
Place the crushed botanicals in a glass jar and cover them with the carrier oil of your choice.
Seal the jar tightly and let it sit for a few weeks in a cool, dark place to allow the botanicals to infuse into the oil.
After the infusion period, strain the oil to remove any solid particles.
Transfer the scented oil into a clean glass bottle or container for storage.
Apply a small amount of your homemade perfume to your skin and enjoy the unique botanical scent.

Aging Your Perfume

Here comes the real trick. Your perfume may smell great now, but letting it age will give it more depth and complexity. Aging allows the scent molecules to meld together and form a more complex scent.

You do this by storing your perfume bottles in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight for at least two weeks.

Application Tips

Applying perfume is an art in itself. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your homemade fragrance:

Apply perfume to pulse points such as wrists, neck, and behind ears for optimal diffusion.
Avoid rubbing your wrists together after application as it can alter the scent composition.
Layering your perfume with matching scented body lotion or oil can enhance its longevity.
Reapply throughout the day if desired, keeping in mind that less is often more when it comes to fragrance.

Storing Your Homemade Perfumes

To keep your new scents lasting as long as they can, you need to store them a certain way.

Store your perfumes in glass bottle. They can degrade in plastic or metal containers.
Keep them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and extreme temperature fluctuations.
Label each bottle with the date of creation to keep track of their shelf life (usually around 1-2 years).