I love making homemade perfumes for various reasons, but the most important one has to be for health. Almost every store-bought perfume, cologne, or body mist has some kind of carcinogen, toxin or chemical that shouldn’t be inhaled. Not to mention, spraying it on your body will have it seeping into the largest organ of your body – the skin. That’s why it’s so important to protect our skin and preserve our health with these homemade perfumes. I will note that perfume making at home is a lengthy process if you want a strong scent. Go for the body mist recipes if you are looking for a quick and easy way to smell amazing with ease.
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1. Woodland Perfume
Mountainroseblog.com has so many great homemade perfumes! Where this recipe is found, there are two other recipes available and even three cologne recipes. I chose the woodland perfume because I love the smell of pine trees and the great outdoors. If you aren’t really the outdoorsy type, be sure to check out the other great recipes on the mountain rose blog for other great options. There is an orange cologne recipe on there that smells so great that it honestly shouldn’t be meant for just men.
Ingredients:
4 drops Spruce essential oil
2 drops organic Fir Needle essential oil
2 drops organic Cedarwood essential oil
1 drop organic Vetiver essential oil
1 drop organic Bergamot essential oil
1 tsp organic Jojoba Oil
Directions:
Drip all essential oils into a glass bottle and roll between palms to evenly mix the oils. Add Jojoba oil, and roll again. Add additional essential oils if you desire a stronger perfume.
2. Cucumber Aloe Body Mist
The pronounceable ingredients list of this body mist is so great – certainly not what you would find at a store! The cucumber, aloe, and lemon combination is so refreshing and uplifting that it feel like your mood is boosted for the entire day. Also, because perfume will make some contact with your skin, the rosewater can actually soften your skin and the aloe can help soothe it as well. The only downside to this recipe is that it has to be stored in the refrigerator, and that it lasts only a week. Plan accordingly by only making a half recipe if you need to.
Ingredients:
1 cucumber
1 squeeze of lemon
1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
1 tablespoon rosewater (you can buy at a health food store)
Directions:
Peel your cucumber and cut it up into little pieces. Place the pieces in a blender and blend on high for about 1 minute.
Cover a small bowl with a cheese cloth and strain the juice into the bowl. I didn’t have a cheese cloth, so I used a napkin and squeezed the juice through using a tight grip.
Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix. I actually put everything back in the blender just to make sure the aloe was thoroughly mixed. Transfer your mixture into a spray bottle and mist away! You can add some distilled water if you want to dilute the mixture a bit. Store this in your fridge so that it doesn’t spoil. It should last about a week.
To enhance the refreshing experience, consider garnishing your bottle with sprigs of mint or basil which also contribute to skin nourishment. The cucumber's cooling properties, paired with aloe vera's famed hydration capabilities, create an ideal remedy for sun-kissed or stressed skin. The addition of lemon not only imparts a crisp, clean scent, but also contains vitamin C, which can aid in evening out skin tone. Embrace this garden-inspired potion on a sweltering day or any moment you crave a burst of nature's own revitalizing fragrances.
Frequently asked questions
3. DIY Tropical Body Mist
This body mist will have you thinking about a tropical vacation whether it is winter or summer. It also contains a trace amount of alcohol, meaning the time it lasts on your clothes is going to increase. However, it also means that the waiting time for it to strengthen increases. You only have to wait for about an hour for this one though, because it has only a teaspoon of vodka. Anyways, this smells so good and the combination of grapefruit, coconut, and vanilla go so well together and will take you to a tropical paradise!
Ingredients:
50ml glass spray bottle
30ml distilled water
10ml Rose or Lavender Hydrosol (this is optional; you can use distilled water instead)
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Vodka (for preservation)
1 tablespoon Vegetable Glycerin (for silky and smooth skin)
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
5 drops Grapefruit & 15 drops Neroli Essential Oils (please be aware that most citrus oils such as Grapefruit are photo-toxic, so please don't use the body mist if you plan to go out in the sun)
Directions:
Start by filling your spray bottle with lukewarm distilled water and hydrosol (optional). Mix the vanilla extract with vodka and add it to the water/hydrosol blend. Slowly add the vegetable glycerin followed by the coconut oil (I use a chopstick for mixing). Make sure you are happy with your blend so far (scent ok? how's the consistency?). Then add the essential oils, close the spray bottle and give it a good shake.
Let it "rest" for a couple of hours before using it for the first time. Always shake well to make sure all ingredients are mixed thoroughly. Enjoy your handmade tropical body mist!
4. Lavender Vanilla Perfume
The soft, relaxing scent of lavender and the sweet, smooth smell of vanilla makes this perfume smell so good. It will have you relaxed, calm, and happy when you put it on. It smells so good, but there is a slight drawback. The time is quite lengthy to get the strongest scent – about four to six weeks. You don’t have to let it sit this long, but if you want the strongest-smelling perfume you can get (like store-bought) you are going to have to be patient. It is worth it though, I must say.
Ingredients:
½ cup vodka
2T vegetable glycerin
1 cup dried lavender flowers
2 whole vanilla beans
15 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops vanilla extract
Directions:
Slice open the vanilla beans with a sharp knife. Place the beans and lavender flowers in a large mason jar. Pour the vodka into the jar and secure the lid. Let the mixture infuse for seven days.
Strain and discard vanilla beans and lavender flowers. Add the glycerin, lavender essential oil, and vanilla extract to the reserved liquid and stir. Replace the lid and allow to age for four to six weeks.
Strain the perfume once more through a paper filter and transfer to decorative spray bottle.
5. Homemade Eau De Perfume – Midnight Garden
If you are looking for more information on creating your own perfume, make sure you visit designsponge.com for more information. They tell you how to create a perfume that's right for you, and give plenty of recipe suggestions. Midnight garden is my favorite. It has a fresh, outdoorsy scent from the cedarwood, but it is relaxed by the lavender and cloves oil. Because of the vodka in this recipe, you will have to wait 48 hours to six weeks to get to the perfume strength you desire. Make sure you plan accordingly!
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons carrier oil, such as jojoba, sweet almond or grape seed oil
6 Tablespoons good quality vodka (I like Rain)
2 1/2 Tablespoons distilled or spring water (not tap water, though)
coffee filter
funnel
Eessential oils for blending (you’ll need separate oils for base, middle and top notes, totaling around 30 drops or use 6 drops cedarwood oil, 15 drops clove oil, and 9 drops lavender oil to make the “midnight garden” scent)
Two dark-colored glass bottles, one for curing, one for storing (you don’t need both right away, though)
decorative perfume bottle, for gifting (optional)
Directions:
Begin by cleaning the bottles, either in your hottest setting in the dishwasher or with hot, soapy water. Place the bottles on a rimmed baking pan and dry in an oven set to 110ºC. Remove from the oven once they are completely dry. Put a lid on one of the bottles (the one you’ll be using for storing) and set it aside until you’ll need it, which will be anywhere from 48 hours to 6 weeks later. Place the carrier oil into one of the bottles.
Next, add the essential oils in the following order: the base notes, the middle notes and finally the top notes. The number of drops used for each note is up to you, so it’s time to play! Just remember the ideal ratio of 30% top, 50% middle and 20% base notes. Shoot for around 30 drops total given the amount of carrier oil and vodka called for here. Add the vodka. Place the lid atop the bottle and shake it vigorously for several minutes. Allow the bottle to sit for 48 hours to 6 weeks. The scent will change over time, becoming strongest around 6 weeks. Check it regularly, and once you’re happy with it, add 2 tablespoons of spring water to the blend. Give the bottle a good shake for one minute. Place a coffee filter into a funnel and transfer the contents from the curing bottle to the other bottle, which will become the storing bottle. Label your blend. Your eau de perfume is now ready to wear. If you’d like to gift it, put some in a decorative bottle. Be sure to advise the recipient, however, to keep it out of direct heat or sunlight. Ideally, though, the best place for storing your creation is in a dark-colored bottle.
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6. Vanilla Cardamom Body Mist
If you ever get a chance to buy some green cardamom seeds, be sure to pick them up. I’ve found them at my local health food store, if you desire to actually seek them out. I love that they almost act as a substitute for the vodka, and decrease the amount of waiting time by a lot. Cardamom pairs so nicely with vanilla – and trust me, this body mist has a strong vanilla smell (in a good way)! Enjoy this simple body mist that’s easy to make; it smells so good.
Ingredients:
6 cardamom seeds (green)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
Directions:
Crack cardamom seeds to expose pods. Put all bits of cardamom into a small saucepan with water and bring to a gentle boil, then remove from heat. Let cardamom water cool completely. Transfer scented water into a spray bottle. Add vanilla extract, seal spray bottle and shake. Adjust amount of vanilla extract to your liking.
7. Homemade Citrus Lavender Solid Perfume
All of the recipes so far have been for spray-on perfumes, but did you know there is actually such a thing as a solid perfume? It’s true, there is, and this just so happens to be one. It has such a great lavender and citrus combination that it’s hard to pass up. Oh, and the benefits of having a solid perfume is that it’s more convenient for travel because you won’t be carrying around a huge bottle. Making it is much easier than it looks too – as long as you have the proper equipment and ingredients!
Ingredients:
2 tsp beeswax
2 tsp carrier oil – sweet almond oil or jojoba oil
48 drops essential oils
Old lip balm tin (the size I used was 1/2 ounce)
Directions:
It’s definitely a good idea to blend the essential oils first before you start working with the beeswax because it hardens really, really fast. I put all of my essential oils into one cup so that I could just pour them into the beeswax mixture when the time came. The recipe from Mrs. Child’s book calls for equal parts of each essential oil, so for this perfume I used the following.
12 drops lemon essential oil
12 drops sweet orange essential oil
12 drops bergamot essential oil
12 drops lavender essential oil
You can also play around with the amounts of each oil or try substituting a different essential oil if you don’t have the ones listed above.
I decided to use sweet almond oil for my carrier oil because I had some on hand and it seemed more authentic to the period of this recipe. I’ve seen several mentions of almond oil in 19th century books and magazines, but I’ve never seen a mention of jojoba oil. If you don’t have almond oil available, though, jojoba oil would work just as well.
In a separate cup from the essential oils, I measured out two teaspoons of almond oil. Measuring the oil out ahead of time saves you from rushing around once your beeswax is melted.
If you have beeswax pellets, simple measure out 2 tsp and melt them in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
If you have a solid block of beeswax, I’ve found that the best way to get the two teaspoons of beeswax was to grate off about a tablespoon of shavings, melt them in a saucepan at medium-low heat, and then measure to make sure I had two teaspoons. After measuring, I found that I had to heat the beeswax back up in the pan again for a few more seconds because it had started to harden after I poured it into my measuring spoon.
If you find that you don’t have quite two teaspoons, you can just shave off a bit more beeswax and add it to the pot. If you have more than two teaspoons, just save the extra for another project.
Once you have two teaspoons of melted beeswax, add the two teaspoons of carrier oil to the pot and stir around a bit until they are combined. Then take the pot off the burner and quickly (quickly!) add in the essential oils. Stir for just a bit until combined.
As quickly as possible, pour the mixture into your container. Cover it, let it rest for about 10 minutes until it is set, and then enjoy!
Every single one of these recipes smells so good, and none of them are that difficult to prepare. The difficult part is waiting for some of the perfumes to become their strongest! Not only that, but these recipes are free of harmful chemicals that aren’t doing our bodies any good. Have you ever thought about making or actually made your own perfume before?
Sources: mountainroseblog.com
blog.freepeople.com
asiaspaboutique.blogspot.hk
herbco.com
designsponge.com
cbc.ca
ourheritageofhealth.com
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