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Have you ever thought of making
your own perfumes? Perhaps you would like to make them for your
own use, to give to friends and family or even start your own
business. It is perfectly possible to make your own perfumes
at home out of natural substances.
Let's
take a closer look at perfumes. The perfume that you buy in a
store normally consists of a mixture of essential oils blended
with alcohol which acts as a carrier for the perfume. The alcohol
evaporates on contact with air and that is what gives off the
perfume.
Many people do not
like alcohol based cosmetics and that is a good reason to make
your own perfumes. Alcohol based products can be harsh on the
skin and in some people cause allergies.
But nor should you used essential
oils on the skin undiluted. They are just too strong. Only lavender
oil can be used directly in undiluted form on your skin. Even
then you should avoid exposing the skin to sunlight. There is
a danger of sun burn if you do. |
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What
you need to do is dilute the essential oils with a carrier oil.
There are many suitable oils. Almond oil is a good choice because
it is light and not too sticky. But any vegetable oil will do
as the base for your perfume. Scented olive oil can be very nice
as a body rub so long as you allow it time to dry before dressing.
Essential oils can be bought
in specialist fragrance stores and in some wholefood stores.
They come in little brown glass bottles. The colour of the glass
is important, because essential oils deteriorate when they are
exposed to sunlight. So keep it is best to keep them in a dark
place.
Plastic bottles are
not a good idea because the essential oils react with the plastic.
So always use glass. If you see essential oils being sold in
anything other than dark glass bottles they are probably not
essential oils. If they are they will contain impurities from
the plastic container.
You
should always bottle your own perfumes in dark glass containers.
If a brown bottle looks unappealing to you then put your artistic
skills into designing an attractive label. A hand made label
will add something extra special to a gift of home made perfume.
List the ingredients and the date you made it because essential
oils deteriorate when they are exposed to the air.
Essential oils are very volatile. They are the
oils contained in plants that give them their smell. If you walk
through a lavender field on a hot day what you smell are the
essential oils contained in lavender. They respond to heat and
light.
All plants have these
essential oils but some have more than others. They each have
different effects on us. Some like lavender are soothing, others
like citrus oils are envigorating. Sometimes you may want to
make a perfume from just one type of essential oil. Sometimes
you will want to blend them to ge the effect you want.
As you develop your skills you
will find that you develop a nose. Your sense of smell will become
more discriminating. Once you have got used to the palette of
smells available you will be able to mix varied perfumes that
suit particular occasions and different people.
There is a great art in mixing perfumes. Perfume
is centuries old and you will be learning some of its mysteries
for yourself. |
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