How to Make Your Own Perfume and Fragrances

by Chelsi Woolz

Shopping for perfume can be an especially difficult process for some women. Since every woman's exact body chemistry composition is slightly different, the same fragrance will smell different on two different women. The frustration can be great for many women and some even give up wearing any fragrance at all because of the difficulties. Making your own perfume and fragrances at home can solve the problem and will be well worth the minimum effort required to produce top quality, personalized results.

There are various ways of making a perfume and each method lends itself to a different type of fragrance. Using an oil base will allow the scent to linger on the skin longer as the natural body heat warms the oil, while using an alcohol base will allow the scent to be sprayed but will not linger as long without added liquid glycerin.

To make an oil based perfume, begin with a ratio of 2:1 grape seed or high quality olive oil to flowers. Native plants are most recommended as they are the most easily attained. Plants such as lavender, Kangaroo Paw, and the Southern Spring Flower are some of the best flowers to use as they produce a top quality and distinctive fragrance that is unique to Australia.

Gently bruise the flowers you have chosen and place them at the bottom of a medium sized glass bowl. Pour the oil over the top of the flowers and allow the mixture to sit covered loosely with cheese cloth for at least twenty-four hours. At the end of twenty-four hours, strain the mixture through the cheesecloth and repeat the whole process again.

You now have an essential oil of whatever flower mixture you used. This can be used in two different ways for perfume making and will yield beautiful results, no matter the application.

In order to make an oil based perfume you can either use the essential oil mixture very sparingly as is or use a mix of 3:1 oil to vodka to help thin the oil out to make applying the oil to the skin a bit easier. If you are wanting to create a scent that you can spray onto your skin or clothing, measure one third of a pint of vodka into the bottom of a small bowl and add drops of the essential oil mixture, one at a time, to the vodka, mixing thoroughly, until about eight drops are added. Let this mixture stand covered for about two days and then add one cup spring water to the vodka and oil mixture. Pour this mixture directly into your tube or sprayer and enjoy.

All containers that hold either left over essential oils that were not used in the natural fragrances making process or the resulting perfumes should be dark in colour to deter light. Storage in a cool, dark place is also recommended to keep your fragrance quality from degrading due to direct sunlight exposure.