Why spend a fortune on perfume or cologne when you can make your own for cheap. Brand name perfume/cologne can cost from $50-100, why spend that much when you can create your own fragrance with vodka and essential oils.
Instead of wearing a fragrance that everyone else wears you can make your own unique blend. Your own aromatic creations also makes a thoughtful gift.
Step 1: What You Need:
Ingredients:Vodka (the higher percentage alcohol the better) or Everclear if you can get it
- Essential oils
- fragrance oils
- infused oils
- even flavour
- extracts (make sure it's pure) such as vanilla extract
- distilled or spring water
- glycerine (this can be found in pharmacies)
Other stuff
- pretty glass bottles to put the finished product in, preferably coloured glass, reuse bottles or find them at the dollar store.
- glass jar for mixing fragrance in
- measuring cup/spoons
- a dropper if you have one
- funnel
- aluminum foil or wrapping paper if you are using clear glass bottles
- a pencil and paper for jotting down your recipe
- a discerning nose is helpful
Step 2: Preparing Bottles
Step 3: Add the Alcohol
Step 4: A Note About Scents
Notes:
In perfumes the fragrance can be divided into three different notes depending on when they arise.
Sterilize the bottles and jars in the dish washer, especially if you are reusing bottles. They need to be clean and sterile.
Measure 1/4 cup of vodka/Everclear and pour into jar
I've included a few words about scents, if you want to launch right into concocting your perfume skip ahead to the next step.
Top note: The initial scent when you put the perfume on, then disappears, they include; lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime, bergamot, spearmint, peppermint and others.
Middle note: This scent appears just after the top note disappears. Scents like; coriander, palmarosa, marjoram, basil, rosemary, rose geranium, pettitgrain, lavender and others.
Base note: This appears after the middle note and is the base of the perfume, they include; patchouli, vetiver, frankincense, cedarwood, sandalwood and others.
When you are mixing your perfume start by adding your base notes, then middle then your top notes.
Families:
Scents can be divided into different families such as floral, oriental, woody and fresh (such as citrus, etc) See wheel below. This is lovely but why do we need to know this? When you are mixing your perfume,adding scents from neighboring families creates harmony in you perfume.
Brand name perfume/cologne
There is a website which identifies the different components of brand name fragrances, so if you would like make an imitation of your favorite perfume/cologne check it out; basenotes Fragrance directory
For example:
Obsession Fragrance Notes
Top Notes
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy involves using scents to affect mood and well being, if you would like to consider this when blending your fragrance, check out Aromatherapy for Emotional Well-Being
Men's Cologne
Guys, don't feel left out, try scents from the woody or fresh families to make a nice manly cologne.
Middle note: This scent appears just after the top note disappears. Scents like; coriander, palmarosa, marjoram, basil, rosemary, rose geranium, pettitgrain, lavender and others.
Base note: This appears after the middle note and is the base of the perfume, they include; patchouli, vetiver, frankincense, cedarwood, sandalwood and others.
When you are mixing your perfume start by adding your base notes, then middle then your top notes.
Families:
Scents can be divided into different families such as floral, oriental, woody and fresh (such as citrus, etc) See wheel below. This is lovely but why do we need to know this? When you are mixing your perfume,adding scents from neighboring families creates harmony in you perfume.
Brand name perfume/cologne
There is a website which identifies the different components of brand name fragrances, so if you would like make an imitation of your favorite perfume/cologne check it out; basenotes Fragrance directory
For example:
Obsession Fragrance Notes
Top Notes
- Mandarin, Bergamot, Jasmine, Rose, Orange Blossoms.
- Coriander, Tagete, Armoise.
- Amber, Oakmoss.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy involves using scents to affect mood and well being, if you would like to consider this when blending your fragrance, check out Aromatherapy for Emotional Well-Being
Men's Cologne
Guys, don't feel left out, try scents from the woody or fresh families to make a nice manly cologne.
Step 5: Add You Scents
This is where the magic begins...
Add approximately 25 drops of essential/fragrance oil.
Take one scent ;
If you are just starting out and don't know which scents to try. You can divided the alcohol into smaller volumes and try different combination, experiment, be creative, have fun with it.
Add approximately 25 drops of essential/fragrance oil.
Take one scent ;
- add a few drops
- swirl
- smell
- add more or continue on
- write down the oil and number of drops
If you are just starting out and don't know which scents to try. You can divided the alcohol into smaller volumes and try different combination, experiment, be creative, have fun with it.
Step 6: Let It Age
Once you are happy with the fragrance that you've created it is time to let it age. Place it in a cool dark location for a minimum of 48 hours, up to a month.
Aging your fragrance allows the scents to mingle, and also become stronger. Once you have aged your fragrance for the desired length of time, smell it again, the mingling may have changed the overall scent, so feel free to add a few more drops of scent to tweak it (don't forget you will need to age it again, if more scent was added).
Aging your fragrance allows the scents to mingle, and also become stronger. Once you have aged your fragrance for the desired length of time, smell it again, the mingling may have changed the overall scent, so feel free to add a few more drops of scent to tweak it (don't forget you will need to age it again, if more scent was added).
Step 7: Add Water and Glycerine
Now that the fragrance is ready, it needs to be diluted.
- Add 2 tablespoons of distilled/spring water. If you are making a perfume spray, add more water.
- Add approximately 5 drops of glycerine, this helps preserve the fragrance.
Step 8: Finishing Up
Pour the perfume into your bottle, use a funnel if you need to. If you are using clear bottles, you will need to cover them with aluminum foil or wrapping paper (your fragrance needs to be protected from the light or it will go off).
Add a label, decorate it, give it a fancy name and be happy that you saved a lot of money!
Add a label, decorate it, give it a fancy name and be happy that you saved a lot of money!
