Making Homemade Perfume and Aftershave

Using good quality base oil and a selection of essential oils, you can create some a wonderful homemade perfume that will suit your personality.

The effectiveness of plant oils (essential oils) has been found to be antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and antiviral. Their uses will stimulate the body's immune system and also have an effect on moods and attitude, so your home made perfume can be scented and therapeutic.

In the 19th century a French man named Piesse decided that scents should be referred to in scales (similar to musical notes) resulting in the whole subject becoming quite complicated. Thankfully today the system has since been simplified and perfume scents have been divided into just three groups, top, middle and bottom notes, a good balanced perfume should include a blend of all three (see the piesse scale below).

The hardest part of creating a perfume recipe is choosing your essential oils. There are a dizzying number of essential oils available, and an almost infinite number of recipes combining them for various purposes.

You will have to try several by themselves or in combination to figure out what you like. But don't worry you will soon begin to recognize all the different smells and discover which scents you like best.

To get you started I've listed some of My favourite homemade perfume blends under The piesse scale further down the page.

How to make your own basic homemade perfume

This is a natural oil based therapeutic perfume recipe, so for best results dab a little on the pulse areas of the body (behind the ears, on the wrists and neck).

Unlike a cologne or Eau de Toilette spray the fragrance from this perfume will last all day, so a little goes a long way once applied.

What you will need

• 2 teaspoons of jojoba oil (for sensitive skin use 3)
• Selection of essential oils (about 20 drops see piesse chart or my favourite blends bellow)
• Eye dropper
• Small glass bottle
• Small funnel
• Strips of blotting paper

Method

1. Choose 3 or 4 essential oils. Using the basic rules of choosing at less 1 from each note, top, middle and base (see list below)



2. Place a few drops of your chosen oils in the proportions that you wish to use them onto a strip of blotting paper; leave for about 5 minutes then take a sniff to see if you have reached your desired effect, then correct if needed.



3. Pour the 2 teaspoons of jojoba oil into the glass bottle using a funnel or eye dropper if needed, each teaspoon equals 40 drops.



4. Add your essential oils. You will need about 20 drops of essential oil in the proportions you have worked out.



5. Cover and then give it a good shake and then sniff to test, correct if needed adding only one extra drop at a time until you reach your desired fragrance.



6. Leave the homemade perfume to blend and mature in a cool dark place for 12 hours before using.

The piesse scale

• Top notes Are light and fresh smelling, they are usually the first scent that you will detect in a blended perfume, and often the most volatile.
  Bergamot, Lemon, Lime, mandarin, peppermint, spearmint
• Middle notes Form the main body of the perfume. They have a lasting fragrance that becomes noticeable after the top note.
  Carnation, Cedarwood, Clary sage, Cypress, Geranium, Lavender, Lemon balm, Lemon verbena, marjoram, rosemary
• Base notes Are rich and heavy, although they are the last to detect in a perfume they linger the longest and work as a fixative to the lighter top and middle notes, helping them to retain their aroma for longer.
  Frankincense, Jasmine, Musk, Neroli, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Ylang-ylang

Here is a list of my favourite blended oils

Sweet and exotic with a trace of citrus
Jasmine 8 drops - lemon 4 drops - patchouli 4 drops

Fresh and sweet
Neroli 4 drops - lavender 4 drops - spearmint 2 drops

Oriental with a touch of lemon
Sandalwood 4 drops - lemon verbena 3 drops - musk 4 drops - frankincense 2 drops

Floral with a bite of spice
Jasmine 6 drops - orange 3 drops - sandalwood 2 drops

Rich and sweet
Rose 8 drops - jasmine 4 drops - bergamot 2 drops

Sweet and floral
Ylang-ylang 6 drops - clary sage 3 drops - lemon 2 drops - lavender 2 drops

Woody and sensual
Musk 8 drops - sandalwood 4 drops - oakmoss 3 drops - patchouli 2 drops

Fresh and citrusy
Grapefruit 3 drops - lemon 3 drops - spearmint 2 drops - bergamot 1 drop

Homemade cologne and eau de toilette spray

If you prefer to use a spray perfume then this section is for you. Using a slightly larger bottle with a spray nozzle, you can easily recreate your favourite perfume blends from above into a cologne spray by simply adding 1cup (4 floz) of vodka or ethyl alcohol. Then follow the same procedure as with the oil perfume recipe keeping in mind that its easer to add more essential oil to the alcohol than it is to add alcohol to the oils.

If you are still finding the cologne a little too strong then you need to go with the milder eau de toilette water. Once again this is easy just add 1 cup of distilled or spring water when adding the cup of vodka or ethyl alcohol.

• 20 drops of essential oil +2 tsp jojoba oil = oil perfume
• 20 drops of essential oil +2 tsp jojoba oil +1 cup vodka = cologne
• 20 drops of essential oil +2 tsp jojoba oil +1 cup vodka +1 cup distilled or spring water =Eau de toilette water

If you know how to make a homemade perfume we would love to hear from you, please post your thoughts below. For any other body care products You can share your homemade lotion recipes here