Have you ever wanted to create your own unique smell that speaks to what is inside of you? It’s not a dream anymore! With a little bit of ingenuity and easy-to-get materials, you can become a home perfumer and make your favourite fragrance. This guide will take you through the wonderful world of DIY perfumery, explaining how to make your own perfume. All it takes is inspiration, essential oils and a container – perfume bottles, where one can express themselves through smells! Let us set off on this scented trip and feel the magic of creating your personal perfume!
Perfume Recipes- Vodka Infused
By using essential oils in DIY Perfumes, getting personalised fragrances opens up possibilities for making an olfactory masterpiece that suits one’s personal style and taste. However before delving into the realm of fragrance combinations there is the matter of base - the foundation that carries these chosen essential oils. In this guide we discuss why vodka could be used as the base to create own perfume.
As a colourless liquid with little or no odour that evaporates quickly, vodka makes it possible for anyone to bring their customised mixture made out of essential oils into life easily. Therefore, collect your favourite types of essential oils, get yourself a perfume bottles and be prepared for an aromatic journey!
Tools needed
- Perfume bottles 30 ml
- Three essential oils: Top, middle, base
- Glass droppers: One for each of the essential oils
Instructions
- There are 3 grades required in terms of oils which are top note, middle note and base note. First comes the top note then middle and finally the base. Different essential oils have different evaporation rates so one has to know each rate well in order to make good perfumes.
- Blend all together in an opaque bottle until you like their smell. Leave these ingredients alone in a bottle for some days to give time for mixing scents.
- Add alcohol; tighten cap.
- Shake well and put it away for at least 1 month in a cool dark place (not mandatory but helps to get rid of the alcohol smell leaving oils more pungent).
Ideal Note Composition
-
30% top notes - The first ones you smell
Basil, mint, sweet orange, grapefruit, rosemary, lavender and lime trees are aromatics producing the top note -
50% middle notes - The essence of the perfume itself
Middle note plants include black pepper, cardamom, bay leaves, fennel, geranium, chamomile and nutmeg -
20% base notes - The ones that make the middle scents last longer
Base note plants are cypress, ginger, pine, vanilla and sandalwood
Recipe 1- Forest Fairies Blend
- 20 drops Orange oil
- 50 drops Cedarwood oil
- 5 drops Peppermint oil
- 3 drops Rosemary oil
- 2 Tablespoons Vodka
Breakdown of Ingredients
This magical recipe tagged “Forest Fairies Blend” endeavours to capture the exhilarating scent of a forest that is bathed in sunlight to help create perfume. Here is an ingredient overview together with its olfactory classes:
Top Notes (10%)
- 20 drops Orange oil: This very vibrant citrus oil acts as the top note giving a burst of freshness and uplifting sweetness when smelt upon. It gives a feeling of sunshine filtering through trees
Middle Notes (70%)
- 50 drops Cedarwood oil: In this blend, the core lies in cedar wood oil which is warm and woody as a middle note. Cedarwood grounds the fragrance, creates depth and represents the forest floor’s earthy base
Base Notes (20%)
- 2 Tablespoons Vodka: This forms the base of the perfume carrying and diffusing essential oils while evaporating quickly after use.
Additional Notes:
- 5 drops Peppermint oil: A small amount of peppermint oil adds some coolness and invigorates this blend so that it can mimic fresh air that circulates around forests
- 3 drops Rosemary oil: Rosemary oil gives an extra herbaceous touch which makes one feel even more surrounded by nature
Why These Ingredients?
The selection of ingredients for “Forest Fairies Blend” aims at creating a multi levelled fragrant product. The initial burst of orange oil provides an uplifting and cheerful welcome, reminiscent of sunlight peeking through the trees. The prominent cedarwood oil acts as the anchor, grounding the scent with a woody warmth that represents the forest floor. Lastly, subtle hints of peppermint and rosemary offer freshness and revive overall fragrance thus mimicking crisp air from woods.
Experimentation is Key!
This recipe is just a starting point – feel free to adjust the proportions based on your personal preference to help create own perfume. Maybe you need a more zestful citrus opening or stronger herbal hit? So go ahead, try out things! And make sure to come up with a “Forest Fairies Blend” which is a reflection of the way you perceive smells!
Recipe 2- Romantic Flower Garden
- 10 drops Orange oil
- 3 drops Lavender oil
- 5 drops Patchouli oil
- 5 drops Cedarwood oil
- 3 drops Ylang Ylang oil
- 3 drops Bergamot oil
- 2 Tablespoons Vodka
Breakdown of Ingredients
This recipe called “Romantic Flower Garden” tries to capture a blooming garden that has been bathed in warm sunlight to help create perfume. The following are the aromatic ingredients and their roles as scents:
Top Notes (26%)
- 10 drops Orange oil: This is citrus oil for the top note offering an uplifting freshness and sweet burst. It leaves one with an image of sunlight playing with flowers
- 3 drops Bergamot oil: Alongside orange, bergamot oil adds lightness and citrusy taste making it a complex and refreshing opening imitating lively energy found in blossoming gardens
Middle Notes (40%)
- 3 drops Ylang Ylang oil: Being the middle note, ylang ylang offers a sweet floral aroma that can be compared with jasmine. This represents blossoming flowers' core
- 3 drops Lavender oil: Lavender oil gives a slightly herbaceous note that softens the sweetness of ylang ylang bringing about a more subtle floral feeling
Base Notes (34%)
- 5 drops Patchouli oil: As base notes, patchouli provides a deep earthy fragrance anchoring the perfume’s scent. It represents fertile soil that feed the flowers found in gardens
- 5 drops Cedarwood oil: In addition to patchouli, cedarwood adds warmth to this fragrance while enhancing its depth further
- 2 Tablespoons Vodka: The carrier is vodka, which diffuses and carries the essential oils, evaporating quickly after application
Why These Ingredients?
The choice of ingredients in the “Romantic Flower Garden” is meant to give a complicated and evocative scent that reminds one of a lush garden. The primary splash of orange oil and bergamot gives it an enthusiastic and happy opening like the beams of sun that fall through flowers. Besides, Ylang Ylang is highly pronounced in this perfume as it brings about a sweet floral heart giving off the fragrance of the garden’s blossoms while lavender contributes a soothing balance. The final layer of patchouli and cedarwood adds weight to the fragrance with its deep earthy warmth, symbolising nourishing soil for blooming flora.
Feel Free to Adjust!
This recipe is just a starting point – feel free to experiment with the proportions based on your preference.Perhaps you’d like a stronger citrus opening or a more prominent floral heart? There are no limits in adjusting amounts and creating "Romantic Flower Garden" fragrance which would be an authentic olfactory perception of perfect flower paradise to help create own perfume.
Recipe 3- Orange Spice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 25 cardamom pods
- 15 cloves
- 1 vanilla pod
- Orange peel
- 2 Tablespoons Vodka
- (First, you have to grind the spices; then add them to the vanilla pod and mix with orange peel and Vodka)
Breakdown of Ingredients
This recipe named “Orange Spice” differs slightly by employing whole spices for infusion instead of essential oils to help create perfume. In order to understand how each ingredient affects aroma, let us take a look at its components:
Top Notes (Uncertain)
- Orange peel: Fresh orange peel imparts a multifaceted citrus tone into this blend. For one thing, because the infusion method was used instead of essential oil recipes, top notes will not be so noticeable. At first sight, orange peel may add some slight citrous sweetness but mostly it will merge smoothly with middle and base notes.
Middle Notes (Dominant)
- Cinnamon stick: Crushed cinnamon stick provides warm spicy notes accompanied by some sweetness within perfume-heart. It creates a hot feeling inside as well as a warm winter period.
- Cardamom pods: Cardamom acts as a rather complex spice ingredient having slightly sweet-citrus character from which go out to subtle cinnamon depth and twist into middle notes.
Base Notes (Strong)
- Cloves: This is how the bouquet gets a strong spicy smell of cloves with a hint of acridity. They are heavy base notes that fix the fragrance with warmth and intensity.
- Vanilla pod: Vanilla bean imparts rich sweet lovely notes at the end. It counteracts cinnamon’s spiciness along with clove’s hotness, resulting in softened and welcoming perfume.
- 2 Tablespoons Vodka: To extract fragrance from spice and orange peel while evaporating instantly after it is applied, vodka is employed as a carrier.
Why These Ingredients?
The selection of ingredients in "Orange Spice" aims to create a warm and inviting fragrance perfect for the fall and winter seasons. The less pronounced character compared to other top notes found in essential oil recipes makes orange peel instead provide a mild citrus taste which goes well with spicy middle and low notes. Cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves add warmth, some complexity as well as intensity respectively to their respective levels. Finally, vanilla brings about comfort through its gentle touch on this scent thereby balancing it into an overall inviting aroma.
A Note on Infusion!
Due to use of whole spices for infusion rather than essential oil recipes, this recipe results in different kinds of fragrance.The top notes will be less pronounced while it may take longer time for the scent to fully develop. However, the infusion method provides an opportunity to capture delicate nuances of these spices creating long lasting warm fragrances to help create own perfume.
Consider Potential Risks
When considering how to make your own perfume using essential oils, take note of what each ingredient can do—plant-derived essences can be very potent and some citrus essences (e.g. lime oil) may cause phototoxicity. Some herbaceous oils like peppermint, oregano, clove, thyme, jasmine and cinnamon among others are known to cause skin irritations and induce allergies. Essential oils may become sensitising or irritating when used inappropriately according to the International Fragrance Association (IFRA), therefore it is important to adhere to the ratios outlined in this article. Do not blindly believe that being natural implies being harmless.
If you use essential oils for a room spray that has a fragrance, understand that certain essential oils are dangerous for pets. Even though cats are at higher risk due to their inability to process phenol compounds present in some essential oils compared to dogs which are also affected by others, they can all be aggravated by some of these such as tea tree, cinnamon, clove aniseed etc. Moreover small mammals & rodents including rabbits & hamsters; birds could experience respiratory problems arising from inhaling essential oils.
Alternatives to Try Out
Despite the benefits of vodka as a base to create perfume, not everyone may find vodka suitable. The following are alternatives one should consider:
- Carrier Oils: For your perfume, carrier oils such as jojoba oil or fractionated coconut oil or grapeseed oil provide a colourless medium with longer shelf life than alcohol based ones and tenderness on the skin.
- Natural Infusions: Carrier oils infused with herbs like botanicals or spices or even dried flowers offer a light scent and dimensionality in your perfume foundation.
General Tips and Storage Efficiency
Never forget about these tips while preparing the homemade fragrance so as not only make it easy but store it effectively. How-to’s for DIY Perfumes:
- It doesn’t need to be very posh but you should have a clean table or a desk at which it is easy to measure the needed ingredients.
- The key lies in the proportion, therefore while measuring and using precise quantities of all the necessary components, because dosage of any single component can slightly change aromatic notes of the perfume.
- Every perfume is like an expensive wine; it needs to rest and mature before reaching excellence.
- While making homemade perfumes, it’s best to use glass bottles because essential oil perfumes can dissolve plastic.
