Solid Perfume Making

Solid Perfume Making

A whole year ago, we first touched on natural perfumes, in The Art of Natural Perfumery, which explains the basics of making perfume with essential oils. I'm not sure why I left a sequel off for so long, but it definitely seems like a good time to revisit natural perfume making! Here we will learn how to make solid perfumes.

Why Choose Solid Perfumes?

Solid perfumes makes beautiful and unique gifts for your special ones, not to mention they are surprisingly easy to make as well as 100% natural and eco-friendly. Customise your perfume to the wearer by incorporating their favourite essential oils. Add your perfume blends to cute little tins, reuse antique tins, or even make a perfume stick by adding to a reused lip balm container.

Bases

Make your solid perfume base from beeswax or unscented cocoa butter and soft oils such as almond oil, jojoba, grapeseed or other unscented oil. If you want a plant based wax instead of beeswax, try soy wax or carnauba (bear in mind carnauba wax is extremely hard so you may need more oil in the base formula).

Essential Oils Are Your Perfume Scents

You can go as high as a 50/50 ratio of essential oils to base, for a good strong scent. Solid perfume scents may fade over time faster than alcohol based perfumes, so you often require a higher concentration of essential oils.

Another trick I do is to pre-blend my essential oil fragrances together in a little glass vial and let them meld together for a week or so. This often improves the fragrance.

You can use any essential oil; here are a few recommendations:

  • Litsea cubeba or May Chang - lemony but without any photosensitivity of lemon essential oil; middle note.
  • Lemongrass - fresh; a top to middle note.
  • Lavender - a classic favourite; middle note.
  • Rose - romantic; middle note.
  • Palmarosa - middle note.
  • Cedarwood - woodsy; base note.
  • Cardamom - spicy; middle note.
  • Labdanum (rock rose) - middle note.
  • Geranium - sweet, floral; middle note.
  • Jasmine - very sweet and floral.
  • Lime - fresh; top note.
  • Citrus oils - often blend well with many other oils; top notes.

Some combinations could be:

Combinations for Men:

You can also refer to The Art of Natural Perfumery for more scent combinations.

Though not typical for a conventional perfume scent, one of my all time favourite combinations is cocoa butter and coffee bean oil. You float around in a cloud of chocolate coffee - it's pure delight! This may be perfect for a younger person, or someone who enjoys a simpler, less complicated scent. Coffee and cocoa is also a really nice scent to wear in wintertime, as it evokes warmth and contentment.

 

Solid Perfume Recipes

Spicy Citrus Solid Perfume

This perfume has soft notes of citrus and tea, woody cedar and a dash of spice.

Ingredients:

Method:

  1. Melt the beeswax and oil in a hot water bath, then remove from the heat and let it cool for a minute but don't let it solidify.
  2. Stir in the essential oils and pour into little tins.
  3. Put in the fridge to cool - you want to cool it as fast as possible to preserve the essential oils.
To use, rub a little on your finger and apply to neck, temples or wrists.

Lavender Lemon Solid Perfume

Feel free to multiply the recipe as required. This amount will make 1 x 15g tinful of solid perfume. 

Ingredients:

Method:

  1. Melt the beeswax and oil in a hot water bath, then remove from the heat and let it cool for a minute but don’t let it solidify.
  2. Stir in the essential oils and pour into little tins.
  3. Put in the fridge  to cool - you want to cool it as fast as possible to preserve the essential oils.

To use, rub a little on your finger and apply to neck, temples or wrists.

Men’s Solid Perfume

Ingredients:

Method:

  1. Melt the beeswax and oil in a hot water bath, then remove from the heat and let cool for a minute but don’t let it solidify.
  2. Stir in the essential oils and pour into into little tins.
  3. Put in the fridge  to cool - you want to cool it as fast as possible to preserve the essential oils.

To use, rub a little on your finger and apply to neck, temples or wrists.

 

Have fun making your natural solid perfumes - the scent combinations are endless. These perfumes make perfect gifts and stocking fillers, or as a present to yourself. A nice gift idea may be to make three different scents, then box the three tins up in a cute cardboard gift box with a ribbon, which will make for a stunning presentation.

Natural Fragrance Oils

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3 comments

Hi Janine, certain citrus oils such as cold pressed lemon and bergamot do carry a risk of photo sensitivity when applied directly (high concentration) and then exposed to UV light. However in these recipes the essential oils are very much diluted in carrier oils and wax so this risk is greatly mitigated. Also natural perfumes aren’t slathered all over, but small amounts are dabbed on the neck or wrists, so there are only small areas exposed.
Of course, please do still practice safe sun care by avoiding strong sunlight and always wearing SPF and hats when going out.

If you are concerned about any potential risk, then you can simply leave out any citrus essential oils and only use the non-photosensitive ones :)

Juliette

I am worried about photo sensitivity with some of the oil mixtures. Is that a possibility?

Janine Bentley

Good day
Kindly send me everything that you sell am interested
Thank you
Thandeka

Thandeka

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