DIY Natural Perfumes

Natural, handcrafted perfumes make the most delightful gifts and are a real art form. In this week's instalment of the DIY Gifting Guide, learn how to blend your own custom scents into a carrier oil, pure alcohol or a solid perfume. Ask your loved ones to pick scents and then make them their very own bottle of pure, natural perfume. We use only 100% natural ingredients in our perfume recipes.

The Danger Conventional Perfumes

Ah, the sweet scent of petrochemicals and carcinogens. Did you know that conventional perfumes contain petrochemicals, phthalates, artificial chemical scents, toxins that affect our health as well as many ingredients that aren't listed on the label? These chemicals may disrupt normal hormone functioning, build up in our tissues, cause allergic reactions and can even be cancerous.

How are Toxic Perfumes Allowed?

There is a 'fragrance loophole' in federal legislation which allows for ingredients providing a pleasant scent or masking a bad one to be listed only as "fragrance" or "parfum" on the ingredients label. Technically these could be any of thousands of chemicals used in the perfume industry to create the large, wonderful range of natural-like and synthetic scents we enjoy.

Conventional perfumes can not only be bad for the wearer's health but also for those in close proximity who can inhale the per'fumes'. Numerous scientific studies and surveys have found that perfumes can induce headaches and migraines, make existing headaches worse, worsen asthma and respiratory issues, disrupt hormone functioning leading to other serious health and developmental problems, and even cause cancer.

Where Else Could Toxic Perfumes Be Found?

Of course, perfumes aren't the only products containing harmful fragrances and other chemicals; look out for fragranced cosmetic products (and 'fragrance-free' which is often just a bunch of chemicals used to cover up other scents), cleaning products, laundry detergents, soaps, shampoos and body washes. If you do use perfume, be sure to use it very lightly, otherwise try out Mother Nature's range of perfumes in the form of essential oils.

Natural Perfume Crafting

Luckily, we don't have to wear chemicals to smell beautiful or confident.

All through history, lovely natural scents pressed and distilled from flowers, stems and bark were reserved for royalty and the wealthy, but now essential oils and natural extracts are readily available.

Essential oils certainly won't give you headaches, disrupt normal functioning or act as a carcinogen; in fact, they do the opposite. Many essential oils can act as adaptogens and balancers, relieve tension, stress and headaches, and assist bodily systems. Give yourself an extra boost by wearing essential oils that not only have wonderful scents but also have powerful therapeutic actions.

A General Guide to DIY Perfumes:

• Blend essential oils into a carrier oil or alcohol base, or into a solid perfume base such as beeswax or a plant wax.
• When making a perfume, add base notes, middle notes and top notes in order to build up a full-bodied fragrance.
• Let the oils meld together by themselves for a few days before adding a base oil or alcohol, to release their full scents.
• Remember to always do patch tests first as sensitive skins may be irritated by certain essential oils.
• Use pipettes to measure out your essential oils accurately.

Some popular oils according to their notes are listed below, but of course you may use any essential oil of your choosing (you can look up which note an essential oil is on the internet if it isn't listed below).

Base Notes

• Vanilla
• Cedarwood
• Vetiver
• Ylang Ylang
• Sandalwood
• Frankincense

Middle Notes

• Rose
• Lavender
• Chamomile
• Geranium

Top Notes (the first thing you smell)

• Bergamot
• Orange
• Neroli

Perfumes mature with age like fine wine or a good cheese. Leave your essential oil perfumes to sit and meld together before using for the best scents.

 

Perfume Oil Blends

Alcohol free, these perfumes are blended with a neutral carrier oil and are easy to apply in a roll on bottle.

Floral

• 10ml roll on bottle
• 5 drops sweet orange
• 2 drops jasmine blend
• 2 drops lime
• 2 drops vanilla

Method: Add the essential oils to the bottle then top up with a neutral oil such as jojoba, sweet almond or grapeseed.

Earthy

• 10ml roll on bottle
• 3 drops patchouli
• 3 drops palmarosa
• 1 drop vetiver
• 4-5 drops cedarwood
• 1 drop neroli

Method: Add the essential oils to the bottle then top up with a neutral oil such as jojoba, sweet almond or grapeseed.

Spicy

• 10ml roll on bottle
• 5 drops bergamot
• 1 drop clove
• 4 drops sandalwood
• 2 drops vanilla

Method: Add the essential oils to the bottle then top up with a neutral oil such as jojoba, sweet almond or grapeseed.

 

Solid Perfume

Solid perfumes are ideal to pop in a handbag or travel with. They have potent scents.

Basic Solid Perfume Recipe

• 2 T sweet almond or other neutral oil such as jojoba
• 2 T beeswax
• 15g aluminium tins
• Use any essential oil blend (about 50 drops total) of your choice or try these:
• - Sweet patchouli blend - 30 drops patchouli, 20 drops sweet orange
• - Lavender blend - 40 drops lavender, 10 drops ylang ylang

Method:

1. Melt the almond oil and beeswax together
2. Remove from the heat and add your essential oils
3. Pour into little tins and cap them to lock in the scent
4. Use on your neck, wrists or in your hair.

 

Perfume Spray

The traditional perfume spray, but made with 100% pure, natural ingredients.

• 12-20 drops of base note essential oils such as cedarwood, vanilla, vetiver, ylang ylang, sandalwood blend, etc
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
• 25-30 drops of middle tone oils such as rose, lavender, chamomile, or geranium
• 12-15 drops of top note oils such as bergamot, orange, or neroli
• 120ml high quality ethanol or isopropyl alcohol (you can also use white rum or vodka) to preserve and meld the scents

Method:

1. Add the essential oils in the order listed to a spray bottle and let them blend and mature together for 3-4 days. This helps improve the scent.
2. Add the alcohol and shake gently to blend together.
3. If you would like, leave the bottle in a cool, dark cupboard to further mature for a month. This is optional but recommended, and helps the alcohol scent disappear and the perfume in the oils to improve.