Make Perfume

In this chapter we will look at a number of different recipes, not just for perfumes, but colognes and body sprays as well, which can easily be made in your own home.

The first recipe we will be looking at is the basic perfume recipe. This is the simplest of all perfume recipes that you can reproduce at home.

The ingredients you need are as follows:

1. 2 cups of water
2. 2 cup fresh chopped flower blossoms (you may want to use such flowers as lavender, lilac, orange blossoms or honeysuckle).

Now for the directions:

1. In a bowl, put a cheesecloth (make sure that the edges of the cloth hang over the side of the bowl).  Fill this with 1 cup of flower blossoms (you choose) and then pour water over them until they are completely covered.
2. Cover the bowl and allow it to sit overnight.  The following day, take hold of the edges of the cheesecloth hanging over the side of the bowl and lift it up, then gently squeeze the scented water produced into a small pot.  You will now need to place this water into a pot and allow it to simmer until there is about 1 teaspoon left of the liquid.  Allow the solution to cool, and place it in a small bottle.  Perfume made this way normally has a shelf life of about 1 month.

The following recipes are all as easy to make as the basic recipe, but they will all be a little more fragrant because of the ingredients used.  They also include either essential or fragrance oils as part of the recipe.

The first will bring the smell of the orient to you.

Ingredients

1. 4 drops of Sandalwood
2. 4 drops of Musk
3. 3 drops of Frankincense
4. 2 teaspoons of Jojoba oil (carrier oil to be used when using essential or fragrance oils in perfume making).

Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bottle and shake well.
2. Place them in a dark colored bottle, and then allow the perfume to settle for at least 12 hours.
3. Once it has been stood for 12 hours or more, you should now store it in a cool dry area.

The next recipe is also simple to make, but uses not only essential/fragrance oils, but also water and alcohol, as previously mentioned in this book.

Ingredients

1. 2 cups distilled water
2. 3 tablespoons of Vodka
3. 5 drops of Lavender
4. 10 drops of Chamomile
5. 10 drops of Valerian

Directions

1. Mix all these ingredients together in a bottle and shake it well. 
2. Transfer the mixture to a dark colored bottle, and again, as with the previous recipe, allow the bottle to stand for 12 hours or more. 
3. Once the bottle has stood for the recommended 12 hours, it can be used, and then stored in a cool dry area.

The next recipe we are looking at is in fact not a perfume, but a cologne, and contains lemon as the main ingredient.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup of distilled water
2. 1 cup of Vodka
3. 3 drops of Lemongrass
4. 10 drops of Lavender
5. 10 drops of Lime

Directions

1. Combine the essential oils with the vodka in a bottle and shake well.
2. Now set this aside for 3 weeks.
3. After 3 weeks, you will need to add the distilled water and then let it stand for a further week.
4. It is important that you shake the bottle once a day while it is standing over the 4 week period.
5. After 4 weeks, you can transfer the mixture to dark bottles for storage, or keep the mixture in the bottle it is in, in a dark cool place.

The final recipe provided below is one which will produce a body splash, rather than a perfume, and has a citrus aroma to it.

Ingredients

1. 2 cups of distilled water
2. 3 tablespoons of vodka
3. 1 tablespoon each of lemon and orange peel (which must have been finely chopped)
4. 5 drops of Lemon Verbena
5. 10 drops of Mandarin
6. 10 drops of Orange

Directions

1. Mix the fruit peels with the vodka in a jar, cover and let it stand for 1 week.
2. After the week, strain the liquid and add the essential oils and distilled water to it.
3. Now let the mixture stand for a further 2 weeks, and make sure you shake the jar well once a day during this time.
4. Place the final solution after the 2 weeks in a dark bottle(s), or keep it in a cool dark area.

As you can see making your own perfumes, colognes or body sprays is simple, and once you’ve made your first lot and tried it yourself, you will soon want to be making more.