How to make your own perfume from essential oils by Christine

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

How to make your own perfume from essential oils

You can use aromatherapy oils to make fabulous natural perfumes. Apply them to your pulse points, or use them in baths and body lotions.

Essential oils have been used for centuries to make perfumes and colognes; blending oils together creates complex and beautiful scents. The exact ingredients of famous perfumes, such as Chanel No 5' and 4711', are closely guarded secrets, but a trained aromatherapists with a good nose will be able to replicate these and any other fragrance almost exactly.

However, copying top name brands is rather ambitious and most people prefer to start simply. Experiment with your favorite oils until you create a scent that's perfect for you the best' perfume is often as much a question of personal taste as a set formula. In the meantime, the combinations of scents that I will show you will give you some pointers towards blending a fragrance to suit your needs.

To make the most of your perfume, apply it to the pulse points at your neck, wrists and behind your ears.

Pulse points are the places on your body where your blood flows closest to the surface of your skin, creating extra body heat that helps the oil to evaporate, surrounding you with the scent.

When your heart beats faster as your date goes well, your skin warms even more increasing the rate at which oil evaporates.

Making your own perfumes is one of the most rewarding ways to practice your new aromatherapy skills. Try your hand at creating your own scent.

Perfumes tend to have a more intense aroma than massage blends or bath oils, and are therefore best applied as a spray. Buy an atomizer bottle or reuse an old perfume bottle after you've given it a thorough clean.

Like all aromatherapy blends, a well-balanced perfume will contain a mix of top, middle and base note oils.

You will need:
An unscented carrier product
A minimum of three and maximum of six essential oils
An atomizer bottle.

Your unscented base could be carrier oil, water, and alcohol or body lotion. Use a maximum of 10 drops of essential oil per 30ml carrier base.

For an intense perfume, use odorless alcohol. Vodka is best, but use the purest you can find. Alcohol can damage skin if used too often, so keep these perfumes for special occasions.

For everyday use, mix 7-10 drops of essential oils with 30ml of jojoba oil.

For a lighter eau de toilette spray, use 300ml of pure spring water per 10ml of essential oil.

For a sensual massage or bath blend, mix up to 20 drops of essential oil with 100ml carrier oil, such as grapeseed.

1. Fill your perfume bottle three-quarters full with your chosen carrier product.

2. Add the essential oils to the blend one drop at a time, starting with the base not oil(s) first, then the middle not oil(s) and finally the top note(s).

3. Shake the bottle vigorously to disperse the oils evenly throughout the mixture.

4. Put the bottle away in a cool, dark place for three to four weeks. Take it out once a week and give it another shake to ensure that the oils are spreading through the mixture evenly.

5. Spray on your pulse points, and get ready to flutter your eyelids.

Any of these fragrant oils are ideal for forming the heart of your perfume blend:

Jasmine Intense and floral.

Lavender Sweet, gentle floral, with woody undertones.

Neroli Fresh with flowery undertones. Extracted from the flowers of the bitter orange tree, neroli is a main ingredient of the famous French perfume 4711'.

Patchouli The earthy, musky aroma of patchouli improves with age.

Rose A rich, flowery scent. Rose has long been considered the aroma of love.

Sandalwood A mellow, woody scent.

Ylang ylang A heady, exotic oil.

Try these simple perfume recipes.

Choose the type of perfume you want, then experiment with the ingredients to find the blend that suits you best. Mix all these blends with 300ml of spring water for an eau de toilette or 100ml of alcohol for a stronger perfume.

For a light, fresh scent add:

5 drops neroli (base note)
10 drops orange, rosemary (middle notes)
15 drops bergamot, lemon (top notes)

For a gentle floral scent add:

7 drops rose (base note)
15 drops geranium, orange, palmarosa (middle notes)
7 drops lime, petitgrain (top notes)

For an exotic sensuous scent add:

15 drops rose, sandalwood (base notes)
10 drops geranium, rose geranium, rose otto (middle notes)
5 drops coriander, lemon (top notes)

Build up a collection of beautiful perfume bottles so that you can give any spare scent to your friends.

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