Interested in making a fragrance that can represent your personality? Or maybe you're looking for a unique homemade gift idea? You can create a special fragrance with ingredients purchased at the grocery store.
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Part 1 of 4: Understanding the Science of Perfume Making
Step 1. Know the difference between each note
Perfume is a mixture of various fragrances of different levels, also known as notes. When you spray a fragrance onto your skin, these notes are ejected in the following order:
- The top note, or top note, is the fragrance that is smelled for the first time. This note will also disappear early, usually within 10-15 minutes.
- The middle note or middle note will emerge when the top note disappears. This is the core fragrance, which defines the perfume class-for example, oriental, woody or woody, freshness or fresh, and floral or floral fragrances.
- The base notes accentuate and amplify the middle notes. People call it theme perfume. These notes are the base of the fragrance, allowing the fragrance to last 4-5 hours on your skin.
Step 2. Identify the top notes that are used a lot
Popular top notes include basil, bergamot, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, lime, mint, orange blossom or neroli, rosemary, and sweet orange.
Step 3. Identify widely used middle notes
These include black pepper, cardamom, chamomile, cinnamon, cloves, fir needles, jasmine, juniper, lemongrass, neroli, nutmeg, rose, rosewood or rosewood, and ylang-ylang.
Step 4. Identify widely used basic notes
These include cedar, cypress, ginger, patchouli, pine, sandalwood, vanilla, and vetiver.
Step 5. Know the note mix ratio
To create the mix, first enter the base notes, then the middle notes, and finally the top notes. The ideal ratio is 30% top notes, 50% middle notes, and 20% base notes.
Some perfumers recommend combining a maximum of 3 to 4 dominant notes
Step 6. Know the basic recipe
To make perfume, just knowing the top, middle, and bottom notes is not enough. You will also have to add other ingredients.
- The process of making perfume begins with preparing a carrier oil. Commonly used carrier oils include jojoba, sweet almond, and grapeseed.
- Then, pour the base, middle, and top notes into the carrier oil. Pour slowly.
- Finally, add the solvent to mix all the ingredients. Alcohol is a great choice because it evaporates quickly and helps spread perfume notes. Another popular choice among household perfumers is high-quality vodka with an alcohol content of 40%-50%.
- If you want to make a solid perfume (similar to a lip balm), change the mixture from alcohol or distilled water to beeswax.
Step 7. Find out the content of your favorite perfume
If you're still not sure what a perfume should look like, just take a look at the ingredients that make up over-the-counter perfumes.
If you're still having a hard time finding the ingredients or perfume notes, visit the Basenotes website. The website is a complete resource to find out the notes in famous perfumes
Part 2 of 4: Knowing the Equipment Needed
Step 1. Prepare a frosted glass container
The use of frosted glass containers is recommended because it can protect perfume from light. Exposure to light will decrease its durability.
- Make sure the container is never used to store food. The smell of the remaining food will contaminate the perfume.
- However, it is different if you really intend to use the aroma left in the glass container. (Warning: perfumes that combine nut-butter-banana-chocolate scents may taste better than they smell).
Step 2. Prepare the carrier oil
The carrier oil will transfer the fragrance of the perfume to your skin. Carrier oils are usually odorless and are useful for diluting saturated and aromatic oils, which can irritate the skin.
- Please use any oil as carrier oil. You can even use olive oil if you don't have a problem with the smell.
- A well-known perfumer boils rose petals in pure olive oil over low heat, then mixes in vitamin E oil to stabilize the solution.
Step 3. Prepare alcohol with the highest possible concentration
A common choice used by those who make their own perfume is high quality vodka with an alcohol content of 40%-50%. Other perfume makers prefer to use 95% alcohol.
Popular choices for 95% alcohol include neutral wine alcohol and the cheaper Everclear. Everclear itself is a wheat spirit
Step 4. Choose the fragrance you like
Perfume can be made from various types of materials. Aromatics commonly chosen for perfumes include essential oils, flower petals, leaves, and spices.
Step 5. Decide which method to use
How to make perfume varies, depending on the material used. Two aromatics are commonly used to make perfumes, namely ingredients from plants (flowers, leaves, and herbs) and essential oils. The method is different for each of these aromatics.
Part 3 of 4: Using Fresh Flowers, Leaves, and Spices
Step 1. Take a container made of clear glass
The type of container doesn't really matter, but make sure it's a) clean and b) made of glass. The container must be closed tightly.
- Perfume makers usually recommend the use of dark glass to maintain the durability of the fragrance by protecting it from exposure to light.
- Avoid using containers that were previously used to store food. Even if the container has been thoroughly washed, the smell of food may still remain on the glass.
Step 2. Use an odorless oil
Commonly used options include jojoba oil, almond oil, and grapeseed oil.
Step 3. Collect flowers, leaves, or herbs that smell good
Make sure you collect them while they are still very strong. The material will be aerated until it wilts and finally leaves a little fragrance.
Please collect and dry more materials than you need. Who knows later you will want to add more to strengthen the fragrance of the oil
Step 4. Get rid of the unused parts
If using flowers, only take the petals. If using leaves or herbs, just remove the stems or anything else that could contaminate the scent.
Step 5. Mash the ingredients
This step is not mandatory, but it can produce more fragrance. You just need to gently press the wooden spoon on the ingredients.
Step 6. Pour some oil into a glass container
You don't need a lot, as long as it's enough to soak all the flowers/leaves/spices.
Step 7. Add the ingredients to the oil and close the lid
Make sure the container is tightly closed.
Step 8. Store the container in a cool, dark place for 1 to 2 weeks
Step 9. Open and drain
Repeat this step several times. If after 1-2 weeks the aroma of the oil is not as strong as you want, please take the ingredients in the container and put the new ingredients into the oil that has started to smell good. Save back.
- This process can be repeated for several weeks or even months until the vaporized fragrance reaches the desired strength.
- Make sure to retain the oil. You only need to remove the plant parts that have been soaked for a long time.
Step 10. Preserve the fragrant oil
If you are satisfied with the smell produced, you can add 1 or 2 drops of natural preservatives such as vitamin E or grape seed extract to make it last longer.
If you want to solidify the oil, just add a little wax. Melt some wax in the microwave, then mix it into the perfume. Then, pour the entire mixture into a container until cool and solid
Part 4 of 4: Using Essential Oils
Step 1. Prepare all the ingredients
Here are the materials you will need:
- 2 tbsp carrier oil (can be jojoba, almond, or grapeseed oil)
- 6 tablespoons 50-95% alcohol
- 2, 5 tbsp water, use mineral or distilled water, not tap water
- 30 drops of essential oil (at least one type of oil for each note: base, middle, and top)
- Coffee or tea strainer
- Funnel
- 2 clean glass containers
Step 2. Pour 2 tbsp of carrier oil into a glass bottle
Step 3. Add the essential oil
In total there are 30 drops that you should put in. Start at the base note, then the middle and finally the top. The ideal ratio is the base 20%, the middle 50%, and the upper 30%.
Pay attention to the fragrances you add. If one of the fragrances smells very strong, add just a little so it doesn't overpower the other
Step 4. Add alcohol
Use good quality alcohol with high levels. Vodka is widely used by those who make their own perfume.
Step 5. Leave the perfume for at least 48 hours
Turn off the light and let it sit for about 48 hours to complete the perfume making process. You can leave it for a maximum of 6 weeks, which is when the fragrance evaporates very strongly.
Check the bottle regularly to check the progress of your fragrance
Step 6. Add 2 tbsp mineral water
Once satisfied with the resulting fragrance, add 2 tablespoons of mineral water to your perfume.
Step 7. Shake the bottle vigorously
Do this for a minute until all the ingredients are completely mixed.
Step 8. Transfer the perfume to another bottle
Using a coffee filter and funnel, pour the perfume into a dark glass bottle. Make sure the bottle is clean. You can also transfer it to a bottle with a special shape if you intend to make it a gift.
You can add a label on the bottle that includes the ingredients and date of manufacture to make it easier to check for durability. That way, you can estimate how much you'll need to make in the future
Step 9. Try making variations
To make a solid perfume (like a lip balm), the method is the same as making a spray or liquid perfume, but replace the water with liquid beeswax. Add the beeswax to the perfume and pour the still-warm mixture into a container to solidify.
Beeswax can be purchased at many food stores
Tips
- Don't overdo it when it comes to fragrances. Smell each ingredient and think carefully about whether the resulting mixture will smell good. Mixing too many notes can mess up the fragrance.
- Clean the glass container with very hot water. Then, place it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven at 110 degrees Celsius.
- Consider scenting your favorite foods and drinks-for example, you could make a chai perfume with cinnamon oil, sweet orange oil, clove oil and cardamom oil. As another example, the pumpkin pie fragrance contains the following essential oils: cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla and orange.
Warning
Avoid mixing fruit juices into perfume. Perfume will actually clump or smell bad. In addition, oranges are phototoxic. This means that anything containing lemon juice will burn your skin when exposed to the sun
Related article
- How to Make Scented Candles
- How to Make Lavender Oil
- How to Make Hair Gel
- How to make lip gloss
