DIY Homemade Perfume with Essential Oils

In all the fabulessness of DIY, have you ever thought of making your own perfume?

At one point in time or another, you may have given thought to a perfumed essential oil roller made with your favorite blend, that you can roll on your neck or wrists for some fragrance. 

That type of perfume is just a bit different than making Eau de Parfum.

So what is the difference between perfume oil and Eau de Parfum?

First… you are more than likely used to wearing Eau de Parfum – since that is primarily what is sold in stores whether it be Victoria’s Secret or, Target, or Macy’s, any regular perfume store.  Eau de Parfum has alcohol, and it’s usually in a beautiful spray bottle that can be somewhat expensive depending on the variety.

Perfume oil, on the other hand, is basically your favorite essential oil combined with a carrier like jojoba oil or sweet almond oil – you can include in a roller bottle and swipe across your wrists or the nape of your neck as needed for scent.

Whew!  Making an Eau de Parfum can be a challenge, since you need to get the basic math down down in 3 distinct parts:

• 20% essential oil
• 70% alcohol (190 proof)
• 10%  distilled water

Our beautiful Eau de Parfum Vintage Atomizer with bulb is 100ml, and each milliliter has 20 drops, making the atomizer bottle 2000 drops in total:

20 drops x 100 ml = 2000 drops

Don’t you love it? It’s gorgeous – you can find many different styles at Hobby Lobby – and they are frequently on sale for $8 – $12 after coupon.

So based on the above information, this would be the breakdown of the Eau de Parfum in separate parts:

• 20% of 20000 drops = 400 drops essential oil
• 70% of 2000 drops = 1400 drops of alcohol
• 10% of 2000 drops = 200 drops distilled water

Whew!  You never thought you would have to do this much math for a DIY did you? ?    Now.. it gets a little tricky from this point on forward!

It’s really not challenging to make your own perfume, but it is tricky – making your own perfume does require patience and the willingness to experiment until you find the perfect combination of oils that make a lovely smell that appeals to you.  

All those smells like rose, and lavender, perhaps orange and even musk are all notes that make up a chord. A chord is composed of a base note, heart note and a head note:

Chord = Base Note, Heart Note and Head Note

It’s helpful to understand the purpose that each note plays in the larger chord (smell) of the perfume:

Base note:  Lasts the longest, and is usually something like vanilla or sandalwood

Heart note:  Middle note – tends to be somewhat floral. It’s the smell that hits right when you take a whiff from the bottle.

Head note:  Subtle – blends into the base and heart, evaporates quickly and may smell different as it combines with different base and heart notes.

Picking the right oils to go together is the tricky part – depending on what scent you are looking for (woodsy, musky, floral, or maybe a citrus scent).   Here are some examples:

• Woodsy: Cedarwood, Pine, Sandalwood
• Herbal: Rosemary, Lavender, Chamomile
• Fruity:  Grapefruit, Orange, Bergamot
• Floral: Jasmine, Rose, Ylang Ylang
• Musk: Lime, Copaiba, Lavender
• Summer: Orange, Ravintsara, Cedarwood

Once you have your chosen oils, you’ll need to use the appropriate ratio of essential oil:

2 parts base: 1 part heart: 1 part head

So if you doing 20 drops in a 10ml atomizer that would be:

20 drops base: 10 drops heart: 10 drops head

Before you get started:

• Use a 10ml atomizer – if you don’t have one, you can find them at Hobby Lobby – I found mine in the area directly behind the registers on the glass shelving with other breakable items. They are often on sale for $8 – $12 after the weekly coupon.
• When you use essential oils, please be familiar with those that you choose – some oils are photosensitive and should not be applied to areas of the body that will be exposed to the sun for up to 72 hours.
• When using water, use distilled when at all possible. 
• If you can’t find 7ml of 190 proof grain alcohol (they sell on Amazon) you can use the highest proof Vodka available. If you don’t buy liquor, or don’t want an entire bottle just for 7ml, then ask friends and family if you can borrow a little bit.  Whatever you do, do not use rubbing alcohol.
• Label your creations as you go to keep track of your experiments.
• A small funnel can be helpful when putting your perfume together.

Eau de Perfume in Vintage Atomizer

What you’ll need:

• small pipettes or glass droppers
• a small funnel 
• 100ml Eau de Parfum atomizer
• 190 proof grain alcohol or highest proof vodka
• essential oils

Making your Eau de Parfum:

Here’s where the adventure begins!  Grab your essential oils, the atomizer and droppers.

Open up your atomizer and and insert your base note first.  Carefully count out the appropriate number of drops and then push the oil off to the side. Then, open up your heart note, and add the appropriate number of drops. Once you have added those drops, you will need to add your head note (last!)  

Once you add all 3 of your essential oils, close up your atomizer and give it a gentle shake. Allow that 3-oil mixture to sit for 7 days – that time will allow the oils to blend together before you add the alcohol.

After the week has passed, smell your blend and determine if you like the scent – if you don’t, it looks like you will be starting over to find a scent you love. Just remember that if you wish to change your scent you will need to wait another 7 days for the oils to blend with each other.

If you do love your trio, then grab your funnel, alcohol and your measuring cup. Over your kitchen sink, pour your alcohol over the measuring cup. Then, place the funnel over your atomizer and pour in the alcohol. Place the lid back on and put the bottle to the side for at least a month, or up to three months.

Oh the agony! You probably didn’t realize you would have to wait that long – right? Just think that if you start this project in th, it gives you time to create your Eau de Parfum in time for Christmas gifts.

After that Month….

After that month, check your perfume by spraying – you should get a brief smell of alcohol, followed by the scent of your perfume.

If you don’t, then you might need to let that perfume sit for more time to give those oils time to blend with the alcohol. At this point, I know it’s hard to wait, but usually waiting for 3 months really does make a big difference on scent. 

Have you ever made your own perfume? 

What combinations of essential oils have worked for you?