We adore making homemade perfumes with essential oils. And if you’re sensitive to chemicals, you’ll also love the satisfaction that comes from creating your own low-irritant scent.
Making your own perfumes means you can create complex blends using a few oils, or simply concentrate on an essential oil that you really love. When creating homemade perfumes with essential oils, you will not only smell wonderful, but you’ll also benefit from the different properties of each oil.
If you’re new to aromatherapy and working with essential oils, I recommend starting with single oil blends.
Below are some of the favorite oils that I use on different occasions. Some are chosen purely because I just love the smell of the oil, or because I love the scent and am also looking for the other benefits provided by that oil.
My top tip for beginners is to keep it simple! Choose your favorite scent and blend it with a carrier oil.
Nicola’s favorite essential oils for perfume-making
Rose
With its rich floral scent, rose oil is beautifully feminine. Quite frankly, we would expect nothing less from the sophisticated and elegant rose plant. This light fragrance can hold its own as a solo oil perfume and is perfect as an everyday fragrance.
The oil is extracted from the petals of the rose plant, most often from the damask rose. The delicate flower’s oil is gently released through steam in a process called distillation. It takes 22 pounds of rose petals to make just 5ml of rose oil! Hence why this oil often comes with a much higher price tag. Even so, its diverse properties make it a very worthy investment and it’s always in my oil kit.
Rose oil has been used for thousands of years and aside from its incredible scent, it has numerous benefits.
You’ll often find it in beauty products and it’s used for both its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which help combat signs of aging skin. Rose oil can also be used to support our mood, and may also act as a libido booster! Finally, it also supports relief from painful periods.
Jasmine
The jasmine flower has an unmistakable floral scent. Night-blooming jasmine is also known as queen of the night, as this is when the smell of the plant is at its most potent. This nickname also gives a cheeky nod to the flower’s reported aphrodisiac qualities.
Jasmine is another oil that has long been used in traditional medicines. Like rose oil, it is also famed for being a stress buster, sleep aid, and supporting women with relief from menstrual cramps. I also think its seductive scent hints clearly at the libido-boosting qualities of the oil.
The oil is extracted from the plant’s fragile jasmine flower via a method called solvent extraction. The cost of this delicate process, along with the huge amount of flowers needed, means the oil also comes with a higher price tag. We must insist that quality does really matter with oils, especially when it comes to homemade perfumes, so don’t be tempted to compromise here just because you want a ‘bargain’.
Patchouli
A very distinctive and powerful scent, patchouli has sweet, yet musky-earthy tones. Patchouli oil is pretty potent so a little really does go a long way! This is a strong oil that is a great foundation for multi-oil blends, but it can also be used alone. Given its strength, the patchouli oil perfume does not need much reapplication making it an excellent homemade perfume single oil choice.
The plant that the oil is derived from actually belongs to the mint family and is officially known as Lamiaceae. The oil is extracted from the leaves of the plant through distillation.
Patchouli oil is also favored for use in anti-aging products for its rejuvenating qualities. It is also suggested for use in supporting inflammatory conditions and other skin problems such as eczema, acne, or scarring.
Ylang ylang
The clue to this scent is in its name. Ylang ylang literally translates as ‘flower of flowers’. It was christened as such due to its sweet floral tones. The oil is derived from the flower petals of the tropical ylang ylang (Cananga odorata) tree, which is native to India and found throughout parts of Asia.
In fact, ylang ylang is quite the essential oil superstar. Back in the 1920s, famed French fashion designer and icon, Coco Chanel, was looking for a fragrance that “captured the scent of a woman”.
This led Coco to ylang ylang, and to this day it’s still a key ingredient in the famous Chanel N°5 perfume.
Additionally, ylang ylang supports the circulatory system, may help to reduce inflammation and anxiety and like the other perfume essential oils I’ve selected today, is also said to have aphrodisiac qualities.
What can I say? I think that perfume is all about confidence, self-care, and yes, maybe even a little seduction!
Choosing a carrier oil
Jojoba oil
With very little scent and its long shelf life, this oil is an excellent base for natural homemade perfume blends. Jojoba oil is also quickly absorbed into the skin and is full of nourishing vitamin E and B complex. I also love this oil for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. Simply put, it just feels great on my skin and is my preferred carrier oil for perfumes.
Almond oil
A powerful moisturizer and also very soothing for the skin, almond oil is another of my favorite carrier oils. Its fast absorption rate also makes it a great perfume base. With only a delicate odor, it doesn’t interfere with the scent of the essential oils and I also love knowing that I’m benefiting from its rich vitamin E content.
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Homemade Essential Oil Perfume Recipes
Equipment
- Essential oil roller bottle (10ml)
- Small funnel
Ingredients
- Jojoba oil or almond oil
- Your choice of essential oil (choose one only):
- 9 drops rose oil
- 8 drops jasmine oil
- 6 drops patchouli oil
- 8 drops ylang ylang oil
Method
Using a small funnel add your chosen essential oil or oils to the roller bottle. Next, add jojoba oil or almond oil, until the mixture almost reaches the top of the bottle. Close the bottle by replacing the rollerball section and lid. Give it a little shake to mix and your new DIY essential oil perfume is ready to go!
Homemade Essential Oil Perfume Recipes
Equipment
- Essential oil roller bottle (10ml)
- Small funnel
Ingredients
- Jojoba oil or almond oil
- Your choice of essential oil choose one only:
- 9 drops rose oil
- 8 drops jasmine oil
- 6 drops =patchouli oil
- 8 drops ylang ylang oil
Instructions
- Method
- Using a small funnel add your chosen essential oil or oils to the roller bottle.
- Next, add jojoba oil or almond oil, until the mixture almost reaches the top of the bottle.
- Close the bottle by replacing the rollerball section and lid.
- Give it a little shake to mix and your new DIY essential oil perfume is ready to go!
Great gifts
These little roller bottle perfumes are so easy to make and I love gifting them to friends and family.
Once you have the ingredients this is a cost-effective way of spreading the joy of essential oils and creating a little homemade gift for loved ones. Simply make the blend by choosing the best and most appropriate oil for the recipient, and follow the recipe above.
I often like to decorate the bottle with a nice label and pop it into a little gift bag and voila! You have a birthday or Christmas gift ready to go!
We hope you enjoy creating these beautiful scents. Leave us a comment and let us know your favorite recipe!
Sian
I love all the rollerball perfumes I’ve tried and made, but ylang ylang and rose are definitely my favorite scents so far!