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Quick Guide to Making Natural Perfumes

I do workshops on Perfume Blending and have listed below a quick guide on making your own natural perfumes. Hope you enjoy it!

Getting Started

There are three basic types of blends:

1. Therapeutic
2. Environmental
3. Perfumery

You will need to decide which of the three basic types you want to blend.

You will need to determine what base you need. For perfumery, you might use a carrier oil like Jojoba.

You will need to decide whom the blend is for. Men and women tend to like different aromas. Young teenagers prefer something different than that of middle aged and/or older people. The reason for this is our changing body chemistry.

A well-balanced blend is composed of Top notes, Middle notes and Base notes, as in music.

The TOP NOTES are highly volatile, evaporate quickly and do not last very long (about 2 to 4 hours and include essential oils such as Citrus and Coriander). Top Notes are to be added LAST.

The MIDDLE NOTES last a little longer (about 4 to 6 hours) and include essential oils such as Lavender and Rosemary.

The BASE NOTES have a profound influence on the blend. They are very long lasting (come out 20 minutes to 2 hours later) and at the same time, fix other essences. This means they slow down the volatility rate of the Top and Middle Notes thus improving on the staying power of the blend. A good example of a Base Note essential oil is Sandalwood as it is regarded as a good fixative because it harmonizes well as a background to a wide variety of blends.

Although these guidelines help when you are first beginning, if you are adventurous with an artistic flair, you can prepare pleasant blends as you become more confident to experiment.

Learn Your Materials

Each oil has its own character and behavior, its own subtleties and complexities. Getting to know them is an endless process that will underlie all your blending adventures. The way an oil smells when you sniff the bottle is usually only the tip of the iceberg. How each oil performs in a blend is different over time in dilutions or on your skin. Be prepared for delightful surprises!

Write Down Everything You Do While You Are Blending

Blending is exciting, especially when it is going well. The wave of inspiration rushes in and you are an artist! You know just what to add and it is beautiful. Stop and make notes of everything you are doing. Record every drop of every oil you add to make that perfect blend while you are doing it. If you don’t, you may be sorry later when you want to duplicate the blend.

Take Breaks

Regular breaks are important for safety reasons and your mental health. Essential oils are very powerful and concentrated. Working with them for long periods of time in a closed area can be overwhelming or can make you ill.

Breaks will help in the creative process due to olfactory fatigue. Your nose can go blind and a brisk walk will do you the world of good. Each person’s nose is highly individualistic in this way and you have to learn which types of aroma you personally get immune to quickly and how often you need to take breaks from your blending.

Tricks of the trade include:

a. Taking a walk in fresh air
b. Running up and down the stairs, this heavy breathing will clear the nose
c. Sniffing your armpit or elbow
d. Sniffing coffee beans

Jojoba oil is an excellent carrier for a perfume blend since it has such a long shelf life and no aroma of its own. You can also use it immediately with no need to “age” it. The proportions you use depend on three things – how strong you want your perfume or blend to be, how you plan to use it and basic safety precautions.

The following mixtures are meant to guide your first steps into the fragrant world of perfume making. All are based on 1/3 oz. of Jojoba oil.

Woody

15 drops Cedarwood
5 drops Sandalwood
5 drops Rosewood
2 drops Lemongrass

Sweet

4 drops Neroli
4 drops Rose
4 drops Rosewood
4 drops Cedarwood

Sweet, slight aphrodisiac

4 drops Jasmine
4 drops Ylang Ylang
8 drops Rosewood
1 drop Vanilla
4 drops Neroli

Refreshing, not aphrodisiac

10 drops Bergamot
5 drops Melissa
10 drops Petitgrain
5 drops Verbena

Heavy, Exotic, Aphrodisiac

10 drops Patchouli
8 drops Frankincense
6 drops Ylang Ylang
4 drops Jasmine

Characteristic Fragrances of Essential Oils

Please note that not all Essential Oils smell like the flowers, herbs or plants from which they are extracted.

Basil: penetrating, sweet, spicy, fresh, anise-like

Benzoin: sweet, balsamy, warm

Bergamot: fresh, clear, fruity-sweet

Cedarwood: harmonious, soft wood fragrance, sweet and sour

Chamomile, blue: very sweet, herbal

Chamomile, Roman: fresh, sweet, herbal, tea-like

Clary Sage: light, slightly hay-like, spicy, similar to Bergamot

Clove: strong, warm, spcy-sweet

Cypress: fresh, spicy, lemony-fruity

Eucalyptus globulis: camphor-like

Frankincense: balsamy, spicy, lemony

Geranium: leafy, rosy, minty-fruity

Ginger: spicy-woodsy, warm

Grapefruit: light, fresh, bitter

Jasmine: honey-sweet, intensively flowery

Juniper: strong, herbal, scent of pine needles and gin

Lavender: sweet, balsamy, flowery

Lemon: fresh, bright

Lemongrass: fresh, similar to Lemon and Verbena, slightly bitter

Lime: intensive, sparkling-sweet, lemony

Marjoram: typical scent of the kitchen herb

Neroli: sweet, spicy-bitter

Orange, Sweet: bright, fruity, clear, sweet

Patchouli: strongly woody-balsamy-sweet, woodsy, earthy

Peppermint: minty-fresh, grass-like, balsamy sweet

Rose: sweet, rosy

Rosewood: flowery, slightly rosy, spicy-sweet

Sandalwood: balsamy-sweet, velvety-warm

Tea Tree: strong, camphor-like, spicy

Vanilla: Sweet, warm, balsamy

Verbena: fresh, fruity, citrus-like

Ylang Ylang: narcotic-sweet, strong, Jasminey

Fran Loudas is a Certified Aromatherapist, Certified in the Design and Production of Aromatherapy Skin Care Products, Certified in Custom Blending of Essential Oils, an Oriental Diagnostics Specialist and Herbal Remedy Maker. She has taught many workshops on Perfume Blending, Aromatherapy 101, Your Home Spa, Herbal Dream Pillows, Aromababy and Aromatherapy Before, During & After Your Pregnancy. Fran also teaches at the Barnes & Noble University. She owns her company, www.infusionbath.com, using her extensive background knowledge to make these products - something she very much enjoys doing as it allows her to be creative while at the same time making natural body and skin care products.