If you know me, then you’ll know I LOVE making natural perfume. I’ve even written a book about it called Perfumes and Potions. My love affair with making perfumes started when I was young and my sister and I would mash up Grandma’s flowers in water to concoct all sorts of potions. I even remember my very first bottle of perfume. My Grandma gave me a bottle of 4711. I must have been about 8 and I kept that bottle for years like a treasured keepsake.
Now every time I smell Neroli essential oil it takes me back to that moment. It’s funny how smells can trigger emotions and memories. Have you experienced that?
Natural perfumes can raise your vibration and positively enhance your mind, moods, emotions. And you smell FANTASTIC and NATURAL! But, they’re so much more than nice smells.
If made with the right intentions you’ll soon discover their spiritual and energetic aspects. They can be used to build confidence, tap into your sacred sensuality, strengthen and heal your nervous system to live a more ecstatic, fulfilling and expansive life.
Why use natural perfume?
I have a very dear friend who used to work at a perfume counter all day spraying perfume on her own throat as well as others’. She later developed thyroid issues and had to have her thyroid removed. Guess where your thyroid is? Yep, at the bottom of your throat where all that perfume was going! Not only do they affect your thyroid, but many perfumes contain phthalates which are known endocrine disruptors, linked to all sorts of health issues – you can read more about it here.
The problem with the perfume industry is that it’s not regulated as fragrance recipes are considered a “trade secret”. They don’t want anyone knowing what’s in them and re-creating them. The only people that know are the perfumers themselves and they won’t give up this kind of information.
This is scary because we just don’t know what’s in them. Perfumes could be filled with tons of endocrine disruptors, just a few or none, and the problem is that we just don’t know. Usually when a brand is all about being non-toxic and transparent they make it very clear in their ingredients what’s in the perfume. Unfortunately, most don’t, and certainly not mainstream perfume brands.
So I started making my own natural perfume and teaching other women to do it too.
What ARE natural perfumes?
The fact is, many of the ingredients of most perfumes are synthetic – created in a lab. Natural perfumes are different. To be considered natural a perfume has to be derived from 100% natural botanical ingredients. These ingredients can include organic essential oils (like Geranium, Rose and Ylang Ylang), cold-pressed essential oils (like Orange, Grapefruit, Lime and other citrus oils), absolutes (like Jasmine and Neroli) and naturally derived isolates.
How can you make your own beautiful natural perfume?
Firstly, begin by choosing which essential oils you will use to scent your perfume. Essential oils each have unique characteristics that have the ability to affect us on many levels, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Furthermore, the effectiveness and even the aroma of essential oils may be enhanced when blended with other essential oils in a particular order.
Each essential oil contains different molecules, both large and small. Each molecule within an essential oil has its own role in creating a harmonious perfume. However, a good perfume blend will contain a mix of different molecules, called notes. I cover this in way more detail in another Hot Topic that I wrote called How to make your own perfume. Or you could buy a copy of my Perfume and Potions ebook which also includes heaps of other tricks.
The amount of essential oils used in natural perfume
This depends on the type of perfume you are trying to make. For example, the percentage of essential oils to Alcohol/Water are as follows:
Eau de Perfum 15-20% – thats 26-41 drops of essential oil per 10mls of alcohol/water
Eau de Toilette 8-15% – thats 17-26 drops of essential oil per 10mls of alcohol/water
Eau de Cologne 3-8% – thats 13-17 drops of essential oil per 10mls of alcohol/water
Body Splash 2-4% – thats 4-8 drops of essential oil per 10mls of alcohol/water
After Shave 1-3% – thats 2-5 drops of essential oil per 10mls of alcohol/water
For the alcohol-based part of your perfume you can use vodka, witch hazel or rubbing alcohol. My preference is to use Ceroc Vodka as it has very little aroma of its own. I also add a splash of distilled water to the mix too. Even luxury brand perfumes do this.
Or you can make an oil-based perfume by substituting the alcohol/water for a good quality carrier oil.
Natural Perfume Recipes powered by Young Living Essential Oils
Young Living has recently released some amazing essential oils for making natural perfumes, such as Geranium Bourbon, Vanilla and Neroli. I wanted to give some of them a whirl, so thought I’d share the recipes with you.
Note: I like to leave my essential oils to meld for a few hours and sometimes even days before I add the alcohol to them. Sometimes their aroma can change as time goes by. When the alcohol is added they can change again. That’s part of the fun – experimenting to see what works and what you like most.
Spring Fling
A delicious, sweet harmony of florals with a touch of citrus.
To make a 10ml Eau de Perfume add the following Young Living essential oils to your 10ml bottle. If your bottle is bigger than 10mls then adjust the number of drops accordingly.
18 drops Bergamot essential oil
12 drops Geranium Bourbon essential oil
6 drops Neroli essential oil
Fill up the bottle until just below the rim with Ceroc and then add a few drops of distilled water.
Angelic Moon
My favourite of them all. Sweet and alluring.
To make a 10ml Eau de Perfume add the following Young Living essential oils to your 10ml bottle. If your bottle is bigger than 10mls then adjust the number of drops accordingly.
15 drops Young Living White Angelica essential oil blend
12 drops Young Living Valor essential oil blend
9 drops Young Living Vanilla Essential Oil
Fill up the bottle until just below the rim with Ceroc and then add a few drops of distilled water.
Wild Woman
Earthy just they way a goddess should feel.
To make a 10ml Eau de Perfume add the following Young Living essential oils to your 10ml bottle. If your bottle is bigger than 10mls then adjust the number of drops accordingly.
10 drops Geranium Bourbon essential oil
10 drops Orange essential oil
8 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil
6 drops Clary Sage essential oil
Fill up the bottle until just below the rim with Ceroc and then add a few drops of distilled water.
Mademoiselle
Sensual with a cinnamon, spicy tone.
To make a 10ml Eau de Perfume add the following Young Living essential oils to your 10ml bottle. If your bottle is bigger than 10mls then adjust the number of drops accordingly.
12 drops of Geranium Bourbon essential oil
9 drops of Orange essential oil
9 drops of Lime essential oil
8 drops of Grapefruit essential oil
3 drops of Cinnamon essential oil
Fill up the bottle until just below the rim with Ceroc and then add a few drops of distilled water.
Sweet Blossoms
Romantic and floral yet the base is woody and earthy
To make a 10ml Eau de Perfume add the following Young Living essential oils to your 10ml bottle. If your bottle is bigger than 10mls then adjust the number of drops accordingly.
12 drops of Neroli essential oil
6 drops of Sacred Sandalwood essential oil
12 drops of Orange essential oil
6 drops of Patchouli essential oil
6 drops of Lime essential oil
Fill up the bottle until just below the rim with Ceroc and then add a few drops of distilled water.
Moon Drops
If we could bottle moon dust I think this is what it would smell like. Intoxicating.
To make a 10ml Eau de Perfume add the following Young Living essential oils to your 10ml bottle. If your bottle is bigger than 10mls then adjust the number of drops accordingly.
17 drops of Geranium Bourbon essential oil
11 drops of Lemon essential oil
11 drops of Orange essential oil
11 drops of Young Living Vanilla essential oil
Fill up the bottle until just below the rim with Ceroc and then add a few drops of distilled water.
Free Spirit
If you are young at heart then this is perfect for you. It has earthy base notes and floral sweet top notes.
To make a 10ml Eau de Perfume add the following Young Living essential oils to your 10ml bottle. If your bottle is bigger than 10mls then adjust the number of drops accordingly.
20 drops Bergamot essential oil
10 drops Young Living Envision essential oil blend
5 drops Orange essential oil
5 drops Vanilla essential oil
Fill up the bottle until just below the rim with Ceroc and then add a few drops of distilled water.
Essential oil substitutes for natural perfume
What if I don’t have some of the essential oils listed?
That’s okay! You can use the following essential oils to substitute. Make sure you pin this post to one of your Pinterest boards so you can come back and refer to the list below any time you don’t have a particular essential oil and need a substitute.
- Bergamot — Grapefruit
- Clary Sage – Equal Parts — Sage, Nutmeg
- Cypress — Cedarwood
- Geranium Bourbon – Geranium or even Rose
- Grapefruit — Lemon
- Jasmine — Ylang Ylang
- Lime — Lemon
- Lemon — Lime
- Lemongrass — Lemon
- Myrrh – Frankincense or Jasmine
- Neroli – 2 parts Tangerine 1 part Petitgrain
- Orange — Tangerine
- Patchouli — Vetiver
- Roman Chamomile — Lavender
- Rose — Geranium
- Sandalwood – Equal Parts — Onycha, Cedarwood
- Spearmint — Peppermint
- Tangerine — Orange
- Vanilla – StressAway essential oil blend
- Vetiver – Cedarwood
- Ylang Ylang – Jasmine or Patchouli
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