I’m not a big perfume person, but making DIY perfume with essential oils at home is so much fun. They’re easy to make, refillable, cost-effective, and long-lasting.
My favorite is the vanilla essential oil perfume, but I’ve tried several recipes, and they’re all absolutely lovely and cheap to make!
I honestly love making essential oil perfumes, it’s become a new hobby of mine. They’re perfect for gifting and incredibly easy to make.
How to Make Perfume with Essential Oils At Home
Ingredients:
- Pure Essential oils
- Carrier oil (like jojoba oil or fractionated coconut oil) OR Perfumer’s alcohol
- A small glass bottle (preferably with a rollerball or spray top)
- Flowers and Herbs (optional)
Instructions:
1. Pick Your Bases:
Start with your choice of base either carrier oil or perfumer’s alcohol. I love creating both oil-based and alcohol-based perfumes, so I’m sharing both options with you here.
Oil-based perfumes are perfect if you prefer a more subtle, long-lasting fragrance. Instead of alcohol, you’ll use a carrier oil like jojoba or fractionated coconut oil to dilute your essential oils.
These oils help the perfume stay on your skin longer, providing a gentle, moisturizing effect. I like to use jojoba oil, but fractionated coconut oil is also a great option for a lighter scent that absorbs quickly into the skin.
Alcohol-based perfumes are what you typically find in most commercial fragrances. They’re made by blending essential oils with Perfumer’s alcohol to create that fresh, strong scent.
The Perfumer’s alcohol helps the fragrance to evaporate quickly, leaving you with a more noticeable and airy scent.
If you are using flowers, add to the bottle as well, just for looks.
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2. Add Your Essential Oils:
- Start by adding 3-4 drops of your first essential oil, such as sandalwood or vanilla, to your bottle.
- Next, add 3-5 drops of your second essential oil, like lavender or geranium, for a balanced blend.
- Finish by adding 2-3 drops of your final essential oil, such as lemon or bergamot, to complete your fragrance.
3. Shake It Up:
Once you’ve added your oils, seal the bottle and give it a good shake! Let it sit for a day or two to allow the oils to blend together fully.
4. Test & Adjust:
Test your perfume by dabbing a little on your wrist. If you think it needs more essential oils, add a drop or two more. This is your custom creation, so feel free to get creative!
5. Let It Mature:
Allow the perfume to sit for a week (if you can wait that long). The oils will meld and become even more fragrant over time. If you’re feeling impatient, though, you can start using it right away!
Essential Oil Perfume
Ingredients
Ingredients for Oil Based Perfume
- Carrier oil
- Essential oils
- Roller bottles
- Flowers optional
Ingredients for Spray Perfume
- Perfumer’s alcohol
- Essential oils
- Spray bottles
- Flowers optional
Instructions
- Add each essential oil into the bottle.
- If you are using flowers, add to the bottle as well, just for looks.
- Pour in either the perfumer’s alcohol or carrier oil and give your bottle a swirl to incorporate everything together.
Notes
- 5 drops Ylang Ylang
- 4 drops Geranium
- 3 drops Lavender
- 2 drops Bergamot
- 6 drops Vanilla oleoresin or vanilla absolute
- 4 drops Sweet Orange
- 3 drops Cedarwood
- 5 drops Grapefruit
- 4 drops Lime
- 4 drops Sandalwood
- 3 drops Patchouli
- 3 drops Vetiver
- 3 drops Lavender
What are your favorite essential oil blends? I like more fruity/sweet scents. So my fav store bought perfume is dolce & gabana’s light blue, Paris Hilton, Valentino Born in Roma just to give you an idea of what I like in case you’ve ever had them.
Hi Corey,
I’m the same I love sweet, warm scents. My favorite perfume is Prada Paradoxe, so I usually go for blends with vanilla, bergamot, and a little neroli or ylang ylang. If you like fruity sweet perfumes, I’d try mixing vanilla with sweet orange or jasmine, grapefruit, bergamot, and a little vanilla is a great combo. I always add vanilla somewhere!