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 wrote an essential oils guide post that is super helpful and handy if you want to learn more about where to get your essential oils, which essential oils work best for different needs, and the 50 most popular ones.
You also can grab my Essential Oil Perfume Guide a 10+ page resource with 4 perfume recipes instructions, and tips.
Essential Oils Perfume Guide: DIY Blends & Scent Combinations
Or, if you prefer to skip the details and go straight to the recipes, you can get my 15 printable recipe cards!
Printable Essential Oil Perfume Recipe Cards
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.
I started creating templates every time I tried new recipes, and now I have 15! I plan to keep adding more resources to my shop for you, but for now, here’s step-by-step on how to make essential oil perfumes at home.
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.
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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.
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!
