This DIY Essential Oil Perfume craft is a fun project to make alone or with a group trying combinations of scents to create your own unique perfume blend.
Have you ever made your own perfume? You can easily make a roll-on perfume oil by combining essential oils with a carrier base oil. It doesn’t cost very much and can be a great gift for the holidays or an inexpensive way to make your own signature scent.
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Several years ago, my sister and I owned an herbal gift shop, and making your own perfume was one of the classes we taught. Back then, jojoba oil was considered the premier carrier oil. It is actually a wax and is said to last for years.
Recently though, I have heard and read that fractionated coconut oil is another great carrier with a long shelf life. For this perfume oil project, I will be working with fractionated coconut oil but you can use any carrier oil you like. For example, many people like sweet almond oil because it's readily available and is a good basic carrier oil.
The essential oils vary in price, but you can easily find some to fit your budget. In addition to smelling great, essential oils give you the added bonus of providing aromatherapy for your mind and body.
For example, some essential oils, such as lavender, are great for relaxation, whereas grapefruit and other citrus oils are very energizing.
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How to Make Essential Oil Perfume
To make my own “Garden Matter Blend,” I used bergamot oil
, lavender oil
, and patchouli oil
. You could make the perfume oil using only one essential oil, however, I think it is fun to make a blend.
Blends are made with three or more scents, usually a top note, a middle note, and a base note. Top notes are the fragrance that you first smell and therefore are the first to evaporate. In my blend, I use bergamot for the top note. Have you ever smelled Earl Grey tea? I love the way it smells. The essential oil of bergamot comes from the rind of the bergamot orange, grown in Southern Italy.
For my middle note, I used lavender. The middle note is also known as the heart note because it is considered the heart of the fragrance since it shows up once the top note has evaporated and lasts longer than the top note. The middle note is more mellow and well-rounded. Lavender and rose are typical middle note oils.
I chose patchouli as my base note. Base notes are the scents that linger the longest. Okay, I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Patchouli?” It is reminiscent of the 70s and incense. I think of it more like onions and garlic in the cooking world because alone they are very pungent and not so nice, but mixed with other foods, they are the stars that make the dish.
Essential Oil Perfume Notes
Here is a sample list of essential oils and whether they are top, middle, or base notes.
Top Notes
Basil
Bergamot
Grapefruit
Eucalyptus
Lemon
Lime
Orange
Peppermint
Middle Notes
Chamomile
Clary Sage
Fennel
Geranium
Lavender
Marjoram
Rosemary
Rose
Base Notes
Cedarwood
Frankincense
Jasmine
Myrrh
Patchouli
Sandalwood
Ylang Ylang
Vetiver
How to Use Perfume Oil
Give it a shake and just like traditional perfume spray made with alcohol, you can roll this perfume oil on all your pulse points, (neck, wrists, backs of knees).
Free Label Template
I made a label to use with Microsoft Word. They print on standard mailing labels Avery 5160 2 ⅝” x 1”. You can change the color and the text to suit your needs. Test on paper first. Mine needed to be two inches. I skewed the text left so I could cut them down to fit the bottle, then added some washi tape on the sides for decoration. Click here to get the template
Make it a DIY Perfume Oil Party
Invite your friends over. Have each person bring a different essential oil that you can all share. You provide the roll-on bottles, the carrier oil, and the wine.
Need some inspiration? All you need to do is search the web for essential oil perfume recipes and you'll find plenty out there. However, there are no rules. Have fun playing with this roll-on perfume oil creative art.
More Essential Oils Projects
Perfume Recipe with Essential Oils
Materials
- 1/3 oz. carrier oil jojoba oil or Fractionated Coconut Oil
- approx. 20 drops of essential oils
Instructions
- Start with one or two drops of your base note. This is the strongest and will dominate the others.
- Add a little more of the middle note – swirl and sniff.
- Then add five or six drops of the top note – swirl, sniff and adjust.
- Finish with the carrier oil.
Andrea
Hi, can I ask how many drops of essential oil per 1 ml of carrier oil is needed? what's the ratio?
Patti Estep
Andrea, I used about 20 drops in a 10ml roller bottle so maybe 2 drops per 1 ml? This is just a rough estimate. They often vary. Especially if you are using essential oils that are strongly scented. You might want to use less. Conversely, if you use only top notes or those essential oils that are light, you may want more to get the scent you like.
Mal
how long do I have to wait till the perfume oils are ready for use?
Patti Estep
Mal, you can use them immediately.
Shelby
Hi, Patti!
Just a quick question: Do you have a rough idea as to what the shelf life is on D.I.Y. perfume oil such as this? I am doing an aromatherapy-related class for some friends in a couple of weeks. Thank you kindly!
Patti Estep
Shelby, I think the best way to determine shelf life would depend on the carrier oil you use more than the essential oils themselves. There are a lot of places online that will give you the shelf life of each carrier oil. The two that come to mind are jojoba oil and fractionated coconut oil but I would research them first.
Kimberly
Hi there! Just read this post I found on Pinterest. When you roll your perfume on do you then rub it in so it’s not so oily on your skin or just leave it? Which carrier oil would absorb more quickly into your skin, jojoba or the fractionated coconut oil? I love the scent of EO’s but when using them in beauty products I just started to make I don’t care for all the oiliness.
Thanks!!
Patti Estep
Kimberly, I think the fractionated coconut oil absorbs quickly. You can also try grapeseed oil. It's very light but has a shorter shelf life. You can usually find it at larger grocery stores.
Elvina
In perfume garden matter blend, how many drops lavender you put? Thanks a lot
Patti Estep
Elvina, it's been a while since I made that one but I would guess around 7-10 drops per 1 10ml bottle.
Ria
How can yo make lavender oil from your laven der plant.
Patti Estep
True essential oil from a lavender plant is a huge process called distillation. You can make a hydrosol or a floral water pretty easily with your lavender plant. This would be used as a body spray or linen spray. I wrote a while ago about floral hydrosols.
Robert
Hello, I'm planning to make my own perfume oil but may I know how long does the scent last and is it as strong as the typical perfume we purchase in stores? Thank you!
Patti Estep
Hi Robert,
It really depends on the oils you use. If you look at the list of oils I have given you a sample of top, middle and base notes. The base notes will last the longest. I would say in my experience that the oil perfume is not quite as strong as commercial but may last just as long, but again it depends on the perfume and the perfume. Have fun experimenting!
Robert
Oh... but can the scent be detected by others easily or is it just a slight whiff? I was thinking of making a blend that smells woody + spicy (since it might be stronger/ more condensed), may I know which scent would you recommend to use as the base note? Anw thanks so much for the reply!
Patti Estep
In my opinion the scent is usually subtle not strong. You probably wouldn't notice it when you walk past someone. Most of the time you notice it close up for example in an embrace.
For a woody spicy scent you may want to try cedarwood for the base note. Black pepper could be a good choice but I believe its more of a middle note. It all depends on your preference and how they smell on you so you'll want to experiment but that half the fun.
Krystle
What size bottle did you use? I can't wait to smell this blend.
Thank you!
Patti
Krystle,
It's a standard 10 ml size. I should have included it in the post. Thanks for pointing it out.
Patti
Gillian
Hello
I am an aromatherapist and I have just bought some rollerball bottles. I would like to try making a blend of perfume using pure rose oil. Any suggestions which two other oils would blend nicely with rose? I would appreciate your comments x
Patti
Hi Gillian,
As an aromatherapist you may know a lot more than I but here are my two cents. I believe rose is a nice middle note which to me means that it is not the first one you will smell and not the last one. I believe it is known to blend with many oils so good choice. Going from there traditionally you may want to pick a lighter top note like a citrus and a heavier base note like ylang ylang. Of course, it all depends on your taste. Rose oil is expensive and if you want that fragrance to stand out use more or consider skipping the base note. Hope that helps and that you find the perfect mix.
Coral Winkworth
Thanks for sharing the Perfume Oil recipe. It sounds great and I am going to try making it to see how it turns out. I will keep you updated once I do my test run. Thanks again and I love your website. Keep up the good work.
Patti
Hi Coral,
I'm so glad you like the perfume oil. Testing it is half the fun. I'd love to hear how it works for you. Thanks for stopping by.
Patti