Challenge: Part 1 of 2 in How to make your own perfume

Well, hello! Who would have thought this would be so much fun…? I signed up for this challenge thinking that making your own perfume would be a really handy way of saving money, but what I didn’t realize was that I’d enjoy it so much!!

I started off doing a simple search online for resources and recipes. There’s so much out there and it’s easy to get lost in all the advice. The experts, purist that they are, advice that you never use your “smelly” kitchen utensils but rather buy separate gear or buy special “kits” for your perfume making.Impatient as I am, I ignored all that obviously. Oola! My first batch has been made the very simple way, the science can wait till I get really god at it. For now I’m all about the quick results to see if making your own perfume really is a worthwhile project for the future.

There are so many different ways to make perfume, from adding flower petals to oil or water (last a week or a month), to the more measured and complicated methods (these last longer). Wikihow has some good advice and recipes, and I’d also recommend reading Autonopedia’s lovely perfume guide.

I decided to find an essential oil and mix this with flower petals, water and vodka. So on my way home yesterday, I went by the florist and got a bunch of nearly retired pink hyacinth for only £1 (you don’t need the most beautiful ones - it’s the scent that’s important). I found a grapefruit flavoured essential oil at a pharmacy for £6 (remember that you won’t be using ALL of this in one batch!) and conveniently, my dad had left a bottle of vodka in my kitchen from his last visit. I also got a plastic spray bottle container for £2.20.

At home, I chopped up the petals, put them in distilled water, added 15 drops of essential grapefruit flavoured oil, a splash of vodka (uhm, I know I need to be more precise with my measurements in the future..) and put it all in the fridge overnight.

My new potion smelled amazing yesterday… but I have to admit it didn’t really leave a lasting scent on my skin this morning:( I know I’m being impatient! It needs to sit in the fridge until this afternoon - and I’m also worried I might have added far too much water.

So stay tuned for my post number two when I put my new fragrance to the test….

In the meantime, have a go yourself! It’s so easy to do - have a look at my video below! And please let me know if you’ve got any tips or ideas - or have tried this yourself - would love to hear your comments.

How to make your own perfume [part 1] from OolaMoola on Vimeo.