This homemade perfume recipe is perfect if you want to save money on fragrances or ditch questionable ingredients. When you make your own perfume, you not only control the fragrance notes, but you also control exactly what you’re putting on your skin. This homemade perfume recipe contains only ingredients you can feel good about, plus it’s a lot less expensive than most store-bought perfumes!
How to Nail the Perfect Scent Combo for Your Homemade Perfume
The secret to a great personal fragrance is getting a good balance of top, middle, and base notes. Getting the right balance not only makes your homemade perfume smell amazing but also helps the scent last longer on your skin.
The following ratio guide is a good place to start:
- 30% top notes – Top notes are your homemade perfume’s first impressions. The top notes are the first components of a fragrance that you smell. They might appear stronger at first, but they are also the fastest notes to fade.
- 50% middle notes – These are the core notes of your scent.
- 20% base notes – When paired well, base notes accentuate the notes of your fragrance and help the middle notes last longer.
So if you’re using 20 total drops of essential oils, you can use 6 drops top notes, 10 drops middle notes, and 4 drops base notes. But remember, you can play around with the ratio and combo that you love best!
Which Essential Oils Should I Use for Homemade Perfume?
This is where you get to mix, match, and customize your signature scent!
Popular top notes – use about 6 drops
Popular middle notes – use about 10 drops
- Tea Tree
- Lemongrass
- Lavender (yes, it can work as a top note or middle note!)
- Oregano
Popular base notes – use about 4 drops
Alcohol-Free Homemade Perfume?
Many homemade perfume recipes use alcohol, but we decided to substitute witch hazel for alcohol, as many people find alcohol irritating to their skin or respiratory system. Witch Hazel helps diffuse the fragrance notes and also mixes them together for even distribution.
Ingredients for Homemade Perfume:
- 3 tablespoons witch hazel
- 1 ¼ tablespoons distilled water
- 1 tablespoon carrier oil (jojoba is a great neutral scent oil that’s super nourishing for the skin)
- 15-20 drops essential oils
How to Make Homemade Perfume with Essential Oils
You’ll need:
- A small glass spray bottle. Dark-colored glass like blue or amber works best, as it helps protect your fragrance from light damage. If you use a clear bottle, just store it in a cabinet or drawer away from light.
- Distilled water. Don’t use tap water, as this could introduce impurities to your homemade perfume and interfere with the fragrance and significantly reduce the shelf life!
- Witch Hazel. This can be found at most grocery stores and drugstores, and usually only costs a few dollars if you buy a generic brand.
- Carrier oil. This is optional, but can help prevent any irritation by diluting the essential oils. It’s also an extra moisturizing bonus for your skin. We recommend jojoba oil for a neutral scent that won’t interfere with your perfume – plus, your skin will love the nourishing properties of jojoba oil!
- Essential Oils. This is the fun part! You can mix and match your favorite essential oils to find your signature scent! See above for tips on creating the perfect balance of base, middle, and top notes.
Directions:
- Drop your essential oils into the clean glass spray bottle.
- If using a carrier oil, mix your essential oils with the carrier oil by pouring in the carrier oil on top of the essential oils and then shaking well.
- Next, add the witch hazel.
- Shake to mix, close the bottle, and then let sit for at least 48 hours. You can leave it longer, and the fragrance will intensify.
- After 48 hours, check your fragrance. If you want it to be stronger, let it sit for another 48 hours. You can also take this moment to adjust the scent by adding more essential oils if you want.
- After letting the fragrance sit for at least 48 hours, you can add the distilled water.
- Shake to mix, and your homemade perfume is ready to enjoy! Remember to store away from heat and sunlight, and shake well before each use!
P.S. If you like DIY projects or need a gift idea, check out our blog post on homemade solid perfume with essential oils!