Go ahead, make your own perfume.

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Possible? Yes. It is safe too. When you make perfume on your own, you are free from synthetic chemicals and it is fully customised to your personal taste too. But to create your own signature scent, you need to be educated about olfactory notes and ingredients.

Ingredients in perfume

Obinna Neme, a perfume manufacturer, lists the basic constituent of perfume as essential oils, in base oil, alcohol and water, mixed together.

The essential oils (which may be synthetically or naturally derived) form the basis of the perfume. These essential oils are called the ‘notes’ of the perfume. To build your own fragrance, it’s essential to first understand the way they are structured. Using either essential oils or fragrance oils, distinct scents are created by blending top, middle and base notes. These notes are essentially three different levels of scent, each with varying rates of evaporation.

Top notes

Quite strong but with an unstable nature. They disperse fast. Cedar wood, cypress, ginger, pine, sandalwood, vanilla (oils)

 Middle notes

 They link the top and base notes together.  Oil to be extracted are cinnamon, jasmine, lemon grass, nutmeg, rose, rosewood.

Base notes

They are part of the perfume that lasts longer on the skin than the other notes. When mixing the scents, let the top notes be 30 percent middle notes, 50 percent and base notes 20 percent. Oil to be extracted are basil,grapefruit, lavender, lemon, lime, mint, sweet orange.

Preparation

Step 1: Clean the bottles in hot, soapy water.

Step 2: Place the bottles on a baking pan and dry in an oven set to 110ºC. Remove from the oven once they are completely dry. Put a lid on one of the bottles (the one you’ll be using for storing) and set it aside.

Step 3: Place the carrier oil in one of the bottles.

Step 4: Next, add the essential oils in the following order: the base notes, the middle notes and finally the top notes. The number of drops used for each note depends on you.  You can make it up to 30 drops in total, given the amount of carrier oil and vodka you will be using.

Step 5: Add vodka or dry gin. Cover the bottle and shake it vigorously for several minutes.

Step 6: Allow the bottle to sit for 48 hours to six weeks. The scent will change over time, becoming strongest around the sixth week.

Step 7: Check it regularly, and once you’re satisfied, add two tablespoons of spring water to the blend.

Step 8: Give the bottle a good shake for one minute.  Filter the mixture with a small coffee and sieve into another bottle which will become the storing bottle. Label your blend.

Storage:

• Store your fragrances and essential oils in dark-coloured bottles out of direct sunlight.

• Put the cap back on the oils. If stored properly, essential oils will retain their integrity for one year once opened.

Don’t forget

Carrier oils are extracted from the fatty parts of plants— seeds, nuts, and kernels. They protect your skin from the irritation that can occur when using essential oils. There are several different kinds of carrier oils, and each kind possesses different beneficial properties. They also differ in consistency.

Essential oils: Distilled from plants, they are highly concentrated and very potent. Using essential oils directly on the skin can cause severe reactions.