Personal Perfumes.

Creating your own perfumes is great fun – although  it takes time and you must be prepared to make the odd olfactory mistake. Take notes as you add the oils to the blend – an essential oil, on it’s own, can smell very different when mixed with others.

Personal preferences are so varied and the possible combinations so numerous ! It is possible to make unique perfumes, customised to your liking. You will smell unique and have the satisfaction of knowing it is all your own work, and Mother Nature’s as well, of course !

For the purposes of creative blending, essential oils are divided into top, middle and base notes, depending on the speed with which they evaporate (volatility). A well balanced perfume usually contains oils from each of these categories, although, as with any artistic endeavour, there are many exceptions to this rule : Rose Otto, Jasmine and Patchouli smell wonderful on their own. A personal favourite of mine is  a blend of Petitgrain and Ylang Ylang.

The top note is the lightest scent with a fast evaporation rate, and is the most apparent aroma in the perfume at first.

The middle note is the body or heart of the blend, takes longer to evaporate: the smell lingers for longer.

The base note acts as the fixative and is a heavier scent. Resinous, woody essential oils such as Sandalwood and Vetiver are examples of base notes. These oils stop the lighter middle and top notes from disappearing too quickly; they bind the blend together and evaporate last of all.

Of all the essential oils, Ylang Ylang is said by some aromatherapists to be the most complete and rounded of them all, having elements of all three notes. Ylang Ylang, however can be a little sickly sweet on it’s own – to some noses, but it is a matter of taste (or smell !).

For perfume making, vodka (as pure as you can get it) is usually used. Pure spring water can also be used to make a light spray perfume, but the scent won’t last as long.

Jojoba carrier oil is also used as a base.

The percentages of essential oils to vodka are : 15/30 % - 90/95 % vodka.

The percentages of essential oils to Jojoba are : 15 – 20 drops essential oil – 10 ml Jojoba oil.

To make the perfume: using a glass bottle, add the essential oils to the liquid (alcohol, spring water, or Jojoba oil) drop by drop, beginning with the base notes, then adding the middle and finally the top notes.( Keep a record of the proportions and oils used, so you can change the recipe as you go along, rectify any mistakes, or make the same perfume again if you really like it.). Shake the bottle to disperse the mixture and leave in a cool, dark place for 3-4 weeks, shaking the bottle occasionally.

The perfume should then be ready to use.

  To make eau de cologne, a lighter perfume, the proportions are : 3/5 % essential oils – 70% vodka.

The most famous compositions of eau de cologne are also the oldest, original formulations of Kolnisch Wasser/Farina Gegenuber, Kolnisch Wasser 4711/4711 Muhlens and Jean Marie Farina/Roger and Gallet.

Unfortunately, the exact proportions of these compositions are a closely guarded secret-for obvious reasons, but the following are the essential oils they used to make these tantalising blends:

Respectively,

Topnotes-Bergamot, Lemon, Petitgrain, Orange, Mandarin and Rosemary.
Middle notes-Neroli and Carnation.
Base note-Rose.

Top note-Bergamot, Lemon,Orange, Petitgrain and Neroli.
Middle note-Rosemary, Rose and Carnation.
Base note-Musk.

Top notes-Bergamot, Orange,Lemon, Petitgrain and Neroli.
Middle notes-Rosemary and Rose.
Base note-Musk.

Experiment!! Who knows what you may come up with!.
Meanwhile, here are three basic eau de cologne recipes to get you started on what could become an intriguing voyage of scentual discovery !

Lavender Water

A scent can be powerfully evocative of times and people and places long gone.. the aroma of Lavender instantly brings back fond memories of my Nanan who grew it and made little beribboned satchets to scent drawers and airing cupboards all over the house.

Most varieties of Lavender are easy to grow, look pretty and smell delightful – all it demands is a sunny, well drained spot to flower profusely year after year. Cut the flowers when they first come out and hang them in bunches in a warm place to dry out.

Heat the water and place into a jar with the Lavender flowers. Shake the jar and leave in a warm (preferably sunny) position for 24 hours, then filter, using a coffee filter. Store in the fridge.

Napoleons Cologne.

This recipe was created by Chardin especially for Emperor Napoleon Bonapart.

Place the essential oils in into an amber glass bottle and add the water. Keep in a cool, dark place for two weeks, shaking the bottle every day. Store in the fridge.

Aytar.

This is an ancient Indian perfume, very exotic and sensuous – full of the mystery of the east.

Heat up the Beeswax and carrier oil together in a pan. Stir until mixed and dissolved. Remove from the heat source and add the essential oils and stir again. Pour the mixture into a glass, open necked jar with a lid. Store in a cool, dark place until it has set (usually within 1 hour), the Aytar is now ready to use.