Are you crafty? Do you like to make your own bath goodies or signature scents for yourself or your friends? I sure do. My kitchen has been my “laboratory” since I was young. Yes, there are always mishaps (I would NEVER (wink) spill anything) or stuff that turns out smelling like trash, but that’s the fun of it.
Looking around my house at my craft supplies, I decided to make my own solid fragrances for gifts for my loved ones. A little research on the web told me that I needed a few basic things: a container to put the fragrance in, grated beeswax, jojoba or sweet almond oil and fragrance, either fragrance oils or essential oils. Easy. Luckily, I have all these things. I placed an order online a few months back from Wellington Fragrance, so I was stocked up on the fragrance and wax. They have great fragrance oils that mimic favorite popular scents from big chain bath companies. I didn’t have any small tins so I improvised with some sample size empty plastic containers that I got from a skin care trade show. For the oil I used jojoba because that’s what I had on hand.
Gather your supplies:
Container for the final product: Can be glass, tin or even plastic. You can get creative with containers as long as they are fully sanitized and thoroughly dry. You just need to be able to be able to get your finger on the product in order to apply it.
Grated beeswax: I just grated my beeswax blocks with a vegetable peeler.
Jojoba or Sweet Almond Oil: Vegetable oil could work in a pinch. I wouldn’t use any oil that has a heavy scent like olive or sesame, it will make your fragrance funky.
Small glass Pyrex measuring cup or dish
Droppers or straws: For getting precise drops of your fragrance oils and mixing. Straws are easy because you don’t have to clean them afterwards.
Fragrance oil or essential oils: I used mostly fragrance oils, but did add essential oils to a few mixtures.
Paper towels or napkins
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| photo by T. Sotirakis |
The hard part is figuring out what scent to make. I was making these for my family, and not knowing exactly what they would like, I did more research on the internet. Astrological signs are always a good general way to start if you’re into that stuff. For example, I looked up what fragrance an Aquarius would like and it said: floral, green tea, and sea. For Cancer it said: jasmine, lily, magnolia, honey, mandarin, rose and sandalwood.
If you know that your best friend just adores the scent of roses, you can just go with one scent. Trial and error and a little instinct are the ways to go with blending scents. Just remember, your nose and body chemistry is different from theirs, so what they love may give you a headache.
A general recipe for the solid perfume is:
3 parts oil
2 parts grated beeswax
1 part fragrance or essential oil
Start out by measuring out the oil and beeswax in your glass mixing bowl. Melt the wax and oil together. You can do this in a double boiler or by setting the glass bowl on an electric burner set on low. Be careful when handling the bowl when the mixture is melted, it will be hot. Set the bowl on a hot pad so you don’t scorch your counter top.
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| Photo by T. Sotirakis |
Mix in the fragrance of your choice. I used cocktail stirring straws to measure out my oils and another fresh straw to mix. Before your mixture cools, pour into your container. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes. Label the containers so you don’t get them mixed up if you are making more than one scent. Wrap them up and include a card telling the recipient of the fragrance mixture.
I made a whole bunch, which took me a few hours with a trial and error session in the beginning. Each person receiving one of these got their own custom scent, according to their astrological sign. They all also got one small pot that was scented with coconut, tangerine and hibiscus. I hope they like them!
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| photo by T. Sotirakis |
These solid perfumes are cute, easy to make and small enough to slip in your purse. You can make a countless number of custom scents to suit your mood. Just remember to document your favorite recipes so you can make them again. They can also be used to tame a few flyaways in a pinch or to moisturize and scent the ends of your hair. Post your favorite blends here for others! Enjoy!
