The holiday season is upon us. Are you looking for the perfect perfume to give as a gift? You sniff and smell, smell and sniff . You find that you don't like a lot of the ready made scents. That little voice that's been whispering for years, is in your ear again: "Make your own perfume blends."

What better time to explore your creative side than now and work on your perfume blends. I hope you've been studying essential oils over the years. Because a good perfume uses essential oils as their base. If not, take your time and learn the basics.

You don't have to make it complicated. You can easily make a one scent perfume and package it in a pretty container. Presentation is half the sale.

Perfumes Are The Classic Holiday Gift

What makes a perfume gift even more special, is if you make it. It means you've taken time out to really think through your gift. You know the recipient well enough to put little tip-bits into your creation that only they will recognize. For instance: the color or shape of the container, the ribbon trim and their special essential oil combination. You've put the real magic of caring and love into your blend for them.

Your perfume will be free of synthetic chemicals and fillers. Whether it's the classic dip container, a roll-on or a solid perfume, it will be fully customized for the person receiving it.

Here Are The Perfume Materials to Have On Hand

While the list of materials will vary from creator to creator, this is a good beginning.

- 1/2 ounce jojoba oil or sweet almond oil
- 2-1/2 ounces ethanol (e.g., vodka)
- 2 tablespoons spring water or distilled water (not tap water)
- coffee filter
- dark-colored glass bottle
- 25 or so drops essential oils. These 25 + drops are the sum total of your blend. Take a look at the list below. Perfumes are built on notes, like musical notes. They form what's known as accords. Sort of reminds you of creating a song.

Basic Formulation in drops:

•7 drops base note essential oils
•7 drops middle note essential oils
•6-7 drops top note essential oils
•a couple of drops of bridge notes (optional)

Examples of the different notes:

Base notes also known as grounding notes last the longest on your skin. Examples are : cedarwood, cinnamon, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, amber

Middle notes also known as heart notes Examples are: clove, geranium, lemongrass, neroli, rose, nutmeg, ylang-ylang

Top notes also known as head notes are the most volatile and evaporate quickly. Examples are: orange, bergamot, jasmine, lavender, lemon, lime, neroli, clary sage

Bridge notes serve to tie the scents together. Some perfumers use them, others don’t. Examples are: vanilla and lavender.


Time to Create Your Holiday Gift Perfume

- Add the jojoba oil or sweet almond oil to your bottle.

- Add the essential oils in the following order: the base notes, followed by the middle notes, then finally, the top notes. Add a couple of drops of bridge notes scents if you choose.

- Add 2.5 ounces of alcohol.

- Shake the bottle for a couple of minutes, and then let it sit for between 48 hours to six weeks. The scent will change over time, becoming strongest at around six weeks.

- When the scent is where you want it to be, add 2 tablespoons of spring water to the perfume. Shake the bottle to mix the perfume, and then filter it through a coffee filter before pouring it into its final bottle.

- You can pour a little perfume into a decorative bottle, but in general, perfume should be stored in a sealed bottle, away from heat and light. Ideally, you should use a dark bottle with minimal airspace. Light and exposure to air weakens many essential oils.

What does this statement tell you about how it should be kept? The perfumes you purchase in stores are not natural and are filled with synthetic ingredients.

- Label and package your creation.

Start Early...

Start early in the year preparing your creations for holiday. It will give you enough time to tweak and make corrections to your formulation and its aroma.

That's it for this week. Share your creations in the fragrance forum. We're all here to learn.

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