Putting It All Together: 4th article in a series about making perfume.

Important! Fragrance lasts longer on people with oilier skin; the oil binds the fragrance to the skin and helps your perfume dissipate in a more balanced way. On people with dry skin, the fragrance tends to bounce right off.

Okay, so you’ve got your tools, you’ve got some essential oils and your carrier – now what? Now decide what you want to make – do you want a romantic blend for evenings with someone special, a fun and flirty blend, or a more down-to-earth woodsy scent?

Here are some examples for you to choose from: (choose 2 or 3 oils from the list; in the beginning you don’t want to make it too complicated.)

Tip! Perfume can be worn all over, but too much of it will definitely give you a headache. Try dabbing it on only your pulse points - your temples, the nape of your neck, the inside of your wrists and elbows, and between the breasts.

Romantic: Clary sage, jasmine, musk, neroli, patchouli, rose, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver, ylang ylang

Fun & Flirty: Bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, lemongrass, niaouli, peppermint, ylang ylang

Crisp & Clean: Bay oil (Pimenta racemosa; don’t use Bay Laurel), coriander, chamomile (roman), coconut, honeysuckle, lemon, peppermint, rosemary

Green & Woodsy: Balsam, cardamom, cedar, coriander, fir needle, juniper, oakmoss, rosewood, sandalwood, vetiver

Although I don’t usually pay much attention to the ‘notes’ anymore when I make my perfumes, a good guide to start you out with is about 30% top note, 50% middle note, and 20% base note. This is a pretty balanced perfume and will usually last throughout the day.

Once you’ve chosen your scents you need to decide what formula you want – a perfume oil, a spray perfume, body splash or cologne, etc. The base “recipe” for each follows:

Tip! Don't forget in order to smooth out and subdue the raw-ingredient smell, you need to let your blend "mature", let it sit for a few days or weeks in a cool, dry, dark area. Amber or cobalt colored glass bottles help immensely with this.

Perfume oil: to make ¼ oz –
1 tsp jojoba oil as your base
48 drops (1/2 tsp + 8 drops) or your blend

Spray Perfume: 1 oz
4 ½ tsp alcohol*
1 1/8 tsp distilled water
30 drops of your blend

Body Splash: 1 oz
4 ½ tsp alcohol*
1 ¼ tsp distilled water
18 drops of your blend

Cologne: 1 oz
4 ½ tsp alcohol*
1 1/3 tsp distilled water
10 drops of your blend

A Very Light Body Mist: 1 oz
4 ½ tsp alcohol*
1 ½ tsp distilled water
5 drops of your blend

Perfume Oil:
Oriental Nights – ¼ oz
1 tsp jojoba oil as your base
16 drops each sandalwood, frankincense, and musk** oils

Elfin Spirit (by ThunderWolf) – ¼ oz
1 tsp jojoba oil
20 drops vetiver oil
16 drops rosewood oil
8 drops oakmoss oil
4 drops patchouli oil

Spray Perfume:
Flirtations (by ThunderWolf) - 1 oz
4 ½ tsp alcohol*
1 1/8 tsp distilled water
15 drops lemongrass oil
10 drops ylang ylang oil
5 drops niaouli oil

Body Splash:
Crisp & Cool (by ThunderWolf) - 1 oz
4 ½ tsp alcohol*
1 ¼ tsp distilled water
12 drops honeysuckle oil
4 drops Bay oil (pimento racemosa, not Bay laurel)
2 drops peppermint

Cologne (for men):
Rugged (by ThunderWolf) - 1 oz
4 ½ tsp alcohol*
1 1/3 tsp distilled water
5 drops Sage oil
5 drops Vetiver oil

Cologne (for anyone):
Active (by ThunderWolf) - 1 oz
4 ½ tsp alcohol*
1 1/3 tsp distilled water
6 drops Bergamot oil
2 drops lemongrass oil
2 drops grapefruit oil

*The alcohol you use should be at least 100 proof Vodka or the beverage Everclear (do not drink this please!). If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can substitute witch hazel instead. It may change the scent slightly you you’ll want to experiment with it first.

**Musk is a scent that comes from the glands of the male musk deer. Using the genuine substance, besides being very difficult to find, is not a good idea on so many levels, so please make sure you use the synthetic version. This hold true for any of the oils that originally come from animals, such as civet and ambergris.