Compose your very own signature scent with homemade perfume balm, it’s wonderfully simple to prepare, and can be made at home with only a handful of natural ingredients. I personally find most commercially made perfumes to be overwhelming, their fragrance cloying and artificial. One look at their ingredient list does nothing to improve my opinion, either. Once you’ve started making your own, you’ll be pleased to learn how heavenly it can be.
Your homemade blend can be as simple or as complex as you choose, it's all about developing your own personal scent profile that's unique to your senses. You can go with a single note fragrance, such as rose, bergamot or lavender, or you might like to try your hand at combining fragrances to come up with something unique.
In general, there are five essential oil scent groups that you can work with, I've shared some ideas and how to pair them below.
READ: Favourite Things: Fragrance Artist Samantha Copland
Oriental
Warm, spicy and exotic, these scents add a certain depth to your perfume. You could try cardamom, aniseed, clove, vanilla or sandalwood.
Citrus
Quite lovely paired with deeper, more aromatic oils such as rosemary or thyme. There's bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, lime or sweet orange.
Herbaceous and earthy
Basil, clary sage, rosemary, and frankincense. Gorgeous blended with citrus scents.
Floral
Perhaps the most distinctive in perfume blends, start with a little, adding only one drop at a time as you go. You might like to try jasmine, rose, rose geranium, chamomile, lavender or ylang ylang.
Woody
Often considered masculine, I can't help but be naturally drawn to these deeply aromatic scents. Blend with something citrusy for a harmonious balance. A few include vetiver, pine, cinnamon and cedarwood.
Can't make up your mind? Here are a few lovely combinations you might enjoy.
• Bergamot and grapefruit
• Lavender, rosemary and lemon
• Rose, lime and vetiver
• Sweet orange, ylang ylang and clove
• Bergamot, sweet orange and rosemary
• Sweet orange, lavender and ylang-ylang
• Vetiver and vanilla
What you'll need
• Good quality beeswax, grated or in small pellets
• Equal quantity of almond, jojoba or grapeseed oil
• Essential oils of your choice
• Small glass jars with screw top lids. The darker coloured glass is essential to protect the oils, amber or blue coloured works well.
Note: These ingredients can easily be found on online aromatherapy suppliers or at most natural health stores.
To make
1. Gently melt beeswax over a double boiler. Stir the almond, jojoba or grapeseed oil in to the melted wax. Remove from the heat.
2. Add the essential oils, a few drops at a time, testing a small amount on your skin as you go.
3. Once you are happy with the fragrance, carefully pour mixture into jars and allow to solidify.
Please note: some essential oils can irritate the skin, so please perform a patch test or do a little research before using.
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