Making Perfumes
Making perfumes is not difficult. In fact it's rather easy and the ingredients are readily available. There are all kinds of formulas for perfumes, ranging from simple to very complicated and top secret.
The major cosmetic and perfume companies do not release their formulas except for the required information provided on labels. Some homemakers have their own recipes involving chopping flowers and letting them soak in water. Others are more complicated involving the use of different combinations of oils.
The ingredients required to make perfume are oils, water and alcohol. Many recipes call for pure grain alcohol, or vodka, but this practice is a violation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms regulations if the product is for resale.
A perfume ingredients supplier called Snowdrift Farms sells Perfumers Alcohol and Formulators Alcohol for use in perfume. These are denatured alcohol products.
The oils or scents used in perfumes are readily available on the internet. Scents are measured in terms of notes, or weights, which are a measure of how long the scent lasts. The longest lasting scents are called base notes.
These are the woody scents like cinnamon and vanilla. The shortest lasting scents are called top notes. Included in this category are scents like lavender and lemon. Middle notes have duration somewhere in between base and top notes.
In this category are geranium and nutmeg. The different time durations are due to the evaporation speed of the oil, or how long it lingers on the skin.
The easiest way to make your own perfume is to mix oils together little by little, drop by drop until you mix a scent that you like. When you find the scent that you like, you add several ounces of alcohol and a few spoons of water, and then let it sit for a few days or longer.
Most perfume recipes are some variation of this basic formula with a little variation in the quantities of ingredients used. Most amateur perfume makers experiment and make up their own formulas.
The oils can be obtained for as little as $2.00 per half ounce to $60 per half ounce depending on the scent. These oils can also be used in soap making. The cost of 8 oz. of denatured alcohol is about $6.00.
Depending on the number of oils mixed, those who are adventuresome can make their own perform for a price of $8.00 and up. This isn't too bad if you price perfumes at the stores.
The major cosmetic and perfume companies do not release their formulas except for the required information provided on labels. Some homemakers have their own recipes involving chopping flowers and letting them soak in water. Others are more complicated involving the use of different combinations of oils.
The ingredients required to make perfume are oils, water and alcohol. Many recipes call for pure grain alcohol, or vodka, but this practice is a violation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms regulations if the product is for resale.
A perfume ingredients supplier called Snowdrift Farms sells Perfumers Alcohol and Formulators Alcohol for use in perfume. These are denatured alcohol products.
The oils or scents used in perfumes are readily available on the internet. Scents are measured in terms of notes, or weights, which are a measure of how long the scent lasts. The longest lasting scents are called base notes.
These are the woody scents like cinnamon and vanilla. The shortest lasting scents are called top notes. Included in this category are scents like lavender and lemon. Middle notes have duration somewhere in between base and top notes.
In this category are geranium and nutmeg. The different time durations are due to the evaporation speed of the oil, or how long it lingers on the skin.
The easiest way to make your own perfume is to mix oils together little by little, drop by drop until you mix a scent that you like. When you find the scent that you like, you add several ounces of alcohol and a few spoons of water, and then let it sit for a few days or longer.
Most perfume recipes are some variation of this basic formula with a little variation in the quantities of ingredients used. Most amateur perfume makers experiment and make up their own formulas.
The oils can be obtained for as little as $2.00 per half ounce to $60 per half ounce depending on the scent. These oils can also be used in soap making. The cost of 8 oz. of denatured alcohol is about $6.00.
Depending on the number of oils mixed, those who are adventuresome can make their own perform for a price of $8.00 and up. This isn't too bad if you price perfumes at the stores.