I love solid natural perfumes. They can be simple to make, and are so beautiful–and I don’t have to worry about synthetics.
One of my new favorites is made with beeswax, vanilla infused jojoba wax, Neroli essential oil (Citrus aurantium var. amara), Petitgrain essential oil (Citrus aurantium var. amara or Bigaradia) and Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis). It’s divine!
To make it, use regular jojoba wax (jojoba oil is actually a wax), or infuse the jojoba with vanilla. I use vanilla oleoresin when I’m infusing, but you can also use vanilla bean pods. The oleoresin has a thick, syrupy texture and doesn’t dissolve in jojoba–it’s not fat soluble (this works to our advantage)!
Just add a large “blob” of vanilla oleoresin to 16 oz of jojoba and let it infuse for a week. The jojoba will absorb the aroma of the vanilla, but it won’t blend with the vanilla, so the vanilla blob stays on the bottom of the bottle. Once you have used all the jojoba you can re-use the vanilla by adding another 16 oz of jojoba–no need to add more vanilla! I have re-used my one blob of vanilla in 16 oz of jojoba six times already and the aroma of the vanilla in the jojoba is still strong!
If you want to use vanilla bean pods, simply follow the same instructions as above, but remove the vanilla pod at the end of one week. Each time you make a new batch, use a fresh vanilla bean pod.
Now that your vanilla infused jojoba is done, you can make your perfume!
Purchase organic vanilla jojoba already made.
Purchase the vanilla oleoresin to make your own.
Directions:
1. Melt 1 oz of beeswax and 2 oz of vanilla infused jojoba in a double boiler. I use a Pyrex glass measuring cup in a soup pot. Use enough water to fill the soup pot 1/4 full, add the jojoba and beeswax to the Pyrex, and place the Pyrex into the pot.
2. Once melted, add 10 drops Neroli, 10 drops Petitgrain and 20 drops Orange essential oils to the Pyrex and stir. Pour immediately into three 1 oz tins, or three 1 oz glass jars. Cover and allow to cool.
It’s fun to experiment with different essential oil blends, but even just one essential oil can make a beautiful perfume. Some people use just Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia) or just Rose (Rosa damascena). Allow your creativity to guide you, and enjoy!
If you’ve made solid perfumes, will you share a favorite recipe by commenting below? Thanks!
Latest posts by Andrea (see all)
- 5 Lavender Essential Oil Recipes - May 13, 2013
- Aromatherapy Certification Online? - December 26, 2011
- Community Farms in South Africa: A Small Miracle - February 28, 2011
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I made a vetiver, patchouli & ginger solid perfume recently – very earthy!
I made a solid perfume inspired by Mandy Aftels Lime and Fir diffuser oil recipe in AROMA (her book).
Silver Fir, bitter orange, lime, and lavender. Its beautiful!
Sounds wonderful! I have plenty of beeswax and EO to experiment with. Has anyone tried experimenting with different types of floral waxes?
Anamari
I made a solid perfume for a male customer with Orange, Sandalwood, and Siberian Fir. It was really nice!
Along with blends, I also like to use the medium of solid perfume to showcase single-note precious essential oils and absolutes, like tuberose, jasmine sambac, Mysore sandalwood, rose otto, neroli, and the like. I had a teeny sample of boronia that lasted beautifully when I used it this way. It’s really decadent!
This sound lovely. I am going to try your recipe along with a creation of my own this weekend. I’ll be sure to let you know how they turn out.
Here’s one I call “Calm Pregnancy” for all the expecting mamas out there: 20 lavender, 10 atlas cedar, 10 rose geranium, 5 sweet orange, 1 lemon, and 4 chamomile. It’s a good end-of-term blend (affectionately nicknamed “Finish Line, Ho!”).
Perfume Aroma: How Things have Moved Ahead in Time
To know more on perfume aroma:
Since ancient times, humans have tried to enhance or mask their own body odor by applying perfume, since perfumes tend to emit pleasant natural aroma. Perfumes are mostly prepared from various man-made and natural ingredients and are applied on clothing as well as directly on skin. They are also used in the making of cosmetics and cleaners or also for the manufacture of room fresheners. Owing to variations in body temperature, odor and chemistry, none of the perfumes will produce the exact same smell on two different people.
The word perfume has originated from Latin word “per”, which means “through” while “fumum,” means “smoke.” A lot of antique perfumes were created from natural oils that were extracted from plants, by means of compressing and steaming. Then the extracted oil was burned, in order to release scent in the air. These days, perfumes are widely used in the production of bar soaps.
While all scented liquids that are used for enhancing body smell are termed as perfumes, in reality, real perfumes are classified as essences or extracts that include a portion of oil, treated in alcohol. The United States is considered to be the world’s leading perfume manufacturing country with yearly sales adding up to more than a few billions of dollars.
The most common natural ingredients, used in perfume making are flowers, spices, grasses, fruit, roots, wood, resins, leaves, balsams, gums, as well as animal secretions. Apart from these balsams, substances like petrochemicals, alcohol, coal tars and coal are also used in perfume production. Certain plants, like lily of the valley, are not capable of producing oils naturally.
A number of perfumes use animal products as major ingredients. For instance, musk produced by male deer, ambergris collected from the sperm whales and castor produced by beavers. Animal ingredients are frequently used, since they play the role of fixatives, which help perfume to slowly evaporate as well as release odors, for extended period of time. Other fixatives are used in production of perfumes are mosses, coal tar, resins and synthetic chemicals. At times water and alcohol are used, in order to dilute elements, present in perfumes. It is actually the alcohol percentage to scent, which decides whether a perfume is cologne or “eau de toilette”.
Try using solid perfume recipes substituting a skin-nourishing carrier
oil for some of the jojoba as a cuticle creme. I keep it in my purse and use during boring meetings, watching TV or stuck in traffic!
I have always wanted to try my hand at solid perfumes and all of these recipes sound wonderful! I am so glad I found this site!
This sounds wonderful. Can’t wait to try it!