Buying perfumes can be expensive, so in this article we’ve compiled a series of ways that you can make perfumes from flowers that you’ve gathered.
You can use either water, alcohol, and oil to make your perfumes, but we’ll go over each one separately. It’s essential that you remember that you can find flowers and even grow them from your own home. You can choose whichever flowers you prefer.
Making Perfumes With A Water Method
To make flowers with a water base, you’ll need a few materials before you start.
- One or two cups of flowers
- Two glasses of water
- A cheesecloth
- A lidded jar or bottle, preferably glass
- A small saucepan
- A bowl with a removable lid
- A stove
Before you pick your flowers, you should ensure you have all the materials ready at hand. Pick your flowers, if you’re picking them from your garden, ensure you do this in the evening so it maintains a peak fragrance.
Bring them to the kitchen where you’ll pluck the petals from their stems and place them into your bowl. Pour water over your petals and wash them gently.
Don’t squeeze them as you do this, and once you’re done get rid of the dirty water and rinse the bowl.
Put your cheesecloth in the bowl so that the edges drape around the outside. Put the washed petals onto the cheesecloth.
Pour water into the bowl until the petals are covered and ensure the cheesecloth remains slightly draped over the edges of the bowl. Then cover it with a lid and keep it in a cool, dry place and let it soak through the night.
Remove the lid in the morning so the cheesecloth doesn’t slide into the bowl. Get your saucepan and bring it closer to you and the flowers.
Do this so that you can ensure that when you gather the edges of the cheesecloth and make a pouch, that you won’t accidentally spill anything. Squeeze the cheesecloth over the saucepan until all the fragranced water is extracted. Then, get rid of the petals.
Then, put your saucepan on your stove and let it simmer until the liquid has dried down to a tablespoon. Turn the heat off and allow the saucepan to cool down and pour roughly 5ml of your liquid into your small jar, and place the lid on firmly. Then, your perfume can be used.
When you store this perfume, make sure it’s in the refrigerator and that you use it in a month, or it may expire within ten days.
Making Perfumes With An Alcohol Method
An alcohol-based perfume is also easy to make but you should ensure you have the right materials.
- Flowers
- Everclear alcohol
- A small glass jar or a lidded bowl, the size being dependent on the amount of flowers
- A strainer
- A small lidded bottle
- A jug
- A colander
As with the previous method, ensure you have all of your equipment ready for making your perfume and that you pick your flowers and pluck the petals from the stems.
Place the petals in your jar or bowl and wash them gently with water. Then, place them in a colander to drain them. Put the petals into your bowl or jar and add your alcohol to them.
Make sure the alcohol covers the petals. Then, keep your container tightly lidded and leave it in a cool, dry, place for forty-eight hours to extract the flower’s essential oils.
Once forty-eight hours have passed, you will see the alcohol should be the same color as your flowers. Open your chosen container and strain the content into your jug and pour the liquid into your small bottle and cover it lightly.
As a general note on storage, you should keep this bottle in a cool, dark place to ensure the quality of your perfume remains at its highest.
Making Perfumes With An Oil-Based Method
If you prefer to rub your perfume directly into your skin, then you may prefer an oil-based perfume. However, this method will take longer than the previous methods.
As with the previous method, ensure you have all of the materials you need before you get your flowers.
- Freshly picked flowers
- Carrier oils: Almond oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil. It’s all up to personal preference.
- A bowl
- Water
- Two baking trays
- Plastic wrap
- A colander
- A small lidded bottle
- A strainer
- A jug
Once you pick your flowers, pluck the petals from their stems and put them into your bowl and pour water over them. Rinse out any dirt and transfer them to your colander to drain them so no water remains.
Spread oil on the inside of one of your baking trays in around two layers. Then let the flowers soak in the oil.
Spread the flowers over the oil with your fingers and push them down so that they soak in the oil but don’t drown in them. Do this for about five minutes to make sure they’re marinated.
Then place the second baking tray on top and ensure it pushes down on the flowers a bit more. Wrap them in the plastic wrap to seal your baking trays together, and leave them in a dark, cool place for forty-eight hours.
Unwrap your plastic trays after forty-eight hours and remove your petals, one-by-one, from the tray. Ensure you don’t pick up any scented oil when you remove your flowers.
Once all of the petals have been removed, strain your oil into the jug and pour your oil into your small perfume bottle.
Final Thoughts
When making perfume, you should remember that you can make them with whatever flowers you prefer, so you can experiment with different scents.
However, you should know that your perfume may only last for up to five hours, so ensure you retouch in this time. Hopefully, with this guide you should have a fun time making your own perfume with ease in the comfort of your own home.
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