Contrary to popular belief…going natural doesn’t mean giving up on smelling good!
I love good smelling lotion, body spray, and perfume just as much as anyone…I just don’t love the ingredients found in many of the major brands.
Ultimately, my search for a natural, user-friendly solution led me to create a solid perfume.
And today — in the form of a photo tutorial — I’d like to share with you my recipe.
Solid Perfume Making
Supplies
-Small Kitchen Scale
-Small pot or double boiler
-15-20 lip balm tubes or tins
Ingredients
*Whenever possible use organic oils and essential oils.
- 2.5 ounces Sweet Almond Oil
- 1 ounce Jojoba Oil
- 0.5 ounce Castor Oil
- 1 ounce beeswax
- 1-2 teaspoons essential oils of choice, see “Notes” section below for more details
Method
1. Gather the ingredients. And using a scale, measure the oils in a small pot.
2. Add the beeswax.
3. Set over low heat. Stir frequently until beeswax is completely melted.
4. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool slightly.
5. Add essential oils.
6. Pour the mixture into your tubes or tins.
7. Allow to cool on counter until hardened.
8. Cap and label.
9. Directions for use…apply the solid perfume directly to your wrists and neck. Don’t be shy…rub it behind your ears and on the back of your knees too. Keep it in your bag and use it throughout the day!
Notes
-A couple of my favorite essential oil blends include:
- Jasmine and Lavender
- Patchouli, Lemongrass, Cedarwood, Sweet Orange, Clary Sage, Lavender, and Pine
-Get creative! I am also enjoying the additions of different aroma oils and resins…read more here.
Where Can I Get This Stuff?
–Mountain Rose Herbs…they have everything you’ll need for this project! It’s your one-stop-shop!
Kitchen Coffee Spice Bar Soap Recipe
Andrea,
I just wanted to thank you for sharing your recipe. One of these days I’ll be brave enough to try it. I don’t even own a scale! I get so many compliments on Dirty Hippie and it’s my favorite go to scent. I just love it. Even when people walk into my office they tell me how good it smells. I feel it puts me in a good mood and makes everything right in the world. Thank you!
Donna
Most of the beauty recipes I have made didn’t require a scale. Try the book DIY Orangic Beauty Recipes by Heather Dessinger. It is a great book for all recipes involving all beauty products. And the recipes in that book are super easy. I made almost all the recipes in one day because I was so excited to go all natural. Good luck with whatever you decide 😉
Don’t let lack of a scale be a deterrent! I make various body care products using similar ingredients to those listed above and I don’t even measure properly… they always look great. I haven’t yet made my own perfume but seeing that you’ve used oils I already own and use I will go for it:)
Thanks for this timely info, am actually planning on making a salve for healing purposes and this will be a carry over from that process. If you use rosemary in the perfume, you will get a scent that works wonders for your brain, as well, and is fresh smelling, as well, especially if you include peppermint
This is my first visit for your sit but i will be one of your followers because you have attractive ideas
What a fun project! And such a great way to store a solid perfume — We will be trying this soon — thx!
Can you use fragrance oils instead of essential oils. I have some fragrance oils that I would love to use in your recipe.
Thanks so much
Thanks for sharing this, it looks like something I could actually do!
Emi-
I would Not want to use the ones labeled “Fragrance Oils”, on my skin. They are usually petrochemicals and skin does actually absorb them, with various side effects. YMMV. but I feel safer with the real plant oils.
I agree with Dragonlaurel, please don’t use “Fragrance Oils” in anything you make. They are bad, bad bad for you! You never know what is in there. We do know it is everything that is wrong and unnatural. Only use Essential Oils, Organic if possible. 🙂
Thank you so much for your knowledge between fragrance oils and essential oils. But I have a question about what essential oils are safe as I have read some are not safe for pregnant women and some such as orange are photo sensitive so to me it is so confusing. How would I go about finding out which ones would be skin safe?
Thanks so much
Hello
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. However, none of the “You might also like:” photo links have ever opened for me. I would really appreciate if you would find the time to look into this problem.
Wishing you a happy week
Christel
Hello!
You mentioned the use of resins… I love the smell of amber but I wouldn’t know how to use it. Does it just melt into products? How would you use them?
And just for the record, I’ve never had a problem with the “You might also like” links. It may just be your computer, Christel. Just throwing that out there?
Cheers,
Aileen
I like how portable this is. Thanks
This I can DO!!! Yay! I have all of the ingredients but I need to find a pot at the thrift store or somewhere so that I can designate it’s use just for making this. I am going out today so I will try to find one. Oh….and I will have to order the tins or the tubes but other than that I am good to go!! Can’t wait to try this! Thanks so much!
I use old tin cans inside a pot for anything with beeswax.
Dear Andrea: I just want to say thank you for all the knowledge you share with us. Thanks to you (and other selfless bloggers and “do-it-yourself people”) I’ve been doing lots of fun stuff that gave me a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and empowerment! From your recipes I made:
-Home made dishsoap (still getting used to the lack of suds, so I “cheat” a little (lol!) and I add a couple of comercial detergent to get some bubbles, but your recipe works great!)
-Homemade laundry detergent (I run out of soapnuts and guess who saved me a trip to the grocery store to buy the “poisonous” cleaning stuff?—> Yep! …. Andrea at Frugally sustainable came to the rescue Yeeeehaw!!! 🙂
-Kitchen Coffee Spice Bar Soap: I was sooooo proud of it!!! I kept coming to the computer to look at your pictures of the soap and compare to mine to see if I did it right haha!! And I tried it after chopping garlic and onion and it took the semell away like a charm and left a beautiful fragrance from the E.Os. in my hands!)
-Homemade Probiotic Deodorant: well this recipe is ABSOLUTELY the best! for the first time in my life I can use a deodorant that is natural and yes, it really works! and I didn’t even use all the butters and oils you suggest in your recipe (only because I didnt have them! but I am dying to try the complete recipe as you said because it sounds amazing)
Thank you Andrea! My next project for sure will be this solid perfume! God bless you!
If you put liquid glycerin in you dish soap u will have bubbles!
This perfume looks dreamy 🙂 I can’t wait to make it. I didn’t know Mt. Rose had those resins, so a great find for me! I am so jealous of Tammy’s photography skills. She rocks!
Oh my gosh, I love this, have all ingedients, and seems easy to make. Can’t wait to try!! I also tried your aloe-based lotion and like that slippery quality a lot! What a wonderful site.
How cool. I have been wanting to make my own natural perfume for a long time. I can’t wait to try this!
I love mining these nuggets from your site! 🙂 I really like the lip balm and the perfume idea. One really great thing is that as an RN, I can recommend the lip balm to patients who have oxygen…so many of the commercial lip balms have petroleum in them that they aren’t really safe with oxygen use. Thank you for a great site!
Great tips.I always love this kind of information.Its very helpful.Keep it up.Thanks.
I just found your site and I am obsessed!!! I was wondering how many drops of the essential oils did you use? I don;t want to make it and not be able to smell anything…
im allergic to anything almond based. what can i use instead?
That’s what I was going to ask as well 🙂
Thank you for the inspiration & ideas! Do you have suggestion on where to purchase the containers?
Thank you!
Where can we buy tubes and tins? Love you site!
You can buy them ay http://www.mountainroseherbs.com !
Hi there, Are you measuring your ounces by volume or by weight? If in weight, what would it translate to volume?
do these have an expiration date after they are made?
I like this idea, thanks for sharing! #oils4everyone
I can’t count the time’s I’ve had perfume break in my purse,I finally got smart and started making solid,even my customers love it,can’t keep the stuff on the shelves.
Hi,thanks for making it all super easy except for one detail.How do I get labels for such small tubes?How is labelling done in general if I want it to look professional?
You can buy labels at Staples and just go to their site and make them for free! It’s easy and professional looking. It’s a great way to do it. You can get really small ones there as well.
Good luck!
LOVE this, Andrea. I’m sharing on my fan page right now.
Thank you so much Adrienne!
I would like to make this for my daughters, but one of them is allergic to almonds and I’m afraid to use almond oil for her. What would work as a good substitute?
Hi there–I’m vegan. Any suggestions on what I could substitute for the bees wax?
Looking for an almond oil alternative as well. Can we just sub more jojoba? Or another oil like olive?
Shea works too. I make little amounts in a stainless steel measuring spoon or cup using:
2 parts beeswax,
2 parts shea butter or cocoa butter
2 parts coconut oil or almond
essential oil
Greetings! Thank you for this. Is the oz of beeswax in weight or quantity.?
Is there a website, or an easily acquired book that can give me information on the mixing of essential oils to achieve certain scents, or types of scents.
I am not a floral or fruit person at all.
I like what I think of as ‘white’ scents – white shoulders, white linen, the smell of white clothes that have spent the day on the line in the sun and fresh air (if you are lucky enough to live where there is such a thing 😉 ), blue, or ‘water’ scents – fresh rain, etc, and green, or herbal scents. Rosemary is my top fave.
What an awesome idea! I’ve been toying with the idea of making my own beauty products, and you make it look so simple. This year I learned canning/preserving. Come spring, I’m planting a medicinal herb garden & learning about herbs. I can add learning to make my own beauty products to my 2014 goals as it goes with the herbal learning, I think. I’m going to start with these perfume sticks! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Just wondering where u get the tubes from they look like they ate the bigger ones like a glue stick it’s the ones I want and can’t find thanks for sharing
The food scale is $11.59 on ebay and free shipping if you really need it! 🙂
can we still purchase your items… I cannot seem to find you on etsy and I really want some of your dirty hippie perfume…… and a few other things I saw thru a different link…. I just cant seem to get it all together so I can order….. Thanks In advance……
Yay! Thank you for this post! Please re-open your store! I am with Julie, above, we need some of your perfumes! I loved balance!!!!
Can you tell me about your double boiler set up in the pictures? It looks like a hot plate with so a thing on top where can I get one? Thank you!
Can you tell me about your double boiler set up? It looks like a hot plate with something on top, where can I get one? Thank you!
The essential oils won’t eat through the plastic of tubes? Do you use certain tubes?