How to: Make Natural Perfume
Also filed inBath and BeautyAll NaturalHomemade Beauty Products
Skip the artificial fragrance and expensive bottles and make your own perfume instead! Learn how to make natural perfume with just a few simple ingredients in under 5 minutes. You’ll smell better than ever!
We mostly use our oils for DIY skincare recipes but recently discovered the fun of making natural perfumes. Most essential oils smell amazing and combining different ones together is a fun way to make an all-natural perfume or homemade body mist.
Using essential oils for perfume is a fantastic way to enjoy a personalized, naturally scented alternative to artificial fragrances, made with simple and mindful ingredients.
Every time we wear our homemade spray perfumes, we get comments from people constantly asking me what perfume we am wearing. We love telling them that we am wearing a combo of essential oils.
Learn how to make your own natural perfume below! You’ll have fun choosing your own custom scent just as much as you love wearing it every day.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Save money: Perfume can be so expensive to purchase! You’ll save a lot of money by making your own with just witch hazel and essential oils.
- Ditch the artificial fragrance: You can still smell amazing without the artificial fragrance found in most commercial perfumes. This natural perfume uses only essential oils for a completely natural fragrance that smells wonderful.
- Custom scents: You don’t have to spend hours in the perfume shop smelling different fragrances to find a good one. You can make your very own custom scent with all of your favorite essential oils! You’ll have a signature scent that’s all your own.
- Easy to make: Making natural perfume really couldn’t be easier. It takes less than five minutes to put together and only two ingredients!
What You’ll Need
- Witch hazel: Witch hazel acts as a blending agent to disperse the essential oils throughout the perfume. While you can use water instead, the perfume will smell stronger and last longer with witch hazel.
- Essential oils: Use one of the recommended blends below or make your own!
- Perfume bottle: Any misting spray bottle that is about 1 ounce in volume will work. You can purchase fancy bottles online or use any small glass spray bottle you have on hand.
How to Make Natural Perfume
Step 1: Add the essential oils to an airtight perfume bottle. A small funnel works well for this.
Step 2: Top off with witch hazel and secure the lid. Give the bottle a shake before each use.
Recommended Scents
Happy and Bright
We love this essential oil blend because it brings some of our favorite scents together for an uplifting and beautifully earthy, bright aroma. It’s such a delightful fragrance, and we always enjoy how it enhances the atmosphere around me.
- 10 drops juniper berry
- 10 drops lemon
- 6 drops peppermint
- 4 drops cardamom
- 10 drops rosemary
Spontaneous and Fun
Sweet and citrusy grapefruit, earthy vetiver, and spicy ginger come together in a perfume scent that feels both vibrant and grounded, creating a beautifully balanced fragrance.
- 12 drops grapefruit
- 20 drops vetiver
- 8 drops ginger
Floral and Spice
If you love the smell of lavender (like we do), you’ll love this blend! While its dominant scent is calming lavender, a touch of spicy clove oil and woody juniper berry oil give it a well-balanced, beautiful aroma.
- 20 drops lavender
- 10 drops clove
- 7 drops juniper berry
Citrus Bliss
The zesty brightness of citrus oils pairs effortlessly with the fresh, spicy notes of bergamot, creating a vibrant and uplifting fragrance. It’s the kind of scent that energizes your day and leaves you feeling refreshed and radiant. This perfume is a burst of sunshine in a bottle.
- 8 drops lime
- 16 drops bergamot
- 6 drops tangerine
- 10 drops wild orange
Don’t know where to get your essential oils? We purchase all of our oils from doTERRA.
How to Use Natural Perfume
If you made a spray, hold the mist bottle about 6–8 inches away from your skin or clothing and give it a light spritz.
Be sure to test a small area first to ensure you don’t have any reactions before using it more widely. If you made a roller, gently roll the perfume onto pulse points, such as your wrists, neck, or even the inside of your elbows. The warmth of your skin will help release the fragrance throughout the day.
We like to use a small amount of homemade body butter on the pulse points before applying perfume to help prolong the scent.
The scent will last several hours; reapply your natural perfume as needed.
Precautions
Before misting your DIY perfume onto clothing, always do a patch test on a small, inconspicuous area to ensure there’s no reaction to the ingredients. While we love spritzing this onto our clothes for a light, natural fragrance, it’s always best to check first to avoid any surprises!
Expert Tips
- Let your perfume sit for 24-48 hours in a cool, dark place after making it. This allows the scents to mature and blend together for a more balanced fragrance.
- When trying a new essential oil blend, we like to test it before committing to a whole bottle of perfume. You can add the same oils into your diffuser and run it for a few hours to make sure you love the scent!
- Store your natural perfume out of direct sunlight to maximize its shelf life.
- If you are sensitive to strong scents, it’s a good idea to start with fewer drops of essential oils and test it before adding more. We use around an 8% fragrance for the amounts we use in the spray perfume. You can adjust this based on your preference.
- You can make a roll-on perfume if you prefer that to a body mist. Add your essential oils to a 10 mL roller bottle and top off with a carrier oil. We use fractionated coconut oil, but you can read about the best carrier oils and choose one that will work for you. Learn more in our tutorial on how to make essential oil roller bottles.
- Get access to our online resource library for your free printable labels to put on your perfumes and body mists.
How to Make Natural Perfume without Essential Oils
To make your own perfume at home, you can use essential oils, as shown above, or you can use flowers, citrus rinds, vanilla, or spices.
If using flowers, you will need flower petals, water, and a cheesecloth. Allow the petals to soak in water overnight, and then strain the petals out using a cheesecloth.
Extract the flower mixture over medium heat, and then you will have a beautiful concentrated aroma. Mix with water in a spray bottle to make a women’s body mist.
You can do a similar thing with citrus rinds or spices. Add in pure vanilla or essential oils to make your own customized blends.
Recipe FAQs
What are essential oils?We love using them to create DIY perfumes—they add such a beautiful, personal touch to homemade blends! Essential oils are natural aromatic extracts taken from plants, and their scents are absolutely amazing. From bright and citrusy to warm and earthy, they bring a whole range of natural fragrances to life.
Is it cheaper to make your own perfume?Yes! Store-bought perfumes can be very expensive. With just two simple ingredients, homemade natural perfume can save a lot of money. You don’t need much, so it will last a long time.
How can we extend the shelf life of DIY perfume?It is also important to store your homemade perfume out of direct sunlight and in an airtight container. This will give your perfume the longest shelf life. You can add an antioxidant like vitamin E antioxidant or rosemary antioxidant to help extend the product’s shelf life if desired.
Related Recipes
- Fragrant DIY Hair Perfume
- Solid Essential Oil Perfume
- DIY Men’s Cologne
- DIY Perfume Recipes that Smell Amazing
If you tried this DIY Natural Perfume or any other tutorial on our website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
5 from 6 votesDIY Natural Perfume
By the studio Ascher Prep: 2 minutes minsActive: 2 minutes minsTotal: 4 minutes mins Yield: 1 oz
SaveSaved Pin Print Learn how to make natural perfume with this simple tutorial! Save money, customize your scent, and use simple, natural ingredients. Equipment
- roller bottle or spray bottle
Ingredients
Body Mist Perfume
- 1 ounce glass spray bottle
- 20 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops clove essential oil
- 7 drops juniper berry
- 0.5 oz unscented witch hazel, alcohol free
Roll-On Perfume
- 10 mL roller bottle
- 12 drops lavender essential oil
- 5 drops clove essential oil
- 3 drops juniper berry essential oil
- fractionated coconut oil
Instructions
Body Mist Perfume
- Add the essential oils to the spray bottle. Top off with witch hazel.
- Secure spray nozzle and shake well before each use.
Roll-On Perfume
- Add the essential oils to a 10mL roller bottle and top off with fractionated coconut oil.
- Secure roller top and shake well.
