Perfume Making

ו' טבת תשס"ט
Grael 7

Alcohol Perfume Bases

Everclear beverage
Vodka

Everclear has a higher ethanol to water ratio than Vodka, so essential oils will go into solution faster and the final blend will not be as cloudy using Everclear.

General Purpose Fixative For Use With Everclear Base

To one bottle of Everclear, add:

3 tablespoons of Orris Root
several chips of Benzoin (Styrax)
2 crushed Vanilla Beans
several chips of Sandalwood (optional)

Shake bottle every day for at least 3 months (the minimum length of time it takes the fixative properties to emerge). Other resins may be also be used, experiment - advanced fixative recipes are part of the secret of proprietary perfumery.

Shelf-Stable Oil Bases

Jojoba
Avocado
Moringa
Almond

The highest concentration of essential and absolute oils in your blends should be no more than 20% in proportion to base alcohol or oil, the classic French parfum concentration. This is approximately 20 drops total (adding up all drops of various essential oils) for every 4 mL base. However, this is too high a concentration for sensitive skin. I recommend a final solution of 20-30 mL base for the recipe – you may want to start with 10 mL of base in a 30 mL glass container, add the perfume components, and then fill to the top with base.

The components of will marry over time and thus I urge you to wait at least a few weeks before making adjustments to the recipe. For more advanced perfume making, you want to let your blend rest for a month, mixing once a day (if you can remember), and then finalizing the components. In this case, only fill your container 2/3 of the way, so you have room to change the composition later. You can also split the blend into two containers, change one version, and dilute to the top of each container once it has been perfected.

References: Wavelengths Natural Health; Moringa Oil