Yup, you read that right. Whiskey bottles.
Early last year I did something I never thought I’d do; get rid of all my perfumes and start making my own. The reason for this was that I’d noticed that they triggered my hayfever really badly. You know when it gets so bad that your sinuses are puffy, your eyes are watering and can feel your throat and ear’s itching constantly? Yea, that.
It got to the point where my wedding perfume would leave a red mark if any of it touched my skin. So I gave away some of them, sold the more expensive ones and started from scratch.
As it is – and I’m sure you know if you’ve been following me on Instagram – I like my essential oils. At the moment I have two boxes, one for oils which I used more medicinal (pain management, skin soothing etc.) and some which are purely for their smell.
Today I’ll be sharing the two perfumes I really like wearing, my daily perfume and my special occasion/weekend perfumer.
Before I start though I want to make two things clear; One, I am not a professional perfumer. This is purely something I do for fun for myself, I enjoy experimenting, failing, and trying again until I find a mix I like. This is in no way up to a professional standard.
Next thing I need to note is that if you think you may be allergic to any essential oil, don’t use it! I cannot stress this enough. Just because it is natural (as much as a super distilled version of anything can be natural) it does not mean it can’t hurt you. I am very allergic to clove bud, ginger and cinnamon for example. While it won’t send me into anaphylactic shock, I will get a rash from hell if it ends up on my skin. Oh, and if eat the edible versions of those plants my intestines will start to bleed, so there’s that…
Anyway, I think you get my point. Check you’re ok with an oil, or the original ingredient before you use it, and consult a good aromatherapy book if you want to check the safety data.
The Basic Ingredients:
- 80-90% Vodka – This can be any kind, it doesn’t have to be the expensive stuff. In fact, I use the cheapest brand I can get from Alidi. I have used an expensive vodka in the past, but to be honest, I didn’t notice any difference in the final product to warent the price difference. If you can perfumers alcohol is a better alternative to vodka if you want the oils to mix well, but as vodka is all I have to hand right now, that is what I’m using.
- 10-20% Essential Oils
One thing I like to do before making a new scent is check Fragrantica for ideas if I want to try and replicate one of my old perfumes. It fantastic for listing the top, heart and base notes of perfumes, and even if I don’t end up replicating anything, sometimes just looking through different perfumes gives me some new ideas I want to try out.
My Daily Perfume:
My Special Occasion Perfume:
I’ve linked where I bought everything above (please note that any Amazon links are affiliate links) but don’t think that you have to use exactly what I use. If you want to use different brands go right ahead!
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