How to Make Perfume

**Rick** · 04-03-2008, 12:38 PM

I came across a neat little recipe for making perfume some time ago. I actually know a gal that makes her own and sells it.

First, you need a small still so that you can extract the essential oils from the flowers and other scented raw materials. To make up perfurme, dissolve 10 parts of essential oils in 90 parts of pure alcohol; colognes consist of essential oils 3-5 percent, alcohol 80-90 percent, water to 100 percent; toilet waters contain 2 percent essential oils, 60-80 percent alcohol, the rest water.

For those of you who haven't got a still or don't want to go to the trouble, here's a simple recipe for lavender water.

Essence of musk..................1/2 fl. oz or 15 ml
Essence of amgergris............1/2 fl. oz or 15 ml
Oil of cinnamon....................10 drops
English lavender...................3/4 fl. oz or 7.5 ml
Oil of geranium.....................1/4 fl. oz or 4 ml
Spirit of wine.......................20 fl. oz or 600 ml

Use either the US or metric measurements. Mix together well and keep it in a well-stoppered bottle.

If you have a still, steep flower heads or other perfume ingredients, such as sandalwood, in spirits of wine for several weeks, then distill the infusion.

NOTE: Spirit of wine is distilled wine.