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It’s no secret that scents have an effect on us… they can help us uplift our mood and take us back in time. There are specific scents that remind me of my childhood and of places I visited.
It is so effective to use fragrances that many stores use scents to lure you into their stores and to keep you from coming back.
Psychology Today explains the physical process of why scents are so successful at triggering memories:
Incoming smells are first processed by the olfactory bulb, which starts inside the nose and runs along the bottom of the brain. The olfactory bulb has direct connections to two brain areas that are strongly implicated in emotion and memory: the amygdala and hippocampus. Interestingly, visual, auditory (sound), and tactile (touch) information do not pass through these brain areas. This may be why olfaction, more than any other sense, is so successful at triggering emotions and memories. (Source)
Smells can trigger both positive and negative reactions and they can also be used for therapeutic purposes, like in aromatherapy.
I love scents…in fact, before starting my green living journey I was one of those people that wore perfume every day, even when I wasn’t planning on leaving the house. It would just put me in such a happy mood! However, once I started learning about endocrine disruptors and specifically fragrances, I immediately stopped using perfumes.
Why? Fragrances are known to contain endocrine disruptors, which have been linked to all sorts of health issues – you can read more about it here.
The problem with fragrances is that they are not regulated and they are considered a “trade secret” so sometimes even the brands using fragrances don’t even know what’s in them. The only people that know are the fragrance formulators and they usually do not give up this kind of information.
This is scary because we just don’t know what’s in them. Fragrances could be filled with tons of endocrine disruptors, just a few or none, and the problem is that we just don’t know. Usually when a brand is all about being non-toxic and transparent they make it very clear in their ingredients what’s in the fragrance but unfortunately, most don’t, and certainly not mainstream perfume brands.
So, now every time I see fragrance listed as an ingredient, without detailed information on where the fragrance comes from, I just don’t buy it. It’s just not worth the risk in my opinion. This goes for perfumes, lotions, bath and beauty products as well.
For the last 5 years this meant I stopped using perfumes, but I have to be honest, I missed it. I missed the uplifting scents and I missed smelling good. About a year ago it occurred to me that I could probably make perfumes with essential oils and I got to experimenting.
Making essential oil perfumes is a lot easier than you think and the best part is that you can customize any scent to your liking. That’s why I’m so excited about partnering with my favorite essential oil brand, NOW® Essential Oils, to bring you these recipes.
Basics of essential oils perfumes
All you need to make an essential oil perfume are 3 things:
- A carrier oil
- Roll-on bottle
- Essential Oils
When it comes to carrier oils, I prefer jojoba oil, grapeseed oil or fractionated coconut oil.
When it comes to essential oils, I have used both pre-made blends and made the blends myself. Below you will find 6 of my favorite roll-on perfume recipes. Give them a try and remember, you can always change the essential oils if you want to make a different scent!
A note about citrus scented essential oils:
Something to keep in mind is that some citrus essential oils are phototoxic, this means they can react under sunlight and actually burn your skin.
If you’re using citrus oils I recommend you stick to the ones are not considered phototoxic, or use the roll-on on body parts that are not exposed to the sun.
How to make a roll-on essential oil perfumes
It’s simple, you add the essential oils and fill up the bottle with your carrier oil. Then you put the lid back on and shake it to mix all the ingredients.
You can use 8-15 drops of essential oils in each 10ml bottle. So if you start experimenting with making your own scent, make sure the total amount of drops doesn’t exceed 15.
Once your perfume is ready, you can put it behind your neck, ears or on your wrists. I usually carry the bottle in my purse and reapply as needed throughout the day!
6 DIY essential oil perfumes recipes
Making your first roll-on essential oil perfume can be a bit tricky so here are 6 recipes that I love and I hope you’ll love too.
For all of these recipes you will need:
- Roll-on bottle
- Carrier oils: When making perfumes I prefer to stick to jojoba oil or grapeseed oil since they don’t have a strong scent
- Essential oils
To make your essential oil perfume: add the essential oils first, then fill the rest of the bottle with your carrier oil. Put the lid back on, shake the bottle well and then apply on behind your neck, ears and on your wrists.
Pre-made essential oil blends for your perfume
You can use a premade essential oil blend as your perfume.
All you need is 10-15 drops of any of these essential oil blends:
- Bottled Bouquet Oil Blend
- Good Morning Sunshine! Oil Blend
- Naturally Loveable Oil Blend
- Smiles for Miles Oil Blend
Make your own essential oil perfume blends
Follow the instructions above when making your perfume with one of the following combinations of essential oils.
Lavender Dreams:
Floral:
- 4 drops of Rose Absolute
- 2 drops of Neroli
- 2 drops of Jasmine
- 3 drops of Vanilla
Citrus
- 3 drops of Tangerine
- 2 drops of Lemongrass
- 4 drops of Orange
- 2 drops ofVanilla
Uplifting
Romantic
- 5 drops Rose Absolute
- 4 drops of Jasmine
- 3 drops of Neroli
- 1 drop of Cinnamon Cassia
Manly Scent
- 8 dropsCedarwood
- 1 drops Cypress
- 3 drops Frankincense
Don’t forget to add the essential oils first and then the carrier oil.Shake well and put it behind your neck, ears or on your wrists.
There you have it! Doesn’t that look simple?
Now you can smell amazing and not have to worry about toxic chemicals! I am so obsessed with these roll-on perfumes and I hope you love them too.
If you come up with a new blend, let me know in the comments – I’d love to add it to this list.
Caution: Essential oils are highly concentrated and can be irritating to skin. Use with care. Dilute essential oils as directed, do not exceed dilutions recommended for this recipe. For adult use only. Keep out of reach of children. Not for internal use. Avoid contact with eyes.
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