Making your own solid perfume at home is a fun and easy DIY project. Not only is it more affordable than buying perfume from the store, but you can customize the scents to your personal preferences. Solid perfumes also tend to last longer on the skin and don’t spill in your purse like liquid perfumes can.
To make solid perfume, all you need is a carrier oil or butter base plus some essential oils for fragrance. Beeswax is also added to help the mixture solidify. The end result is a creamy body butter that releases fragrance as it melts into the skin.
Benefits of Solid Perfumes
Here are some of the reasons I like wearing DIY solid perfumes:
-
Long lasting fragrance – Solid perfumes stay on the skin longer than mists or oils. As your body warms them up, they continue releasing scent.
-
Portability – Solids won’t leak or spill in your bag. They are great for carrying in your purse, gym bag, or suitcase.
-
Customizable scents – You can create your own signature scent by blending your favorite essential oils.
-
Moisturizing ingredients – The carrier oils and butters keep your skin nourished.
How to Make Solid Perfume
Making solid perfume at home just takes 5 simple steps:
1. Choose Your Base Ingredients
For the base, I like using skin nourishing carrier oils and butters such as:
- Coconut oil
- Shea butter
- Cocoa butter
- Jojoba oil
2. Select Your Essential Oils
Essential oils give solid perfume their scents. Some good options are:
- Ylang ylang – floral
- Bergamot – citrusy
- Cedarwood – woody
- Vanilla – sweet
I recommend selecting 2-4 complementary oils and combining 10-30 drops total per ounce of base ingredients.
3. Melt Your Base + Add Essential Oils
Using a double boiler, gently melt your base ingredients over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the essential oils.
4. Pour into Containers
At this point the mixture will still be liquid. Pour it into small tins, tubes, or jars to set. I like using lip balm tubes or vintage tins.
5. Allow to Solidify
Finally, move the containers to the fridge or freezer to solidify faster. Within an hour or so, you’ll have custom solid perfume ready for wearing!
5 DIY Solid Perfume Recipes
Here are a few of my favorite essential oil blends for making homemade solid perfumes:
1. Floral Solid Perfume
- 1 oz shea butter
- 1 oz coconut oil
- 1 oz beeswax pellets
- 20 drops ylang ylang oil
- 10 drops lavender oil
2. Warm Vanilla Solid Perfume
- 1 oz cocoa butter
- 1 oz jojoba oil
- 1 oz beeswax pellets
- 20 drops vanilla oil
- 5 drops tonka bean absolute
3. Fresh Citrus Solid Perfume
- 1 oz mango butter
- 1 oz fractionated coconut oil
- 1 oz beeswax pellets
- 15 drops sweet orange oil
- 10 drops bergamot oil
- 5 drops lemon oil
4. Woody Floral Solid Perfume
- 1 oz shea butter
- 1 oz apricot kernel oil
- 1 oz beeswax pellets
- 15 drops cedarwood oil
- 10 drops geranium oil
- 5 drops rose absolute
5. Sweet Fruity Solid Perfume
- 1 oz cocoa butter
- 1 oz avocado oil
- 1 oz beeswax pellets
- 15 drops grapefruit oil
- 10 drops litsea cubeba oil
- 5 drops davana oil
Be creative and make your own signature scents by playing around with different essential oil blends!
Tips for Using Solid Perfume
Here are some of my tips for applying and wearing homemade solid perfume:
-
Apply to pulse points like wrists, neck, and décolletage so the warmth of your body helps diffuse the fragrance
-
Start with a small amount first, you can always layer more on later
-
Store in a cool dark place for the longest shelf life
-
If yours becomes too soft, try adding a bit more beeswax to firm it up
-
Avoid direct sunlight which can fade the essential oils over time
Whip up a custom solid perfume for yourself or give as gifts for birthdays, holidays, or Mother’s day! I hope you enjoy these natural DIY perfume recipes.
