The Easiest Way to Make DIY Perfume

• Written by Holly Hughes on April 15, 2022

When we receive a beautiful bouquet – like the stunning arrangements at FromYouFlowers or the show stopping monthly creations at MonthlyClubs – we want them to last forever. While it is inevitable that fresh flower arrangements must eventually wilt, there are ways to preserve their memory and scent – like creating your own homemade perfume.

For a new way to get even more from a floral arrangement or the blooms from your garden, besides pressing or drying them, have a go at making your own DIY perfume with these homemade recipes.

Can you make DIY perfume from flowers at home?

Yes, the Internet is filled with DIY recipes ranging from three-step homemade perfume guides to more exacting chemical experiments that you can test and trial at home to build your own DIY signature scent.

However, to make it even easier, we’ve compiled some of the best and simplest homemade recipes for flower bottle perfumes that you can try at home, often with ingredients you’ll already have in your kitchen cupboard.

Let’s get started.

How to extract scent from flowers

There are many ways to extract scent from flowers for perfume using different homemade techniques. From soaking fresh petals in oil to crushing them with a pestle and mortar and steeping in distilled water, distilling the intoxicating fragrance of petals at home can be done easily.

But first let’s look at the best blooms to use for your DIY perfume endeavors.

Most popular DIY fragrances

Some blooms are better suited to making a flower body spray or DIY perfume than others. The main requirement for selecting a flower for a handmade perfume is the robustness of its fragrance. Only strong-smelling flowers will give you that glorious, heady scent that will leave a tantalizing and floral aroma in your wake.

Here are some of the best strong- – and delightful- – smelling flowers that make the best ingredients for a DIY fresh floral perfume:

• Rose
   

• Jasmine

• Lavender

• Plumeria

• Honeysuckle

• Violet

• Gardenia 

DIY rose perfume

It is little wonder that rose tops the list of the best flowers to use when making a homemade, simple perfume. Its heady aroma forms the base of most scents around the world and is often bottled as an essential fragrance.

The most popular roses to use for DIY rose perfumes are Damask rose, Turkish rose and Rosa Centifolia.

So, to make the most of this glorious blossom, here’s a guide to making your own homemade rose perfume.

How to make rose perfume with essential oils

For this rose perfume recipe, we are using alcohol. However, read on for another homemade fragrance recipe that you can use for any flower and doesn’t require any alcohol.

You will need:

• 1 fresh rose
• 100-proof vodka
• Distilled water
• Big glass jar or bowl with a lid
• Empty perfume bottle
• 2-4 drops rose essential oil (or any other fragrance - lavender, neroli, or jasmine all work well)

Pluck the petals of the rose and put them in your glass jar or bowl before covering with roughly half a cup of vodka. Cover the mixture and leave in a cool, dark area for 24 hours.

Then, remove the lid and mash the petals with a spoon or any other instrument that will press them and extract their fragrance. Add the distilled water and essential oils before returning it to sit, this time for 4-7 days. Continue mixing the concoction and pressing the petals daily.

After a week, strain the mixture and distill it into your perfume bottle and voilà! An intoxicating homemade fragrance ready for you to wear with pride!

How to make homemade perfume without alcohol

If you’re looking for a recipe for DIY perfume without alcohol, we’ve got you covered. Here’s just one homemade option for your own alcohol-free DIY perfume. 

You will need: 

• Fresh flowers
• Approximately 50ml of oil (you can use anything from olive to sunflower oil)
• Essential oils (if using)
• Pestle and mortar
• A large jar or bowl with an airtight lid
• Strainer – cheesecloth works well
• Empty perfume bottle

Step One:

Pick your chosen flowers. Ensure they are as fresh as possible for a stronger scent – blooms that are just opening have the most fragrance. With flower delivery services like 1800Flowers offering same-day delivery, why not treat yourself to the freshest blooms and a stunning bouquet all in one? Once chosen, remove the petals and use a pestle and mortar to crush them before putting them into a jar.

Step Two:

Pour the oil over the flower petals until the blossoms are covered. Jojoba oil is often recommended for homemade perfume as it is the closest to human sebum. Add your essential oils, if using. Seal the jar or bowl airtight and shake it to ensure all petals are properly soaked in the oil.

Step Three:

Leave the jar in a cool, dark spot for 24 hours. After this time remove, squeeze and pulverize the petals again using a cooking spoon or pestle. Strain the mixture through your cheesecloth and, once the petals have been pressed of all fragrance, discard them. Replace them with more fresh petals by repeating step one.

Step Four:

Return the perfume jar to its corner for another 24 hours before repeating the DIY process with more new petals, each time covering them with the oil you’ve already used.

Step Five:

Repeat this for three days or until your perfume has reached your desired potency.

Step Six:

Strain using the cheesecloth, distilling the oil into your perfume bottle. Be sure to crush the petals properly, to ensure maximum fragrance for your perfume. Enjoy showing off your DIY perfume or gift it to a friend for a thoughtful and homemade present!

There you have it! It couldn’t be easier to make DIY, homemade perfume in the comfort of your kitchen. And with a million different fragrances to choose from, the homemade perfume options are truly limitless.

So, the next time your sumptuous arrangement from subscription services like BloomsyBox or EnjoyFlowersarrives, or you’re treated to a one-off delight from SendFlowers, get even more joy from their bouquets by using a bloom or two and DIY it to make your own unique, homemade perfume., get even more joy from their bouquets by using a bloom or two and DIY it to make your own unique, homemade perfume.