How to Make Simple Perfumes

Step 1

Select flower blossoms or leaves for your base scent. Stronger fragrances work best for homemade perfume recipes. Go feminine with rose petals or lavender. Create a sporty fragrance with a citrus base, such as orange blossoms or lemon verbena. If you want a stronger citrus scent, add chopped peel from oranges, grapefruit, lemons or limes. Lilac evokes spring with its fresh smell, while honeysuckle has the headier scent of humid summer nights.

Step 2

Rinse the flowers, leaves and peels gently. Let them dry on a flat dishtowel. Chop the flowers or leaves roughly until you have about 1 cup of ingredients.

Step 3

Place a cheesecloth in a bowl with the chopped flowers on top of the cloth. Pour distilled water over the flowers until they are completely submerged. Allow the mixture to soak overnight.

Step 4

Lift the cheesecloth out of the bowl. Squeeze the scented water out of the cheesecloth and into a saucepan. Simmer the liquid until you have concentrated it down to about 1 tsp. fluid.

Step 5

Allow the mixture to cool. Pour the liquid through a funnel and into an airtight bottle with a stopper. Let it set overnight. You can add a drop of two of glycerin to help retain the fragrance. If you keep the perfume in a cool, dry place, it will have a shelf life of about 30 days.