DIY Vodka-Based Perfume Recipes Using Essential Oils
Finding your signature scent? What better way to discover it than to create a perfume with carefully curated ingredients that truly define your taste?
Apart from picking the perfect essential oils for the lower and middle notes, you can use a vodka base for a lingering and long-lasting fragrance. After all, vodka is a fantastic and inexpensive substitute for perfumer’s alcohol that may be more difficult to find.
On that note, all the required ingredients in our recipes cost a fraction of what you would pay for a premium product and are readily available everywhere.
In fact, that is the beauty of concocting your own perfume. Indeed, you can use whatever is at your disposal and fine-tune it to suit personal tastes. And to inspire you, here are some vodka-based perfume recipes featuring different essential oils.
7 DIY Recipes Using Essential Oils And Vodka
Before you begin, remember that you will need some tools for each recipe. These include a wooden spoon and glass jar to mix the ingredients, a dropper, measuring cup or spout for accurate measurements, and a baster to transfer the perfume.
Also, you can keep aside an old perfume bottle to test and store the final product.
1. Basic DIY Vodka-Based Perfume
If you are an absolute beginner, consider starting with this basic recipe that allows room for experimenting with your favorite selection of essential oils. So, based on your taste, you can choose one type of floral, citrus, and woody essential oil each. And the best part is that the perfume will be ready to use about 24 hours after mixing the ingredients.
Ingredients List:
- 10 drops of floral essential oil
- 10 drops of citrus essential oil
- 5 drops of woody essential oil
- 45 ml of vodka
- 500 ml of distilled water
Preparation Method:
Step 1: Pour the vodka and the distilled water into a glass jar.
Step 2: Add the essential oils and stir the mixture for about a minute or two with a wooden spoon.
Step 3: Now, all you need to do is wait for 24 hours before testing the perfume.
2. Citrusy Summer Scent
Channel the bright and refreshing fragrance of summer fruits in this blend of essential oils derived from tropical fruits and eucalyptus. At the same time, this perfume is perfect for both summers and winters. So, remember to store it in a tightly-sealed jar to ensure it lasts longer.
Ingredients List:
- 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
- 10 drops of orange essential oil
- 5 drops of lemon essential oil
- Glycerin
- 45 ml of vodka
- 500 ml of distilled water
Preparation Method:
Step 1: First off, pour two cups of distilled water into a large glass jar, add three tablespoons of vodka to the water, and finish it off with five drops of glycerin.
Step 2: Here, you may use a mix of eucalyptus, orange, and lemon essential oils or substitute them for citrus essential oils of your choice. And once you have made a selection, add the preferred essential oils to the mixture and stir it with a big wooden spoon.
Step 3: You can either adjust the concoction by adding a few more drops of the essential oils or tightly seal the jar if you are satisfied with the scent. Now, let the contents settle for the next 12 hours, after which you can shake it for a final mix and transfer the perfume to a bottle using a dropper or baster.
3. Romantic Rose Perfume
A perfume made of roses, the symbol of love known for its signature sweet and delicate scent, is ideal for romantics at heart. In fact, it makes the perfect Valentine’s Day or anniversary gift for your beloved. And, it goes without saying that the thought and effort put into this handmade gift are sure to impress your significant other.
Ingredients List:
- 20 to 30 drops of rose essential oil
- 80 ml of vodka
Preparation Method:
Step 1: Begin by mixing about 30 drops of rose essential oil and vodka in a large glass jar.
Step 2: Seal the jar, shake the contents for a few seconds, and store it in a cold, dry, and dark place for about three weeks. On that note, if you’re thinking of giving this essential oil to someone as a present on a special occasion, you may want to plan ahead.
Step 3: After three weeks, you can filter the contents using a coffee filter and transfer the perfume to a bottle.
4. Woody Forest Perfume For Men
This blend of woody essential oils creates a unique and sophisticated fragrance reminiscent of men’s perfumes. Indeed, the masculine touch comes from the warm, reassuring, and earthy underlying notes of cedarwood and sandalwood. So, go ahead, and pack the cool and calming scent of the forest into your next perfume.
Ingredients List:
- 20 drops of cedarwood essential oil
- 20 drops of sandalwood essential oil
- 10 drops of lavender essential oil
- 5 drops of frankincense essential oil
- 100 ml of vodka
Preparation Method:
Step 1: First, pour the vodka into a large glass jar.
Step 2: Mix the essential oils with a dropper while cleaning it thoroughly with rubbing alcohol before adding a different essential oil.
Step 3: Stir the concoction with a wooden spoon, seal the jar and store it in a cool and dry place. And that’s it — the perfume will be ready for use after about two days.
5. Spicy Perfume
Borrow the zestful and spicy notes of bay leaf and ginger in this aromatic perfume that leaves a lingering citric scent. At the same time, the musky and sweet smell of patchouli balances the sharpness of the perfume for a mild and sensual effect.
Ingredients List:
- 20 drops of mandarin essential oil
- 10 drops of patchouli essential oil
- 5 drops of bay laurel essential oil
- 5 drops of oakmoss absolute essential oil
- 2 drops of ginger essential oil
- 2 drops of neroli essential oil
- 118 ml of vodka
Preparation Method:
Step 1: Take half a cup of vodka in a glass jar and start dropping the essential oils. Here, you can adjust the concentration according to your preference.
Step 2: Seal the jar and shake it once every day for the next ten days. Remember to store the perfume in a dry and dark place all the while.
6. Floral Perfume
This complex blend of floral essential oils and vodka creates an exotic scent that strikes the right balance between sweet and earthy. At the same time, the addition of bergamot lends a fresh fruity quality with spicy hints. However, remember that this perfume needs to rest for more than a month, so plan accordingly.
Ingredients List:
- 5 drops of sandalwood essential oil
- 5 drops of rose essential oil
- 2 drops of bergamot essential oil
- 2 drops of palmarosa essential oil
- 15 ml of vodka
Preparation Method:
Step 1: Take a glass bottle and mix the alcohol and essential oils.
Step 2: Let the ingredients sit for four to six weeks and shake it occasionally.
7. Sweet Vanilla Perfume
The sweet notes of vanilla have always been a crowd favorite, whether you are buying a perfume, cake, or ice cream. And by following this recipe, you can enhance the well-loved scent with the green notes of wood, spices, and herbs from helichrysum essential oil.
Ingredients List:
- 10 drops of vanilla essential oil
- 10 drops of helichrysum essential oil
- 5 drops of musk oil
- 60 ml of vodka
- 60 ml of distilled water
Preparation Method:
Step 1: Start by adding the vanilla essential oil and helichrysum essential oil in a glass jar.
Step 2: Pour the vodka into the mixture, transfer the blend into a spray bottle, and add the distilled water.
Step 3: Shake well and let the perfume rest for about two weeks.
Tips And Tricks
1. Test The Product
For the most part, essential oils are safe for use and may even have positive side effects in aromatherapy[1]. However, they are toxic when ingested and may cause respiratory problems when inhaled if you have a history of respiratory issues. Also, you should not use essential oils if you are pregnant.
Anyhow, we recommend spritzing the fragrance on the pulse points on your wrists before applying it to other parts. Check whether you can tolerate the scent and ensure that there is no skin irritation or other adverse effects.
2. Sourcing Essential Oils
Although vodka is an excellent and cheaper alternative for perfumer’s alcohol, you don’t want to compromise quality when choosing essential oils. On that note, low-quality essential oils or counterfeit versions won’t mix well with other ingredients, and they may not smell right.
As a rule of thumb, genuine essential oils[2] do not smell sugary-sweet, and the bottle labels almost exclusively mention the Latin names of ingredients.
3. Correct Storage
After mixing the ingredients of your vodka-based DIY perfume, you must allow the contents to settle for a stipulated period. During this step, you must store the jar in a cool, dry, and dark place to prevent light and water damage.
It is also worth noting that both artificial and natural light can alter the sensitive makeup of a perfume. Similarly, humidity can cause unwanted chemical reactions and affect the scent, so it may not be a good idea to store the perfume in the bathroom.
Perhaps, you can store the perfume in a closed cabinet, dresser drawer, or fridge as you wait for it to set. Continue to store it in the same place once the perfume is prepared and tightly seal the bottle when not in use to ensure it lasts longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the top, middle, and base notes in a perfume?
Before you begin, it is best to acquaint yourself with the basics of perfume-making. For starters, there are three notes in a perfume — a top note, middle note, and base note.
Most perfumes are made up of an alcohol-based note, such as a vodka base, which is essential for the dry-down period. In other words, the base note ensures a lingering effect once the scent of the top note and middle note are diffused in the air.
You can use citrus essential oils with a distinct scent for the top note. Here, the top note refers to the scent you recognize first on application. Although it evaporates the quickest, this light note is responsible for creating the first impression.
The top notes then smoothly transition into the scent of the middle notes, which are often mild and last throughout the day. That said, you may want to pick a fragrant essential oil that is not too overpowering. For instance, you can borrow the fresh, natural, and earthy scents of woody essential oils, such as pine, or a floral hint of lavender and rose.
2. Are DIY perfumes safe for use?
In some ways, DIY perfumes may be safer for use than store-bought ones. After all, you are responsible for curating each ingredient, and you would want to eliminate potentially harmful chemicals[3] and preservatives from the blend.
That said, homemade perfumes made of a vodka base and high-quality essential oils are relatively safe for use and are environmentally friendly.
3. Can you use vodka instead of perfumer’s alcohol?
Generally, alcohol-based perfumes employ ethanol or denatured alcohol. However, vodka is an excellent substitute as it is colorless and does not have a strong odor.
Final Words
DIY vodka-based perfumes are ideal gifts for a close friend and offer a fun weekend activity for you.
So, enjoy the process, and the magical scents created with your own hands are sure to make you feel like an alchemist at work. To begin, all you need is vodka, distilled water, your favorite essential oils, some basic tools, and our innovative recipes.
And once your perfume is ready, you can decorate the glass bottle or perhaps experiment with more ingredients or create other DIY products, like aftershaves and lip balms. Indeed, the possibilities are endless — all you need is a little creativity.
References:
