When you make perfume for kids, you want to use ingredients that are really safe and natural to protect their sensitive skin. You also want to make a perfume that's not too strong. Lastly, your perfume needs to be nontoxic, because kids inevitably put things in their mouths. This project is easy and safe enough that you can include your children in the creation process.
Chose a bottle in which to store your perfume. Old-fashioned bottles with the atomizer spray pumps are fun if you can find them. Otherwise, let your child pick out a fun container with a lid to store the rose perfume. You can take some time to decorate this bottle before you start making the perfume to make it a more personalized experience. Empty body spray bottles work well. Avoid reusing a container that had any type of cleaner in it, even if it was a facial or skin product.
Measure 2 cups of water and pour it into the pan. You can have your child do the measuring and pouring. Place a lid on the pan and bring the water to a low boil. Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the stove. Open the lid and pour in the 2 cups of rose petals, using a spoon to push them all down into the hot water. Put the lid back on the pan and let the petals steep until the water is cool. Think of this as making tea. You are extracting the oils and fragrances from the petals.
Strain the cool water into a glass bowl. Use the back of a spoon to squeeze as much liquid out of the petals as possible. Discard the petals. Add one to two drops of red food coloring to the mix to make it a nice pink color instead of the yellowed appearance the liquid can take on. At this point, you can add more commercially prepared rose water or rose essential oils, or you can leave the recipe alone. Allow your child to decide what smells best for her. Make sure anything you add to the perfume at this point is gentle and nontoxic. You can consider adding fine body glitter to the formula if you'd like.
Pour the perfume into the bottle your child picked out and label it with a name she likes. Help develop instructions for use with your child to teach her when and how much to apply. The perfume will keep for about two weeks if stored in a cool, dark place. Heat or sun can dissipate the fragrances.
Tip
Make sure your container is something your child can hold and operate without difficulty.
Writer Bio
A Jill-of-all-trades, Lillian Downey is a certified Responsible Sexuality Educator, certified clinical phlebotomist and a certified non-profit administrator. She's also written extensively on gardening and cooking. She also authors blogs on nail art blog and women's self esteem.