How to Make Perfume With Dilutants

Homemade perfumes are thinned with dilutants for comfort and to stretch the ingredients.

Making your own perfume, rather than buying expensive commercial brands, saves you money. It also lets you craft signature, one-of-a-kind scents for you to use yourself or to give as gifts. Dilutants are ingredients used in perfume-making. They thin out fragrant and essential oils to make perfume long-lasting but not too strong for application to the skin. Knowing how to make perfume with dilutants isn't difficult and can become a lifelong hobby.

Things You'll Need

• 20 Drops essential oil or fragrance-oil blend
• Plastic pipettes
• 8 oz. Glass mixing dish
• 1 oz. Carrier oil (dilutant)
• 20 Drops polysorbate 80
• 1 oz. Distilled water
• 1 oz. Ethyl rubbing alcohol
• 4 oz. Perfume bottle

Instructions

1. Create a blend that equals 20 drops of essential oil or fragrant oil (or a combination of the two) in the mixing dish. Use disposable plastic pipettes for each scented oil. For example, five drops each of patchouli, lemongrass, ginger and lime creates an uplifting and energizing scent. Experiment with different blends until you find one that's pleasing.

2. Add the carrier oil to the dish containing the blend of oils. An ideal carrier oil for a perfume application is grapeseed oil or coconut oil. Both are dry oils that don't leave greasy residue on your skin. The carrier oil serves as a dilutant to the fragrant oils, thinning out the concentration without affecting the scent.

3. Add the polysorbate 80 to the bowl. This is an emulsifier that binds the oil and water, allowing them to mix. Stir in the ethyl rubbing alcohol and distilled water. This creates the strong, long-lasting perfume that you can dab, spray or roll on.

4. Pour the solution into the perfume bottle using a funnel. Or, use the plastic pipettes to squeeze up the solution and inject it into the perfume bottle. Cap the bottle. The perfume is ready to be used.

Tips & Warnings

• Carrier oil and essential oils are easily purchased in craft and hobby shops, as are the other ingredients required.

References

• "The Art of Making Perfume";Rebecca Park Totilo;2010

Resources

• Aroma Success: Perfume Crafting Resources