I have been on a “kitchen cosmetics” kick lately. I can’t help it, it’s what makes me happy:)
If you are my facebook friend, you know that not too long ago, I received my order from Mountain Rose Herbs! It’s my treat to myself for being such a good girl lately. I have been pining to cook up some perfume! I ordered some amber/patchouli aroma oil that I had dreams of making a solid perfume of. Aroma oils are perfect for solid perfumes because they are made from resins and essential oils that are long lasting on your skin. Alcohol and chemical free, they make a wonderful natural alternative to commercially processed perfumes and colognes.
If you are not familiar; Amber oil is:
Amber is a semi solid mass of tree resins and gums native to India with most of the raw material coming from the resinous tree Liquidamber orientalis. It is not harvested with that sensual aroma all on its own, but rather it undergoes a slight manufacturing process. To get the finished product commonly referred to as Amber oil it is usually mixed in a base of beeswax and is combined with other essential oils and carriers. True amber resins should not contain artificial ingredients, petroleum by-products, or have any mineral base.
(To learn more about Amber oil, click here).
I had not heard of it before discovering it at Mountain Rose Herbs and I am so glad I discovered it! I love fossilized amber for healing and for adornment, but that type of amber this oil is not. The amber you are probably familiar with is Baltic amber, and that amber can be melted down into an oil as well, but is entirely different from this pleasantly scented amber aroma oil.
When I think of solid perfume; I think of grandmas, lockets, and an overpowering scent of baby powder mixed with gardenia. So I must admit the idea of making some was a bit of a turn off, but I decided to give it a go anyway because the convenience of solid perfume is kind of irresistible! It was easy to make, and turned out wonderful! I want to share with you my recipe for solid perfume.
If I only had a locket to fill…
Amber-rosa Solid Perfume
- 2 T sweet almond oil
- 2 T grated beeswax (Find your beeswax locally through “Honey Locator”)
- 23 drops patchouli/amber aroma oil
- 10 drops palmarosa essential oil
- 16 drops alcohol-free, pure vanilla extract
In a small double boiler, slowly warm all of the oils. Add in the beeswax and stir until completely melted. (Chopsticks work great for this task!) Add in the vanilla extract and stir. Pour into small tins, a locket, chapstick tubes or other small tube of your choice. Allow to cool and harden before use.
The scent of the beeswax is a lovely addition, lending the scent of honey to perfume. Our backyard beeswax is a very high quality, with a strong scent.
I used vanilla extract (the cooking kind) to scent my perfume. It works great and is a more frugal option than the vanilla essential oil. Vanilla essential oil is actually an absolute, which means it was extracted in alcohol and is not 100 percent pure. The vanilla extract I get from my coop for cooking is not the same thing, but it is waaaaay cheaper and smells heavenly. And it works like a champ.
I asked my sweet Husband how the perfume smelled and he said, “earthy and sweet, just like you!” Aw, thanks Husband! 🙂 Th scent is very well balanced and the perfume is not over-powering. Use it on pulse points or wherever you like to apply your perfumes. I like to think of solid perfume as a private perfume. The scent is just right and enough for me, but isn’t incredibly noticeable to others. It’s ease of use and portability are a huge bonus for me, since my favorite thing to do is “go somewhere.” It would make a great perfume for those who have sensitive workplaces and are conscientious about their perfume usage. Use the 2 T oil : 2 T beeswax ratio, and add your own favorite scents.
Here is helpful info on the blending of essential oils.
Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that provide a small commission to me when purchases are made through that link–-at no extra cost to you. I only affiliate with companies whose products I personally use and can whole-heartedly recommend. Thank you for supporting Sustain, Create and Flow.
Have you ever made a solid perfume? What are your favorite essential oil combinations? Let’s chat about it in the comments below. And, the dialogue continues on my facebook page. I’d love to be friends!
This post was shared with: Wildcrafting Wednesday, Your Green Resource, Adorned From Above Blog Hop, LHITS DIY Linky, Farm Girl Friday, Natural Living Monday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Frugal Crafty Home
Oh, this sounds lovely! Wish I could smell it right now…
It is lovely! You’d love it 😉
If I’m so important to you can I please have a million dollars
Pukekopoo, If I had a million dollars, I would gladly share… well, at least some of it 🙂
I love this. I have not tried solid perfumes yet. We have a link party called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Blog Hop and would love to have you share this and any other posts with everyone. It runs from Tuesday night through midnight Sunday. We also have a $50.00 Visa Gift Card Giveaway. Here is the link to the party.
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/03/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop_26.html
We hope to see you there.
Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above
What a great idea! I almost hate to use commercial perfumes, because I have no idea what ingredients are in them. Making my own would certainly solve that problem – and solid perfume sounds easy to apply. I will pin this to make in the future! (Also, your husband sounds sweet!)
Thanks for sharing on Natural Living Monday!
Thanks for pining! And, my husband is such a gem! 🙂 Have a great day, thanks for stopping by.
Hi, I’m very new to your site and very new to the internet. What does pinning mean? Also, where can I order some of the containers you use for your perfume? I make soy wax candles for everyone for Christmas, b’days etc. I am so excited to give this a try. Also, it is a simple recipe I can use as an activity with my clients. Thankyou so much for sharing your great idea. I hope I am not going to loose this page…..lol
Hi Monica,
Pining means to post something to Pinterest. Pinterest is a super cool website that allows you to create your own virtual bulletin board of things you love. You “pin” ideas off of a main feed page or from websites you love, all by pushing a button. Its free and easy, but horribly addictive. Be forewarned 🙂 You can check out my pinterest boards by clicking this link: http://pinterest.com/sstaincreateflo/
I order my containers from Mountain Rose Herbs, or specialtybottle.com
As far as losing my site, on the right side bar there is a box where you can “subscribe.” Just put your email in there and you will never miss a post! Glad to have you aboard, Monica! I hope this info helps 🙂
Thanks so much for getting back to me. I just set up a pin board thingy and I had to choose 5 things to follow. I couldn’t see your site under DIY and craft so I just selected 5 and oh my………….I think it will be addictive. My husband says I am already addicted to sustain create and flow. Thanks for all you posts helping people to live a healthier lifestyle. Bless ya
Thanks, Monica! You’re really sweet 🙂 I am happy to help wherever I can.
How lovely! Now I want some! 😉 Thanks for sharing your recipe on Wildcrafting Wednesday, you’re amazing! 🙂
Hi and thanks for your post, just made some but am wondering what happened when you added the vanilla to the beeswax mixture?? Mine clumped immediately and i had to heat a little again to stir it up evenly.. Any idea as to another point of adding the essential oils/scents?? Mine was already cooling down (which happens quite fast!) Thank so much! Best regards from Denmark
Hi Monifah,
Mine was still fully a liquid when I added it. I removed it from the heat and added it shortly after. I did not see any clumping. I think reheating it slightly to incorporate it all is totally fine to do. I am sure it will turn out great! Thanks for visiting from Denmark 🙂 I just used this solid perfume as deodorant today! (I was out and had forgotten to put some on), and it worked great. FYI 🙂 Be well, Jerica
I’m a little behind in reading my e-mails, and this sounds wonderful. I’m thinking of trying it with my 2 favorite scents, lavender and rose.
Toodles for now
VLN
You’ll love it! Those are my two favorite scents as well. I still have never sprung for REAL rose essential oil. Maybe once I’m a millionaire 🙂
Love the use of Amber Oil, I’ve never tried this before 🙂
I’d love some tips on how to grate the beeswax! I’ve used beeswax in salve for a while now, but the ONLY way I can do it, is if it’s straight out of the freezer, and then it’s still really hard to grate and comes off in little slivers…taking FOREVER! If I don’t freeze it, forget it, it clogs up my grater and I get no where. So…any pointers? 🙂
Dapperdoxie,
How about chopping it? Mine grates up fine, so i’ve not had to experiment with it. But, I can say there was one time where I was feeling *super lazy* and didn’t want to wash my grater (because washing beeswax out of stuff is a BLAST, right!?), so I finely chopped it and it worked just fine. Good luck 🙂