perfume

How to Make Solid Perfume

Because it's easy to make, solid perfume opens the door to experimentation, creativity and individuality. Whether you're looking to set yourself apart with a unique scent or you're not so fond of the alcoholic undertones in most liquid perfumes, these instructions will show you how to create an inexpensive alternative.

Steps [edit]

1. Gather your supplies and ingredients as listed in the "Things You'll Need" section below.
2. 
   Measure out the wax and almond oil into the small glass jar or Pyrex bowl.
3. 
   Melt the wax. Put about an inch of water in a small saucepan, then put the jar or bowl (that has the wax and oil in it) in the water. Bring the water around it to a boil. The wax will melt gradually.
4. Remove the wax from heat when the wax is 100% liquid.
5. 
   Stir in the essential oil with a straw. A straw is used because the wax will start to form solid on whatever you do your stirring with — a straw has little surface area so you lose less of the end product, and it's disposable so you don't have to clean it off. Mix thoroughly.
6. 
   Pour the liquid wax into your final container. In about 30 minutes, it will be cooled, solid and ready to use.
7. Apply perfume. To use the perfume, simply rub a finger around on the surface of the waxy perfume, then rub that finger on the area you want to smell good — the inside of your wrists and behind the ears works well. You can also use solid perfume in many other ways:
   
   
   • Make a simple cedarwood perfume to rub on dog collars. The scent of cedar repels ticks, and smells good, too!
   • Make a cedar or cypress rub for feet — prevents fungus and bacteria-related foot odor.
   • Apply sparingly on business cards — this Japanese tradition makes your card unique and memorable.
   • Rub on the inside of your wallet to get rid of dirty money smell.

Tips [edit]

• The only ingredient that can get expensive is the essential oils, especially if you make a complex scent blend requiring an initial investment in many different oils. Of course, there's nothing wrong with picking a single pleasant scent. One bottle of essential oil will make lots and lots of perfume as you only use drops of essential oil at a time!
• Most stores that sell essential oils have sampler bottles of each one that you can use to "preview" the different scents. Open two or three up at a time and try to get a combined whiff to find a good combination. Pick a primary scent and use more of that one, then one or two "background" scents, using less of each. Some nice essentials for background scents are:
  • clary sage -- a slightly smoky herbal scent that's supposed to help creativity and concentration
  • orange or ginger to provide a warming sensation
  • ylang-ylang -- a floral that isn't too sweet or girly for guys, but it's a happy smell and subtle enough for a backdrop
  • cedar to repel insects
• For an on-the-go applicator, clean out a chapstick tube and fill it with the melted liquid wax.
• For a cool gift, find an appealing container at your thrift store to make it special. In order for fingers to access the solid perfume inside the container must be bowl-like, not bottle-like.
• Check out various aromatherapy sites for info on the psychological properties of various scents.

I saw this on my gmail page today...and it looks really cool so here you go...if you try it please tell me how it turns out.

Things You'll Need [edit]

• 1 tablespoon Beeswax - Beeswax can be purchased at most craft shops.
• 1 tablespoon Almond Oil (or Jojoba Oil or Vitamin E - available at natural foods/health store)
• 8 - 15 drops Essential Oil - You can purchase essential oil at most health food stores.
• 1 container (preferably glass, ceramic or stone but plastic is acceptable)
• a straw