Herbal Scents - Perfume from Herbal Essential Oils

To the perfumer, balance and contrast are what harmony and movement are to the composer. In fact, there is a definite analogy to music used in perfumery and ingredients are thoughtfully formulated to be expressed as a top note, middle note or base note. It is the combination of ingredients, and their rate of "bloom," that contributes to the entire aromatic composition.

You may have noticed that a perfume smells differently in the bottle than it does on your skin. This is because of the volatility, or rate of evaporation, of the ingredients. The volatility factor affects the characteristics of a fragrance with the passage of time, rate of activity, and with a slight variance from person to person.

A really good perfume is in three part harmony with bridges that blend them together. A top note ingredient provides the initial impact, but rests after five minutes of exposure. An ingredient termed a middle note will linger for up to thirty minutes. Finally, while the fixatives provide the background, the base note lends the perfume its lasting impression.

The exciting element about making your own perfume is that you can create a fragrance designed for no one but you. You can also imitate success by experimenting with different concentrations of ingredients used in some of the world's most famous and expensive perfumes. Perfumers strive to keep the exact proportions of these ingredients a guarded secret, known to only a few with a vested interest, but the top, middle and base notes of several popular brands are given on the following pages.

If you're after the scent of a single aromatic, such as jasmine or rose, your task is an easy one. But, if you'd like to consider a melody of fragrance, you need to be thoughtful about your choice of ingredients. First, define your base note, or combination of base notes, for this will be the essence of your fragrance. Then select your middle and top notes. Consider the volatility of each note in order to achieve balance.

Once you've established the notes of your fragrance, you will add the necessary undiluted essential oils to a base of alcohol and distilled water. The preferred choice is pharmaceutical alcohol, but since this may be difficult to find you may use 100 proof vodka instead.

The proportion of essential oils to water and alcohol depend on the strength and type of the liquid you desire. The table below offers some guidelines:

Type	% of oils	Balance	Ratio of alcohol/water
Perfume	30	70	95% alcohol/5% water
Eau de perfume	15	85	90% alcohol/10% water
Eau de toilette	10	90	80% alcohol/20% water
Eau de cologne	5	95	75% alcohol/25% water

According to the table, Eau de toilette is formulated with essential oil comprising 10% of the entire solution. The remaining 95% of the whole is made up of a solution of 75% alcohol and 25% water.

Add the essential oils to the alcohol/water base in a tinted glass jar. Clear glass will allow exposure to sunlight which will affect the quality of ingredients, so use tinted glass is possible and keep it out of the sun. Turn the jar upside down once each day for four weeks. Strain the solution through a paper coffee filter and it is ready to bottle. At this point, you may add a drop of food coloring if you wish your perfume to be tinted.

As you will see from the following lists of different notes, the same essential oils may serve as both a middle and top note. Others work well as fixatives which bring all the notes together.

~ For the Ladies ~

Base Notes:

Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Frankincense, Myrrh, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Vetiver

Middle Notes:

Carnation, Cassia, Clary Sage, Geranium, Ginger, Hyacinth, Jasmine, Lemongrass, Marjoram. Nutmeg, Orchid, Rose, Rosewood, Thyme. Mimosa, Neroli, Violet, Ylang-ylang

Top Notes:

Angelica, Anise, Basil, Bergamot, Cardamom, Chamomile (Roman), Lavender, Lemon, Mandarin, Marigold, Neroli

Fixatives:

Vanilla, Benzoin, Lavender, Rose, Rosewood

It can take a perfumer several years to develop a single perfume and their exact formulas are some of the best kept secrets. Offered here are the primary ingredients of some of the world's most exotic perfumes:

~ Shalimar ~

Base notes: Patchouli, Vetiver, Opoponax, Benzoin, Balsam de Peru

Top notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Mandarin, Rosewood

Middle notes: Rose, Jasmine, Orris Root

~ Opium ~

Orange, Pimento Berry, Bay, Carnation, Rose, Ylang-ylang, Cinnamon, Jasmine, Orris Root, Benzoin, Patchouli, Frankincense

~ For the Men ~

Base notes: Bay, Benzoin, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Frankincense, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Styrax,Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Vetiver

Middle notes: Angelica, Anise, Artemisia, Basil, Caraway, Cardamom, Carnation, Carrot, Clary Sage, Clove, Marjoram, Neroli, Nutmeg, Oregano, Orris Root, Pine, Cumin, Ginger, Juniper, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme, Ylang-ylang

Top notes: Anise, Artemisia, Bergamot, Cumin, Juniper, Lemongrass, Mandarin, Neroli, Orange, Peppermint, Sage, Verbena

Fixatives: Angelica, Basil, Bay, Cedarwood, Caraway, Cinnamon, Coriander, Marjoram, Myrrh, Nutmeg, Patchouli, Rosemary, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Tarragon, Thyme, Vetiver

~ Aramis ~

Base: Cinnamon, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Olibanum, Benzoin

Middle: Carnation, Rose, Jasmine, Ylang-ylang

Top: Orange, Bergamot, Lemon

Fixatives: Pimento Berry, Patchouli

~ Georgio ~

Orange, Bergamot, Pimento Berry, Carnation, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Orris, Rose, Cedarwood, Benzoin, Olibanum, Vanilla