You can make your own perfumes. This would not only save you a fortune, you could make some profit from selling them and quite fulfilling, it gives you something creative to do during spare hours. To make good long lasting perfumes, you will need:
Alcohol (vodka),
Base oil. Examples are coconut and jojoba oils
Choice fragrance/essential oils. Some include lavender, roses, peppermint, sage and sandalwood. There are lots of varieties available at fragrance shops.
Distilled water
Dark colored glass bottles
The bottles should be dark because light, heat and air degrade the oils. So remember to keep your homemade perfumes in a cool dark place.
To prepare,
Mix the base and essential oils in a bottle. Dilutions range from light to strong: use a ratio of 1 ounce of base oil to 5 drops of essential oil for light dilutions and up to 20 drops to 1 ounce for higher ones.
Add 1 ounce of alcohol to the mixture of oils.
Allow to sit from 2days to 1 month or more to extract the scents.
Add 2 tablespoons of distilled water and shake well.
Filter through a filter paper into your bottle. Your perfume is ready to use.
You can label and create your brand.
Nnenna Okeke is a fine artist and writer. She writes and edits for ConnectNigeria.com. You can reach her via okeke.nnenna@gmail.com
