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
