Tuesday, April 22, 2008

How to Sell Your Home Made Perfume

You have now begun to produce your home made perfume, and have decided not just to give it as gifts to your friends or family, but instead would like to sell it to a wider audience.

One of the first things you will need to look at when making the decision on selling your own perfume is what it will be called. You will then need to start looking for bottles into which you can put your finished perfume. Then you will need to design a label for inclusion on the bottle, and also the kind of packaging that you will present the perfume in.


When looking at what sort of bottles you are considering to place your finished product in, you might want to think about vintage perfume bottles (but make sure they have been thoroughly sterilized). They will certainly provide you with an individual look that can not be found when buying perfumes that have been mass produced. Just take a wander around your local antique shops or bric-a-brac shop, and you will soon find a wealth of different perfume bottles that you could use.


The best place to start when you are considering selling your own perfume is to do a search on the internet. There are many sites and companies which will provide you with all the necessary information you need in order to start up.

However, you should be warned that, when you decide to sell your own perfume, you will need to make some outlays in order to get the business started.

For instance, you will need to factor in such costs as the purchase of all the ingredients for making the perfume, and the bottles that you will be putting the finished product into. Other costs that you will have to pay out for are the production of the labels that will be affixed to your finished product’s bottles, and the cost of the packaging that you will use.


When first selling your product, it is advisable that you keep a record of all of your outgoing expenses so that you can price your perfume accordingly. The usual pricing equation is to triple the price it has cost you to manufacture your product. So say it has cost you $5 to produce each bottle, you should probably sell it for at least $15.

One of the best ways of selling your own perfume is through word of mouth of friends and family. However, for a small outlay, you could actually set up your own website and sell it from there.

If you are not sure how to go about setting up a website, then by searching the internet you will soon find there are lots of people out there who are willing to help. There are even people who have set up sites which will not only help you to build your site, but also help with the marketing and promotion of the product you have to offer. Begin by doing a search on the internet and looking for “starting a small web business”. You will soon find a whole list of sites that are willing to assist you.


So, as you can see, making perfume is not only easy and provides you with a new skill, but it can also be profitable too!

Some Simple Recipes to Make Perfume at Home

We will look at a number of different recipes, not just for perfumes, but colognes and body sprays as well, which can easily be made in your own home.


The first recipe we will be looking at is the basic perfume recipe. This is the simplest of all perfume recipes that you can reproduce at home.

The ingredients you need are as follows:-

1. 2 cups of water

2. 2 cup fresh chopped flower blossoms (you may want to use such flowers as lavender, lilac, orange blossoms or honeysuckle).

Now for the directions:

1. In a bowl, put a cheesecloth (make sure that the edges of the cloth hang over the side of the bowl). Fill this with 1 cup of flower blossoms (you choose) and then pour water over them until they are completely covered.

2. Cover the bowl and allow it to sit overnight. The following day, take hold of the edges of the cheesecloth hanging over the side of the
bowl and lift it up, then gently squeeze the scented water produced into a small pot. You will now need to place this water into a pot
and allow it to simmer until there is about 1 teaspoon left of the liquid. Allow the solution to cool, and place it in a small bottle. Perfume made this way normally has a shelf life of about 1 month.

The following recipes are all as easy to make as the basic recipe, but they will all be a little more fragrant because of the ingredients used. They also include either essential or fragrance oils as part of the recipe.

The first will bring the smell of the orient to you.

Ingredients

1. 4 drops of Sandalwood
2. 4 drops of Musk
3. 3 drops of Frankincense
4. 2 teaspoons of Jojoba oil (carrier oil to be used when using essential or fragrance oils in perfume making).

Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bottle and shake well.

2. Place them in a dark colored bottle, and then allow the perfume to settle for at least 12 hours.

3. Once it has been stood for 12 hours or more, you should now store it in a cool dry area.

The next recipe is also simple to make, but uses not only essential/fragrance oils, but also water and alcohol, as previously mentioned in other posts.

Ingredients

1. 2 cups distilled water
2. 3 tablespoons of Vodka
3. 5 drops of Lavender
4. 10 drops of Chamomile
5. 10 drops of Valerian

Directions

1. Mix all these ingredients together in a bottle and shake it well.

2. Transfer the mixture to a dark colored bottle, and again, as with the previous recipe, allow the bottle to stand for 12 hours or more.

3. Once the bottle has stood for the recommended 12 hours, it can be used, and then stored in a cool dry area.

The next recipe we are looking at is in fact not a perfume, but a cologne, and contains lemon as the main ingredient.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup of distilled water
2. 1 cup of Vodka
3. 3 drops of Lemongrass
4. 10 drops of Lavender
5. 10 drops of Lime

Directions

1. Combine the essential oils with the vodka in a bottle and shake well.

2. Now set this aside for 3 weeks.

3. After 3 weeks, you will need to add the distilled water and then let it stand for a further week.

4. It is important that you shake the bottle once a day while it is standing over the 4 week period.

5. After 4 weeks, you can transfer the mixture to dark bottles for storage, or keep the mixture in the bottle it is in, in a dark cool place.

The final recipe provided below is one which will produce a body splash, rather than a perfume, and has a citrus aroma to it.

Ingredients

1. 2 cups of distilled water
2. 3 tablespoons of vodka
3. 1 tablespoon each of lemon and orange peel (which must have been finely chopped)
4. 5 drops of Lemon Verbena
5. 10 drops of Mandarin
6. 10 drops of Orange

Directions

1. Mix the fruit peels with the vodka in a jar, cover and let it stand for 1 week.

2. After the week, strain the liquid and add the essential oils and distilled water to it.

3. Now let the mixture stand for a further 2 weeks, and make sure you shake the jar well once a day during this time.

4. Place the final solution after the 2 weeks in a dark bottle(s), or keep it in a cool dark area.

As you can see making your own perfumes, colognes or body sprays is simple, and once you’ve made your first lot and tried it yourself, you will soon want to be making more.

How to Create Aromatherapy Perfumes at Home

Using essential oils to make your own perfume is not only great fun, but also extremely satisfying as well. Also, these natural perfumes can help to enhance a persons good mood, drive away a bad one, help them to relax or even to provide them with some energy. It may even make you feel glamorous, exotic, confident or utterly feminine as well.

The recipes provided below are simple to make and easy to follow, and all you need to do is choose which one you want to try. If you want you could do a search to see which essential oils blend well together and try them instead.

So, by following the simple instructions provided below, you will soon be making your very own aromatherapy perfume.

First, you need a base. It can either be alcohol or a carrier oil (but the best is a mixture of the two together). The best type of alcohol to use is one which is odorless (say vodka) and mix this with Jojoba. Jojoba is particularly good, as it has a long shelf life, and once it is put on the skin, it tends to dry out and leave a wonderful scent behind.

However, jojoba is one of the more expensive carrier oils, and I would suggest you experiment with one of the cheaper ones (such as almond or apricot kernel oil) instead. Then, once you are happy with the product you are producing, you can produce the same product but with jojoba oil instead.

The equipment you will need for making aromatherapy perfume is as follows:-

1. Measuring Spoons (Any good kitchen store will have these)

2. Small Funnel (Can be purchased at any good DIY or hardware store)

3. Small Colored Bottles (Look around your local stores or carry out a search on the internet)

4. Dropper (not all essential oil bottles have one of these included with them).

Now we will provide you with the instructions for producing your first batch of aromatherapy perfume.

1. 1 teaspoon of carrier oil (Jojoba, Almond or Apricot Kernel) and 1 teaspoon of alcohol (Vodka), and with the small funnel, place these in the bottle.

2. Next, add the essential oils from your chosen recipe (below you will see a number of different recipes, with the quantities of essential oils you require for them). You may need to get a dropper, as not all essential oil bottles come with one, and add a drop at a time.

3. After adding each drop of essential oil to the rest of the mixture, the bottle should be shaken (remember to put the lid on first before shaking).

4. Once you have finished adding the last drops of essential oil and shaken, make sure the lid is on tightly, and store in a cool dark place for 12 days or more. However, each day you should remember to give the bottles a shake at least 3 times.













5. After 12 days you can begin to enjoy the aromatherapy perfume that you have made.

The first recipe below is specifically for those women who may suffer from nerves on their wedding day, and will help to feel much more relaxed and calm on their big day.


All you need to make this recipe is:-


a. 4 drops Jasmine
b. 2 drops Lemon
c. 1 drop Patchouli


The following recipes have been designed to help produce a much more calming effect to the person using them. These perfumes will help to focus you on your inner self, and provide you with a
feeling of security, which will promote a feeling of total relaxation.


1. Tranquility

4 drops of Cedarwood
2 drops of Clary Sage
1 drop of Grapefruit
2 drops of Mandarin


2. Chill Out

2 drops of Grapefruit
2 drops of Patchouli
1 drop of Rose
3 drops of Vetivert
2 drops of Ylang-Ylang


3. Sleep Tight

2 drops of Bergamot
3 drops of Chamomile
2 drops of Marjoram
4 drops of Lavender


4. Silence

3 drops of lavender
3 drops of Neroli
2 drops of Spearmint


The next recipes we are looking at will enhance a person’s mood and feelings of wellbeing. These perfumes will help to relax and surround you with warmth, as well as a feeling of pure luxury for those special nights out or at home with your loved one.

1. Ardour


3 drops of Jasmine
3 drops of Neroli
4 drops of Orange


2. Devotion


1 drop of Clary Sage
3 drops of Patchouli
2 drops of Rose
4 drops of Rosewood


3. Tenderness

2 drops of Linden Blossom
3 drops of Lime
2 drops of Neroli
3 drops of Sandalwood


4. Zeal


4 drops of Melissa
2 drops of Rose
2 drops of Ylang-Ylang


So now that you have a few recipes to consider, why not go out and purchase some ingredients and equipment today to start making your own aromatherapy perfumes!

How to Make Your Own Perfume at Home

When making home made perfumes as previously discussed, there are 3 main ingredients which you will need, and these are:-

1. Essential Oils
2. Water
3. Alcohol

Many of these items can be either obtained from a store that specializes in such ingredients, or over the internet.

You will also need a large saucepan, large bowl (for mixing all the ingredients together), spoon and some measuring cups or jugs to make perfume at home.

Provided below, are a few easy recipes that you should be able to produce at home without too much hassle.

1. Basic Recipe
All you need for this recipe is some water, chopped flower blossoms (use lilac or lavender if blossoms unavailable).

Place the flower blossoms in a bowl, add the water and then cover them and leave them overnight. The next day, the solution can be put into small bottles and sprayed either into the air or on to your skin.

2. Amaze
For this, you will need some distilled water, vodka, hypericum perforatum, cypress and rosemary (all of which are essential oils). They should then be mixed together and stored overnight.

After a period of 12 hours or more, the solution produced can be put into a dark spray bottle to be used. Using a dark colored bottle will help the solution to remain fresh, which will be felt by the person using it when they apply it to their skin.

3. Whispering Rain
This is another recipe that may be worth trying out. Again, you will need distilled water, some vodka, Sandalwood, Bergamot and Cassis essential
oils (which can also be purchased as fragrance oils).

These ingredients should be stirred together and then stored overnight in a covered container. Then, the next day, it can be transferred to a dark colored bottle. This perfume must be kept in a cool place so that it does not dry up.

The three perfumes above normally last for about a month before they lose their scent and the next recipe should produce something a bit better.

For this recipe, you will need fragrance oils such as Sandalwood, Cedar Wood, Bergamot, Vodka and a little touch of Vanilla. All these ingredients should be put into a jar and then shaken. It should then be put in a cool place and left for a week. After this time, you can then transfer the mixture into small perfume bottles.

If you would like to learn more about recipes for making your own perfume, you could always do a search of the internet. I also recommend visiting your local bookstore, where they will have books on the subject.

It is important to remember that these types of perfume recipes only have a shelf life of a month, therefore you will need to make new batches every few weeks.

What Supplies Do You Need and Where to Get Them?

Now that you have made a decision to produce your own perfume, whether to earn an extra income or just as a hobby, you will need to start looking for places where you can get your supplies from. So in this chapter of the book we will look at ways of getting the necessary supplies in order for you to make your own perfume.

1. First, you will need to choose a formulation or perfume recipe. The reasons perfumes differ is down to the formulation or recipe that has been used, and in order for you to produce a perfume that people will like, it is necessary to choose a good recipe or formulation.

It is very important that you decide what kind of perfume it is you want to make, and then read through the description of a
particular recipe, to see if it will produce the desired result you are looking for.

2. Next, you will need to look at essential and fragrance oils that are available. As these are one of the major ingredients in the making of perfumes, it is important that you choose ones which are of a good quality. The better quality oils you use, the better quality your finished product will be.

The oils used will establish the perfume’s inherent attributes, like mood, quality and character. What you should remember, however, is that essential oils are much more expensive than fragrance oils. When first starting out, it may be wise to just use fragrance oils only to save on money until you’ve become more skilled.

Also it is important that you learn about, and understand, the health risks which are associated with essential and fragrance oils. There may be some formulations or recipes which could cause health problems if the oils included in them are used incorrectly.


3. Any perfume made today is not made with fragrance or essential oils alone, and alcohol is also used as the primary solvent (helps to reduce the strength of the oils).


4. When making any home made perfume, it is important that you use the right materials for not just measuring, but for handling,
mixing and storing the finished product in.


Do not use utensils you already have in your kitchen (ones for measuring water or food items), as they are not suitable for measuring fragrance oils, alcohol and other such solutions that are required to make perfume. It is better that you use measuring devices that allow you to exactly measure out the amounts of oils and solvents required. If you do not, the perfume you make may not be what you wanted. It is best if you use measuring devices made from glass so that you can see what is inside and when handling any formulas (i.e., transferring them to storage bottles or other containers), then use a funnel with a narrow long neck.


5. Fixatives are used with the other ingredients in order to lower the rate of evaporation of the fragrance or essential oils. The reason why a perfume may lose its fragrance faster than normal is because only a little amount of fixative was used when preparing the perfume.


Now that you know what supplies you need to use to make perfume, you need to know where to get them. You may be able to get them from a shop in your area. You could also go online, as there are plenty of places which sell perfume kits. Simply do a search for “perfume kits”, and you will soon see what is available.