Solid perfume is a practical alternative to traditional liquid or spray perfume. Generally, it is contained in small airtight jars made of metal or glass so it can be easily carried in a purse when we are out.
In addition to its convenience, solid perfume is almost always made from natural ingredients, making it a more sustainable product than traditional perfume which, instead, contains alcohol and other chemicals.
Moreover, unlike spray perfumes, solid perfume also represents a waste-free choice as a small amount is enough, activated by body heat, to release its fragrance.
Making your own solid perfume is not difficult, and creating it at home with your favorite scents will make it extremely personalized and suitable for all occasions.
Ingredients and materials for making solid perfume
Here's what you need to make solid perfume at home:
- 2 grams of beeswax (available online, in pharmacies, or in herbalist shops) - beeswax is used to give consistency and solidity to the mixture;
- 4 grams of shea butter (available online, in pharmacies, or in herbalist shops) - shea butter is used to make the mixture creamier;
- 6 grams of a base oil (available online, in pharmacies, or in herbalist shops) - This is the oil to use as the base of our perfume. You can choose the one you like best among jojoba oil, coconut oil, almond oil, or olive oil;
- 20-25 drops of essential oil of the fragrance we want (available online, in pharmacies, herbalist shops, and cosmetic stores) or our favorite liquid perfume;
- 1 saucepan to boil water;
- 1 bowl in metal, ceramic, or Pyrex for melting ingredients in a double boiler;
- 1 airtight container preferably metal (but also glass) to store the solid perfume.
The specific quantities for creating a solid perfume are not fixed, but vary according to personal preferences; some prefer it more solid so they increase the amount of beeswax and decrease that of shea butter, while others prefer it a bit creamier and do the exact opposite.
The amount of essential oil drops also depends on how intense we want the fragrance in our solid perfume to be. It's possible to use combinations of oils with different fragrances to our liking while keeping the same total number of drops for a given amount of mixture.
It's important to emphasize, however, that you should not exceed with too many drops of essential oil as being very concentrated, it can irritate the skin if not diluted properly.
Procedure for making solid perfume at home
The steps to follow to make homemade solid perfume are really simple:
- Pour the beeswax, shea butter, and base oil inside a bowl (metal, ceramic, or Pyrex) and place it on a saucepan of cold water;
- Place the saucepan with the bowl on the stove and turn on the heat. The ingredients inside the bowl will begin to melt "in a double boiler" i.e., using the heat produced by the boiling water in the saucepan;
- Stir the ingredients occasionally until completely melted.
When the mixture is totally melted, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the drops of essential oil (for example: lavender essential oil, vanilla, coconut, citrus, etc...) or our usual perfume to the mixture, continuing to stir for a few seconds.
At this point, before it cools down, pour the mixture into the final airtight container and let it cool uncovered for about half an hour.
Once cool, it is advisable to perform a small skin test to ensure there are no allergic reactions to the essential oils used.
With no preservatives, homemade solid perfume maintains its fragrance for about 3 months away from heat sources and direct sunlight