It is sometimes hard to imagine that our beauty industry is allowed to use chemicals that may be harmful to us.

As a little girl I used all sorts of body sprays and thought I had died and gone to heaven when I got a red triangle bottle of Liz Claiborne perfume for Christmas one year. I was going to be smelling like a QUEEN when I went back to middle school after break! And then in high school and college it was anything from Victoria’s Secret….but now that I’m much older, I’ve realized there really was a secret and the secret was that what I was spraying on and around my body may not have been good for me!

I watched the documentary Stink a few years back on Netflix and my eyes were really opened as to what this industry really does behind the scenes and as we were dealing with our own autoimmune issues in our home, I began to research other endocrine and hormone disruptors out there that I may be unknowingly bringing into our home. Stink was a revelation and I encourage you to find it and watch it. Here is the trailer.

One of the main things I learned from STINK was to always be weary of the word “fragrance” in anything we buy. It can be an umbrella for lots of other harmful things.

So now I try to use oils or oil blends to replace my former love affair with typical perfumes. Did you know that it’s super easy to make your own DIY Perfume Recipes at home?!?!?!

The first, and easiest way is to get a roller bottle and mix the oils of your choose together and fill with carrier and use that as a perfume. The second way is to actually make a spritz with alcohol like vodka or run or tequila.

Homemade perfumes are typically your choice of oils (base note, middle note, and top note) in an alcohol base.

When you smell a perfume, top notes are typically the first to reach your senses, followed by the middle notes, followed by the base.

Here are some examples of base notes:

Vanilla extract (homemade is best!)

Cedarwood

Patchouli

Sacred Sandalwood

Frankincense

Vetiver

Here are some examples of middle notes:

Rose

Jasmine

Geranium

Ylang Ylang

Lavender

German Chamomile

Here are some examples of top notes:

Bergamot

Neroli

Orange

Lime

Grapefruit

This is just a few to get you started…but there are so many others you can use!

You’ll want to make sure to include at least one base note, middle note, and high note.

After you have combined your oils into your chosen perfume holders I recommend you letting the oils just sit together on their own for up to 48 hours, allowing them to infuse with one another. And then you can add the alcohol of your choice.

Here are some recommendations:

Spiced Rum

Vodka

Tequila

After you add the alcohol, it is best to give your perfume a month to really infuse. The oils will mix with the alcohol, and the alcohol itself will lose whatever scent it may have had. The waiting is the hard part, but so totally worth it!

Here are some pretty little bottles that I love from Amazon in my Amazon Storefront.

It’s that easy! That’s how we make our own homemade DIY Perfume Recipes using essential oils!! For me, I love knowing that only pure ingredients are going on my body and not disrupting this like my endocrine or immune systems and instead, it is actually supporting my body in many ways!

If you’d like more info about our beauty industry…here’s a link to an FDA hearing focused on our Beauty and Personal Care Industry