I loved the smell chemical perfumes

I used to love the body spray section in my local store. And, of course, you can bet that I’d be at the annual bath and bodywork sale at the mall over the Christmas period. I’d spray, sniff and enjoy the aromas without knowing that pleasant scents kill brain cells. Studies have shown that brain damage is worse after repeated exposure to these smells. Search for scientific sources on this subject. See the recipe below for more resources. I haven't set foot in one of these places for five years. When I walk around with one of these fake scents, they stick out like a sore thumb. They used to smell appealing, but now they smell fake and make me breathless.

Getting a potent, all-natural scent

What I love about herb-infused oils, and natural body lotion and, dandelion hand lotion is the scent they have, but they are subtle scents that don't work as a perfume. You can use whatever you want, as long as it smells good and doesn't attack the nose. This is all natural perfume, of course. I like to use essential oils in solid perfumes because they give a pleasant, natural fragrance and are so concentrated that they work well. The trick is to use enough essential oils that you can smell, but not so much that you irritate the skin. Certain oils, such as bergamot and lime, which smell fantastic, can cause photosensitivity. Read more about the truth about phototoxic essential oils before trying this on yourself. Contrary to what you may have heard, not all citrus oils are phototoxic and that is why I included an orange in this recipe

Essential oil safety

Patchouli and lavender can be used undiluted in small areas of the body such as bug bites or perfumes. So we can have a perceptible fragrance without the risk of skin irritation. You can patch or test your arms to make sure you don't have any problems before applying.   

The benefits of a great smell

The basis for these solid perfumes comes from my trial and error. You can also find solid perfume recipe recipes online as well as many other safe DIY personal care projects such as non-waxy lip balm, white chocolate orange body butter and non-greasy gingerbread lip scrub, to name a few.

The lavender mix is more floral and feminine while the patchouli is more of a earthy unisex blend. I absolutely love these two blends. Lavender has a calming and destabilising effect, and ylang-ylang acts as a mild aphrodisiac. Orange enlivens and lifts the mood with its fruity fragrance. Patchouli, like the lavender-yang mixture, is a mild aphrodisiac that helps lift the mood.

Solid Perfume Recipes with Essential Oils

Serves: Almost 2 oz

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Organic Sweet Almond Oil or other liquid carrier oil of choice (learn ALL about carrier oils in this detailed post)

• 1 Tbsp + 2 tsps Beeswax Pastilles (naturally processed, sustainably sourced beeswax)

• 2 oz tin or about 5 of these handy lip slide tins

**PATCHOULI BLEND - 30 drops Patchouli Essential Oil and 20 drops Orange Essential Oil

**LAVENDER BLEND- 40 drops Lavender Essential Oil and 10 drops ylang ylang essential oil.

Instructions

1. Combine the carrier oil and beeswax in your tin and place this in your oven on a baking sheet.

2. Turn the oven on to the lowest temperature, about 200 degrees, and let the beeswax melt. This shouldn't take more than 5 minutes, so you want to keep a close eye on it. You don't want the oil to get too hot, just warm enough that everything melts together.

3. As soon as the beeswax has melted, carefully remove the tray from the oven. Add the essential oils and carefully stir with a toothpick to combine. This hardens in seconds, so work fast!

4. Immediately cap your tin to prevent the volatile oils from evaporating into the air.

5. Use on your hair, or the pulse points, on your wrists for a pleasant perfume.