The team at Serenata Flowers have put together step-by-step instructions for making your own natural and organic scent.
You will need:
– Flower petals of your choice
– Pestle and mortar
– Glass bowl
– Muslin cloth
– Rubbing Alcohol (optional)
– Spray bottle
– Decorations and embellishments of your choice
1. Pick your petals: decide which floral notes you want your fragrance to be infused with – if it’s your first time creating your own scent, a good starting point for any flower-based perfume is to opt for high street favourites such as roses, lavender, and honeysuckle.
While more traditionally used flowers will give the perfume a familiar fragrance, a homemade perfume can be much more personal than those bought in shops, so you may like to take some time to gather the right flowers.
2. Prepare and grind: gather a selection of your chosen flowers and pick the petals and core from each stem, being careful not to catch any thorns or prickles. If wildflowers will be incorporated into your scent, then make sure to gently wash away any mud or dirt from the petals and be sure to check the rules on which wildflowers you can legally pick.
Next, use a pestle and mortar to grind the petals together, releasing their sweet fragrances while doing so.
3. Soak and sweeten your petals: the next step of creating your perfume is to allow the flowers to soak so that you can capture their scents.
Take a small bowl and line the inside with a muslin cheesecloth, so the edges of the cloths hangs over the rim of the bowl. Pop your crushed petals into the bowl, on top of the cloth, and gently pour 250ml water over to ensure that they are all covered. Place a lid or cover on top of the bowl and let the petals rest and soak for at least 24 hours.
4. Simmer the scent: once the petals have had enough time to soak, using the edges of the cloth, lift the cloth and petals out of the bowl and squeeze any remaining liquid out of the cloth into the bowl below. Then place the petals in the cloth to one side for later.
Next, heat the water on the hob until it simmers or set the microwave for between 8-10 minutes on a low heat. After allowing to simmer and rest, you will be left with a sweet fragranced water which is a perfect blend of your chosen floral notes. For a more long-lasting scent, you can even add in a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol to your fragranced water.
5. Perfect your perfume: make those finishing touches to create a beautiful and elegant perfume bottle.
For a charmingly rustic appearance, take the left-over crushed flower petals and pop a few into your liquid. Next, empty the contents of the pan or the microwavable bowl carefully into a high-quality spray bottle.
Finally, decorate your perfume bottle to your own taste.
For more information on how to make your own perfume, visit www.serenataflowers.com/how-to-make-perfume
