Basically, every cologne has four essential components:
-Water
-Alcohol
-Fragrance
-Fixing Agent
The water used should only be distilled water. Tap water can contain impurities which can interfere with the aesthetics and aromatic qualities of a cologne. The alcohol provides a solvent for the other ingredients. It also releases fragrance as it evaporates. The fragrance can be any floral oil, essential herbal oil, liquid gums and resins you desire to provide fragrance. The fixing agent could be various gums and resins, however, glycerin is an excellent fixative for colognes, as it is already a liquid and blends easily with other liquids. The fixing agents job is to maintain the fragrances integrity.
Steps to Creating Cologne From Flowers
Using flowers to make cologne is probably the oldest method of cologne making. If you have a favorite flower in your garden and want to make a cologne from it’s blossoms, this will work well for you.
First, fill a Mason jar with flower petals, packing them in tightly. Add distilled water to the jar until it is 3/4 full, then add 2 tablespoons of liquid vegetable oil. (Avoid highly scented oils, such as peanut oil, as they will interfere with your fragrance.) Finally, add 1 ounce of unscented rubbing alcohol. Cover the jar with a tight lid and shake contents thoroughly. Set the jar aside remembering to shake it a couple of times a day, or as often as you like, as shaking the jar will agitate the ingredients and speed up the cologne making process.
As the flower petals become saturated with water, the cellular membranes burst. This releases essential oils, as well as some of the coloring pigments. These floral oils escape into the water and cling to the vegetable oil. The alcohol acts as a solvent, dissolving the oils so that they mix with the water.
After a few days, pour the liquid cologne into jars for storage and discard the solids. To keep your cologne pure from some of the settlement, pour your cologne through cheesecloth. Now, add your glycerin. Use 1 ounce of glycerin to a quart of cologne.
Tip for Creating Cologne Faster
If you don’t want to wait a couple of days, you can always speed up the process by placing the jar in a sunny window. As the sun warms the jar, you will be able to see the petals’ cellular breakdown and release of essential oils. By using this method you can often have cologne in the same or next day, rather than having to wait a few days. Be sure the jar is kept tightly covered. Remember, agitating it from time to time will speed up the process of dispersing the essential oils.
If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I like to do things as easy as possible. With all the fantastic essential oils available you can make or mimic many of the name brand colognes. The following recipe is just an example. To change the fragrance, just change the fragrance oils added. Mix this all up together, fill your atomizer and you’re ready to go.
Fleur D’Coeur Cologne
- 1 pt. distilled water
- 4 oz. unscented rubbing alcohol
- 1 oz. glycerin
- 1 drop rose oil
- 1 drop violet oil
- 1 drop gardenia oil
I purchase all my essential oils from one place because they are inexpensive yet high in quality. And, they have fragrances that mimic expensive name-brand fragrances. In this case, since the fragrance of the oil is the scent I want, I just use the above recipe and add 3 drops of the same fragrance. Now, I can have wonderful fragrance at a fraction of the cost, and you can too. I hope you found my article interesting.