Feeling rather ambitious after my soapmaking journey turned out a more than pleasing batch, I decided to try my hand at making solid perfume next. After all, nothing beats organic cosmetics, especially ones made with love (allegedly), at home.
It turned out to be an incredibly simple process. And also, somehow, an endlessly hard one.
What You’ll Need
The ingredient list is short: wax, a carrier oil, scent, and containers.
A note on scent. Fragrance oils can contain synthetic ingredients, so I’d avoid them for something I’m putting directly on my skin. Essential oils are the better choice, just ensure it is skin safe.
For my solid perfume, I went with beeswax as the base and jojoba oil as the carrier oil, and rose essential oil for the scent.
How to Make Solid Perfume
Step 1: Melt one tablespoon of beeswax in a double boiler over medium heat.
Step 2: Once the beeswax has melted, stir in 1.5 tablespoons of carrier oil.
Step 3: Remove the mixture from the heat and quickly stir in 15 drops of essential oil.
Two things to note here. First, be quick. The beeswax mixture hardens quicker than you’d expect. Second, you can always add more drops of essential oil depending on how strong you want the scent to be.
Step 4: Pour the warm mixture into your containers and leave them at room temperature to set.
Getting the Ratio Right
Some recipes recommended a 1:1 ratio of beeswax to jojoba oil. I’d recommend using closer to 1:2. If you want a firmer solid perfume, increase the beeswax. If you’re looking for something softer and more balm like, increase the jojoba oil instead.
What Went Wrong (So You Don’t Have To)
1. I waited too long for the mixture to cool
The beeswax hardened before I’d even finished pouring it into my containers. I ended up salvaging what I could and redoing the whole process from scratch.
2. I used the wrong containers
Stick to tins or glass. Not all plastic containers are heat safe, and mine definitely weren’t. I’ll spare you the full description, but finding my mixture and my container fused into one sad puddle was not a good moment. Dangerous, even. Lesson learned: check your containers before you start.
3. I used too little carrier oil
My first batch came out hard, almost a rock with an inviting floral scent. More carrier oil is the fix here, it gives the final product a softer, more balm like texture.
The good news is if a solid perfume batch doesn’t turn out right, you can always re-melt and try again.
How to Fix a Hardened Batch
For a permanent fix, re-melt the mixture and add more carrier oil for a creamier texture, or more beeswax if you actually wanted it firmer.
If your perfume sets too firm, there are two ways to soften it without starting over.
If you’d rather skip the melting process entirely, try warming just the surface. Hold a hair dryer on low heat a few centimetres away from the solid perfume to soften the top layer, or scoop a little out and rub it between your fingers until it melts.
How to Use and Store Solid Perfume
Warm a small amount by rubbing your finger against the surface of the balm, then dab it directly onto your pulse points.
Store it away from direct sunlight and heat, and a well made solid perfume should last around a year.
Final Thoughts
As my sister put it, this was an experiment, and not every first try needs to turn out perfect. I’m counting it as a win that I learned something new, even if it came with a side of scrubbing hardened beeswax mixture off my kitchen counter (tip: hot water melts it right off, then wipe with a paper towel).
My first few batches didn’t turn out exactly how I pictured them, but they were still pleasing to use. I’m already looking forward to round two, once I’ve fully recovered from round one.
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