Here is a basic recipe for creating a natural perfume.

Natural Perfume Recipes

2 cups distilled water

3 tablespoons vodka – or a tincture that you made with vodka

5 drops of an essential oil or fragrant tincture of your choice

10 drops of an essential oil or fragrant tincture of your choice

10 drops of an essential oil or fragrant tincture of your choice

Before you begin mixing the scents together, try them out on a scent stick to see if you like them. If the fragrance is enjoyable to you, add the distilled water to a dark glass bottle with a lid, then add the fragrances, one at a time, making sure to shake the bottle well after each addition. Be sure to write down the amounts of each fragrance so you can begin compiling your own natural perfume recipes collection.

When all of the fragrances have been added, shake again to mix the ingredients well. Sit the capped bottle in a cool, dark place. Shake it daily. You can check the smell after two weeks. If it suits you, go ahead and use it as you would any perfume. If you are not happy with the way the perfume smells, set it aside for up to a month.

Feel free to add other scents after that if you are still not happy, but do try the new combinations on scent sticks first.

Floral waters, or hydrosols are great for the skin. Hydrosols help tone, rehydrate and rebalance the pH of skin. Fruit or floral waters can be used in a number of ways. The first way is as a face toner or refresher. Simply dab an organic cotton ball with some of the hydrosol and wipe your face. You can do this twice a day, everyday. You can add hydrosols to your bath water for a fragrant bath and an all over body refresher. You can also mist yourself with hydrosols. A gentle fragrance will be left behind. Be sure to keep floral waters out of your eyes.

Here are some good ones to try.

Calendula hydrosol is a good one to use for its therapeutic properties. It has

has anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, and astringent properties.

Lavender hydrosol is very relaxing and balancing.

Lemon balm hydrosol has a calming effect on mental stress and fatigue. It also works well on skin inflammations’.

Lemon verbena hydrosol is stimulating and uplifting.

Peppermint hydrosol is refreshing and revitalizing.

Rose geranium hydrosol is balancing. It is the perfect hydrosol for the sporadic symptoms of menopausal women.

Rose hydrosol makes a wonderful balancing toner for all skin types. It also works as an anti-anxiety spray, a deodorant and a room freshener.

Rosemary hydrosol is energizing and stimulating.

There are many ways to get natural materials to make dried potpourri. You can collect plant material from your own garden or go for walks in the wild to forage for interesting pods, cones or other materials.

If you wild collect, make sure you have permission to do so. Look for materials that have been grown as naturally as possible. If the plant material has been sprayed you will be bringing all of those chemicals into your home with the plant material. Dried potpourri is easy to make.

The first step is to choose what plant material you wish to work with. Interesting natural bark, seed pods, pine cones, acorns, dried leaves and dried flower petals all make good choices.

The next step is to decide what you would like the potpourri to smell like. Choosing natural fragrances that compliment the essential oils you will be using is a good idea. You will also need a fixative to help retain the scent of your potpourri such as orris root or benzoin gum.

Once your potpourri is mixed up, put it in a large glass container with a lid. Set this in a cool, dark place and allow the potpourri scents to mix. Shake the container from time to time. When you are happy with the smell of the contents, go ahead and put some out.

Here are a few homemade potpourri recipes to get you started. Feel free to add or subtract botanical materials until you have a potpourri you are happy with.

Victorian Lavender Potpourri

1 ounce orris root

1 ounce lavender

1 drop vanilla essential oil

1 drop bergamont essential oil

Asian Potpourri

¼ cup camellia blossoms

1/8 cup rose petals

1 vanilla bean, cut up

1 tablespoon pine needles

Dream Mix Potpourri

1/8 cup lavender flowers

1 ounce cedar shavings

1/8 cup sage leaves

1 ounce orris root

¼ cup violets

¼ cup maidenhair fern fronds

 Moist homemade potpourri recipes are a little different than making a dry potpourri. The scent can last for years.

Before beginning choose a pretty glass or ceramic jar with a lid. You will need one that is fairly large for the recipe below. Gather your ingredients together before you begin.

10 cups rose petals

2 cups lavender buds

½ cup orrisroot, powdered

8 bay leaves

2 cups sea salt or kosher coarse salt

½ cup allspice, crushed

½ cup crushed cinnamon sticks

½ cup cloves, crushed

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup brandy

Begin by combining the rose petals, lavender buds and orris root in a large bowl.

In a second bowl, combine the bay leaves, the salt, crushed allspice, cinnamon stick pieces, cloves and the brown sugar. Mix well.

Once the contents of both bowls have been well mixed, get your glass or ceramic container.

You will begin by putting a layer of the rose petal mixture in the bottom of the container.

The next layer will be the brown sugar mixture. Continue alternating layers of materials until both bowls are empty.

The next step involves pouring the brandy over the top of the mixture.

Then lay a sex stone, which is just a large rock, on top of the potpourri material. Put the lid on the container.

Over the next six weeks, you will need to stir the contents of the container every two to three days. You can add additional essential oils during this time such as rose, cinnamon or whatever scents you prefer.

When the potpourri is ready to use, simply remove the lid and allow the scent fill the room.

To keep the moist homemade potpourri recipes going, simply add ½ cup of brandy yearly, making sure you stir it into the mix.

Another way to make a moist potpourri is to layer semi-dry plant material, add a layer of salt, then a layer of plant material.

Keep alternating layers until your container is ¾ of the way filled.

Put a sex rock on top and let it sit undisturbed. When the mixture begins to form a moist cake, remove it, add the fixatives, mix well and put back in the covered container.

Release the smell by removing the lid.

4 tablespoons olive or almond oil

4 tablespoons beeswax

3 teaspoons cocoa butter

2 teaspoon lanolin

1 teaspoon coconut oil

15 drops lavender essential oil

Combine the olive or almond oil, beeswax, cocoa butter and lanolin.

Heat this mixture in the top of a double boiler, stirring constantly.

When the mixture is melted, remove the top pan from the heat and add the coconut oil and lavender essential oil. Stir the mixture briskly.

It will begin to thicken as it cools. Once the salve is thick enough to suit you, pour it into the glass jars that were prepared ahead of time.

Leave the jar sit overnight, uncovered so the salve can cool.

The next day, put a lid on the jar, label it with the name of the salve, the ingredients in the salve and the date.

This can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. If the salve begins to smell rancid, toss it and make a new batch.

Lavender is a natural antibiotic, antiseptic, antidepressant, sedative, and detoxifier.

Tea Tree oil has an antiseptic action thought to be one hundred times more powerful than carbolic acid and non-poisonous to humans.

It has antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties which make it useful for a wide range of applications.

Peppermint is an excellent digestive aid, great for the respiratory system and circulation along with being an antiflammatory and antiseptic. It is also useful in the prevention of mice, fleas, and ants.

Each variety of Chamomile oil has its own unique properties in addition to being antibacterial, antiseptic, and useful as a disinfectant.

Eucalyptus oil has numerous properties. It is useful as an antiflammatory, an antiseptic, antibiotic, diuretic, analgesic, it is deodorizing and useful as an insect repellent and in veterinary care.

However, you need to be aware that Eucalyptus Oil, as with many essential oils are poisonous if digested.

Thyme oil is an antiviral, antibiotic, antiseptic, and diuretic product that should be used with caution. It should not be overused as it can affect the thyroid gland and lymphatic system.

Caution must used to ensure the type of oil you are using. It is good for discouraging parasites and insects from your home.

Lemon Oil has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Useful for cleaning, polishing furniture, weight lose and medical care. Clove oil is antibacterial, antiseptic and analgesic oil.

Used for disease and infection and in your spice cabinet.

Do not use on skin undiluted. If you prefer to use fresh herbs instead of the essential oils you can do that.

Remember that the essential oils are highly concentrated. It will take a lot of fresh material to equal the qualities in one drop of essential oil.

Cayenne pepper salve is used to help relieve the pain of sore muscles. As with any home remedy, if the problem is serious or persists, a licensed physician should be consulted.

Before making any herbal salve recipes, prepare a clean glass jar ahead of time as well as a lid. A four ounce canning jar works great for this recipe as it is written.

Collect the needed ingredients which are 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, cayenne pepper, beeswax and cacao butter. The beeswax and cacao butter are used to thicken the salve, otherwise it will be quite runny.

Begin by warming the olive oil in a stainless steel pan. Stir in ¼ teaspoon of finely ground cayenne pepper and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the cayenne pepper is dissolved.

Remove the pan from the heat source and add in about an ounce of beeswax and an ounce of cacao butter. Stir until melted. You may need to put the mixture back on the heat source if the beeswax and cacao butter does not easily melt.

Stir continually as the mixture melts. You will notice it getting thicker. Continue adding cacao butter or beeswax until the mixture is the desired consistency. It does not take a lot to thicken herbal salve recipes.

Once the herbal salve recipes are thick enough to suit you, pour it into the glass jars that were prepared ahead of time. Leave the jar sit overnight, uncovered so the salve can cool.

The next day, put a lid on the jar, label it with the name of the herbal salve recipes, the ingredients in the salve and the date. This can be stored at room temperature. A little of this salve goes a long way. It is warming when it goes on the skin so begin by using just a touch of the salve.

To my amazement when I walked into the greenhouse today I was greeted by the bloom of this lovely Hedychium. Somehow I had missed the flower scrape, possibly because I have been entranced by the green Cananga fruticosa blooms. I am anxiously awaiting the day they turn yellow and that lovely ylang ylang smell permeates the greenhouse.

Hibiscus Red Road has been a faithful bloomer this year since being potted up and moved back into the greenhouse. The bright red blooms are so nice and will certainly brighten up the place come winter.

Above is a photo of the green blooms of cananga fruticosa. I am so excited about this plant having flowers, especially at its young age. I simply cannot wait for them to turn yellow. I am not sure if I am going to leave them on the plant or tincture them. I will make up my mind when the time comes.

Another fragrant beauty that is blooming, but not quite in full bloom is Brugmansia. This one was supposed to be pink, but as you can see, it is white. The fragrance is heavenly however and it is one of my staple plants.

While I did not get a picture, my cestrum nocturtum is also in full bloom. I have never seen one so full of blooms before. I just couldn’t resist, especially since I was making a lemon verbena tincutre, so I climbed back to it, cut some of the flowers off and am attempting to make a tincture.

I am not sure what fragrant concotion I will come up with to use the tinctures in, maybe a perfume that reminds me of the greenhouse or hot tropical nights.

I hope you have enjoyed the photos of what is in bloom. Stay tuned, there are many more fragrant tropical plants in the greenhouse with buds on them. You just never know what I might have blooming in my tiny Indiana greenhouse.