Make a Fresh Flower Petal Perfume for Mother’s Day

Spring is finally in full swing and, at least where I live, everything is in bloom. Not only is all the gorgeous color a sight for sore eyes, but all those blooms can be put to good use in a myriad of fun ways. One of my favorite ways to use fresh flowers is by making my own perfume.

You don’t need a lot of equipment or supplies to make your own sunny scent—just some flowers from your garden and a few essential oils. Plus, since Mother’s Day is right around the corner, this will make an awesome gift for your mom! So break out that pretty spray bottle you’ve been saving and let’s bottle some blooms.

Making your own perfume from scratch might sound complicated, but it’s actually a lot simpler than you think. Most perfumes are nothing more than a mixture of fragrant oils, water and alcohol. Simply mix it all together and spritz!

But to make homemade perfume really come alive, I like to add fresh flowers straight from the garden. Not only does it add depth and a sense of earthiness to perfume, but it’s free–always a plus, right?

How to Make Flower Petal Perfume

Rather than just mixing fragrances willy-nilly, scents should be layered to create base-fragrances, mid-tones and top notes. When you smell a perfume, the top notes are typically the first thing you smell, followed by mid and then base notes. But when making your perfume, you’ll want to start with base notes first and work your way up.

For base notes, think heavier, warm scents like vanilla, cedarwood, frankincense and sandalwood. For middle tones, your typical floral fragrances work well. I like to choose easy-to-find, fragrant flowers from my garden like rose, lavender, honeysuckle and peony. Then finish things off with orange and bergamot for the top notes.

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