How to make an essential oil roller perfume

Making your own perfume rollers gives you complete control over what goes into the bottle, but it also means you can play around with the scent until you find something that feels like you. You can keep them really simple or add little touches like dried rose petals or amethyst chips to make a beautiful roller bottle to keep in your handbag or give as a gift.

A 10ml roller bottle is a really easy size to start with because you’re not committing to a huge batch if you decide you want to tweak the scent.

You’ll need:

• 10ml Roller Ball Bottle
• Fractionated Coconut Oil
• Your chosen essential oils
• Your chosen additions such as dried rose petals or small crystal chips (optional)

Directions:

Add your chosen essential oils to the roller bottle, then fill the remainder of the bottle with fractionated coconut oil. Replace the roller top and gently roll the bottle between your hands to combine everything.

We’d recommend leaving the perfume for a day or two before deciding whether you want to adjust it. Essential oil blends often change slightly once the different oils have had time to settle together, so the scent you get immediately after making it isn’t always exactly what you’ll end up with.

Here are five blends that each have a noticeably different scent profile, from fresh and green through to floral, woody and warm. Feel free to adjust them to suit your own taste because that’s really the beauty of making your own.

1. Quiet Woods

If you like soft, clean fragrances with a woody base, Quiet Woods is a really easy one to wear and a good place to start if you’re new to essential oil perfume.

• 3 drops Lavender
• 2 drops Cedarwood
• 1 drop Frankincense

Top with fractionated coconut oil.

Lavender keeps it soft while Cedarwood gives the blend its woody base and Frankincense adds a slightly warmer, resinous note. It’s understated rather than obviously floral or sweet.

2. Green Hour

Green Hour is fresh without smelling obviously citrusy, with Petitgrain giving it a green, slightly woody character and Madagascar Vanilla adding just enough softness underneath.

• 3 drops Petitgrain
• 2 drops Madagascar Vanilla
• 1 drop Cedarwood

Top with fractionated coconut oil.

Petitgrain comes from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree, so it has a fresh, green scent with a subtle citrus edge rather than the sweetness you’d get from orange peel. The Vanilla rounds it out and makes it feel more like a finished perfume.

3. Wildflower

If you want something that actually feels like a floral perfume, this is the one. Geranium and Ylang Ylang give it that more traditional floral character while Lavender keeps everything a little softer.

• 3 drops Geranium
• 2 drops Lavender
• 1 drop Ylang Ylang

Top with fractionated coconut oil.

Ylang Ylang is quite powerful, so one drop is enough here. Once the blend has had a day or two to settle, the three oils come together into a soft floral scent without becoming overly sweet.

4. Emberwood

Emberwood is the deepest of the five blends and is a good choice if you naturally gravitate towards woody, earthy or more unisex perfumes rather than florals.

• 3 drops Cedarwood
• 2 drops Frankincense
• 1 drop Patchouli

Top with fractionated coconut oil.

Patchouli can completely take over a blend if you use too much, but one drop gives this perfume a deeper earthy base while Cedarwood and Frankincense keep it warm and woody.

5. Afterglow

Afterglow is warmer and sweeter than the other blends, with Madagascar Vanilla giving it a soft creamy base while Ylang Ylang and Patchouli bring in more depth.

• 4 drops Madagascar Vanilla
• 1 drop Ylang Ylang
• 1 drop Patchouli

Top with fractionated coconut oil.

This is a good one if you usually prefer warmer perfumes but don’t want anything too heavy. Vanilla keeps it soft and wearable, Ylang Ylang adds a floral warmth and the small amount of Patchouli gives it a deeper base without dominating the blend.

Can you use the same blends in a diffuser?

Yes, and this is actually a nice way to test a perfume combination before committing to a roller bottle.

Use the same proportions but start with only three or four drops in your diffuser in total, then adjust from there depending on the size of the room and your own preference.

Essential oils are concentrated and more isn’t necessarily better. If the scent is strong enough that you’re noticing it constantly, you can probably use less next time.

It’s also worth remembering that essential oils still release VOCs into indoor air. They might come from plants, but they’re still aromatic compounds, so we prefer using a diffuser for shorter periods rather than feeling like it needs to be running constantly throughout the day.

If you want to start experimenting with your own combinations, always check the safety information for the exact essential oils you’re using because appropriate dilution and precautions can vary between oils.

It’s also sensible to patch test any new perfume blend before using it more widely, particularly if you have sensitive skin.