Bottle up the blooms outside and create your own Spring Perfume! Light, fresh, and a great Mother’s Day gift!

A Seasonal DIY Perfume

There’s a point in spring where things start to shift, even if nothing outside looks all that different yet.

It started with the violets. The smallest purple flowers —easy to miss if you’re not looking for them, but here in Minnesota, they come back every year around the same time. And then I remembered the small bottles I brought home from Italy last summer. Simple floral waters from a pharmacy we stopped at while staying out in the hills of Tuscany (read all about the trip here)

• Why you’ll love making your own perfume
• Free homemade product labels
• Steps to make your DIY Spring Perfume
• Making your own Flower Water
• Helpful Tips
• This fragrance in action
• Make a Sample Set
• Pin for Later
• FAQs
• Welcoming the warm months

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Violet Waters

These small bottles I brought back from Italy weren’t originally meant to be used for perfume. They’re from Guna, part of what’s known as Bach flower remedies. Usually, they’re taken as drops—something people use more for general well-being than anything you’d wear.

They don’t have a strong scent on their own.

But I kept coming back to them this spring, not for that original purpose, but just because they were there. Something simple I had on hand, tucked in with my other essential oils.

So I experimented a bit.

Adding a few essential oils, turning them into something I could reach for before heading out the door

We aren’t strangers to essential oils or creating custom fragrances around this house! Besides from making perfume with essential oils at home, I keep blend recipes on hand for our sauna and I have been routinely using my “Rapunzel Potion” in my hair + I add it to my natural deodorant

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Why Using Flowers in Perfume Works

It’s less expensive
Perfume adds up quickly. This uses a few simple ingredients you can keep on hand and remake when you need it.

You know what’s in it
No long ingredient list—this homemade perfume is made using just floral water, witch hazel, and a few essential oils – no alcohol.

You can adjust it easily
Too strong, add more base. Too light, add another drop. Nothing is fixed.

It takes a few minutes
Mix, shake, and it’s ready to use the same day.

A Simple Mother’s Day Idea

If you’re looking for something to give, this is easy and inexpensive to put together.

A few small bottles. A couple of different scents. Put some kraft tape over the bottles and the kids can doodle on them too 🙂

Grab my free Homemade Product Labels HERE!

Other labels included in this printable include: Tallow and Honey Body Wash, Glass Cleaner, my DIY Dry Shampoo, All-Purpose Cleaner, Homemade Dishwashing Soap, Soft Scrub, Healing Tallow Sugar Scrub, and Laundry Whitener

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Create Your Own Simple Spring Perfume

Making perfume with essential oils at home

Using What You Already Have

Most of the time, I don’t go looking for something new if there’s already something here that will work (next, I’m looking at you, garden roses! ;)).

This felt like that.

Small bottles that had been sitting on a shelf.
A season changing.
A reason to use them.

Nothing exact about it. Just using what you have, adjusting as you go, and ending up with something that fits. I only had a little left, so I started making small batches and using what I had.

DIY Spring Perfume

Violet (Early Spring)

This one stays close to the skin. You notice it more as you move.

• 20 ml violet water
• 7–8 ml witch hazel
• 4–5 drops lavender
• 2–3 drops bergamot
• optional: 1 drop vanilla

Shake gently and use.

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A Few Other Spring Scents to Try

If you didn’t travel to Italy, stumble into a pharmacy, and grab some Italian floral waters, but you have some basic oils on hand and want to make a few other varieties.

What essential oils are the best for perfume blends? Keep it simple—2–3 oils at most. Simply add your 3-4 drops of each oil, then fill the rest of the 1 oz bottle with witch hazel.

Fresh Citrus

• lemon + sweet orange + a small drop of peppermint

Garden Herbal

• rosemary + lavender + eucalyptus

Soft Floral

• lavender + geranium + a small drop of vanilla

Clean + Bright (my personal favorite)

• lemon + eucalyptus

Warm Spring

• bergamot + ylang ylang + vanilla

Use the same 1 oz base for each.

How can I make my own Flower Water for Perfume?

If you don’t have essential oils or you want to get a bit more “handmade”

You can still make something simple without buying anything extra.

Flowers (the roses will be in bloom soon, here), citrus peels, even a bit of vanilla from the cupboard—it all works.

If you’re using flowers, just gather what you have and let the petals sit in water overnight. Nothing precise about it.

The next day, strain them out using a cloth or fine strainer.

If you want it a little stronger, you can warm that liquid gently on the stove to concentrate it down a bit. Not boiling—just enough to deepen the scent.

From there, pour it into a small bottle and use it as a light body mist.

Same idea works with citrus rinds or spices. Let them sit, strain, and use what you get.

It won’t be strong or long-lasting, but that’s not really the point.

It’s just another way of using what you have and making something simple out of it.

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Tips for Making Natural Perfume:

1. Let your perfume sit for 24-48 hours in a cool, dark place after making it. This allows the scents to mature and blend for a more balanced fragrance.
2. I like to test the blends by making a sample first. I’ll add the essential oil blends into my diffuser to see if it’s a scent I love, then mix up a bottle.
3. Store your new natural perfume in a spot out of direct sunlight. I keep mine in my kitchen cabinet. Easy to spray a bit on before heading out the door.
4. If you are like me, and slightly sensitive to strong scents, start with fewer drops of essential oils and test it before adding more. Again, I utilize my diffuser for this, too. Adjust based on your preference.

Precautions

Before misting your new perfume onto your clothing, do a test on an inconspicuous area to make sure the ingredients won’t interact with the fibers of your clothing. Although this is a non-toxic perfume recipe, if you have sensitive skin you will want to patch test your skin as well.

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How I Wear This Perfume

I don’t treat these like traditional perfume.

They don’t last all day, and I don’t expect them to.

I keep them on the counter and use them:

• before heading out
• after being outside or in the sauna
• When I want something lighter than what I’ve been using

Making a Small Sample Set

Instead of one full bottle, you can make a few smaller ones.

Use 5 ml bottles and make 2–3 different scents.

Simple ratio for 5 ml:

• about 3.5–4 ml base
• 1–1.5 ml witch hazel
• 1–2 drops of essential oil total

That gives you just enough to try without using everything up.

Tie a few together, label them simply, I use this narrow kraft tape for lots of things, and it’s something a person can actually use and choose from.

Making It in 1 oz Bottles

I’ve been using 1 oz glass bottles for these.

Small enough that they don’t sit around forever, but enough to keep on hand and actually use.

If you are accustomed to essential oil/perfume rollers, they work just as well

• 22–23 ml floral water (or distilled water if using only essential oils)
• 7–8 ml witch hazel

That’s it. Nothing complicated.

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Pin for Later!

Questions about Essential Oil Perfume

Final Thoughts

There’s always plenty to take care of this time of year. Treat yourself, your sister, your mom (mother’s day is approaching!), or your friend to something sweet, natural and quick and easy to make!

This handmade perfume is just something simple. Something you can make, use with just a little shake, and share without thinking too much about it.

Enjoy!

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