wow this is one of the coolest DIYs i’ve seen in a long time! i would love to make this and experiment with the oils and containers! thank you!

Perfect! I have an old owl pin from Avon which opens to reveal a place to put solid perfume. I used to just put a cottonball in there with a few drops of esscential oils. Now I can make my own solid perfume!

This is cute. What a fantastic idea!

I love this idea!

I wonder if you photo copied a picture onto acetate and put it on the glass side if it would withstand the heat of the hot purfume. I would be cool if it worked : )

This is the freshest idea I’ve seen in bloggyland in a long time!!! Thank you for helping me find this years holiday gift for all my BFF’s!!

I just saw this idea someplace else yesterday (except in a necklace locket form–can’t remember where) and started wondering if you could use a perfume you already have to scent the beeswax, instead of essential oils. Would this work, or is it a bad idea for some reason, like the perfume reacting with the wax or something? Would love to have a perfumer’s advice on this, otherwise I might have to just give it a go. I’d love to be able to make myself a solid, travel-ready version of my perfumes.

What a fabulous (and classy) DIY project!

im sure this is obvious but can you use different essential oil smells than what is listed above? Say, for instance, a pre-mixed perfume oil?

This is a great idea! I have a vintage pocket watch locket from my grandmother and this would be a perfect way to add a little something to it. Thanks!

I think you summed up my life in this blog in regards to your struggles with basic beauty rituals. I’m excited to try this out for sure :-)

I’m guessing you can use any oils to make these?

A solid perfume is easy to make and you can find such charming cases to recycle on eBay or at flea markets. People love to receive them as a gift. If you wanted to make the above recipe more “fresh and green” you could substitute geranium for the ylang.

I do this every Christmas. As well as using old pocket watches I also use vintage compacts that I pick up at charity shops and flea markets.

And to answer Suki’s question, I always put a photo of the recipient on the glass side of the watch or compact. I copy the photo on good quality photo paper, cut it out and glue it in.

If you were wanting to make a solid version of an existing purfume, rather than an essential oil mix, how would you change the concentration to make it come out properly?

I love everything about this idea and tutorial.
But, like Vicki and Rachel, I would like to know if it can be done with a parfum you have on hand?

Great article, thank you :-)
I am SO tonnage try this at home!

great tutorial!!!

I made some of these last year as Christmas gifts! But I used altoids tins I had decorated, as well as old pill boxes and Avon containers. So much fun, and everyone loved them!

Totally love this! Can’t wait to try it!

You really can’t do this well with a perfume you have on hand and there are a few reasons: most perfumes are in an alcohol base and that doesn’t mix with the beeswax. If they are an oil-based perfume, they also don’t always blend well with the wax and it changes the texture of the perfume.
The ratio of wax to oil is crucial. for a luxurious solid perfume — neither too hard (hard to spread) or too soft (mushy). The correct texture is like a creamy lipstick.
Also you need extra top notes in your perfume blend because the oil and the wax tend to flatten the sparkling top notes of a perfume.
Thank you so much for your kind words about my solid perfume DIY piece. I really appreciate it.
Mandy

oh my gosh, i loooove this. definitely bookmarking for christmas! what a perfect little stocking stuffer :)

i was given one as a gift from anthropologie and love it. it stays fresh all day long. this is such a great project to be able to make gifts and turn all sorts of found objects into scent vessels!

This is so cute :D

You can make this perfume with other oils but it is important to choose ones that will work together and in the right proportion to one another.

My friend Sarah did a very similar DIY for this on my blog as a great idea for a bridesmaid gift a few months back: http://glamourandgraceblog.com/2011/diy-perfume-locket/

Perfect little present for friends. I must have a go!

If you are looking for a good place to get supplies go to http://www.thesage.com, the website is a little outdated but easy to navigate. They have pre-made lip balm solutions(soy or vegan) that work great as a solid perfume when you add your favorite essentials or fragrance oils. They carry a large selection of essentials and fragrance oils as well. Its fun to browse their online catalog! Check them out!

BRILLIANT! I love the idea of reusing pocket watches but in a way that maintains their romance. Yay creativity.

I love this post! I have some solid perfume from Pacifica and would LOVE to make my own. Thank you for sharing!

I sell handmade perfume filled lockets and pillboxes (made with vintage lockets and boxes) as part of my jewelry line! It’s such a nice way to smell lovely all day long and they’re instant keepsakes.

Hope everyone has fun making their own!

What a wonderful idea in such a beautiful container. I am an Aromatherapist I will be trying this myself definately the combinations of oils are endless in a project like this.

This is a great idea I really want to make it myself :)

As someone that is totally allergic to perfume/manufactured scents this is such a refreshing post that all products used are natural!
Essential Oils = all good
Scented Oils = perfume in oil = very sick me
So thank you for the very cool post and thank you to Mandy for her use of natural products and explaining that solid perfumes scent “you and not the room”. Just loved this!

Great tutorial and I love the vintage containers used for this purpose! Wonderful!

But what do you use it for afterwards?

Thanks SO MUCH for sharing this! I’ve seen tutes on it before but not from an expert like yourself. Thanks! I’d love to make some for my sister but she is allergic to ginger. Really, really allergic. Is there any alternative to the ginger? Or is it just a case of getting to a blend that appeals to the senses? I love Jo Malone perfumes and they all seem to be so fresh and natural. The Pomegranate Noir is my favourite. I’m a Jo Malone nut. This tutorial could drastically cut my J.M. addiction! Thanks for that too!

You can always refill the case with another perfume that you create

Dear Nina

You could leave the ginger out or substitute it with some pink or black pepper essential oil if you want to include a little spice.

An old film canister would be really neat

am I the only person who winced as she mixed and poured on that pretty book cover? I just kept imagining perfume all over the place…

Question: How do you heat the beeswax exactly?

srsly amazing, i’m totally doing this – i’m always looking for creative and cheap steampunk ideas and now i cant wait to grab a bunch of vintage lockets and pocket watches and gift them out. thank you!

Thanks so much for this awesome project! I had to share it with my readers, it’s creative and cost effective, for CEREAL!

This is awesome! Question: if I put it in a locket necklace, will the heat from my body cause the beeswax to melt?

Just had another thought…I bet it would work really well if you poured it into an empty chapstick tube…that way you could “roll” it on to apply directly to the skin!

@ Becca. No, you were not the only one that winced over the book :)

Thanks a lot for the interesting tutorial.

Great idea! I carried pocket watches when I was in college, and now I definitely need to dig out the broken ones to re-purpose for perfume holders.

This is so neat – great idea!!

AMAZING idea.

This was a great tutorial:) I was just wondering what the actual name of the pretty book was (and I winced along with the other ladies too:P) Thanks for this post:)

LOVE LOVE LOVE! This is so cute. And so perfect for the summer, when you just want the slightest hint of a fragrance without being overwhelming or offensive ;) We shared it with our readers this week on our weekly blog roundup! See the post here: http://bit.ly/nHiEzL

xo, Thursday Girls

@Danielle- I found a lobster butter heater at TJ Maxx that I am going to try ( http://www.amazon.com/Joie-Lobster-Tales-Butter-Warmer/dp/B000I1YDJ0/ref=lh_ni_t ). It has a small ceramic pot just like the one pictured above that is held over a tea light. If that does not generate enough heat I am going to try to put in on the stovetop while the kettle boils.

Thanks Courtney :-)

be sure i ll try as soon:)

@Mandy Aftel- where did you get the little wooden spoon with the bumble bee on it?

Can you use any scented oils as long as the ratio stays the same?

You could make different blends to suit different situations and times of day eg. One to perk you up during the day …. Or a calming one if you are stressed …a night time blend for sleep etc the possibilities are endless … You would need to refer to sn aromatherapy guide to see which ones are good to use directly on skin as some are not suitable even though they smell great .

Where is everyone finding (reasonably priced) old pocket watches to use for the project? I’m at a loss. And I’ve never seen any at our local flea market. Thanks!

This is fabulous! Thank you. I bought my daughter a small, beautiful marble hinged container that was filled with solid patchoulli fragrance long ago. She now lives in another province and when I smell patchoulli, I melt. She returned the jar to me a couple years ago, so I could smell her in its emptiness and feel close to her… (dorky I know… but I loved it!) Well I guess it is time to re-fill and re-re-gift it!

Thanks for the great idea! I made my own version using a locket ring I found in Hong Kong :) But since I didn’t have beeswax, I used scented candle wax and lip balm instead. http://crafting-dreams.blogspot.com/2011/09/secret-ring-compartment.html

Awesome project. I wish I could find a recipe for a rose scented solid blend.

Love this! is there a resource anywhere for answering issues while making solid perfume? This worked perfect in the right size locket, but when I try to fill a slightly larger container the recipe is not easily “doubled” and it came out once too waxy which blocked the scent, and once too oily.

Thanks!

Love it!!! Can’t wait to head to the farmer’s market to get my hands on some beeswax!

dreamy idea. Thank You!

I love this idea! I only wear a specific perfume but would really like to use this idea . What about a lip gloss instead if perfume? Di you have a good recipe for that?

Really love this and want to try it. Just tried to print it out and got four pages, none of which contained the directions. Wish there was a print it button attached to your DIY projects.

Amazing idea I have a lovely sentimental compact I will do this in. Thanks so much!

In response to Rachel, I think that you would NOT be able to use regular perfume in this because it is mostly alcohol, but if you had oil perfume concentrate, that would work. You could also add just a little extra bees wax to firm it up more, let it set up, and then scoop out little balls of it. Make a bracelet or necklace with an open-lace spherical locket, fill the cage with the perfume balls…scented jewelry.

I found this tutorial for lip balm but am looking for others, as well as other scent blends for the perfume. Thanks for the inspiration!

Thank you for this. My mum had a solid scented perfume when I was a kid that I absolutely loved. For years I have searched for a solid scent that I liked, but now instead I can make my own!