How to Make Cologne
Add your essential oils and whisk to mix. Put the oils into your measuring cup one at a time, using a pipette or the oil lid’s built-in dropper to measure the drops according to your desired ratio. You’ll want about 30 drops of essential oil total. Shake the bottle to mix. For any DIY fragrance, most sources recommend a ratio of 20 percent base notes, 50 percent middle notes, and 30 percent top notes. This ratio also depends on the strength of the scents you’re using. You can experiment to find out which ratio works best for your cologne. For a more top-note heavy cologne, add 20 drops of a top note oil, 15 drops of a middle note oil, and 10 drops of a base note oil (44/33/22 percent ratio).
Add alcohol and whisk again. For a standard cologne concentration, you’ll want five to ten percent essential oils to 90 to 95 percent alcohol base—2 fluid ounces (59 mL) of alcohol should suffice. The alcohol should be high proof—you can use perfumer’s alcohol or grain alcohol. Witch hazel or rubbing alcohol are common substitutes for alcohol as the base liquid.
Use a funnel to pour your mix into a glass spray bottle. Secure the lid tightly and give the spray bottle a thorough shake for a final mix. Your cologne is now ready to be aged.
Let the cologne sit for 48 to 72 hours. Store your bottle in a cool, dark place—not in direct sunlight. Shake it after 48 hours to help the contents mix. Once aging is over, you will dilute the mixture.
Add vegetable glycerin and distilled water to dilute. You don’t need much vegetable glycerin—⁄2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) will do. As for distilled water, you can add 1 fluid ounce (30 mL) to dilute your cologne, but you can also leave it out for a stronger scent. Homemade cologne should last for around six months, although distilled water shortens the shelf life to two to three months. Be sure to store your creation in a cool, dark place like a bathroom cabinet.
Understanding Fragrance Notes
Top notes are the cologne’s first impression. They last the shortest amount of time, only 5-15 minutes, but are usually sharp scents that you’ll notice right away. Common top notes include citrus oils like lemon and tree scents like pine. Other top notes to consider are grapefruit, peppermint, spruce, eucalyptus, blood orange, basil, neroli, tangerine, ginger, bergamot, and yuzu. Certain oils, like peppermint and spearmint have a particularly strong odor. Use them in smaller quantities, regardless of your ratio.
Middle notes are the heart of the cologne. They last around 20-60 minutes, emerging as the top note fades. They frequently include herbal or floral scents such as rose, fennel, and lavender. Other middle notes include sage, geranium, lavender, jasmine, and cinnamon. Cinnamon and other spice oils can be skin irritants, so use them in smaller amounts than other oils.
Base notes are the underlying aroma of the cologne. They last the longest of all the notes, upwards of six hours after applying. Base notes tend to be musky or woody, using scents like vetiver, sandalwood, and tonka bean. A good base note ties the other scents together. Build your cologne with additional base note fragrances such as patchouli, vanilla, amyris, muhuhu, oud, and ylang ylang.
Scent Combination Ideas
Use woody, earthy base and top notes for an outdoorsy cologne. Consider combining douglas fir essential oil and cedarwood essential oil base notes with an herbal middle note like basil or sage. Top with a bright top note like lemongrass. Basil, along with some other scents, can be considered a top or middle note; these note categorizations are subjective and not every oil fragrance fits neatly in one category.
Juxtapose sweet and spicy notes for a bright cologne. Start with a sandalwood essential oil base note. Combine with a striking middle note like black pepper or sage and a sweet and spicy one like coriander. Finish with a light, citrusy top note like yuzu.
Evoke the classic combination of leather and spice. Begin with sandalwood base notes and black pepper middle notes. Compliment with ginger essential oil top notes for just a dash of lifting sweetness.
Create a musky cologne with a trio of base notes. You’ll have to divide your ratio of drops between them. Start with a foundation of frankincense, patchouli, and sandalwood essential oils. Choose a subtle middle note like fennel or geranium, and a complementary top note such as basil.
Cologne Versus Perfume
Cologne has a lower fragrance concentration than perfume. A proper eau de cologne has three to five percent fragrance oils, while an eau de parfum has 15 to 20 percent essential oils. While some people believe that cologne is for men and perfume is for women, this is untrue. Both fragrance types are made for (and can be worn by) either gender. Colognes tend to feature musky, woody, and earthy scents more than perfumes, which emphasize florals and citrus notes.
How to Make Cologne Last Longer
Prep your skin before applying cologne. To make your cologne last longer, start by applying shortly after a warm shower or bath. The steam will open your pores to absorb the fragrance. After washing up, apply a body lotion or cream to your body to moisturize—hydrated skin holds fragrance better than dry skin. Pick an unscented lotion to avoid it clashing with the scent of your DIY cologne. Use a dab of petroleum jelly on pulse points where you intend to spray your cologne for extra moisture—and to prevent body oils from breaking the fragrance.
Spray pulse points, hair, and clothing. Instead of just spritzing the air around you, target pulse points like the back of the ears, the base of the throat, and the wrists. Since these areas of the body are the warmest, they’ll help your scent stay strong. The same goes for hair and clothing, which have porosity and hold onto scents better than skin. Consider your hairstyle and fabric type before spraying. Some colognes will damage certain fabrics. Spritz an unnoticeable corner of the fabric to test for damage. As for hair, you can spritz some on a comb before styling.
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