Be a Romantic Scientist: Distill your own perfume oil.

Perfume is often seen as a last-minute gift that requires little thought. But what if you made your own, unique scents?

Step 1 Materials needed

You will need a vessel to heat water in, a source of heat, gauze or muslin, thread, a delivery tube, a receiving vessel and ice.

You will also need a pretty bottle to store your scent.

For this example, we used a conical flask, a fabric bag of sprigs of lavender plus shredded, a plastic delivery tube and a test-tube in a beaker of cold water. The oil was stored in a film cannister. You may use whatever equipment you can find, at whatever scale you need to produce your scent.

If you are blending oils, you will need a dropper pipette for each raw oil you use.

Comments

[Phyrkrakr]

How long did you keep the water at boil? I would assume you just boiled all of the water in the beaker off, but is there such a thing as boiling too much water through the plants?

[Kiteman]

We simmered for about 15 minutes, but only because we were limited to an hour in total, and that included preparation and clearing up afterwards.

[flamesami]

I personally still don't understand, is there such a thing as to much water or not?

[Kiteman]

Yes, because it would take too long to evaporate it all, and too much time exposed to that much heat could damage the smell-chemicals.

[XHorntail]

"Too much time exposed to that much heat could damage the smell-chemicals."

Do you have any sources for this? Not looking to pick a fight, I was just thinking that if you could cycle the condensed fluid back into the boiling flask, you could make a bit of a concentrate. That wouldn't work if the extended time under heat damages the scent though. So I'm just wondering if you're sure about this and have any sources before I attempt it.

[Kiteman]

Just knowledge that biological substances tend to denature at high temperatures.

Try it, let us know.

[vickers101]

If one soaked the bung (i.e. paper towel) in ice water and then repeated the process would this prevent denaturation? Also couldn't the same effect (concentration) be obtained from using new lavender leaves and the condensed liquid? I'm thinking I might try these and find out for myself but the ideas are out there for those who are interested

[Kiteman]

It's the temperature in the water that would cause the problem - cool the bung, and the oils are going to condense too early and fall back into the hot water.

I'd be more inclined to try re-distilling the final product.

[flamesami]

so what amount (of water) would you recommend for, say, a small amount of lavender?

[Kiteman]

Enough to cover it with space for the pieces to circulate a little.

[flamesami]

thanks a lot
=)

[Mirlo]

I love this tutorial! However, I have a question...
My parents have a garden full of flowers (jasmine, rose, gardenia, geranium...) and I was planning on making a perfume with some of them. Would the distilled oils go off soon (soon=a month or two), or if I mix them with alcohol to make the perfume, would that preserve them? Did the oils you got smell strong enough to be make a good perfume when mixed with alcohol? Thanks

[Kiteman]

I haven't tried alcohol, so I can't answer that part.

If you store the oils in the fridge, they should last a month or two - after that, I've never tried.

Sorry.

[JohnJY]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/30-diy-gifts-to-make-for-valentines-day?click=pm_news#slide-3

Good job man.

[Kiteman]

Sweet, thanks for letting me know!

[Jodex]

(removed by author or community request)

[Kiteman]

Flasks like that are frequently available online (ebay, anybody?).

As for peat - I really don't know. It would be nice if you could try, then let us know!

[Jodex]

Oh sorry, I deleted my comment so I could make a new and upgraded one... Anyway my first comment was: Now I just need to find a shop that sells those flasks so I could try distilling my own scents. What do you think, would peat make anything at all?

Thanks for the quick answer! I know that I could find it easily online, but buying "live" would be maybe little easier. If I can't find any flasks here, then I'll order online.

For how long does these scents stay good? I mean that would there start to grow some mold or something like that after a few months or so?

I'll try peat - and many others - just as soon as I get all the needed equipment, by whitch I propably mean only the flask.

[Kiteman]

I've never kept a scent more than a few days, and then in the fridge, but I strongly suspect they would eventually go "off" in some way - moldy, or fermenting.

[Mauigerbil]

Just my luck! A rose fell off of my grandma's rosebush. This was the first thing that came to mind. Would one rose be enough?
Thanks
Maui gerbil

[Kiteman]

Probably, but you wouldn't get much.

[Mauigerbil]

My perfume smelled DISGUSTING! Good 'ible though!

[cadams18]

loved it!

[Kiteman]

Thank you!

[saintneko]

For the curious, those type of flasks are also known as 'erlenmeyer flasks' and they are awesome. Googling either term will get you the same type of flask but somewhat different result sets - erlenmeyer tends to return all-glass, more sciency types of shopping results.

[Kiteman]

That must be a US thing - in the UK, laboratory glassware is usually described by shape, so, this is a flat-bottom conical flask.

[Mutantflame]

Really? I'm English and we call it an erlenmeyer flask where I live. But then again most of my useful chemistry knowledge is self-taught so I do have quite a bit of american influence I suppose.

[wackman]

In Spain, we call it Erlenmeyer's flask .

[dutado]

Even in Czech Republic, we call it Erlenmayer's flask.

[aristide202]

That kind of lab flask is called Erlenmeyer in italy too, he was a german 18th chemist . Anyway the flask must me fire resistant, pirex, duran or somekind of similar material. A low smooth flame and one ore two of those metal nets will help not to brake the flasks. A modified pirex coffee or teapot could be an alternative to a real erlenmeyer

[Algag]

From what i remember from science class (and just verified on Wikipedia) it was named for the guy who invented it

[Eli_Z]

In soviet Russia erlenmeyer call you flask!

[Arendos]

I'm pretty sure that's not how the meme works.

[ekjebe]

Would someone be able to come up with a list of more common household objects to be used to create your own perfume? I know these steps listed leave much of the project up to your own creativity and equipment, but I tend to lose my common sense quite often. I'm just wondering if this is possible to do without spending money.

[Void Schism]

Not sure how safe peach stone innards are as perfume, as they contain cyanide.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1941154/the_unknown_danger_of_peach_pits_poison.html

[chancerogers]

I dont think itll matter too much as long as you dont go eating the perfume... You dont plan on eating it... do you?

[Kiteman]

So do almonds.

[Void Schism]

Only bitter almons, which are not for human consumption.
Edible almonds don't produce the chemical (glycoside amygdalin) that turns into prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide).
Never try to smart arse a start arse

[Vengence]

Well apple seeds and watermelon seeds do. I eat them occasionally; many people eat them regularly. I've never heard of anyone dying from it.

[gtoal]

Do you think this would work for extracting extra hot raw chili oil from chili peppers?