Scentsational!

That's how I feel about homemade perfume!

As we dive knee deep into fall, clean crisp cooler air has me craving all the sweet, warm and spicy notes autumn has to offer. Personally, I live for this time of year. For my home I can't get enough of sprays, wax melts and candles that have notes of apple, cinnamon, nutmeg and freshly baked cookies - it's my thing! When it comes to perfumes and body sprays, I prefer to scents that are inviting. If it smells like fresh light gardenias or warm cozy vanilla bean, Sold. I'm all about it. However, perfume shopping gives me a headache. Literally. Certain scents just leave me feeling nauseous and needing a Motrin. So, when I happened across an article showing me a Very Simple way to make my own perfume I can't tell you just how happy I was and ridiculously eager to give it a go.

Scents are more important than we think. Various perfumes and scents can enhance your emotions, help you make new memories and remember old ones. When your olfactory receptors are stimulated [your sense of smell], they transmit impulses to your brain. This pathway is directly connected to your limbic system (your limbic system is involved in motivation and learning, directly controls your emotions and memory). That's why your reactions to smell are rarely neutral - you usually either like or dislike a scent. Here, you'll learn how to create your own signature scent without the headaches. Once you lock down the type of smell you enjoy, snag it in the form of a fragrance oil (which is what we'll be using in this diy). That's step 1. Next, you'll have to get a reusable container to house it in - step 2. I'm partial to square glass bottles, clean, pretty, simple and not visually obtrusive or tiny glass spray bottles that fit in even the smallest of purses. [All bottles can be found on google or amazon]

As for the breakdown on how to do it, it's pretty simple. You'll just need a few more inexpensive ingredients to get you going:

• a carrier oil [coconut or jojoba work best]
• a small glass jar with a secure lid
• a small funnel
• 100% alcohol
• filtered water
• coffee filter

Once you have all these items together you'll want to follow these instructions on how to create your signature scent