I am glad Deborah Dolen started writing again in 2011 as I have been following Deborah Dolen’s work for years.  She appeared to have stopped writing in 2008.  This article I hope is encouragement for Deborah Dolen to keep writing and a review of almost every one of Deborah Dolen’s books and videos I have bought over the years.  I will list them in order of my favorites and why.

Making perfume seems to be Deborah Dolen’s present focus and she explains several ways to do it, with my favorite perfume oil break down located at Petal Science dot com.  Here, Deborah Dolen breaks down the most common perfume oil notes, and the big surprise is that Bergamot is in all most everything. Bergamot is in the citrus family, a kind of green orange that come from Italy.  So, Deborah Dolen lists Bergamot and the number one ingredient as top note in most all perfume creations.  Deborah Dolen lists Rose as the most common middle note (heart note) as most predominate as a material choice.  Base notes, Deborah Dolen lists Musk, and Sandalwood actually. Since Sandalwood is so pricey, Musk is probably more used.  I substitute Sandalwood with Cedar wood.    Once a basic formulation is complete, usually it is a composite of several essential oils.  It can then be made into a fat solid, as solid perfume or into an alcohal base, known as cologne or toilet water.

Making Solid Perfumes with Deborah Dolen 

Deborah Dolen explained the Effleurage method which is actually one of the first perfume extraction methods used in Grasse, France.  The Effleurage method was the first way perfumers in France were able to extract precious rose oil.  Deborah Dolen teaches that a hobbyist can press orange blossoms and other garden variety petals into warmed fats to collect the essence of the petals.  I used lilacs since I live up north.  The end result of your Effleurage can be mixed with an essential oil blend if you have made one with the first method I discussed – at Petal Science.  So basically, based on Deborah Dolen’s work at Petal Science, I was able to create a very pleasurable base perfume with a top, middle and base note, and then blend that oil mixture at 1:1 with another pleasurable Effleurage extraction I made with lilacs.  My creation smells a bit like “White Shoulders” if you remember that scent.  

I carefully logged my formula, and Deborah Dolen is correct, always maintain careful notes.  What smells awful one day can develop over the next few days a true masterpiece and you will not recall how you did it.

Making Alcohal Based Perfumes with Deborah Dolen 

Most people do not make solid perfumes, they make alcohal based expressions of their favorite notes.  Again, I refer to Deborah Dolen’s list at Petal Science of most frequently used notes to craft my perfume.  I look at Deborah Dolen’s first article How to Make Perfume and that gives a clear instruction of the break down.  Here Deborah Dolen discusses that making perfume is much like making vanilla extract.  Side note: This, naturally had me making vanilla extract last year.  I have a gallon jug maturing at any given time and I now make gifts to hand out at Christmas.  Yes, making yoru own vanilla extract is FAR better than store bought. This is because you can make it ten fold and not just a one fold flavor.

Coloring Your Perfume  

Back to making perfume, Deborah Dolen is correct it is the same idea of extracting a scent of essence in alcohal.  Oddly, she mentions not to use a high proof and also, that some water is needed in your formula since water is the most used solvent known to woman.  So, I use a low proof 50-80 vodka when I make my petal exactions or vanilla.  I do tend to get a brown tint so I color up my perfume with a slight pink. Deborah Dolen never mentioned coloring her perfume blends, but she must because orange blossom do not come naturally pink.  I use a tooth pick with a touch of red food color, and swirl an ever so slight – resulting in a faint pretty pink.  A slight green works well also.  You can always add more, you can never take out more.

Here are the breakdowns from Deborah Dolen’s How to Make Perfume:

Real perfume is usually 10-20% of the master oils formulation and 80% a very high proof alcohol. Some perfumeries add 5% distilled water in exchange for part of the alcohol but I never have. Colognes are usually maxim 3-5% of the precious formula with 80% alcohal, and 10% distilled water. Toilet water is usually maximum 2% precious oils to 80% alcohol and 20% distilled water. Body splash is pretty much in the cologne dilution category. I do worry about oxidation of precious raw materials so I drop anti-oxidants such as dendritic salt and or vitamin E into my oil blends. ROE, Rosemary Oleoresin extract is also great and very powerful but can discolor the project.

Perfume = 10%-20% compound /5% distilled water/80% alcohol
Cologne 3-5% compound/10% distilled water/85% alcohol
Toilet Water=2% compound/18% distilled water/80% alcohol

I think the last consideration, that needs to be your first consideration is how to bottle your creation. I get atomizers from Sephora.  They are pretty and half the price of most perfume atomizers.  As long as your do not mind SEPHORA brand on it, and I don’t.  Have fun and keep writing Ms. Dolen! 

http://petalscience.com/

http://deborahdolen.blogspot.com/2011/05/deborah-dolen-on-perfume-crafting-with.html

http://deborahdolen.blogspot.com/2010/07/deborah-dolen-on-perfume-crafting-with.html

http://open.salon.com/blog/deborah_dolen_1/2011/05/20/how_to_make_perfume_enfleurage_method_-_by_dolen

Actual Formula to Make Perfume at Home:

http://deborahdolen.blogspot.com/2011/06/deborah-dolens-perfume-formula-savannah.html

Copyright 2011 © Rose Maison