The health benefits of essential oils are numerous and a great alternative to chemical-laden commercial perfumes. With essential oils, they are 100% natural and you can create your own unique scents.

Did you know that store-bought perfumes can be highly toxic and contain carcinogenic chemicals? What’s even more bizarre is that the perfume company isn’t even required to tell you what chemicals are in their products. They can simply get away with calling these chemicals “fragrance”, which is an umbrella term for about 4,000 chemicals, some of which are dangerous to your health.

Fortunately for you, you don’t need to buy these scents to smell fantastic. You can invest in essential oils, which not only benefit your health, but are cheaper and don’t support unethical practices such as animal testing (what, you didn’t those perfumes weren’t tested on animals, did you?)

It’s also super easy. Here’s how to do it.

To make perfume out of essential oils, you need:

• A dark perfume bottle (to protect the essential oils from light). Most stores sell these. Although they come in different sizes, all these recipes are designed for 2 oz. bottles.
• Your essential oils.
• Water, a carrier oil, or alcohol (vodka preferred).

You don’t need all three of the last ingredients. One or the other will do. Water is the simplest to use, although the alcohol will help blend your oil and water combination as will a carrier oil. The carrier oil could be anything from coconut oil to jojoba oil.

If you’re using alcohol, only use a teaspoon or so of vodka and fill the rest with water. You can customize your scent to make it stronger or lighter depending on your preference: for a stronger scent, use more essential oils. Shake well and let sit for seven days for optimal results to let the scents mingle.

Featured below are four different recipes for four different energies or seasons. Play around with the combinations and make your own custom scent!

Energizing—Summer

Looking for a pick-me-up in the summertime? These three scents can make you feel energized and ready for the warmer weather:

• Grapefruit: 20 drops
• Lemongrass: 20 drops
• Sweet Orange: 20 drops

Change of Seasons—Fall

The change of seasons is a time to be present and stay warm for those of you who experience the four seasons. The cinnamon has a sharp yet sweet scent while the clove and ginger mixed together will make you think of delicious fall spices. Consider this list of scents for your fall perfume:

• Cinnamon: 20 drops
• Clove Bud: 10 drops
• Ginger: 6 drops

Relaxing—Winter

Winter can be hard on our bodies and minds. These scents will help you feel relaxed and warm even in the coldest months:

• Lavender: 30 drops
• Pine Needle: 30 drops
• Vanilla: 15 drops

Inspiring—Spring

These scents are amazing for the springtime, but they can be used any time of year. Consider a combination of these wonderful essential oils for spring:

• Jasmine: 20 drops
• Rose: 10 drops
• Ylang Ylang: 5 drops

Using essential oils is easy and fun. Their medicinal uses are just as practical as the heavenly perfumes and other beauty products they can create.

Lavender is known for promoting relaxation and sleep. Peppermint promotes mental clarity and calm. Lemon and grapefruit can help you rebound from fatigue. Eucalyptus can help during colds and with muscle soreness. Wintergreen oil is noted for alleviating pain and promoting relaxation.

Essential oil perfume is easy to make, and best of all, you’ll have a custom scent that no one else will have. Stay natural and healthy with these great combinations, and enjoy their added health benefits!