The Hour

Celebrities left, right and centre are releasing their signature scents in the shops at hefty prices, but with just a few key ingredients you too can make your very own perfume at home, for next to nothing.

As little girls, lots of us experimented with mixing rose petals in water, but in reality this blend won’t work well as a perfume, because the mixture will last only a few days before going off.

Instead, unscented oil or vodka is a better base to add flowers such as roses, geraniums or lavender to. However, the perfume will be quite faint, and it's better instead to use essential oils in the blend, as Anna Hill from Woodland Herbs explained.

She said: “This is great and you can do it at home with petals you’ve picked from your garden. But it doesn’t smell really strong. If you want a nice strong perfume, which is what we want, just a few drops on our pulse points then you really need to use essential oils.”

With just a few oils, a beautiful, personalised perfume can be made in seconds. Anna recommends sniffing different oils to see what works well together, before blending your selection, which should include a mix of base, middle and top notes, together.

She explained: What we want to do is have what perfumers call a base note, a middle or heart note and a top note." She added: "The top note is the first thing you smell when you put your perfume on.”

How much you spend on making your ideal scent is up to you too - some bottles of oil can cost hundreds of pounds, while others are only around £3, but lots of lovely creations can be made regardless of price.

Find out more about Anna Hill or Woodland Herbs by going to www.woodlandherbs.co.uk