This fantastic Steamer Trunk Solid Perfume conjures up memories of going through old trunks and boxes, looking for an old blanket, perhaps, or a dress your grandmother once wore. There’s a deep, rich scent of old wood and decades-old perfume from the carefully folded layers of fabric, and you catch a whiff of smoke as a yellowed letter slips out of an old pocket and flutters to the floor. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but the scent takes you back to childhood games of hide and seek in your grandparent’s basement, or perhaps a trip you once took to an old manor with wood paneled walls and canopy beds. It smells like travel and change, a century removed. I love it, and I think you will, too.
The base note is gentle blend of dark, dusty patchouli and smokey vetiver. I wouldn’t know the vetiver was there if I hadn’t added it myself, but it adds a wonderful blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hint of smoke and intrigue.
You’re likely familiar with nutmeg from holiday baking, and the essential oil smells just like the ground spice, only stronger. I find it much more appealing as a scent than as a flavour,with its sharp spiciness that blends beautifully with the rest of the blend.
Bergamot, a citrus that you’ve likely experience in Earl Grey tea, rounds like blend out as a beautiful, bright top note. It’s not distinctly citrussy, but brings a wonderful, fresh sweetness to the blend, which would otherwise be too heavy and musty.
All of these wonderful scents come together easily to make an utterly delightful perfume, and if this exercise in rather flowery creative writing hasn’t convinced you to give it a go, I don’t know what will 😉
Steamer Trunk Solid Perfume
8g | 0.28oz sunflower seed oil
2g | 0.07oz beeswax
4 drops Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada)15 drops bergapetene-free bergamot essential oil
1 toothpick swirl vetiver essential oil
3 drops nutmeg essential oil
8 drops dark patchouli essential oilWeigh the sunflower seed oil, beeswax, and Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada) out into a small heat resistant glass measuring cup and place it in a shallow pan of barely simmering water to melt.
Once the wax has melted, stir the oil mixture and remove it from the heat. Add the essential oils, stir to combine, and carefully transfer the mixture to a 5g/0.17oz tin or two 4.5g/0.16oz lip balm tubes to set up before using (it makes a bit more than 5g, but not quite 10g—I used the wee bit of leftovers in the bowl to smother myself in fantastic steamer trunk goodness straight away).
To use, apply as you’d apply any perfume—it’s great on pulse points like the wrists and behind the ears.
Don’t have some of the oils or butters called for in this recipe? Read this for information on how to make good substitutions.
Sounds awesome! I’m just starting to use Vetiver. Will pair a tiny bit with these other eos, which I love. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks!!!
Thanks for reading 🙂 Enjoy!
Mmmm this sounds wonderful. I’m a new reader of your blog, and I find it very inspiring. Thank you for all of your testing and creativity!
Thanks, Alyssa!
What do you think about using something like sandalwood or even benzoin (since wood is used for imitation vanilla flavoring) to give it that deep woody note instead of patchouli? I’m not a fan of patchouli, but it seems to be the base that gives it that “old trunk” scent.
I probably wouldn’t—I don’t like the smell of sandalwood, and benzoin is far too sweet. That’s just my opinion, though 🙂
Hi there, love the idea of a solid, natural perfume, I currently wear a Lemon & Lavender mix of Organic essential oils in spring/summer but it doesn’t last very long so I think this might be the answer! Is there any reason why you used Sunflower oil? Does it enhance the Steam Trunk fragrance or do you think it would work with Almond Oil or Coconut oil, with different essential oils too? I use these in a lot of my organic skincare range, with Beeswax from my own Bees. Love your website, many thanks, Katy x
Hi Katy! I used it because it’s cheap and doesn’t have much of a scent—any similar liquid oil will work just as well.
Hi Marie,
That’s a nice combination of essential oils, and a fantastic poetic description! I can almost smell it without even making the stuff. Thank you for this!
Anne
ps, nice job on your website redesign – it’s clean and nicely organized. 🙂
Thanks, Anne! I love the new look, too—such a huge improvement!
Oooh… this seems absolutely lovely. And very tempting (despite the fact that I have more perfumes and essential oils than I know what to do with 😀 )
Thanks, Ieva! 😀
I’m so excited about this!!! Moar perfumes and room sprays and diffuser blends! That’s my next DIY interest now that I have my hair care, skin care, soaping, cleaning, and various pampering (looking at you foot soaks and pumice things) on point thanks to you. 🙂 Add to it that I have developed a pretty nasty synthetic fragrance sensitivity and have a teen daughter, I’m super interested in developing a perfuming ability. She has requested something along the lines of Chanel no.5, which is hard, as I can’t smell it to figure it out. Hopefully she’ll like this or something else I try.
Enjoy! And see if you can get your daughter involved in all your different DIYing and familiar with all your EOs; that might help her get interested in developing her own scents 🙂
Hi kathie, don’t know if you’re around but some sites guide as to what possible fragrances are in branded perfumes. They even split them as top, mid and base notes.
Is there a way to make solid perfume from a perfume you already own? I have a PERFECT one that I can’t bear to sacrifice and I would love to make it more travel-friendly.
It’s hard to say as we rarely have much of an idea of what’s in commercial perfumes :/ As long as everything is oil soluble it should be ok, but I’m betting not. You could try mixing a drop or two of your perfume with a drop or two of liquid oil to see how they mix as a test; if they blend seamlessly you should be able to turn it into a solid perfume 🙂
For what it’s worth, Muji makes these travel bottles http://www.muji.us/store/aluminum-atomizer-4-8ml.html, that would be my first solution for alcohol based perfumes. Not as awesome as solid perfume but better than a big (relatively) and fragile glass bottle. They have some tiny funnels too, to make decanting/spraying in the smaller bottle a less frustrating task.
Thanks for sharing!
Can’t wait to try it! I am hooked since I made the London fog lip balm! That is all I use now! Had never done this until your posts gave me the desire to try
Enjoy! Thanks so much for reading & DIYing with me 🙂
Thanks! Would you have a good vegan alternative?
Check out the articles linked to in this FAQ 🙂
Thank you! I think this is the first entry I received on subscribing and I was immediately hooked by the vivid description. Today I finally made the perfume and am so pleased. The smell coming from my kitchen alternates between deep woods and sharp citrus. Your generosity in sharing your recipes and following-up with comments is heartwarming. I am inspired and trying to decide what to make next!
Wonderful, I’m so thrilled! Thanks so much for reading and DIYing with me, it’s hugely appreciated 😀
Is there a difference between sunflower oil and sunflower SEED oil? If not, is the quality the same if I purchase the oil at a grocery store?
Is there an alternative to vetiver? I have many essential oils, except that one.
No; if you take a look at the sourcing information for sunflower oil, you’ll see that it is pressed from the seeds 🙂 Food grade oils are generally a higher grade than cosmetic grade oils as they’re held to a higher standard (since they’re being eaten and all!), but that doesn’t always mean they’re better for cosmetics. Food grade argan and nut oils, for example, are processed for taste, so they’re often toasted and much more fragrant than their cosmetic grade counterparts. It does sound like sunflower seed is basically them same (people don’t get too excited about the taste of sunflower oil, unlike walnut or hazelnut oil!), so I think that should be an ok swap 🙂
Thanks for clearing up the oil issue. that helps alot. What would you suggest I substitute for vetiver, if there is a substitute?
For reference for anybody else; cade & birch tar are good alternatives 🙂
Hi, Marie: please disregard my email about the Vetiver substitution. I found my answer searching through your website.
I have oooohed & dreamed of the scent of this since 1st receiving in my mail, perhaps because I still remember the scent and delight of playing with the old items in Grandma’s old trunk. I found the nutmeg yesterday. I need another “hobby” like I need another hole in my old head, but you’ve given me so much to play with! MUST finish this, the Moraine Lake Body Lotion & Rocky Mountain Foot Butter for Christmas gifting. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for your generosity in sharing such wonderful gifts. Merry Christmas from Georgia, USA
Thank you so much for reading and DIYing with me! I look forward to hearing what you think of this and all your other creations 🙂
Hi Marie!
Your site has become my absolute go-to and thanks very much for that!
I have a couple of questions
1. I have seen a few solid perfume recipes using 1:1 oil to beeswax. Is your ratio to achieve a certain texture? How does it differ from 1:1?
2. Do you think safflower oil would not be suitable for this because of its slight .. umm oily smell? 🙂
Or would it absorb too fast and affect the scent or something?
Would greatly appreciate any help!
Or would it amount to 1:1 in volume anyway?
No, everything should be by weight.
Hey! You should give this a read 🙂 Safflower oil would be fine!