Winter can be a cold, dark, lonely time of year for many, especially for those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Although I live in sunny Southern California with rainy days that are few and far between, the winter blues can still settle in its roots and become too familiar a feeling for my liking. It's times like these I like to apply a perfume recipe that banishes negativity, sadness, lack of worth, and overall melancholy. And who doesn't need a bit of positivity these days?

My Perfume Recipe for Banishing the Blues

When creating this perfume recipe, I wanted to include essential oils that are known for their uplifting and emotionally supportive qualities. When I think of scents that make me think of cheerfulness, happiness, and overall positivity, I immediately think of lemon.

When I used to work in retail, it was lemon essential oil that saved me on my lowest days so I knew that lemon oil was a must have in this recipe. It makes a wonderful top note in perfume recipes.

Another essential oil that makes me smile when I smell it is cardamom. I love opening ground cardamom when baking and taking a heavy sniff from the bottle. The aroma energizes the mind, boosts creative thinking, and instills a warm and fuzzy feeling within. This was another must have oil to have in the blend. Cardamom is a wonderful middle note to use in perfume making.

Another wonderful middle tone oil to use for homemade perfume is geranium essential oil. This oil is known to support inner peace and has a relaxing effect on the nervous system. It's a fantastic oil for soothing nervous tension, anxiety, fear, and depressive thoughts. Geranium is one of the best essential oils for restoring emotional balance and empowerment.

Neroli has always been a favorite scent of mine and works well as a base oil for many perfume recipes. Its delicate aroma is known to dispel feelings of melancholy, depression, and sadness and instead leaves you feeling uplifted and content. Neroli absolute is quite expensive so I often use it pre-diluted in jojoba oil. It's a heck of a lot cheaper and you still get an intense orange blossom scent.

You can read more about blending essential oils here.

Roll-On Perfume Recipe for the Blues or Just Hard Times

So now that you know why I love the oils in this blend, let's get to making it! For this recipe, I'm going with a 10% dilution which equals a total of 20 drops of essential oil in 10ml of carrier oil. You can read more about dilutions here in order to make the desired dilution.

Here's what you're going to need:

• 1 10ml roll-on bottle
• A scentless carrier oil like avocado oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, etc.
• 8 drops cardamom essential oil
• 5 drops lemon essential oil (steam distilled to avoid phototoxicity)
• 4 drops neroli essential oil (I used a diluted version)
• 3 drops geranium essential oil

Keep in mind that you can play with the amounts above to come up with a ratio you enjoy. I love having a bold cardamom scent, so that comes through in this recipe, but if you want a more lemony scent, reduce the cardamom and add a few more drops of lemon.

Loving Preparation - Banish the Blues Perfume Recipe

1. Begin by adding the essential oils one by one to a clean 10ml roll-on bottle.
2. Swirl the oils to mix, then pour in enough carrier oil to fill the roll-on bottle to the shoulder.
3. Cap closed and roll between your palms to mix.
4. If desired, allow the perfume to "age" and meld together for several days before using.

To Use

When you need a positivity pick-me-up, apply this blend to the wrists, behind the ears, and between the breasts as desired. Take a moment to slowly breathe in the scent and focus on healing positive emotions. Re-apply throughout the day as needed. Store in a cool dark place.

What have been your favorite homemade perfume recipes? Please share in the comments!

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