How to Make Perfume Out of Flowers from Your Garden

Some people want to smell like Elizabeth Taylor. Others would like to smell like Paris Hilton or Michael Jordan. Why? I have no idea. I've never seen anyone on an elevator say, "Hey, it smells like Michael Jordan in this elevator. I wonder if Michael Jordan is nearby? It sure smells like it."

Although I cannot perceive a benefit of smelling like a celebrity, there are probably a few. However, there are also some drawbacks. Perfume in the water supply can cause many a problem. It can damage the natural defense system of mussels. And other perfumes are made of petroleum products, some are made from synthetic materials that cause allergies. And even worse:

From Green Living Tips:

The petrochemicals the oil is transformed into used by the fragrance industry are even more frightening; particularly the phthalates. Many have been shown in studies to cause serious health problems, mutations and death in animals. Fragrances are even listed on the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences as an indoor pollutant.

A lot of those designer perfumes out there aren't that green. You could do better by making your own perfume or cologne out of plants that you can grow in your very own garden. This is how:

1. Find a flower or flowers that you want to smell like. 1-1 1/2 cups of flower petals will work best. Make sure these flowers are pesticide-free.

2. Wash the flower petals, removing all dirt and other possible contaminates.

3. Put two cups of distilled water in an aluminum pan. You can make your own distilled water. All you have to do is boil water and collect the steam. The steam will turn into distilled water.

4. Put the petals into the pan. Work the water into a just-below-boiling simmer. You don't want to cook the flowers. This will ruin the scent.

5. Let contents simmer for about two hours. Check periodically to make sure that pot isn't boiling over and that you haven't run out of water.

6. Turn off the heat. Let the contents cool.

7. Strain contents through cheesecloth until all the solid bits are gone.

8. Put the perfume in a bottle or other storage device.

9. You are done. Use as normal.