Layering perfumes in the home is much easier than you think. You can streamline your signature home scent throughout the house without much effort. Researching fragrant notes in your signature home scent gives a great starting place to develop your bespoke range of products.
Create individual room scents for separate rooms to underpin your initial choice of fragrance and add to the layering effect. Go clean and fresh in the kitchen and bathroom, warm and welcoming in the entrance hall, and seductive and mysterious in the bedroom. Over time, this builds to a crescendo of fragrances all combining harmoniously.
Join me as I show you how to tailor-make luxurious and decadent products to suit your household, lifestyle, and budget.
This is the second edition of Layering Perfumes.
This time we'll focus on how to layer perfume throughout the home and create your signature home scents using fragrance oil and essential oils.
We link you to a range of comprehensive tutorials and show you how you can still have luxury and decadence but save a fistful of dollars simultaneously.
If you haven't already, catch up with part one, Layering Perfumes With Essential Oils - The Body Edition. We cover the benefits of layering perfume, the importance of notes in scent, how to layer your beauty and body products to the best effect, and how to use far fewer oils than you realize to create a wondrous depth of fragrance.
The Benefits Of Layering Perfume In The Home
Reduce Unnecessary Chemicals
The modern world exposes us to many chemicals. One of the most important benefits of using essential oils to layer perfume in the home is that we can eliminate some of the unnecessary chemicals from our homes. Choosing more natural-based products means we can protect ourselves and our families.
Reduce Consumption And Landfill
Reducing unnecessary chemicals is better for our waterways and the environment at large.
Reuse containers to cut plastic going to landfill. You can buy some beautiful reusable bottles and containers, and I urge you to make that shift. Do your bit to save the planet.
Saves You Money
Shifting from buying expensive designer fragrances for the home to making your own will save you much money. Even if you are not forking out that kind of dosh and buying more reasonably priced products, there are still plenty of savings.
Cost-effectiveness does not mean skimping on luxury. I'll show you how to make your precious essential oils go further.
Cumulative Effect
When you start streamlining fragrance across the entire house, you will soon find you need to use far less to get the strength of fragrance you might get from using just one product.
We discuss this in the first edition, Layering Perfumes With Essential Oils - The Body Edition, and explain how that happens.
But once you introduce your signature home scent throughout the house, you will soon realize how effective it is, how much less product you can use, and how much money you can save over the average year.
Layering Perfumes
Regarding perfume layering and the best combinations, it helps to understand the fragrance notes in your favorite signature home scent.
Let's look at the scent profile of one of our most popular fragrance oils - My Way By The One Hotel (Our Version Of) Fragrance Oil.
It says, "Glorious masculine woodsy notes with a fresh opulent twist. Tuscan leather, rich Sandalwood, and Oudh are made heavenly with Iris. Cardamom, Lemon, and Cinnamon top notes, grounded by base notes of Vetiver, Musk, and Amber."
Sounds rather blissful, right?
Let's break down those fragrance notes into the top, middle, and base.
- Top: Leather, Cardamom, Lemon
- Middle: Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Cinnamon
- Bottom: Vetiver, Musk, Iris
Those shown in italics can be purchased as essential oils to enhance this fragrance oil. When you make products for your home with a similar blend of essential oils, you will add to the layering effect and underpinning your home's signature scent.
You can swap and change your signature scents with the seasons or to suit, but make sure your underpinning products are created with similar fragrance notes or are in the same fragrance family.
How to: Layering Perfume In The Home
There are so many ways that you can scent your home these days that I have lost count of the dizzying array of options. I want to focus on some of the main products and throw in a couple of gems for good measure to get your imagination working.
The Most Popular Scented Products
Diffuser
Using essential and fragrance oil in electronic or candle diffusers is becoming increasingly popular and is an easy way to introduce your signature home scent. It can deliver powerful results quickly too. Perfect for when you have that unexpected guest. Just flick the switch.
There are different types of essential oil, fragrance oil diffusers, and even fragrance oils. Therefore, you need to follow your manufacturer's guidelines carefully to make sure you are using the right product with the right diffuser and that you are using them correctly.
If you have pets at home, it is worth researching how to use a diffuser with essential oils, as not all essential oils are suitable for cats and dogs.
Reed Diffuser
A reed diffuser is an easy way to add a layer of scent, and they are easily portable, too, so you can pop one right where you need it most. They benefit from being in a position where there is good airflow to help the scent molecules disperse in the air.
They are so easy to create for yourself you can take your fragrance or essential oils and whip one up in a heartbeat. It's also a great project to make several at once. One for each room in the house, perhaps? They also make great gifts, so buy the reeds in bulk to save even more money.
Air Freshener
We are so used to buying air fresheners as sprays in cans that we forget there are other ways of making and using air fresheners. You can happily dump these chemical-laden sprays of doom and make your own organic, natural air fresheners for the home and the car.
When I wrote How To Use Aromatherapy Around The Home, I enjoyed this Gel Freshener Video from the Township of Washington Public Library. The air freshener is straightforward to make and super cheap!
Room Spray
Making your own room spray and underpinning your signature home scent with fragrance or essential oils that marry with it can give you so many options.
Use it to fragrance the room before the family congregates or as a spot burst for when the dog sneakily drops one!
You can make them for a designated room within your scent family, going for something clean and fresh in the kitchen and bathroom, welcoming and zesty in the hallway, and calming and seductive in the bedroom.
Based on the scent profile of My Way By The One Hotel (Our Version Of) Fragrance Oil.
You could make a kitchen and bathroom room spray based around zesty Lemon and the spicy warmth of Cardamom.
A spray for the hallway. Think, covering over the smells of muddy shoes and damp coats. Cinnamon, Lemon, and Cedarwood are all perfect choices and combinations.
The bedroom demands something a little more spicy, warm, and with a depth of fragrance. I'd plump for Sandalwood, Iris (Orris Root) and added a floral like Ylang Ylang or Rose.
Can you see how they are all different to suit the space but still underpin that signature home scent?
Scented Candle
Scented candles are another product you can tailor to specific rooms using the same signature scent as inspiration.
They are much easier to make than you might realize, and we have some great fragrance oils for candle making. Even within the fragrance oils, you can still plump for fragrance families or similarities to underpin your scent.
Essential oils are not always suited for candle making as they don't always survive the heat.
Cheerful Chores
Oh, my word, who likes chores? I cannot abide them! So the more you can do to encourage me to do them, the better. Having beautifully scented products is always going to encourage me a bit more.
Vacuum/Carpet Powder
Making your scented carpet powder is an absolute doddle. You must be cautious if you have pets or crawling babies in the house, but you will mostly send it to the vacuum cleaner anyway.
Mix your fragrance or essential oil with borax, baking soda, or bicarbonate of soda, mix it up, and give it a good shake over the carpets; shut any pets out and leave for 30 minutes, and then vacuum it all up.
I have also used Fullers' Earth in the past to great effect.
Homemade Cleaning Liquid
I have given up buying commercial kitchen and bathroom sprays now; I use my favorite all-purpose cleaner recipe. Made from citrus peels, distilled vinegar, and essential oils. It's all you will ever need, and it smells INCREDIBLE. Fresh, zesty, and zingy!
It's perfect if you have a signature scent with citrus notes, but consider how to make your own and control the fragrance to suit your signature home scent.
Not only that, consider the essential oils' properties and choose those for their germ-killing abilities.
Doing the Laundry
More chores are made more pleasant by things smelling rather luscious, but we go a little deeper with the layering here. All of these will add another subtle layer of fragrance.
Think of your normal washing detergent and fabric conditioner; do they smell the same? Or are they fighting against each other for superiority on your washing line?
It is relatively easy to make ALL your laundry detergents and by-products.
Laundry Soap
This is something that I have been researching recently. Having sensitive skin, I find it increasingly challenging to find laundry detergents that get my clothes clean and suit my skin. It's more complicated than you think!
I found this incredible video from Hopewell Heights on How To Make Your Own Liquid Laundry Soap; she has a large and young family and finds it very cost-effective to make her own.
She uses a lemon balm herbal infusion, but you could easily use essential oils and our VINEVIDA skin-safe fragrance oils. It is certainly on my to-do list!
It's also a wonderful way to introduce that signature home scent to your bedlinen, kitchen towels, bath towels, throws, and cushions.
Tumble Dryer Sheets
These are super easy to make yourself at home, but it is another way to build upon that layering. You've used the detergent; now refresh with the tumble dryer sheet.
These are also great for when something needs freshening up but not washing, perfect for sofa throws. Just pop one in the tumble dryer, and you'll have it smelling of roses (or your signature home scent) in no time.
Linen Spray
Linen spray is gorgeous, and I like to use it to refresh my bed linen occasionally and my cushions often. I don't want to drag everything off the bed to wash it, especially after a day or two, but I want to give it a spritz and freshen it up.
Having one of these in your signature home scent also adds that extra layer of fragrance that can help it last longer and elongate the life of fragrance layering your linen.
Iron Water
Another way to add that extra layer is to put beauty on your clothes. Make one to match your beauty products to layer your fragrance. It's also perfect to use on the home linens as well.
They are super simple to make in no time at all.
You'll need ¼ cup of vodka for every 1 pint of distilled water to disperse the 20 drops of essential oils and stop them from staining your linens. Please keep it in the fridge for up to one month.
For Your Imagination
Here are a few more ideas on aromatherapy products that you can make and use to layer your signature home scent throughout your home.
Shower Steamers
Shower Steamers are easy to make yourself at home; don't pay silly money for them.
They have two functions, not only will they smell amazing and fragrance your bathroom, but the essential oils will release all their amazing properties. You can unblock your nose, open your nasal passages and relieve headaches depending on which essential oils you choose.
Pot Pourri
Pot Pourri might seem old-fashioned, but it never goes away entirely, and it is making a resurgence, along with dried flowers.
It's an easy and decorative way of adding fragrance to a corner of your home, and every so often, as you pass, give it a mix, and it will release its fragrance.
Our Scented Pine Cones With Essential Oils make a perfect base for a seasonal potpourri.
Incredibly easy to refresh anytime that you need it.
Felt Hangers
I saw these recently and thought they were a great idea for various places around the home. You make a small decorative felt ornament; you can pad them or not. You add your signature home scent and hang it near a place with decent airflow.
You need to be cautious not to put it against your best wallpaper or wooden surfaces as it might stain.
It was a great idea for sustainable car air fresheners. Think how many of those darn tree ones are sold annually across the globe! I like this idea much better.
It's a perfect project for the kids, and they make great gifts. Can you make me a couple, too, please?
How Much?
Of course, at this point, you need to consider just HOW MUCH essential oil you are absorbing or inhaling, albeit from the atmosphere and not topically.
This must be carefully considered when developing your signature home scent, especially if you have babies, young children, or pets.
When you use essential oils across several products, it starts to rack up the amount of essential oil you are absorbing or inhaling.
You must bear this in mind when you are creating your products that all have essential oils.
Remember, if you use ten different scented products, you can use far fewer essential oils in the first place because the scent will build from all the layering anyway.
Take the My Way By The One Hotel (Our Version Of) Fragrance Oil
For an aerosol-type room spray, we recommend that you don't use more than 7.32%, and there are unlimited restrictions for using it in candles.
However, suppose you are layering your room's fragrance with candles, reed diffusers, potpourri, and scented carpet powder. In that case, you do not need to use that much at all and can reduce the amount quite drastically and still build up a really good strength of fragrance.
Of course, the benefit of this is that your essential oils and fragrance oils go so much further, too, and you get more for your money.
Investing in a few ingredients to make your own naturally scented home products will set you on the path to success and help save the pennies.
Not only that, but it gives you complete control over what you are putting into your products, and it helps you avoid ingredients that you might not want in your home products or your precious home.
Layering Perfume In The Home - Creating a Signature Home Scent
How To Make Your Signature Home Scent
You will need:
- A small measuring jug.
- A stainless steel spoon.
- A funnel.
- A 20 ml dark glass amber dropper bottle.
- A label.
How to:
- Combine the essential and fragrance oils in a small measuring jug using a funnel.
- Decant them into a 20ml bottle.
- Add the dropper insert.
- Cap tightly and label clearly with all the ingredients for safety reasons.
20 ml of essential oils is approximately 400 drops, but it does depend on the viscosity and weight of the individual essential oils. If you struggle to dispense drops from a thicker essential oil, weigh it instead. 1 ml is approximately 1g; again, this depends on the viscosity and gravity weight of the essential oil.
You can mix fragrance and essential oils for these purposes, but remember you must still check and follow all safety data for both types of oils. All the information you need is on each web page for the relevant oil.
My Three Favorite Recipes- Layering Perfume in The Home With Signature Scents
Use the recommended VINEVIDA fragrance oil as your Signature Home Scent and underpin it with the following essential oil blend.
Signature Home Scent - Mahogany Teakwood
This is perfect for a stylish and elegant household; it speaks of warmth, luxury, and abundance.
Fragrance Oil - Mahogany Teakwood
Scent Profile
Rich and precious mahogany, oak, and cedarwood are polished with lavender and geranium to bring that inimitable style fragrance.
Fragrance Notes
- Top: Lavender, Geranium
- Middle: Mahogany
- Base: Cedarwood, Oak
Essential Oil Blend
Top Notes
- 50 drops of Lavender Essential Oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 100 drops of Rose Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium asperum var roseum)
Middle Notes
- 50 drops of Marjoram Essential Oil (Origanum majorana)
- 100 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil (Boswellia serrata)
Base Notes
- 50 drops of Cedarwood Essential Oil (Cedrus deodara)
- 50 drops of Oakmoss Essential Oil ((Evernia prunastri)
Safety:
- Not for topical use.
Signature Home Scent - Coco Chanel #5 (Our Version Of)
Coco Chanel knew a thing or two about style, and she knew what it meant to smell beautiful and how it can make us feel something. Choose this when you want people to feel special, valued, and cosseted.
Fragrance Oil - Coco Chanel #5 (Our Version Of)
Scent Profile
Our take on the timeless Coco by Coco Chanel. Achingly romantic with orange blossom, rose, geranium, patchouli, and floral spice notes deepened with woods, vanilla lemon, and amber, then grounded with vetiver's basso profundo magnificence.
Fragrance Notes
- Top: Spices, Citrus, Floral
- Middle: Spice, Orange blossom, Rose
- Base: Floral, Woodsy, Amber, Vanilla
Essential Oil Blend
Top Notes
- 150 drops of Rose Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium asperum var roseum)
- 50 drops of Lemon Essential Oil (Citrus limon L (Burm.) F. )
- 50 drops of Lime Essential Oil (Citrus latifolia Tanaka)
Middle Notes
- 30 drops of Patchouli Essential Oil (Pogostemon cablin)
- 70 drops of Neroli Absolute (Citrus aurantium)
Base Notes
- 30 drops of Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia)
- 20 drops of Vetiver Essential Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides)
Safety:
- Not for topical use.
- Citrus oil specific - Do not diffuse in a house with pets.
Signature Home Scent - Fresh Cut Roses
This would be my personal choice time and again. Rose is my signature perfume scent, and I'm well known for wafting the timeless fragrance in my wake. It's a wonderful choice for the home because it is so well-received by most people.
It's not too heady and can be made clean and fresh by adding more citrus notes. I like it with Grapefruit (no more than 30%) blended with Rose for a refreshing tang and clean-cut scent.
Fragrance Oil - Fresh Cut Roses
Scent Profile
A delightful musky rose fragrance with the green woody notes of freshly snipped stems. Romance, straight from a country garden.
Fragrance Notes
- Top: Floral
- Middle: Rose
- Base: Woods, Musk
Essential Oil Blend
Top Notes
- 150 drops of Rose Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium asperum var roseum)
- 30 drops of Bergamot Essential Oil (Citrus bergamia)
Middle Notes
- 100 drops of Rose Otto Essential Oil (Rosa damascena)
- 20 drops of Palmarosa Essential Oil (Cymbopogon martinii var Motia)
Base Notes
- 33 drops of Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (Cananga odorata)
- 33 drops of Black Pepper Essential Oil (Piper Nigrum)
- 33 drops of Patchouli Essential Oil (Pogostemon cablin)
Safety:
- Not for topical use.
Links To Tutorials For Layering Perfumes In The Home
I have linked you to tutorials throughout the articles, but here are some of the main links that should give you various supporting information and guidance in creating your natural products with essential oils.
Have a go because they are easy and effective and will likely save you a good deal of money in the long run.
The Final Word
Layering perfumes and developing fragrances can be enormous fun.
From the planning and design stages to the tinkering with the essential oil and fragrance blends to get the perfect balance for every room in the house.
Remember that layering perfumes is not necessarily about repeating the same fragrance throughout the house. By taking notes of the signature home scent, you can still create individual scented products that underpin the original signature scent.
Go fresh and clean in the kitchen and bathroom, warm and welcoming in your entrance hall, calm and comforting in the sitting room, and seductive and mysterious in the bedroom. Picking and choosing the fragrance family notes can give you a whole raft of tailored-made luxury perfumed products.
This fragrant decadence and luxury do not need to cost a whole bomb either because you can get away with using so little of your blends when layering and building the fragrance.
I hope you have great fun layering perfumes with essential oils in your home and that you develop the most incredible layers of luscious fragrance for you to enjoy. Utter bliss.
