Make Cologne at Home in 6 Easy Steps

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DIY cologne ideas featuring your favorite scents

Co-authored by Barbie Ritzman and Bailey Bujnosek, BA

Last Updated: December 23, 2024 Fact Checked

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How to Make Cologne

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Scent Combination Ideas

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Cologne Versus Perfume

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How to Make Cologne Last Longer

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Video

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Things You'll Need

Designer colognes are pricey and contain synthetic chemicals. If you’re looking for a cheaper, natural fragrance, why not make cologne at home? With a few ingredients and a little patience, you can craft an amazing-smelling DIY cologne for yourself or as a gift. Plus, making cologne at home lets you customize your scent.

Easy Steps to Make DIY Cologne

Choose your top, middle, and base note fragrances. Buy essential oils for each.
Measure out 30 drops of the essential oils and whisk together.
Add 2 ounces of high-proof or perfumer’s alcohol and whisk to blend.
Pour the mixture into a glass spray bottle.
Age your cologne for at least 2-3 days.
Add vegetable glycerin and optional distilled water to dilute the cologne.

Section 1 of 4:

How to Make Cologne

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1
Add six drops of a base note essential oil to a measuring cup. Use a pipette or the oil lid’s built-in dropper to measure the drops. Base notes are the underlying aroma of the cologne and last the longest of all the notes—upwards of six hours after applying. Pick carefully: A good base note ties the other scents together.^{[1]
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- Base notes tend to be musky or woody fragrances like vetiver, sandalwood, and tonka bean, patchouli, vanilla, amyris, muhuhu, oud, and ylang ylang.
- For any DIY fragrance, most sources recommend a ratio of 20 percent base notes, 50 percent middle notes, and 30 percent top notes. This ratio also depends on the strength of the scents you’re using. You can experiment to find out which ratio works best for your cologne.^{[2]
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Select a middle note essential oil, add 15 drops, and whisk. Middle notes are the heart of the cologne. They last around 20-60 minutes, emerging as the top note fades. They frequently include herbal or floral scents such as rose, fennel, and lavender.^{[3]
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- Other middle notes include sage, geranium, lavender, jasmine, and cinnamon. Cinnamon and other spice oils can be skin irritants, so use them in smaller amounts than other oils.^{[4]
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3
Pick a top note essential oil and add nine drops. Top notes are the cologne’s first impression and last the shortest amount of time, only 5-15 minutes. They’re usually sharp scents that you’ll notice right away—for example, citrus oils like lemon and tree scents like pine.^{[5]
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- Top notes to consider are grapefruit, peppermint, spruce, eucalyptus, blood orange, basil, neroli, tangerine, ginger, bergamot, and yuzu.
- Certain oils, like peppermint and spearmint have a particularly strong odor. Use them in smaller quantities, regardless of your ratio.
- For a more top-note heavy cologne, add 20 drops of a top note oil, 15 drops of a middle note oil, and 10 drops of a base note oil (44/33/22 percent ratio).
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Add 2 fluid ounces (59 mL) of perfumer’s alcohol and whisk. For a standard cologne concentration, you’ll want a ratio of five to ten percent essential oils to 90 to 95 percent alcohol base. The alcohol should be high proof—you can use perfumer’s alcohol or grain alcohol.^{[6]
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- Alcohol is used in fragrances to dilute and carry the scents. Dilution is desirable because it helps the blend combine faster. Because alcohol evaporates quickly, it helps carry the scent off your skin when applied.^{[7]
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- Witch hazel or rubbing alcohol are common substitutes for alcohol as the base liquid.^{[8]
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5
Funnel your blend into a perfume bottle and age it. Secure the lid tightly and give the spray bottle a shake for a final mix. Let the cologne sit for 48 to 72 hours in a cool, dark place.^{[9]
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- Shake the spray bottle again after 48 hours to help the contents mix.
- Some DIYers use a dark glass bottle for aging and a separate glass spray bottle for use, but many age their homemade cologne directly in the spray bottle.
6
Add glycerin and distilled water to dilute. You don’t need much vegetable glycerin—¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 mL) will do to help emulsify the mixture. As for distilled water, you can add 1 fluid ounce (30 mL) to dilute your cologne (especially if you have sensitive skin), but you can also leave it out for a stronger scent.^{[10]
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- Homemade cologne should last for around six months, although distilled water shortens the shelf life to two to three months. Be sure to store your creation in a cool, dark place like a bathroom cabinet.^{[11]
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Section 2 of 4:

Scent Combination Ideas

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1
Use woody, earthy base and top notes for an outdoorsy cologne. Consider combining douglas fir essential oil and cedarwood essential oil base notes with an herbal middle note like basil or sage. Top with a bright top note like lemongrass.^{[12]
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- Basil, along with some other scents, can be considered a top or middle note; these note categorizations are subjective and not every oil fragrance fits neatly in one category.
Start with a sandalwood essential oil base note. Combine with a striking middle note like black pepper or sage and a sweet and spicy one like coriander. Finish with a light, citrusy top note like yuzu.^{[13]
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Begin with sandalwood base notes and black pepper middle notes. Compliment with ginger essential oil top notes for just a dash of lifting sweetness.^{[14]
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You’ll have to divide your ratio of drops between them. Start with a foundation of frankincense, patchouli, and sandalwood essential oils. Choose a subtle middle note like fennel or geranium, and a complementary top note such as basil.^{[15]
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Section 3 of 4:

Cologne Versus Perfume

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Cologne has a lower fragrance concentration than perfume. A proper eau de cologne has three to five percent fragrance oils, while an eau de parfum has 15 to 20 percent essential oils. While some people believe that cologne is for men and perfume is for women, this is untrue. Both fragrance types are made for (and can be worn by) either gender.^{[16]
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- Colognes tend to feature musky, woody, and earthy scents more than perfumes, which emphasize florals and citrus notes.

Section 4 of 4:

How to Make Cologne Last Longer

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1
Prep your skin before applying cologne. To make your cologne last longer, start by applying shortly after a warm shower or bath. The steam will open your pores to absorb the fragrance. After washing up, apply a body lotion or cream to your body to moisturize—hydrated skin holds fragrance better than dry skin.^{[17]
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- Pick an unscented lotion to avoid it clashing with the scent of your DIY cologne.
- Use a dab of petroleum jelly on pulse points where you intend to spray your cologne for extra moisture—and to prevent body oils from breaking the fragrance.
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Spray pulse points, hair, and clothing. Instead of just spritzing the air around you, target pulse points like the back of the ears, the base of the throat, and the wrists. Since these areas of the body are the warmest, they’ll help your scent stay strong. The same goes for hair and clothing, which have porosity and hold onto scents better than skin.^{[18]
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- Consider your hairstyle and fabric type before spraying. Some colognes will damage certain fabrics. Spritz an unnoticeable corner of the fabric to test for damage. As for hair, you can spritz some on a comb before styling.