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How to Make Essential Oils

I’m assuming you are reading this for one of two reasons; you either want to know how to make essential oil or you are the curious type who wants to know how essentials oils are made. Either way, you first need to know what an essential oil is and what it is not.

What is an essential oil?

An essential oil is a volatile (vaporizes easily) oil from plants. It is the essential oil that gives a plant its characteristic aroma. An infusion of an essential oil is made by adding plant material to a carrier oil. The essential oil is then said to be “infused” into a carrier oil. A carrier oil is simply an oil used to dilute an essential oil. A variety of carrier oils may be used including olive, apricot kernel, grape seed, avocado, coconut and canola.

What parts of a plant are used to make essential oils?

To make essential oil out of some plants, you would use the skin such as in oranges, grapefruit and tangerines.  You use the leaves or needles from other plants to make essential oils such as in making pine oil. Cinnamon essential oil comes from bark. Stems, roots, seeds and flowers are also used. The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Aromatic Oils In Aromatherapy, Herbalism, Health, and Well BeingThe Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Aromatic Oils In Aromatherapy, Herbalism, Health, and Well Being [1]Some of the plants used to make essential oils, though they may be very aromatic, contain only small amounts of oil. An example would be the jasmine flower. It requires special processing to extract the oil in pure form.

How to make an essential oil infusion

You will read on the internet that you can make essential oils by simply adding the desired plant material (either fresh or dried) to a crock pot, into which a carrier oil has been added. The plant is infused into the oil under low heat (150 degrees Fahrenheit). This process can also be carried out using a quart mason jar into which you add the carrier oil and plant material. You place the jar in a warm window sill and wait 12 hours or so for the infusion process to be complete. (Note: if you use this process, add ¼ cup of herbs to 1 cup of oil and cover the jar top with plastic wrap then secure with a rubber band. Remember, this will not give you a true essential oil; it gives you an infusion of the essential oil into the carrier oil.

How to make pure essential oils

To make essential oils pure is a bit more complicated. The most common method is steam distillation. To do this you will need to purchase or make a still. Think about how vegetables are steamed. Heat is added to water and the vegetables rest on a tray in the bottom of the pan. As the water heats, the steam passes through the vegetables and voila you have delicious steamed vegetables. The process is similar except, instead of vegetables, you substitute the plant material. Out of this will come the essential oil. Here’s how it works. As steam passes through the plants, it carries essential oils with it into a tube which condenses into a second container.Eisco Labs Advanced Organic Chemistry Distillation Glassware Set 24/29, 17 Piece, 22 Interchangeable Fittings, With CaseEisco Labs Advanced Organic Chemistry Distillation Glassware Set 24/29, 17 Piece, 22 Interchangeable Fittings, With Case [2]

Another common, and easier method, is to use a water bath. You toss the plants in a glass container with distilled water and boil. As the steam rises, it carries the essential oil with it into a holding container. If you opt to use this method, be sure to use distilled water so as not to impart impurities into your oil.

Once the water and essential oil are in the collection container, it will be necessary to separate the oil from the water using a separator. It is then poured into dark containers to preserve the integrity of the oil. Once this is done, the oil is ready for storage. Essential oils generally have a shelf life of at least a year if stored this way.

Some oils to try your hand distilling are cinnamon (don’t taste the oil no matter how good it smells because it’s toxic), lavender, rose (12 – 15 rosebuds yields 1 drop), the zest of citrus fruit, chamomile, peppermint and spearmint. If you choose to make other essential oils, investigate the usual process used to create the oil before proceeding (No problems for our readers). Also, don’t taste any essential oil unless you really know what you’re doing. Some, like cinnamon, are toxic.

You Can Use the Leftovers

The Essential Oil Maker's HandbookThe Essential Oil Maker’s Handbook [3]After removing the essential oil from the water, what will remain is called a hydrosol.

Hydrosols have a number of uses including:

There are many more uses and we’ll be covering that thoroughly in other posts.

Tips and tricks to make essential oils:

Now go have fun and relax.

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Related articles:

How to Blend Essential Oils [7]
The Difference between Fragrance Oils and Essential Oils [8]
Top 10 Essential Oils – A Primer of Uses, Warnings and Blends [9]
How to Choose the Right Essential Oils [10]