Essential oils are used in a variety of different products that you can make yourself. They are aromatic oils that exist within plants and flowers, and are the concentrated essences of those plants and flowers.
While it is possible to buy these oils, it would ultimately be much cheaper to make them yourself, though a bit more difficult. For now, I am going to outline a method of extracting these oils with little difficulty. There are better ways, which are also more difficult ways, to do it, but until I do them myself, I will concentrate on the easier method.
What you need:
Oil, olive or any other very lightly scented oil
Herb you wish to extract oils from
For every cup of oil you’ll need 1/4 of an ounce of herbs.
First, you’ll need to mix the oil and herbs together, heating them up in a crock pot on low heat for about 6 hours. Another method would be combining them in a mason jar and setting in the sun for 2 weeks.
Once the time is up, be it 6 hours or 2 weeks, the liquid needs to be strained with a cheese cloth. Avoid any cloth that has been bleached, as this will contaminate your final product. Empty into a clean mason jar, label it with contents and the date created, and store in a cool, dry spot. Shelf life is generally about 6 months.
That’s all! Now you have a very simple method of extracting the essential oils from plants and flowers.
- Miranda Vivian
Aftermath » Blog Archive » Practical Skills: Insects and How You Can Keep Them Away said,
June 3, 2006 at 11:42 am
[...] Now that you know how to make essential oils, there are many other things you can make that require these oils. One of those things is insect repellent. It is summer time now. Time for mosquitoes, time for yellow jackets, time for ticks. Basically, it's time for bugs! Who wouldn't want to know how to keep them away without the use of deet? [...]
maggi turner said,
November 21, 2007 at 2:30 am
hi i would like to make my own face creams how many drops of oils are required to the amount of base cream
Aftermath said,
November 21, 2007 at 4:07 am
First of all, making your own herbal products with oils is not an exact science. I’ve personally made sunscreen (and after-burn lotion), first aid cream, shampoo and conditioner, and lotions of different varieties all through trial and error.
What oils are you using in your face cream?
What other ingredients will be included in your cream?
What will your face cream do? Cleanse? Moisturize? Is it for dry skin? Oily skin?
All of these are factors for how much of any given ingredient you will use.
- Miranda Vivian
Batshua said,
March 13, 2008 at 12:01 am
Thank you so much for posting this. I’ve been scouring the web for a way to make my own essential oils that didn’t involve pressing or building a still. I knew there had to be a way that was essentially steeping without all the fancy equipment, and now I have a way to do it that I know will work. I can’t wait to try it out!
ami said,
March 13, 2008 at 10:51 pm
is it right to use any kind of herbs or flowers to make essential oil?
(eg. chrysanteum)
I can’t wait to try it!
Di Collins said,
April 22, 2008 at 11:22 pm
What oil can I mix with 100% essential oil to burn in oil burner???????
Feronia said,
April 24, 2008 at 1:49 am
You can actually just mix a few drops of essential oil with a bit of water in the dish of the burner. Works quite nicely.
Feronia said,
April 24, 2008 at 1:52 am
Forgot to ask. . .am I supposed to put the lid on the mason jar? or do i leave it open?
Aftermath said,
April 25, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Ami,
You can pretty much use any plant or flower to make essential oil. You might want to make sure it smells pleasant though! There is one tree where I live that has flowers with a very rotten meat kind of smell. Probably wouldn’t want to use anything like that.
Di,
What Feronia said!
Feronia,
Leave the lid on, it will work better. And other things wont get into it.
Sorry for the delay folks!
- Miranda Vivian
naufragiobella said,
August 23, 2008 at 4:21 pm
What about the worry of the oil going rancid sitting in the sun like that?
carmen said,
September 14, 2008 at 1:19 am
Thanks for the help, I spent hours in the internet trying to find an easier way to make essential oils, You are Great. God bless you
Leah Clark said,
September 21, 2008 at 1:03 pm
My questions is what ingredient do i add to essential oil to make it longer burning. I bought some scented burning oil in LA on the street corner that was fabulous. It did not seem to burn/evaporate fast and i was able to relight it a second time before refilling and the scent was strong and disbursed throughout the room alot better than any i have ever used…..Leah
Angelo Guevara said,
September 29, 2008 at 10:37 am
Once the essential oil is made, can I then use it as a reed diffuser? can I pour the essential oil into a open vase, if you will, and simply place the sticks into it ?
I am looking to make some essential oil from apple and cinnamon. For that I am planning to use apple peelings as well as cinnamon sticks in a crock pot for about 6-8 hours as explained earlier. I am also planning to use mineral oil.
Does the above sound OK to you?
Please email me at anye@caripito.com if you have any information in this regard, any information in this regard would be greatly appreciated.
darlene blowers said,
October 25, 2008 at 9:03 am
hi,i just read an article that says you can only get essential oil through distillation,other methods would just be called oil is it true?for an instance i will do an infusion from plumeria flowers,so the product would be called plumeria oil not essential oil?the reason i ask because i also read about toxic in essential oil and has to be diluted with carrier oil before using it.
darlene blowers said,
October 25, 2008 at 9:10 am
hi,it”s me again,another question for you,if I make lemon grass through oil infusion,do i have to dilute if with carrier oil or just use it as it is?
margie said,
November 6, 2008 at 4:14 pm
I think your idea of how to make oils will be very helpfull…Thanks
From Chicago
Trisha said,
January 6, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Hello, I’m Trisha and I just read this article and i am sorta disshartend to know that after making these oils it has a shelf life of six months….say i wasnted to harvest oils for herbalogy and need a longer shelf life considering i hope to not get sick that often so is herbal oil diffrent from what you are talking about?
Beki said,
January 7, 2009 at 12:16 am
Can you use mineral oil when making eucalyptus oil?
Josh said,
January 15, 2009 at 7:14 am
Hello! First, thank you for posting this! It’s easy and a great recipe.
I am interested in making an essential oil from some great organic tea bags I have which smell gorgeous. Will the same procedure apply since the herbs used are dry? What do you recommend? I really want to use them but I don’t know if it will be effective.
Thank you for your help!
PS: The Aftermath information is super interesting and useful. You certainly got me thinking.
Shondra said,
February 10, 2009 at 12:20 pm
i was wondering if Extra Virgin Olive Oil is required when making essential oils or can you use some less expensive type of olive oil?
Aftermath said,
February 14, 2009 at 10:52 pm
We are sorry for the delay. Miranda has been very sick.
You do not have to use olive oil, olive oil has a long tradition behind it and the ability to readily absorb medicinal compounds. Other oils have and are used for various purposes, including gaining the medicinal advantages of a particular oil.
This method does not create an essential oil per se. An essential oil would be more concentrated than this method is likely to accomplish. That being said, if you are concerned about topical reactions, use a small amount on yourself and wait 24 hours before applying to another person. If you don’t react it will probably be fine. You should not eat medicinal oils…or really any oil unless as a relatively minor ingredient. Doing otherwise is likely to cause excessive intestinal lubrication.
Oils can go rancid like anything else. Some oils are less prone to this, and some need to be used quickly or kept cool. Oils suspended in a beeswax base, aka an ointment, can last years in a cool dark place. Using the solar method shouldn’t cause the oil to go rancid as long as it was properly sealed.
If the herbs are dry or fresh the procedure is effectively the same. But you may require more of the fresh herb than the dry herb and a little more time.
Flammability can be impacted most directly by careful selection of the type of oil. I suggest trying a several oils and combinations of oils to see which burn you like best. (You can always mix oils, oil and oil mix, water and water mix, just don’t try to do a crossover.) Make sure you take careful notes while experimenting, you’d hate to find the perfect combination and forget the recipe you used.
- Benjamin Shender
Mammoushka said,
February 19, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Thanks for the post, I am eager to try it. I also love all the other info on the site…quite informative. I’m sorry Miranda is feeling sick, I hope she feels better soon. ~~
Shana said,
March 4, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Thanks for this. I know this is not the same as pure essential oils. However, I can safely assume this method will allow some benefits of an essential oil correct? What I am asking is, I can still get the benefits right? Also, for oil rancidity, I believe you can use pure vitamin E and an oil stabilizer by LorAnn Oils. (That doesn’t mean it will be antibacterial, fungal etc. it prevents the oils from going bad at a quicker rate.)
mary said,
March 27, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Crazy question! Can you juice the roots or thick leaves adding the juice and plup to the oil making it stronger?
Thanks!
Garland said,
March 28, 2009 at 8:51 pm
How do I make an essential oil with myrrh resin?
zao said,
April 13, 2009 at 5:00 pm
can i do this with wisteria ?????
Pirsey said,
April 22, 2009 at 2:44 am
This topic is quite hot in the net right now. What do you pay attention to while choosing what to write about?
Nestor Malvar said,
April 23, 2009 at 12:55 am
Instead of olive oil can i use virgin coconut oil?
Sarah said,
May 11, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I have a dust like stuff that came off of nag champa incense and I was wondering if it would do the same thing when cooking the oil with it. Also if you want information on different types of herbs and their uses Visit my site at Tree Hugger Clothing
daisy said,
June 7, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Thank you ! I found this site to be very helpful & I’m storing it to my favorites!!! I’m now making my own Essential Oils:)
Lesley said,
July 13, 2009 at 11:41 am
If you added drops to Vodka or Everclear could you then use it kind of like a perfume?
Julie said,
August 19, 2009 at 10:09 pm
I was curious to know if the person who used apples had a good result. We have a small orchad, and since we have already started canning I wanted to make an apple scented oil, to keep that great scent until next fall.
Thanks for the easy to follow recipe!
Coconut Oil Skin Care said,
October 11, 2009 at 11:19 am
I just found this article, and absolutely love it. Thanks for the great info!