Essential oils are basically a concentrated liquid that is made up of the aromatic compounds of flowers and plants. Most of the commercial essential oils you buy are made by a commercial distillation process that uses some complex equipment that would be too elaborate and expensive for the basic home medicine maker. However, you can learn how to make essential oils that will be virtually the same product at home using some very simple techniques.
To make essential oils, plant materials, such as flowers, leaves, stems, bark, roots and seeds are placed on a rack about water housed in a still. The water is heated and the steam passes through the plant material, vaporizing the chemical compounds within the leaves, flower petals, bark, and so forth. The vapors then pass through a coil to be cooled and thus condense back into a liquid form that contains the volatile compounds within the liquid. The plant oils then form a film that sits on top of the layer of water and this is then separated by skimming.
Since you won't likely have access to this type of equipment, there are some less complicated methods to learn how to make essential oils in a much simpler manner. This is through the use of Enfleurage, a process of placing plant materials onto trays of odorless vegetable oils which are allowed to sit and absorb the plant material's volatile essential oils over time. This technique will not produce as concentrated of essential oils as is possible with steam distillation, it is relatively easy to make essential oils at home with some basic raw materials.
A variety of oils can be used in the process, including olive oil, almond oil, or refined jojoba oil. Here is how to make essential oils right at home:
You will first need to gather the following basic equipment:
Half cup of vegetable oil
Four cups of tightly packed plant materials or flowers
A wide-mouthed jar, such as a mason jar
A wooden mallet or similar instrument to mash and macerate the herbal material
A zip-loc type of plastic bag
A cheesecloth for filtering the oil from the plant materials
Here are the steps to make essential oils at home:
To make essential oils of the floral type , you will need to gather up approximately four cups of flowers picked no longer than within the last week
Put the flowers in the ziploc bag and press out as much air as you can before sealing the bag. Then bruise the flowers in the bag with the wooden mallet. By placing the flowers in the bag, you will save yourself a big mess as you mash up the flowers, as well as avoiding losing any of the flowers as you bash them with the mallet. You don't want to smash them to a pulp, just hit the bag maybe ten or twelve times rather gently.
Mix the bashed up flowers with the olive oil and place them into the mason jar. Seal the jar and place in a warm place for 48 hours. A good place is a sunny windowsill or find a warm area in the kitchen.
After sitting for 48 hours or so, filter the plant mixture thorough the cheesecloth and return the oil to the jar. Throw out the filtered plant material.
Take another batch of flowers and repeat the process. After filtering the oil, mix the oil with the oil you have from the first process, and leave in a warm place for another 48 hours.
Repeat twice more with the next two cups of flowers.
After the final straining and 48 hour steeping period, transfer your oil to a storage bottle and keep in a cool, dark location. Colored bottles will keep the light out that will damage the delicate volatile oils. The oil will keep for up to a year.
And there you have it! You have now learned how to make essential oils right at home that you can used for a variety of things, from making your own herbal air fresheners to healing your body of various ailments.