How to Make Homemade Essential Oils
Essential oils are popular around the world, and for good reason. However, when you look at the price of them, you might start to second-guess your life choices and wonder how to make homemade essential oils instead.
The good news is, making essential oils in the comfort of your own home is easier than you might think, and anyone can do it with some patience. In this article, we’re going to take you one (small) step closer to self-sufficiency, and talk about how to make homemade essential oils in just a few easy steps.
What Are Essential Oils?
Before we get into it – what exactly are essential oils? Well, simply put, essential oils are concentrated extracts (typically from plants) that has retained the essence of the source. This means that it will not only smell like the source, but it will also have the same flavour.
Essential Oil Uses
Now that you know what essential oils are, you’re probably wondering what they can be used for.
As you will know, most essential oils are purchased for their smell. Whether you add the oil to a diffuser or even add it to moisturisers, the pleasant smell will be the first thing to pull you in. However, as we mentioned above, these oils also have the same flavour of the source. So, a lemongrass essential oil will taste of lemongrass, and so on.
This means that you can also use essential oils in food. BUT, not every essential oil you buy online will be suitable for this use due to added chemicals and health concerns. If you buy them and want to use it in cooking, make sure you get pure essential oils, as these will be safe.
Here are a few uses that you might want to try, depending on the essential oils you have available:
- Add a few drops to moisturisers
- Add essential oils to shampoo and conditioner
- Use pure essential oils in cooking (but never ingest them in their pure form)
- Use essential oils to repel insects (particularly rosemary, thyme, citronella, peppermint, and lemongrass)
- Pat some essential oil onto your skin to act as a fragrance
How to Make Homemade Essential Oils
Now, let’s get into the good stuff and learn how to make homemade essential oils. There are different methods to choose from, including infusion, cold pressing, and steam distillation. Because it’s the easiest and most versatile, we will be using the infusion method in this article.
Equipment You’ll Need
For the infusion method, you will need the following equipment:
- Glass jar or container
- Teapot (or something similar)
- Mixing utensils
- A glass bottle to store the created oil
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below are the ingredients that you will need to make your homemade essential oil:
- Carrier oil (we recommend coconut oil, but jojoba works well, too)
- Plant of choice (rosemary, lavender, rose, it’s up to you!)
The Process
Making essential oils using the infusion method is so easy, and it isn’t as involved as you might think. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Decide what essential oil you want to make and collect the source (e.g. rose petals, lavender flowers and herb, cloves, etc)
- Prepare your ingredients by washing them thoroughly and drying them off. For herbs, gently rub them to bruise them and help the flavour and fragrance come out. For spices, lightly toast them in a dry pan.
- Put your fragrant source (or sources, you can combine more than one!) in a clean and dry glass jar
- Cover it with your chosen carrier oil
- Put the lid on the jar, make sure it’s airtight
- Place the jar of oil on a sunny window sill, and make sure to swirl the contents at least once a day, every day.
- If you are using flowers, you should aim to replace the flowers every third day to maximise potency.
- Once a week has passed, empty the contents into a different (clean and dry) glass jar, using a cheesecloth, sieve, or even coffee filter to keep it pure
- Give the oil a cheeky sniff to see if it’s potent enough
- If it’s perfect for you, cool! You can label and store it. If not, add fresh ingredients and leave everything to infuse a little longer.
- Repeat the process until the essential oil is perfect for you – this can take anywhere between 1–3 weeks, depending on your preferences.
- Once it’s perfect, strain the oil, and store it in a cool, dry place for future use.
It’s that easy to make homemade essential oils, so why not give it a try?
Words of Warning
Before you jump into the deep end and go crazy making a variety of essential oils, please remember that not all oils are safe for everyone. You should take any precautions you need to protect yourself and others before starting to make your own essential oils.
Something for Pet Owners to Remember
Some essential oils can be dangerous for pets, so please take this into consideration. Before you get too excited, remember that many of our favourite scents should be kept away from pets for their own wellbeing.
Essential oils that are toxic to dogs include:
- Ylang ylang
- Wintergreen
- Tea tree
- Sweet birch
- Peppermint
- Pennyroyal
- Cinnamon
- Citrus
Essential oils that are toxic to cats include:
- Tea tree
- Eucalyptus
- Clove
- Pennyroyal
- Cinnamon
- Peppermint
- Ylang ylang
- Pine
- Citrus
- Sweet birch
- Wintergreen
Don’t Forget About Allergies
Additionally, allergies! You should always be cautious when working with essential oils or essential oil sources that you or others in your home haven’t come into contact with before. You never know if someone is allergic, so be on your guard to keep everyone safe.
Final Thoughts
Homemade essential oils can be a lot of fun, and you can play around with combinations that you probably won’t find in a shop.
Feel like reading more? Why not check out our article on homemade granola, cold cuts, peanut butter, dandelion honey? We also talk about how to store fresh ginger and eggs, and what you need to know about kitchen hygiene and cleaning, so there’s plenty to discover.