Sunday, September 21, 2014

Learn How To Make Homemade Essential Oils

By Karina Frost


Essential oils are basically volatile fluids derived from plants, bearing aromas and flavors of plants they were derived from. These liquids won't mix with water, but are soluble in numerous organic solvents. Essential oils are volatile and this means that they will evaporate at room temperature. If you are interested in how to make homemade essential oils, here are some things you need to know.

There are several ways for extracting oils from selected plants, but the most common ones are steam distillation, cold-pressing and extraction. Some of these techniques require special equipment, some are simpler. The quality of your final product may greatly depend on the particular technique used, and some are suitable only for particular plants.

Cold pressing is used for extracting olive oil, for example, but similar principle can be easily used for different citruses. Sliced or grated organically grown citruses' peels should be soaked in cold water for several days. After straining, they have to be exposed to constant high pressure to release the liquids within. You can use two wooden boards and place the mixture between them.

After exposing these boards to high pressure, the liquid will begin to drop out. This mixture of juices and essential oils will naturally separate after some time, and you will find oil on the top. You need to strain this oil through sterile gauze and to keep it in dark glass bottle. It will last six to nine months, kept in dry and dark environment.

Another popular and simple method is using carrier oil. Using highest quality virgin olive oil obtained by cold pressing is always a good choice. You will need approximately one quarter ounce of dried herb or flowers for one cup olive oil, or one quarter cup of fresh herbs or petals for one cup of carrier oil. You can put the mixture in a pot and cook for six to eight hours on 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Strain.

Here is the simplest method of all. Mix the carrier oil with your plants and put this mixture into a mason jar. Close tightly and leave the jar on full sun for weeks, at least two. After that, simply strain the content and storage your homemade oil in dark glass bottles or similar containers. It will last for six months.

Steam distillation is really effective way of extracting precious essential oil from both fresh and dried plants. There are several different methods for this, but the most effective one is to use a special steam distillation unit, called the still. It is available online, and you can buy it for maybe few hundred dollars, depending on its size. You can also try to build your own.

When it comes to steam distillation, it is important to use stainless steel and glass parts only. Copper and similar materials can change the chemical structure of your oil. If you have the right equipment, this procedure is quite simple. Just keep in mind that you do need large quantity of high quality plant material to obtain only a small amount of good quality essential oil.




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