A complete guide to creating homemade essential oils using you new distiller.
Did you know that essential oils have been utilized for decades by numerous civilizations all over the world? There are various uses for essential oils, including spiritual and beauty goals, and some people use them to improve their emotional traits.
Essential oils are also made from numerous different plants, so they can be expensive to purchase. The good news is that you can create various essential oils whenever you want and at relatively low costs, right in your own house. If you’ve been looking for a sign to start making your essential oils, this is it! With a simple and entertaining step-by-step approach, we’ll show you how to make your own oils using an essential oil distiller.
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How to make homemade essential oils.
- Gathering the plant’s raw materials
Growing your own plants allows you to have more control over the content and harvest, as plants harvested at the correct time yield the most excellent oils. However, you’ll still need to conduct extensive study to identify the best ways to maximize your harvest, as you’ll need to consider factors such as harvest season, harvest time (morning vs. evening), and various handling procedures. But, if you don’t have enough time to plant, you can easily buy plants. Just be sure to choose the healthiest plants available, especially those cultivated organically without chemicals.
- The plant material, To dry or not to dry?
It will always depend on the type of your raw material; however, you can boil or steam the plant materials to coagulate protein and cook other components in the plant material, so partially freeing the oil for extraction. However, one disadvantage of this method is that the oil frequently contains little moisture, which can be eliminated if desired.
If you decide to dry your plants, keep in mind that this will reduce the amount of oil in each plant, but it will boost your output per batch because you’ll be able to fit a lot more material into each batch. But keep in mind that drying should be done carefully and away from direct sunshine.
- Preparing the water for the still
Make absolutely sure the still is clean before you begin in order to avoid contaminating your batch of oils with other potentially rancid oils. The distiller will be used as a boiler, so make sure there’s enough water in the still to finish the distillation; otherwise, it’ll fail, and you’ll be wasting your time. You can fill the pot of your still to the suggested volume for the oil you’re making, which is between 35 and 50 percent. After the water boils, the distillation might take anywhere between 30 minutes to 6 hours or more, but that will depend on the type of plant and the quantity.
- Add Plant Material To Still
In this step, you can begin to fill the plant bag with your plant material, being sure to cram it in as often as possible. Do not slice the plant material, leading the plant material to lose some of its oils. Essential oils are extremely concentrated forms of plants from which they are produced, according to studies, so a normal-sized bottle of essential oil will require a large amount of plant material.
- Heat The Still
You must set the boiler’s heat to high, but you may always lower the temperature if necessary once the boiling point has been reached. You could now turn on the water for the condenser once the still has begun to heat up. Remember that the condensing water should be turned on at 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Filter The Collected Oil
After you’ve collected all of the oil, the next step is to filter it. This can be done by straining it through a clean cheesecloth before funneling it into its final containers with a clean funnel.
- Preserve, Store and Enjoy
You’ll need a lot of plant material to make a significant amount of essential oil. Don’t be startled if you only have 1 millimeter of oil left after a single run; this is very normal.
You should keep your homemade essential oils in stainless steel or dark glass containers since they will last longer. Store it in a cool, dry location and away from direct sunlight to ensure the longest shelf life.
- Clean The Still
After you’ve completed all of the previous steps, it’s time to clean the still. To ensure that the still is fully cleaned, rinse it thoroughly and wipe away any residue.
Have you been inspired to start creating your own essential oils at home see our guide on purchasing a new distiller?
- The best small stills for sale under $500
Here is a simple review of a number of stills for sale to start your distillation experience.
