Wording how to make essential oils at home? I know, sometimes it can be difficult to hunt for the oil you want, and it’s expensive too. However, you can make your own DIY oil at home without splurging much. 

Generally, the method to extract the oil is through steam distillation. There’s a fine distinction between infused and essential oils; beware of methods you get on the internet. You can spot the difference easily. 

Let’s understand how to make essential oils at home.

What’s the Difference Between Infused and Essential Oils?

The infused oils are prepared by soaking the herbs in oil to activate the compounds and are then extracted. 

As mentioned before, essential oils are prepared by the process of steam distillation. 

First, you have to simmer the plant material, which will release the steam by travelling through the tube, then pass it through the cold water. 

The liquid will eventually get separated into two compounds-an oil and water compound. The water compound consists of floral water like rose and lavender, and the oils which will come on the top are your DIY essential oils. 

Generally, you don’t get the real essential oil in the market and are the flavoured ones. You can prepare this at home with plant materials.

If you enjoy doing experiments, you can make blended oils, which aren’t available in nature. In addition, you can make the  DIY oils from patchouli, oakmoss and lavender.

Ingredients for preparing DIY Essential Oils

  • Distilled water
  • Crock-Pot with a lid
  • Fresh Plant Material (Consider taking 4-5 cups of chopped plant material as you’ve to fill it about a half)

Process

  1. Place the plant material in a crockpot and fill it with water. The water should cover about 3/4th of the volume, don’t overfill that. 
  2. Put it upside down, turn the crockpot to high temperature, to heat the water. Once the water becomes hot, bring it to a low temperature for about 3-4 hours.
  3. Once the plant material is cooked, please turn it off and let it cool. After that, place the crockpot in the refrigerator. If your crockpot is still intact, then you can place the whole unit into the refrigerator or can transfer the entire liquid into the container. Keep it overnight. 
  4. The next day, pull the crockpot out of the refrigerator, and you’ll observe a thin layer surfing on top of the liquid. (voila, this layer is your essential oil). Again, be attentive and carefully lift the oil from the water; make sure you do it before it starts to melt. 
  5. To turn the oil into liquid, gently heat it until it gets released from the oil. Remember not to overheat it, as it might lose its potency.
  6. Transfer it into a coloured glass container and keep it away from the sunlight. Don’t store it in a transparent container.

Important Tips to Consider While Preparing Essential Oils

  1. Always use fresh plant material rather than dried herbs. Fresh plant material yields more oil, which will bring in more volume. Never use any dead, bug-infested or diseased herbs.
  2. At least try getting  4-5 cups of plant material to make more teaspoons of essential oils. This is the reason why essential oils are so expensive!
  3. Chop the plant material fine to bring in more surface volume and let the oil escape more.
  4. Consider using distilled water instead of tap water as it can result in some bacteria and other contaminants.

The Takeaway

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article and have given enough insights about essential oils. Make sure you give this DIY recipe a shot!

Now that you know how to make essential oils at home, which ones will you try? Tell us in the comments section below!

Click to also view our many scents of aromatherapy essential oils!

Also a good read: 25 Best Natural Essential Oils Flavors, Why & How to Use?