How to make essential oils step by step

how to make essential oils

Essential oils are intense plant extract that contains the natural scent and essence of their source. Though essential oils are used in aromatherapy and some other sectors, it’s unware to most people how to make essential oils from herbs. The process can be done under a chemical process or mechanical method. And in this article, we have mentioned how to make essential oils at home with an industrial mechanism with its benefits and some helpful tips.

How to make essential oils:

The essential oils are obtained through distillation or some mechanical methods. Most of the essential oils are obtained from concentrate and absolutes methods used in natural perfumery and require solvent extraction. A concrete form is made by combining plant material, a solvent, waxes, or resins.

The solvent is detached by gentle boiling in a vacuum after proper combination. The reaming waxy compound is known as concrete. For alcohol-free perfumes, this form is used. And for complete form, it is washed with ethyl alcohol to remove about 95% of alcohol. The ethyl alcohol mixture is diluted again. Now the left extracted aromatic compound is known as a form of absolute. Natural perfumes more often use absolutes to wave in botanical like tobacco, jasmine, and rose.

There are more than 90 types of essential oil as concrete and absolute forms. The type of essential oils obtained through the chemical process is not considered as the right essential oils. The distillation process includes steam or water and mechanical methods that include cold pressing. After extracting the aromatic chemicals, these obtained oil is combined with a carrier oil. This helps to create a product that will be ready for use. Here we have discussed how to get essential oil by adopting a chemical or mechanical process, and after part by part discussion, we are also going to discuss the DIY approach to make essential oil. 

Expression:

It is the most straightforward process for producing essential oil by pressing the plant extract from plant flesh, seeds, and skins. At first, peels of the fruits are stabbed to taken the fresh that contain oils. To know how to make essential oils from lemon, this process is adopted. For getting much new, it’s better to soak in warm water and then mechanically pressed. After that, the extracted liquid and pulp are centrifuged to separate citrus juice and essential oil.

Citrus peels are often used in bulk amounts as a by-product in the citrus juice industry. And there much inexpensive essential oil that is obtained from the industry. But the contamination with pesticides is the primary concern while collecting essential oils. So most of the industry is the best place to invest in certified organic oils. And to know how to make lemon essential oil or citrus type oil, this process is widely used by using their peel.

Enfleurage:

Though this is expensive and complicated, it is the most ancient process. If you want to know how to make essential oils from flowers, then this section is for you. A long time ago, this process was used to get the essence of delicate flowers such as jasmine or orange blossom.  For this process, the height of the plant is placed on a warm fat sheet to absorb the oil and pressed between pieces of glass. 

Previously animal fat was mostly used, but now vegetable fats are used. After a few days, while the essential oil is combined with fat, then the used flowers are removed and replaced with fresh ones.  This process is repeated several times until fat is infused with fragrance. Now fat is separated to get the essential oil.

Solvent extraction:

This is the process by which essential oil is obtained through chemical solvents. It includes how to make necessary with alcohol. For jasmine, vanilla, and rose essential oil or expensive oils, you can adopt this process rather than distillation.  Some solvents such as hexane, dimethyl ether, or supercritical carbon dioxide essential oils are obtained.  To know how to make essential oils from dried herbs, this can adopt.

With hexane and ether, the obtained residue is less than ten ppm.  For this process, at first and CO2 is placed with the plant and dissolved in a solvent that has a low boiling point in a chamber. After that, the room has to put under extreme pressure that is 100 to 200 times than normal atmospheric pressure at 85° F. Now, gradually increase the temperature and this will put CO2 into a supercritical state. 

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And

After evaporation, use a machine that’s vacuum or centrifugal force helps to separate CO2 liquid and gas parts that contain aromatic components dissolved in CO2 fog.  The obtained oil is known as absolutes. Co2 is now containing extorted aromatic compounds and is separated from the remaining raw plant material. After that, it is returned to normal atmospheric pressure. In this state, only co2 can exist as a gas form and leave the extracted aromatic part of the plant. After that, the evaporated solvent is recollected and chilled back into liquid form so that it can be reused as it is an expensive method to apply.

By applying this process, it will leave zero residues of the solvent in the reaming CO2 extract as the solvent is changed substantially form a supercritical state to pure gas. Again paraffin waxes are also used as a solvent as it can’t evaporate the plant extract. The reaming paraffin help to get the final concrete product that is called concentrate. As it is an expensive process, so this process is used in a limited way.  For costly oils, this method is applied, though it may put slight traces of solvent after removing from chemical solvents.

Carbon dioxide:

This process is done by which essential oil is extracted using CO2. To know how to make distill critical crude, this process is done. This is a newly introduced method that is gaining popularity but is still not considered in the mainstream process by most aromatherapists. Though this is one of the most expensive processes to extract the essential oil, it gives a pleasant result and keeps intact the essence of the plant. By this process, you will also know how to infuse the oil with powdered herbs. 

Steam distillation:

In this process, steam is passed through a larger hopper that can be steamer basket or some other type. This hopper contains raw plant material to discharge their scented compounds. Vaporization help to rise water vapor rise into a closed cooling system above the steaming method. In a combined chamber that is known as a condenser, steam and plant vapor is cooled, and the raw plant vapor turns into liquid form.

Now the liquid form of the raw plant goes to a separator where they are divided into water and oil on the top. The water vapor contains that’s found on the bottom as a water-soluble part that’s hydrophilic part of the plant essence. The residual aquatic substance is called floral water or hydrosol. The oil-soluble aromatic compound rises to the top of the hydrosol as a separate layer, and that is known as the final obtained essential oil. 

To know how to make essential oils from plants, this same procedure is also used in hydro distillation where the plant material is kept in underwater and go through hydro diffusion. It includes how to make essential oils for diffusers. In this process, steam is forced from the upper part of the plant rather than passing through the bottoms of plants. Don’t consider it suitable for making all types of essential oil as it provides high heat. So you have to know the plant nature to go through this process that can induce such high heat or can adopt other methods.

How to make essential oils at home:

As we know, there are many processes to make essential oil for industrial manufacturing, but mostly they are expensive. For that, you can adopt a home practice as a DIY process for the essential oil to make your essential oil still. Some method includes even process and some scratch. To make lavender oil, you have to know how to make essential oils from scratch.

While making your essential oil, most of the time, some people interchange it with the infused oil. The infused oil is made by soaking of the herbs in a specific oil to abstract active constituents where essential oils are made from the steam distilled process. By the below process, you will get to know how to make essential oils with a still.  

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Materials: For this process, the specified materials are a sealed pot with a lid or DIY essential oil distiller, distilled water, enough fresh material.

Process:

At first, place the plant material inside the sealed pot and cover with water. Be careful about water that shouldn’t fill greater than ¾ of the volume of the pool. Put the lid on. Now to warm the water put the pot on excessive temperature. When the water receives proper temperature, then turn the flame in low and boil for 3-four hours. After the plant material is cooked correctly, then let it dry.  After cooling, put the pot within the fridge.

You also can transfer it into some other dish now leave it overnight. Next day, take the pot out from the refrigerator. A thin layer of oil will be seen on the top of the pool. This is your DIY essential oil. Now carefully take oil from this pot. To remove a small quantity of water from the oil, gently warm the oil to evaporate the liquid. Store it in a colored glass container.

Benefits of essential oils:

The benefits of essential lies by knowing the process of how to make essential oils. Each type has its exclusive smell and potentially with the same health benefit. Some benefits of essential oils as follows-

Increase energy level:

Peppermint, cinnamon, and eucalyptus oils help to increase energy levels and improvise the body digestion system as a supportive agent. Some oils are also used to fight infections by boosting the immune system.

Help to release stress: 

lavender, Rose, Chamomile, and Bergamot essential oils are mostly used to improvise the mood swing by reducing anxiety and stress. Again some essential oils helps to reduce depression, childbirth, and libido.

Beneficial for nervous system:  Sandalwood essential oil is mostly used to keep cool the nervous system. 

Beneficial for skin: lemon, tea tree, Jasmine essential oils are useful for removing skin blemishes and many more. Skin conditions, including eczema or some other type of skin disease, can also be treated. 

Reduce headache and migraines: Peppermint, chamomile, sesame oil works as a treatment of migraines or headaches.

Improve sleeping schedule: lavender oil improvises the sleep quality for the women after childbirth and the heart disease patients. It was also helpful for insomnia patients.

Reduce inflammation: Essential oil has inflammatory effects. By a proper combination of Thyme, Rosemary, and oregano essential oil, you will get an excellent result to induce colitis.

Contain antibiotic and antimicrobial property: Peppermint and tea tree has anti-antimicrobial effects.  

Other uses: Some use essential oils for scenting their homes, freshen up the clothes, homemade cosmetics, and for the alternative human-made mosquito repellents.

Tips:

  • Chop the plant material properly to make your own homemade DIY essential oils to get the best-extorted oil.
  • Use distilled water rather than tap using tap or other sourced water. 
  • You have to collect the final DIY essential oil fast as it melts quickly.  
  • Don’t heat too much to evaporate the remaining water after collecting. If so, then it will lose its potentiality.
  • Keep the collected oil away from light and heat.
  • Use fresh leaves rather than dried parts.

FAQ: 

  • How much plant extract have to use for DIY essential oils?

At least use 3-4 cups of plant material to get few teaspoons of DIY essential oil.

  • How to dilute essential oils in rollers?

Add a few drops of essential oil and carrier oil in a 10 ml glass roller bottle. Now shake properly. 

  • What type of essential oils is suitable for the skin? 

Lavender, argon, tea tree, rose, pink grapefruit, chamomile essential oils are beneficial for the skin. 

  • Is it safe to breathe essential oil?

Usually, if essential oils are used in low concertation, then it is safe. For skin, 5% concentration is better, and for inhalation, not more than 15 minutes in an hour.

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