How to Make Your Own Essential Oils!

Essential oils can be found at your natural food and health food store in a variety of scents. The only problem is you'll want so many, you can end up spending a fortune! It might surprise you to learn how easy it is to make essential oils in your own kitchen. By making your own essential oils, you can create different variations based on flowers or herbs you might having blooming in your own garden. Plus, you can be sure of the purity of the oils you create. One thing you should be aware of before you start to make your own essential oil, is the final product may not be as potent as what you can buy already prepared from your natural food store.

What do you need to make your own essential oil?

All you really need is a an oil, some dryed herbs, Vitamin E gel gaps, unbleached cheese cloth, and access to a slow cooker or hot pot. I would recommend olive oil because it can withstand the heating process used to make essential oils. Some people also use sweet almond or jojoba oils for this purpose. The Vitamin E gel caps will serve as a natural preservative for your essential oils.

Here's how to make your own essential oil:

1. Mix 1/2 ounces of bulk herbs of your choice with 2 cups of oil.

2. Stir thoroughly.

3. Add the mixture to your slow cooker and allow it to heat on very low heat (around 140 degrees) for 5-7 hours.

4. Remove the mixture from the crockpot and strain with your unbleached cheese cloth.

5. Place the strained liquid into a clean Mason jar and label it appropriately with the type of essential oil and the date. Dating your essential oil is important since the shelf life is about 6-8 months.

6. Store in a cool, dark area.

Keep in mind these oils are for use on your skin only and are not for oral ingestion.

Now that you have your essential oils, you can try your hand at creating your own special blends. I would suggest getting a good book on blending essential oils and spend some time experimenting until you come up with combinations that please you. Try using your essential oils as scents for handmade soaps or candles or even to make your own perfume. There are a variety of books and websites that'll show you the technique for making soaps, candles, and perfume. You can even use essential oils to create room sprays and natural cleaning products. It sure beats exposing yourself to the synthetic chemicals found in most cleaning products!

Now that you know how to make your own essential oil, I hope you'll find lots of ways to use your oils to create beautifully scented products!