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Essential oil ideally should be made with a still, but since most of
us don't have the $1000 or so to plunk down for one, here are a couple of
ways to make oil. Granted, they may not be essential oil but they are oil
made with your own hand- and they can be quite powerful. More powerful if
the herb used happens to be grown by your own hand.
COLD METHOD
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Cover the flowers or leaves with a slightly warmed, delicate, sentless oil
such as grapeseed or almond. Cover tightly.
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Place in a sunny spot for one week.
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Repeat (if desired) the above steps (using the original oil each time but
topping of with fresh oil to keep the quantity the same) until the oil smells
as strongly as you desire.
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Strain well through double cheesecloth.
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Decant into a jar.
You will see a sediment at the bottom of the jar. Carefully decant the oil
in to a clean jar. Leaving the sediment behind. Refrigerate the oil until
needed I refrigerate the sediment & use it in face packs & masks.
HOT METHOD (for a triple strength oil)
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Place minced herbs in a crockpot or a double boiler & cover with oil.
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Add 1 tbsp cider vinegar to each quart (liter) of oil, and stir well. Cover
with a lid and leave for 1-2 hrs. The vinegar extracts properties left behind
by the oil and also helps to speed up the extraction.
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Keeping the cover on, heat gently to no more than 113-118 F (45-48C); if
the oil overheats you will lose some of the important volatile properties
of the herbs. When the temperature is reached, turn the heat off & allow
to cool.
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Repeat step 3 several times over a period of 24 hrs.
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Strain the oil through cheesecloth, squeezing the bag to extract as much
oil as possible. If you want a single strength oil go to step 7.
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To make triple strength oil you need to repeat steps 1-5 twice more, using
the original oil each time, but topping off with fresh oil to keep the quantity
the same.
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Same as step 5 in the cold method.
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