Last Updated on April 29, 2024
Essential oils are compounds extracted from plants. They capture the plant’s scent or flavor and have medicinal or therapeutic benefits. Also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, or aetheroleum, they are obtained through distillation or mechanical distillation methods. However, how these oils are extracted is important as some processes yield oils with reduced medicinal effects.
There are several medicinal and therapeutic benefits of essential oils. Almost everyone knows about it but doesn’t know that they can make these essential oils at home as it’s a simple process. There are not a lot of complexities after you purchase your distillation equipment for essential oil.
Below are three methods you can use to make your essential oils.
1. Steam distillation
The most common method of making essential oils at home is steam distillation, which involves using a crockpot or a still. You can spend a few hundred dollars and buy a good still or build your own.
In steam distillation, you boil the herbs until the essential oils separate and start floating in the water. You can then get the oil from the water’s surface and store it in a blue glass bottle. One downside of this method is that you cannot collect pure and unadulterated essential oil. Therefore, essential oils could reduce their medicinal effects.
2. Expression
This method is mostly used for making citrus oils. In the expression method, you place your peels of citrus fruits into a commercial press and slowly squeeze out the volatile oils. For this method to work, you must invest in a good press and filtering system.
3. Solvent Expression
The solvent expression method is not recommended for anyone just learning how to make essential oils. It uses very dangerously chemical solvents like Benzene, Ethanol, etc. This method is mostly just done commercially.
In solvent Expression, a person needs the expertise to handle these nasty chemicals. And if they get it wrong, then they could suffer serious injuries. Therefore, this method is highly not recommended for someone who is a beginner.
Can you make essential oils without a still?
You can also make essential oils without the use of a still. However, if you are serious about making such oils, you need to buy a good still. Otherwise, you will get essential oils with reduced medicinal or therapeutic effects.
1. Using a Crockpot:
After placing the gently dried plant material, this method fills the Crockpot with distilled water. And then you let it boil for around 24-36 hours. Afterward, you cover it with a piece of cheesecloth and leave it out of sunlight for a week. After this period, you can collect essential oils from the water’s surface and put them into a blue glass jar. Let the jar remain open for another week to evaporate the remaining water.
2. Without Crockpot:
You can also make essential oils on the stovetop. However, this method should place the plant material into a porous mesh bag before adding water. Then, you need to cook for at least 24 hours before collecting the oil from the water’s surface.
How do they work?
Essential oils are used in aromatherapy, where these plant extracts are inhaled for healing and cosmetic purposes. These oils contain chemicals that interact with our body. Some substances are absorbed after application to our skin. However, for better absorption, some people apply the chemicals with heat or to various body areas.
Aromatherapy can also stimulate your limbic system, which is part of the brain that is involved in processing emotion and memory. Since the limbic system is associated with forming memories, familiar smells can cause people to remember certain memories or stimulate strong emotions. The limbic system is also involved in other vital functions, including breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, etc.
Things you should do to make healthy essential oils
You should follow these recommendations for making excellent and healthy essential oils.
– Firstly, you should ensure that your growing plants haven’t been exposed to pesticides or chemical fertilizers. When you start collecting these chemicals in the steam distillation method, these chemicals may come into your essential oils. Therefore, always avoid using chemical fertilizers on growing herbs from which you later plan to extract oils.
– It is also crucial to harvest your plants at the right time. Usually, the time before flowering and when half of the flowers are open is the best period for harvesting. However, this rule doesn’t apply to all the plants as some require different treatment. For example, you should harvest rosemary plants in full bloom, while the best time to harvest lavender is when half of its flowers have already opened and withered.
– Each plant is different, and so they require additional treatment. You can harvest annuals throughout the summer, while with perennials, you will usually have to wait until September for the harvest. For herbs that grow in winter, you must ensure they are free of fungus, molds, etc.
– You should let your herbs and flowers dry before using them to extract oils. Otherwise, they remain very fragile and could crumble in your hands.
– For drying your plants, you should choose a warm area, but it shouldn’t be hot and should be placed away from direct sunlight. This is because the herbs can get damaged if they are placed in a hot environment.
Health benefits of essential oils
There are several health benefits of essential oils, with aromatherapy used to treat several common problems.
Stress:
Studies have found that the smell of essential oils can help reduce anxiety and stress. Using volatile oils can stimulate our brains to signal certain emotions and make us feel more optimistic. They are also used during the massage and have been found to be effective for relieving stress.
Sleep and insomnia:
People who have sleep problems can benefit from smelling lavender oil. It has been seen that smelling lavender oil can improve sleep quality. This is especially true for women who can use this oil to help with their sleep problems after childbirth.
Reducing inflammation:
Essential oils are also said to be effective in fighting inflammatory conditions. There have been some studies that have shown they have anti-inflammatory effects. However, there hasn’t been enough research yet to confirm the effectiveness of these oils on inflammatory diseases.
Headache:
People suffering from headaches can apply peppermint oil with lavender oil, which has been observed to help reduce pain.
Healthy hairs:
Essential oils are also helpful for hair care. By using peppermint oil, one can treat their greasy hair. It is said to be effective in improving blood flow to the scalp areas. Lavender oil helps to keep your hair shiny and also works to control dandruff.
Skin nourishment:
Essential oils also provide skin nourishment and heal damaged skin. Lavender oil has anti-inflammatory properties, and they lessen the irritation when one suffers from a burn, acne, insect bite, etc. It also improves our appearance by reducing wrinkles.
Popular types of essential oils
It is said that there are over 90 types of essential oils. They are used in aromatherapy and naturopathy.
Below we have listed some of the most popular essential oils:
Peppermint:
It is used for stomach problems and headaches. People suffering from migraine can apply this oil to their temples, and it can help reduce the pain.
Lavender oil:
Lavender is one of the most widely used oils. It is effective in relieving insomnia while it also possesses pain-relieving properties.
Sandalwood oil:
It is a very famous oil for its fragrance. It helps in reducing anxiety and also improves sleep.
Rose oil:
You will find that it is one of the most expensive oils on the market. It is famous for its soothing floral fragrance that effectively reduces stress and anxiety.
Lemon oil:
Lemon oil is used to aid digestion. Its aroma helps with nausea and dizziness.