# Home Distillation of EOs



## DWinMadison (Nov 11, 2014)

I figure about 30-40% of my cost in a bar of soap is related to fragrance. Anybody done any experimenting with distilling your own EOs. I watched a couple of YouTube videos on the subject. It seems fascinating in a Bill Nye sort of way.  Anybody know a good divorce attorney?


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## JustBeachy (Nov 11, 2014)

I've been kicking around the idea of growing and distilling my own patchouli. Since I'd have to wait awhile for the patchouli to grow, figured I'd start with something else. Just haven't put my finger on one yet. Let me know if you end up trying it, so I can do a different one. Though with the holidays upon us, I may not be getting around to this one until after the first of the year. Unless I can fit it in the first weeks of December.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 11, 2014)

Figure very roughly a yield of 1.5% to 4% on the average. Lavender is more like 0.5% to 1%. Rose yields only a tiny fraction of 1%. 

Most home EO distillation units can process only small amount of plant material per batch. If the yield per batch is, say, 1-2 g of EO, you'd need to process 15-30 batches through a home still to get about an ounce (30 g) of EO. 

The amount of suitable plant material that needs to be harvested has to also be considered. Collecting rose petals or lavender buds from one's flower garden will yield a few drops of EO from time to time.

My take on it? Distilling EOs at home might certainly be fun as a hobby, but it's honestly not going to supply even a mild soaping addiction.


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## seven (Nov 11, 2014)

^^^
agree!

i did consider buying my own home distillation machine, but it ended up costing me more than buying a ready made EOs. as much as i hate it, FO/EO still is the most expensive component in a recipe.


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## JustBeachy (Nov 11, 2014)

seven said:


> ^^^
> agree!
> 
> i did consider buying my own home distillation machine, but it ended up costing me more than buying a ready made EOs. as much as i hate it, FO/EO still is the most expensive component in a recipe.



I could see that. I won't buy a machine though. And in the short time I've been here, I've come to respect DeeAnna's numbers. Yet I'm not thinking of Lavender or Rose. My item of choice leads to a bigger dilemma. Patchouli needs to be aged, and not like a soap cure. Years!  haha

So if i plant in the spring, start harvest in the early summer, distill and age, I should be ready for my first batch of "homemade Patchouli" soap somewhere in the early part of 2017.  8)

In for a penny, in for a ton.


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## boyago (Nov 11, 2014)

as the others have mentioned the sheer bulk of material you'd have to process makes the idea pretty unappealing. But if you ant to try it out for poops and hahas American scientific has distilation kits for $75 and $100 with the stands, flasks and condenser.  You might be inspired to start another hobby that has it's own boards.


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## JustBeachy (Nov 11, 2014)

boyago said:


> as the others have mentioned the sheer bulk of material you'd have to process makes the idea pretty unappealing. But if you ant to try it out for poops and hahas American scientific has distilation kits for $75 and $100 with the stands, flasks and condenser.  You might be inspired to start another hobby that has it's own boards.




I guess as they say, appealing is in the eye of the beholder. I see the "hobby" as being intertwined with soaping. Sort of the thing that keeps me interested in soap. There's so many aspects to the craft. And I'm pretty happy with this board. Think I'll just stick here.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 11, 2014)

I'm not poo-pooing the idea of distilling EOs; I'm just making the project more realistic. I'm an engineer, yanno, so putting a pencil to problems like this is something I do for a living. But hobbies don't have to pay their way or even be terribly sensible ... they just have to be fun and rewarding. Go fer it!


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## Jstar (Nov 11, 2014)

Might not last or even work at all in CP soap, but this still looks interesting

http://www.instructables.com/id/Be-a-Romantic-Scientist:-Distill-your-own-perfume-/


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## JustBeachy (Nov 11, 2014)

DeeAnna said:


> I'm not poo-pooing the idea of distilling EOs; I'm just making the project more realistic. I'm an engineer, yanno, so putting a pencil to problems like this is something I do for a living. But hobbies don't have to pay their way or even be terribly sensible ... they just have to be fun and rewarding. Go fer it!



One of the reasons I like to hear your opinion. Most of the success in my life came from listening to people who knew more about it than I did.


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## JustBeachy (Nov 11, 2014)

Jstar said:


> Might not last or even work at all in CP soap, but this still looks interesting
> 
> http://www.instructables.com/id/Be-a-Romantic-Scientist:-Distill-your-own-perfume-/



Yeah, I saw that one too. This is the one that got me on the Patchouli wagon. Like I said, I think I can pull it off , by 2017 at the latest. haha

http://www.ehow.com/how_5747312_distill-patchouli-plant-essential-oil.html


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## goji_fries (Nov 12, 2014)

JustBeachy said:


> Yeah, I saw that one too. This is the one that got me on the Patchouli wagon. Like I said, I think I can pull it off , by 2017 at the latest. haha
> 
> http://www.ehow.com/how_5747312_distill-patchouli-plant-essential-oil.html



For more oil obtaining methods, search: hydrodistillation, cold enfleurage. Enjoy. 8)


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