making your own essential oils

[Mouse]

I know infused oils aren't the same...but, I have gotten great success from infused chamomile. Done right, you do get the wonderful apple-y honey scent to the oil. I made a honeysuckle soap in October with a batch of calendula/chamomile oil and I can still smell the chamomile. Though the scent is subtle-I like subtle
I tried infusing ginger root once, but I got impatient, cranked up the crockpot temp, and burned it Someday I'm going to try again.
I don't have the land or the patience or money to try making my own EOs.

 

[Clemmey]

I know infused oils aren't the same...but, I have gotten great success from infused chamomile. Done right, you do get the wonderful apple-y honey scent to the oil. I made a honeysuckle soap in October with a batch of calendula/chamomile oil and I can still smell the chamomile. Though the scent is subtle-I like subtle Wink

What oils did you use to infuse with?

 

[Fragola]

I believe citrus oils can be pressed instead of distilled.

Just found an interesting link, hope to try it when I have some free time and herbs:
http://homecooking.about.com/od/allherb ... lherb1.htm

Probably won't give you high purity EO, but it doesn't require expensive equipment and maybe it's good enough for soaping.

One reason I have so many herbs is that they work as 'living mulch' and also to deter pests. When I surround a cauliflower plant with oregano, it does not get eaten as much as it would otherwise. Problem is, the oregano then takes over. Some herbs I use to attract different types of beneficial insects. Spearmint I another story. Someone planted spearmint on the ground 20 years ago, now it is everywhere. It is like a weed, but a very nice smelling weed and I love the tea!

Very interesting, where did you find all this information ?

 

[maya]

I believe citrus oils can be pressed instead of distilled.

Just found an interesting link, hope to try it when I have some free time and herbs:
http://homecooking.about.com/od/allherb ... lherb1.htm

Probably won't give you high purity EO, but it doesn't require expensive equipment and maybe it's good enough for soaping.

One reason I have so many herbs is that they work as 'living mulch' and also to deter pests. When I surround a cauliflower plant with oregano, it does not get eaten as much as it would otherwise. Problem is, the oregano then takes over. Some herbs I use to attract different types of beneficial insects. Spearmint I another story. Someone planted spearmint on the ground 20 years ago, now it is everywhere. It is like a weed, but a very nice smelling weed and I love the tea!

Very interesting, where did you find all this information ?

that link doesn't show us how to make essential oils, it's for hydrosols (not actually hydrosols but more like kitchen hydrosols.)

 

[maya]

i have a still and have made essential oils. last year i did lavender and chamomile. this year a friend and i are building a much bigger still and prepping to do couple of runs towards the end of the season.

if i had to purchase the plants it wouldn't save me a plug nickle. but if i can wild harvest what i need it still doesn't save me money, time off work, gas, electricity, everything else.

 

[Fragola]

Doesn't seem to be exactly a hydrosol.

If the method works the result (as I am reading it) should be a little bit of essential oil floating on top of a hydrosol, which essential oil can be separated (more or less) through decantation.

 

[maya]

i wouldn't decant that. i would try to separate it using a test tube with a release valve at the bottom. let out the hydrosol from the bottom and the e.o. will remain, in theory. the amount of e.o. you might get from that amount of rose petals will be minimal at best. but it will make a very nice hydrosol.

i wasn't trying to squash you idea, sorry if it came across like that.

 

[Fragola]

Well, it's not my idea, just came across it ... Bottomline is that it doesn't matter how you call it, the question is if we are able to use it to obtain a nicely scented soap.

 

[maya]

for my soap recipe i might try to separate the hydrosol from the e.o. and use the hyrdosol in a different way then soap. if i was going to use the e.o. one separated in a small batch of soap yes, depending on your recipe and all other factors it might work.

try it and find out! report back to us. i would love to hear about your project.

 

[Fragola]

Thinking about it, I'm wondering about something myself.

Which is how does this work since most essential oils have a higher boiling point than water ?

My little knowledge about distillation comes from making homegrown spirits, where the lower boiling temperature of alcohol is thought to be essential in obtaining the more concentrated alcoholic beverage.

 

[green soap]

Thinking about it, I'm wondering about something myself.

Which is how does this work since most essential oils have a higher boiling point than water ?

My little knowledge about distillation comes from making homegrown spirits, where the lower boiling temperature of alcohol is thought to be essential in obtaining the more concentrated alcoholic beverage.

They are both distillation, but it is pretty different.

With distilled liquors you put the wine (mash, beer) on the bottom vessel, and raise the temperature. The first liquid that will evaporate goes up the distillation column, and gets liquefied again by cooling water. then this distillate is collected in another container (usually the column bends down at the end). When distilling alcohol, that first bit you get is methanol. the stuff that attacks the optic nerve and makes you blind. Keep it for lighting fires and don't drink it. The second stuff that boils is the ethanol (it will kill you too but more slowly and it is more fun ...LOL). Both have a very specific temperature so a thermometer is very important. The remainder is left in the vessel, which is mostly water and other fruit and lots of yeast remnants, very good for the compost pile.

For distilling essential oils from plants, put plain water on the bottom vessel. You just boil it (at the temperature to boil water) Instead of a column like for liquors, you have a container to hold the fresh herbs. Of course, this container is attached to the water vessel so no water or vapor can escape (good seal). When you boil the water the vapor runs trough the herbs and carries the essential oil, and this is what is collected on another vessel after all the steam passes trough the herbs. You get aerosols and a layer of essential oil on top. Don't need a thermometer, but the liquid that you get needs to be separated. This can be done by freezing, the aerosol freezes and the oil can be scooped out. I have seen some systems that have some glassware that separates the liquids, with little faucets at different levels. I am still trying to figure this part out.