Tips for Making Your Own Essential Oils

I would like to make my own essential oils and salt scrubs at home. I would like some direction on the correct path to take to make this possible, any help I receive I appreciate. Thank you in advance for your time.

How to make rose essential oil in home? What is the qualities of it? How can I use it for my skin?

Can a person use full strength essential oils on their skin or should they use an other oil to thin it out? I heard some of them can cause rashes otherwise. Is this true?

Hi Marie, yes it is true that many essential oils should be added to something like olive oil before you put them on the skin. You should mix it with a bit of olive oil and apply it inside the crease of the arm to see if there would be a reaction. Things like Tea Tree and even Peppermint can cause problems in certain people.

How do you make essential oil facial washes?

When you say 'vegetable oil' or 'olive oil', are these the ones that you buy at grocery stores that's used for cooking? Thank you.

Hi Rob, yes olive oil is better, apricot is another good one. Buy cold pressed just about any place.

I have tons of Lilac trees around our property and have tried to make some oil through the process of petals and oil in a jar. I used almond oil. A friend said that the oil can go rancid and the flowers should be changed daily, is this true? Also what uses would this oil have?

When you say 'quarter ounces of herbs for every cup of carrier oil', how many ounces of herbs? Also, how do you make body mist with essential oils?

Hi Amanda what is meant by quarter ounces of herbs per cup of carrier oil is just that 1/4 ounces of herb to one cup of carrier oil. There are many recipes out there for body mist. It depends on the aroma you are trying to create. Some mixes use vodka, some just the distilled water, or that mixed with a bit of witch hazel. Also you need to be careful of which oils you use as some are very reactive on the skin or can stain furniture or clothing.

Can these essential oils be used in making cold-pressed soap? I just would like to be sure that the oil will not begin to decompose in the soap process.

Should I use grape seed oil or olive oil to make lavender essential oil?

I am making a peppermint spray to deter mice in my home. I have been buying peppermint essential oil and then mixing it with water. Using your recipe with a little witch hazel added. Is that essentially the same thing? Thanks.

I would like to know if you can use dried herbs and what the ratio would be. I know fresh is better but I don't have access to some.

Hi Launa, you can use both fresh and dried. The dried I believe is stronger as it is dried and takes up less room.

I would like to know how to make peppermint oil. I am looking for a step by step recipe. If anyone can help me please let me know. I would also like to learn recipes for citrus fruit oils. Thank you for any and all help.

I am growing my own herbs, and I am wondering if I need to dry them before making them into essential oils. I am using them to make candles, and I need them to be strong.

Hi, I want to make Lemon essential oil. Do I only use the rind? How much do I use per 1/4 cup of oil? Which oil would you recommend to let the most lemon scent come through the mix? So glad I found this site. You are doing a wonderful service here. I intend to make my own natural organic fabric softener. I've done a lot of reading lately that laundry detergents and fabric softeners are partially responsible for breast cancers and breast cysts because your skin absorbs them from your clothes. For a natural fabric softener I need 1/4 cup of white vinegar and a few drops of lemon essential oils dropped into the softener dispenser. The white vinegar stops the suds and acts as as healthy natural softener and a few drops of lemon oil scents your clothes and takes away the white vinegar smell and makes your clothes smell great. Any fragrance of essential oil can be used according to your scent preference. Thanks so much, Denise.

Hi Denise, I would try something lighter than olive oil. Maybe safflower. Use just the rind. The essential oil will only last for a few months so don't make more than you think you will use. Also be aware that lemon oil makes skin sensitive to sunlight. Don't over use it.

Can I add witch hazel to my essential oil? I have a Yorkie with itchy dry skin and I am trying to concoct a shampoo for her.

Hi Jeanette, witch hazel should be OK to use on your dog, but be careful of the type of essential oil you use. Also many types of essential oils are thinned out with another oil so it is not as strong. I am not sure if the witch hazel will mix with an oil. You may want to do the witch hazel first and then apply your oil. You may want to consider giving your pet something other than dry food. A food higher in nutritional value will help combat the problem.

Is the recipe you have listed above suitable for using in the making of cold pressed soap, thank you?

I am making cold pressed soaps is this fragrance strong enough to carry through?

I have been reading about snake repellents and one popular one uses garlic oil. I am curious as how to adjust the ingredients as it seems garlic would be different from herbs and I'm wondering if the recipe of 1/4 ounce garlic to one cup oil would need to be altered. I am overrun with garden snakes and don't want to hurt them, just move them away from around my home. Any ideas on making the garlic oil? Or on any other ways to repel snakes? Thanks, Dorothy.

I am interested in making scented oils for my candles. I'm not very sure if I should use essential oil's or what?

I am distilling my own tea tree oil from my tea tree leaves. Can I use the tea tree hydro-sol as a room spray? Is it alright to add lavender EO with my tea tree hydro-sol?

I want to mix wild orange oil, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary. Is a carrier oil needed or can I just mix equal parts of each? Also I have heard of taking a drop of this mixture and putting it in your water for health benefits. Is that safe or not recommended?

I am sorry but these are not "essential oils". The result of this process is is an herbal infused oil. Anyone looking for how to make pure essential oils may get confused or misinformed. Pure essential oils are only plant volatile oils, there is NO carrier oil. When you buy lavender essential oil in the little bottle with the dropper top, there is no olive, jojoba or any other oil in it unless specified, usually with more expensive oils. There would only be the pure lavender plants natural oils, collected by a rather involved distillation process. Not impossible to do at home but much pricier, more involved and more time consuming. It is unfortunate that most websites are using the term "essential oil" incorrectly. Herbal infused oils like above are a wonderful way to use plants as medicine, aroma or cooking but it is not the concentration of the particular herb as is a essential oil, Kate the herbalist.

Thank you Kate, I was also floored at reading this. This recipe is for infused herbal oils not essential oils. Whoever wrote this really needs to do a little more research before writing these articles. Jennifer, student herbalist.

How about using coconut oil as the carrier oil? Would that work?

How much do I need to extract rosemary or anise or Thyme to get to 10 ml of extracted? How can I keep it for a year or two years?

I would love to make my own essential oils, lotions and bath salts at home. Could you give me some suggestions on how to get started?

Your instruction is very inaccurate. What you are describing instruction for is an "herbal infusion", not an "Essential Oil." Essential Oils are very potent and taken directly from the plant, with no carrier oil used. It requires use of an essential oil still that provides steam to the plant material and then separates the water vapor and the plant resins and oils. This process is extensive and is why essential oils are so costly. Herbal infusions still have many beneficial qualities, but should never be confused with essential oils.