Essential oils are highly concentrated, volatile oils that are extracted from aromatic (essential oil) plants such as lavender and rosemary. There are about 700 different plant species that contain beneficial essential oils, and there are several methods for extracting them. Distillation is the most common method for extracting essential oils. Essential oils are expensive, but you can easily distill them at home without too much money.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Collect and Prepare the Distiller
Step 1. Purchase or make a distiller yourself
It will probably be difficult to buy a ready-made distiller from a store (unless you have a specialty store nearby), so you can buy a distiller online. Be prepared for the fact that they can be expensive. If you are planning to manufacture essential oils in large quantities, then purchasing professional equipment is likely to be a good investment.
Step 2. Make your own distiller if you don't want to buy a ready-made one
If you decide to make a distiller with your own hands, then you have almost limitless possibilities for creativity - there are thousands of options, and even nowadays, many distillers are made by hand. The main components of the distiller are:
- Heat source or heater (usually open fire)
- Pressure cooker
- Glass tube with a diameter of 10 mm
- A pot of cold water to cool and condense the steam coming out of the tube
- Separator for separating essential oil from other materials that are not needed in the finished product
Step 3. Use stainless steel and glass materials if possible
Do not use plastic tubing as this may affect the quality of the oil. Some plants contain chemical compounds that react with copper to produce unwanted impurities. However, thick tinned copper is suitable for all types of plants. Aluminum can also be used, but not for plants containing phenols (such as wintergreen and cloves).
Step 4. Bend the tube so that it passes through the pot that is cooling the steam
The plant material will boil in the pressure cooker, and the steam escaping from it will pass through the tube, cooling in cold water or ice. Depending on what you are using for cooling, the tube should be bent differently. For example, if you are using a simple cold water bath, you will need to roll it up into a ring that will sit in the water. If you are using a large ice bucket, you will probably need to bend the tube 90 ° so that it goes through the bucket at the top and then out into the hole at the bottom.
Step 5. Connect the tubing to the pressure cooker valve
Use a small piece of flexible hose that fits in both holes. It should be approximately the same size as the 10mm tube you are using. For a secure connection, you can use a clamp (such as a clamp with a screw) available from any hardware store.
Make sure the piece of hose is long enough to bend. Otherwise, the tube will point straight up and you will have to bend it 90 ° to guide it into the pan for cooling
Step 6. Pass the tubing through the chiller
If you are using an open bucket of cold water, position it so the tubing goes into it. The tube must be completely submerged in cold water or ice. You can make a hole in the bottom of the bucket and pass a tube through it. Seal the hole with sealant or epoxy to prevent water from leaking out of the bucket.
Step 7. Place the open end of the tube over the separator
After the distillate has dripped into the separator, the separator does all the work for you. It will separate the essential oil from everything else that shouldn't be in the final product.
Step 8. Make sure all tools are well secured
Depending on which tools you use and depending on the shape of the tube, you may need to additionally secure certain elements to keep the entire installation safe and solid. Close the cooker with the lid that the tube is attached to, run the tube through a saucepan or cooling bucket, and secure the open end over the separator. Make sure the tubing has comfortable folds and is not in the way.
Method 2 of 3: Preparing Plant Material
Step 1. Decide when to collect raw materials
The amount of essential oil in a plant changes as it grows, so it is important to know exactly when to harvest the raw materials. It depends on the type of plant, so you need to find more information about certain types of plants. For example, lavender should be harvested when only half of the flowers on the stem have blossomed. Rosemary, on the other hand, should be harvested when all flowers have fully opened.
Step 2. Collect the plants correctly
As you study when to harvest plants for essential oil, check how you need to harvest them. Harvesting or picking the wrong plant parts, as well as picking at the wrong time of day, will reduce the amount of essential oils in the plant. For example, for rosemary, you only need to collect the tops. The rest of the plant should be discarded or otherwise used.
Most of the essential oils are found in the glands, veins and bristles, and these parts are always very fragile. If you break these parts, the plant will produce less essential oil. Work carefully with the plants and treat them as little as possible
Step 3. If you buy plants, be selective
If you buy already collected raw materials, then you cannot greatly influence the process of its collection. Buy healthy and undamaged plants and ask the seller when the plants were harvested. Whole specimens, not crushed or ground, are best.
Distillation removes a lot of impurities, but pesticides and herbicides can remain in the oil. This is why it is best to use organic plants, whether you buy them or grow your own
Step 4. Dry the plant materials
Drying reduces the amount of essential oils in the plant, but you can significantly increase the amount of oil produced with each distillation if you use more plant material. Drying should be done slowly and NOT in direct sunlight. Commercially grown plants such as mint and lavender are often dried in the field during the day or so, as soon as they are cut.
- Each plant has its own ideal drying method, but always the most important thing is not to overheat the raw materials. Dry the plants in the shade or even in a dark room and you will minimize the loss of essential oil.
- Do not over-dry your plant materials or let them get wet prior to the distillation process. Try to distill the oil as soon as the plants are dry.
- You may not need to dry the plant material - in this case, skip this step.
Method 3 of 3: Distillation Process
Step 1. Pour water into the distillation tank
If you bought a ready-made distiller, then follow the manufacturer's instructions. Use clean water, preferably filtered or distilled water, or as soft as possible. If you bought a ready-made distiller, then follow the manufacturer's instructions. Make sure you have enough water to complete the process. Depending on the type and number of plants, distillation can take from 30 minutes to 6 hours or more from the moment the water boils.
Step 2. Put the plant material into the water
Add as much plant material as will fit in the pot. The layer of plant materials can be quite dense, but the main thing is that it is below the steam outlet. Make sure it doesn't cover the hole when you put the lid on the pressure cooker. The raw material should not reach the hole by about 5 cm.
There is no need to grind plant raw materials, as during grinding you can lose some of the essential oils
Step 3. Bring water to a boil
Close the distiller with the lid so that all the steam only comes out through the tube that you attached earlier. Most plants release oils at the boiling point of water at 100 ° C, which is the normal boiling point of water.
Step 4. Do not leave the distiller unattended
After some time, the distillate will pass through the condenser to the separator. There is no need to interfere with the process, just be careful not to run out of water in the still. Depending on the length of the distillation process, you may need to change the water in the pot or bucket to cool. If the hot pipe heats up the water, replace it with fresh cold water or ice to keep the steam cooling down.
Step 5. Filter the collected oil (optional)
Once you're done distilling, you can run the oil through cheesecloth or dry cotton cloth. Make sure the fabric is dry and clean - residual detergent and dirt can spoil the oil.
Don't be discouraged if you end up with too little essential oil from a lot of plant materials. The amount of oil released depends on the type of plant, but it will always be less than you might think at the beginning of the distillation process
Step 6. Pour the oil into a storage container
Do this as quickly as possible. Most oils can be stored for at least two years, but some oils can have very short shelf life. To extend the shelf life of the oil, keep it in a dark glass container or stainless steel container. Use a clean container and pour oil into it through a sterile funnel. Store oil in a cool, dark place.
- Think about what you will do with the hydrosol. During the distillation process, essential oils and hydrosol are formed - this is distilled water, which accumulates in the separator.
- Some plant hydrosols, such as rose water or lavender water, can be used.
- If you do not need the hydrosol, you can pour it back into the distiller for the next batch (if you will be processing another batch of raw materials right away), or simply discard it.
Advice
Essential oils are very concentrated, so it is often recommended to dilute them with a different base oil before use. The most popular base oils are almond oil and grape seed oil, but others can be used. Oils can be diluted both during bottling and before direct use. The latter is preferable, as in some cases you may need undiluted oils, and the shelf life of base oils is often shorter than the shelf life of essential oils
Warnings
- Most essential oils cannot be eaten, and many must be diluted even for use on the skin. In addition, some of the essential oils are toxic. You can find more information on using essential oils on wikiHow or on the internet.
- To distill essential oils from flowers, skip the drying process and distill the oil immediately after harvest.
- Do not distill for too long (check for specific plant-specific extraction times). With a long distillation, you get a little more oil, but at the same time, unwanted chemical compounds can get into it.
- Make sure that dust and dirt do not get on the plants during drying. This can not only reduce the quality of the oil, but also render it unusable.
- The concept of "organic" does not mean that pesticides or fertilizers were not applied to the plant, it is just that organic substances were not used to feed and fertilize it, and they sometimes contain even more toxins than in synthetic fertilizers. Try to find a local grower who can tell you exactly how the plants were grown.