How to Make Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender essential oil has many medicinal properties

Lavender essential oil is used to provide relief from a variety of ailments, from general aches and pains to headaches and menstrual cramps. The oil also provides a relaxing aroma when used in massage oils or stress-relieving ointments. Unfortunately, essential oils are quite expensive. Making them at home is much more cost effective, and it is not difficult to do.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 600ml wide-necked jar with lid
• 300ml base oil (olive oil, for example)
• Glass mixing bowl
• Muslin
• Dark glass bottle
• 8 tbsp. lavender

1. Mix the base oil and lavender together in your mixing bowl. To release more of the aromatic fragrance of the lavender, you can crush it using a mortar and pestle beforehand, but this is optional.

2. Pour the mixture into the jar and stir once more. Cover the jar with a lid and close it tightly. Place the jar in a location that receives a lot of sun--a windowsill for example---for at least 48 hours. Shake the jar approximately every 12 hours to keep the oil and lavender mixed together.

3. Strain the mixture from the jar using a piece of muslin cloth into a bowl. The muslin separates the lavender petals from the oil, leaving you with a pure scented lavender essential oil mixture. Squeeze the muslin into your essential oil bottle and store away from the sun.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not get the desired aroma with the first mixture, repeat the process several times until you obtain the desired result.

• The shelf life of essential oils is anywhere from 6 to 12 months, depending on whether or not it is stored in a cool, dry place. The more sun the oil receives, the less fragrant the aroma.

• If the weather is cloudy, place the jar in a pot of cool water and heat until medium-hot for 10 minutes. Repeat this process once per day until you obtain the desired aroma.

References

• Aromatherapy at Home: How to Make Homemade Essential Oils