Essential oils have a myriad of uses, from freshening up a stale room to being used as perfume or flavoring. They can be blended and mixed to create your own unique scent. Doing this is a quick and easy craft that uses a minimum of equipment, and is limited only by your imagination.
What are Essential Oils?
According to aromaweb.com, essential oils are not really oils. They are a liquid that is distilled from parts of a plant. The oils are very concentrated and contain the essence of the plant itself. there are three main ways to create an essential oil: water distillation, steam distillation, and solvent distillation.
Make An Essential OIl
The easiest and cheapest way to make essential oil is by setting up a simple water distillation system. Tipnut.com has a setup that involves a large pot with a lid, a bowl, a small rack, the ingredient to be distilled, and water. The small rack is placed in the pot and the bowl is put on top. The ingredient goes into the pot and just covered with water. The lid is placed on the pot upside down, and the heat is turned till the contents start to boil. Then, ice cubes are placed on the lid and the heat is turned down to simmer for two hours. At the end of the process, the bowl will contain essential oil diluted with condensed water.
Essential Oil Blending
Blending oils is the fun part of the craft. Simply take a small bottle and, measuring by drops, add some oil to it. Take a sniff of the oil you've chosen and figure out what might go well with it. Then, add a few drops of another oil. Shake gently and sniff again. Keep experimenting until you find a scent that is right for you. You can also blend essential oils with a base oil, such as almond, to create items for massage or hair use.
Tags: Essential Blending, essential oils, heat turned, small rack, water distillation