subject: How To Distill Your Own Essential Oils At Home [print this page] Essential oils are such a wonderful product to use for general health and skin care that I recommend that every person keep a supply of them on hand for family emergencies and everyday use. Their fragrance and their medicinal qualities make them a popular choice for people who suffer from a variety of health problems. The best way to obtain them is to purchase them in their refined state but if you are a purist who insists on distilling them yourself there are ways for you to do so. You can create them at home with the proper motivation and equipment.
You can distill them at home by using essential oil distillers, or stills. The still uses heated water to produce steam which is the crucial element in the distillation process.
You must have several pieces of equipment to create a distiller. The firat is called a retort. This is a container that holds the water after it has been boiled. The retort contains a grate which holds the plant material from which the essence is derived.
The purpose of the condenser is to collects the steam produced by the boiling water so that it can be cooled again. It should be filled with cool water so that the steam will be cooled by the water that is in it. The condenser is connected to the retort by a thin tube.
The separator separates the essential oil from the steam. It is connected in the condenser by a tube.
You can purchase these kits commercially and assemble them in order to begin the process of distilling your essential oils. Once you have done this you can begin the process of collecting plants to extract the essence so that you can create your own essential oils. The first thing that you need to do is to pick the plants that you want to use and allow them to air dry. Allow this to happen naturally so as not to destroy the integrity of the essence. Place it in a dark place for drying so that the sunlight wont blanch away the essence.
To begin the process of essential oil distillation, take soft, clean and filtered water and add it to the beaker of your still, as per the directions of the manufacturer, and place it on the stove. The time required for the process of distillation depends on the type and the amount of the plant you are planning to distill. The time can then range from half an hour to almost six hours.
Take the plant material and add it to the still. Avoid cutting up the plant as you will lose valuable amounts of essential oils in this process. Ideally, the plant should not touch the sides of the still and should be placed on the grate or retort, above the water. The plant should be a couple of inches below the steam outlet.
Close the still and turn on the heat until the water begins to boil. Be careful to maintain the water level in the beaker. You may also need to add more cool water to the condenser to maintain its water level..
Use a clean cloth to distill the mixture once you have completed distillation. The cloth must be clean because if not it will destroy the integrity of the essential oil.
Now the other way to obtain these products is to simply buy them online or from your health food store. Click the following link in order to go to our site and review tha selection of essential oils available to you and to find out about the properties of individual essential oils. Fragrance Oil Express
