How to Make Lavender Oil
Lavender is loved by many people not only because of its sweet and calming scent, but also because of its numerous medicinal properties. Whether it’s emotional or physical stress you’re undergoing this fragrant bloom will make you feel better. Lavender is deemed so useful that many people opt to preserve its fragrance and healing properties by turning it into lavender oil.
What You’ll Need:
Dried lavender (eight tablespoons for every infusion)
14 ounces of almond, sesame, olive or safflower oil
Jar with a tight lid (you can use a rubber band and plastic wrap if the jar doesn’t have a lid)
Glass mixing bowl
Muslin cloth
Dark bottle
Paper towels
Rubber band
Dry the Flowers First
Using fresh lavender is all right, but many recommend drying the flower first before infusing it in the oil. This is because moisture remaining in the flower causes the oil to become rancid. If you grow your own lavender, here’s how to dry it properly.
Use scissors or gardening shears to remove the stems of the flower.
Get a rubber band and tie the bunch together. Since a rubber band stretches and the stems shrink when the plant dries, they will still hold on tightly, preventing flowers from falling out.
Hang the lavender upside down. It should be in a warm spot, but not directly under sunlight.
Allow the lavender to sit for 10 to 14 days.
Once the lavender dries, you can crush and use it for the oil. If you don’t have the luxury of time, you can simply buy dried lavender blooms from a health store.
Making The Oil
Prepare your dried lavender by chopping them slightly. Every infusion requires 8 tablespoons of lavender and the infusion with the oil should be done twice or thrice.
Pour the oil in the jar. It’s best that you choose a jar with a wide mouth. Add in eight tablespoons of lavender, then stir with a stick or a narrow spool. Seal the jar with its lid, or use a plastic wrap and elastic to shut it. Put this in a sunny window for two days. Remember to shake it every 12 hours.
After two days, filter the oil. Remove the lid or plastic wrap the use a piece of muslin to strain the oil into a glass bowl. When you’ve strained most of the oil, squeeze the muslin, releasing the rest of the oil.
Repeat the process. Put back the strained oil into the jar, then add the same amount of lavender as before. Let stand for two days again, shaking every 12 hours. Strain with the muslin cloth. Repeat again, until you get the scent you wanted.
When the oil has the right amount of scent you want, pour it into a dark glass bottle, then seal with a lid or cork. Keep this in a cool and dark area, and it will stay fresh and useful for a year.
Some Tips
Growing and making your own lavender oil is cheaper than buying it from a store.
Witch hazel gives your lavender oil an incredibly strong and rich scent.
Lavender oil can be used for conditions like burns, wounds, fungal infections and acne.
If you want to make lavender water, mix lavender with additives and alcohol. You can use this for toiletries and soaps.
Lavender oil is a delightful and useful herbal infusion. Use it for different skin ailments, or to soothe your stressed mind. With these steps, you’ll soon have a bottle at hand.