If you have ever bought essential oils you know how expensive they can be. The reason they are expensive is because it takes a massive amount of leaves or flowers to produce the oils. Of course, different plants have different amounts of oils in them but lets just assume that for every 10 pounds of plant material that MAYBE an ounce or less of oils can be extracted. It kind of brings the whole cost of essential oils into perspective. It also may seem like there is no sense in learning to distill the oils if you get so little reward for the effort. Some people will even tell you it can't be done at home.
Consider that the oils are concentrated and it takes very little oil in that form for use. Also realize that what is left after distilling is just bulk waste matter because all the goodness is in the extraction you just created. Finally, realize that there may come a day when you can't just traipse to the store and BUY essential oils and extracting them yourself may be the only way you have to obtain them.
It may seem like you would need a bunch of equipment to distill oils but surprisingly that isn't so. To start with you need a pressure cooker and a hose. Copper hose is best but you can also use plastic food grade hose. For copper you will need to make a fitting to connect the hose to the stem on the pressure cooker while a rubber hose will just stretch and fit over it snugly. The copper is easier to clean though in my experience. You will also need something to collect the distilling liquid and a common kitchen fat seperator OR a crock with a spout on the bottom. It's also nice to have a blender or food processor to chop the plant material but it isn't completely necessary. You CAN chop it by hand if you have to do so.
First, you will need to have enough plant material to work with. Choose whatever you want to distill and remove it from all the woody stems. The plant you choose will determine whether you use just flowers or flowers and leaves. Lets assume that you decide to use a simple herb that produces alot of greenery for use and that you only have to go and cut some for use. So lets say you want to make oregano oil. Remove just the leaves from the stem material and rinse them well in cool water. Put as many as will fit in a food processor or blender and add some clean water Pulse until the plant material is emacerated and you have a nice slushy mixture. You can add water if needed. You just want to make sure it is not dry and grainy. You want the leaves to be just covered in water.
Now pour this mixture into your pressure cooker filling it to about 2/3 full. You made need to do a couple of batches to get the level you want. If you don't have enough leaves to do a full pot that's ok. You just won't get as much oil when you are finished but that's fine. It's all good. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and attach the hose to the stem where the steam comes out. Put the other end of the hose in a collection container. I use a gallon jar. Turn on the heat source and wait. When the pressure cooker heats up it will begin to produce steam. As the steam travels through the tube and cools it will turn back into liquid which you will catch in your jar. Continue until you get most of the liquid from the cooker to the jar. Do not let the cooker run dry. You may want to run the cooker a second time with more water added if it seems your material still has liquid in it.
When you are through distilling you will have a cloudy liquid in your jar. That's because the oils are mixed with the water. Oil and water as you know don't mix. You can now pour the liquid into an oil seperator or a container with a spout on the bottom. The seperator is easiest for small amounts of liquid. Cover the container and sit it aside to cool. As it cools, the oils will either float to the top or the bottom of the seperator depending on the oil.
Now decant the water from the oil by pouring the layer of water off and retaining the oil OR if you're using the jar with a spout at the bottom open the spout and remove the water (or oil since some oils go to the bottom and some go to the top) What you have now is two seperate products. The oil is your homemade concentrated essential oil and the water is the essence or floral water. Decant them into dark glass bottles. Make sure to label them and keep them in a cool dark place when not in use. The flowers or leaves can now be discarded because you have removed all the oils and essence from them. Wash your pot and hose well then distill plain water to prevent mixing your oils.
Remember, you will not get large amounts of oils from home distilling. Do not be disappointed since they are concentrated. Use the flower and plant essences as well and it makes it all worthwhile. The essence is cooling and uplifts the mind and mood. The oils are more healing and warm and enters the body through both the skin and smell. In some cases they will be strictly for medicinal purposes but for others you can also use them as flavorings in food if you have chosen culinary herbs to work with. Just be aware of the properties of the plants you are working with. For now, you may still want to buy essential oils but remember You can store more plant material in a small bottle if you use just the oils and discard the rest. Also, it may seem like its not worth it but one day you may not be able to buy essential oils for healing.
Southern Wood Elf