Homemade essential oils for a newbie without a sill

[Flutterbee]

Hello! Bonjour!
I’ve been fermenting foods for a bit now and am a veteran health food store worker, yet NEVER made soap until today. I love it. Problem is, the cost of essential oils are making me cringe a bit. I looked up trying to make your own oils using the crockpot method. So, I would like to try picking pine needles, crushing them and then doing the crock pot method. I don’t mind a softer scent to soaps...can folks recommend which herbs & other commonly found goods in the kitchen (thinking coffee beans) could be used successfully using this crock pot method? Or is this a method that doesn’t work well?

 

[shunt2011]

Sadly nothing you infuse yourself is going to carry through into soap for any length of time. Plus the cost of distilling yourself would likely exceed the cost of ready made EO. Have you looked in FO’s. They are more cost effective and last much mich longer in soap.

 

[Jillyb]

You can get nice natural colours by infusing oils but yes alas fregrance doesn't hold thru the process..
Ive had limited success with Coffee lasting a bit..

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome, FlutterBee!


IrishLass

 

[DeeAnna]

If the crock pot method you mention is what I think it is, I have to rain on your parade -- it's far better suited to making hydrosols than essential oils. You have to distill so much veg matter to get just a few drops of EO, it's honestly not practical for the home producer.

With soap, you're talking about adding EOs at 3-6% of the fat weight, assuming the EOs are skin safe at that dosage. That means for every 500 g (about 16 oz) of oils -- enough fat to make about 4 bars of soap -- you'll need 15 to 30 grams of EO.

The yield from EO distillation varies a lot, but assuming a 1% yield, you'd have to distill 1500 to 3000 grams (about 3.5 to 6.5 pounds) of veg matter to get that 15-30 grams. And remember that's just enough to scent only 4 bars of soap.

EOs are expensive -- no argument there -- but there's a reason why they cost a fair amount if you consider the veg material, time, know-how, and energy that has to be invested in the effort.

The costs and quality can vary a lot from supplier to supplier, so it pays to comparison shop. Also you don't need super expensive top-drawer EOs for use in soap, so it's worthwhile to ask other soapers where they get their EOs.

 

[AliOop]

^^^ What @DeeAnna said. If you are basing the cost of EOs based on health food store prices, they are absolutely unaffordable for soaping. Soap suppliers sell the same quality of EOs as health food stores and MLMs, in bulk quantities and for much less money. So, if you heart is set on using EOs rather than fragrance oils, search this forum for "EO suppliers." You will find some good threads about where to find reasonably-priced bulk EOs. Believe me, you will never buy those little health food store EO bottles again!

Oh, and welcome!

 

[Kiti Williams]

Hello! Bonjour!
I’ve been fermenting foods for a bit now and am a veteran health food store worker, yet NEVER made soap until today. I love it. Problem is, the cost of essential oils are making me cringe a bit. I looked up trying to make your own oils using the crockpot method. So, I would like to try picking pine needles, crushing them and then doing the crock pot method. I don’t mind a softer scent to soaps...can folks recommend which herbs & other commonly found goods in the kitchen (thinking coffee beans) could be used successfully using this crock pot method? Or is this a method that doesn’t work well?

I have a bottle of Honeysuckle EO going. It will take over 4 years for me to have a 8oz bottle of EO. I pick, dry, and emurse the flowers in GSO 2 times a year. I have 1 more year to go.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...I pick, dry, and emurse the flowers in GSO ..."

You're making an infusion of these flowers in oil. I imagine it smells lovely, but it's not really an essential oil. Essential oils are created by steam distillation or by pressing, which is the way most citrus EOs are made.

Have you thought about the shelf life of grapeseed? It's not long. I'm afraid after 4 years go by, the oil will be rancid and all your effort will be wasted. Meadowfoam would be a very nice choice. Or perhaps jojoba.

 

[Kiti Williams]

"...I pick, dry, and emurse the flowers in GSO ..."

You're making an infusion of these flowers in oil. I imagine it smells lovely, but it's not really an essential oil. Essential oils are created by steam distillation or by pressing, which is the way most citrus EOs are made.

Have you thought about the shelf life of grapeseed? It's not long. I'm afraid after 4 years go by, the oil will be rancid and all your effort will be wasted. Meadowfoam would be a very nice choice. Or perhaps jojoba.

Thank you! We (my YD and I) did not think about the GSO going rancid. The smell would be "off" if it has gone bad, right? I also have an infusion of Honeysuckle and Vodka.