The Noble Pagan Forums - Making your own Oils?

I don't know about anyone else but its -expensive- here for just a small vial of herbal oils and ritual oils etc...

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make your own oils or perhaps a website that sells in bulk?

Actually it is extremely simple to concoct your own oils.

I prefer to use Grape Seed oil as a base, but any light oil will do. Extra Virgin Olive, Almond, etc.

Take your desired herb and fill a glass container with fresh crushed samples of it. Try not to use dried herbs as the essential oils within the plant materials has already been removed, and what we are trying to do is to remove those oils and confer them into our base. After filling our container (preferably a dark glass, but a regular glass works just as well as long as it's covered and protected from light during the reduction process) with the fresh crushed herbs, fill the container with your chosen oil base and then tightly cap the container in some fashion.

Place the oil / herb in a dark, cool pantry and let it stay there for at least a week. I tend to keep mine reducing for up to 2 full cycles of the moon. Remember to give the container a shake every couple of days to mix it all together well. You may notice some gas buildup (depending on the herb being reduced) via the lid starting to poof outwards, be sure to relieve this pressure every few days. Lastly, if you notice mold growing on the surface of the oil ... you left it to reduce too long.

After your reduction time has been reached, simply strain the reduced plant materials from the oil via a tight cheese cloth in a funnel and collect the oil on the other side.

There are other methods of reducing an herb, but this is the easiest (and frankly safest) way for beginners and is the way I teach anyone interested in kitchen magic.

Making your own oils is fairly easy and cheap.
Whaddya need?
A Base oil such as extra virgin ( or virgin) olive oil ( you can use other oils too like peanut or avacado, grapeseedor such which you should be able to find easily)
Cheese Cloth ( na hard to find)
The herb ya wanna make an oil outta ( say sage for instance)
A couple of jars ( large baby food jars are good to use for beginners)

So whadday do now that you got all the ingredients?

Step 1 : Take your jar and fill it up with your oil ( we'll say its olive oil ) and make sure you leave at least two fingers worth of room from the top.

Step 2: Add your herb or spice

Step 3 : Shake it ( the jar) like you mean it....oh wait....make sure that lid is screwed on TIGHTLY or it could get messy....

Step 4 : For the next week shake shake shake that jar like you mean it. In between appointed abuse moments store your traumatized homemade oil in a dark, cool place ( you don't want it to be heard or seen if it is calling out for help).

Step 5 : After abusing your oil to be, strain it gently into the other jar. Well you will want to use that cheesecloth to strain it through.

Step 6 : Get rid of the used up, icky slimy herbs. They won't mind. They will actually be looking forward to the mind numbing placidity that the garbage can offers ( being shaken for a week can make one feel dizzy and nauseous after all).

Step 7 : Is your herbish oil at the strenght ( smell wise) that you were looking for? No? No prob! Add new herbs to the already herb infused oil and repeat those violent steps 4-6.

Why not steps 4-7? Well stronger is NOT always better....take cinnamon oil. That stuff is a skin irritant and the stronger you make that.......
Also keep in mind that if you are making citrus oils ( from the rinds mind you) that citrus oils are photosensitive.....this means citrus oil + sunlight = quicker burn ( assuming you are annointing yourself directly with the stuff....which you should never do whether it is the homemade stuff or the stuff from the store unless you cut it with a carrier oil).

I hope you found this helpful.

I've made several batches of Sage Oil using this method and it's always worked out just nifty for me.

C.S.

/\/\00/\/\ <---Spooder would like to point out that CS was not trying to come off as an offensive jackhole in this post, she was rather trying to inject an odd style of humour into the otherwise informative post

LOL Great minds think alike

Why nooooooooo my friend!

"Great minds think for THEMSELVES!"

(Quote courtesy of Genie from Disney's Aladdin.....Thanks Genie!!!)

C.S.

<---Spooder says for once CS is making some sort of sense

The humor was well taken! Trust be, I'm not easily offended,

I'm going to try both ways and see which I like best. The results will be posted, and possibly with pictures of the process for future individuals that would like to try-- and the visuals so they can ask "Am I doing this right?!"

LOL

Technically, they're the same, since CS is the one that taught me .

Well, you see, I'm the -Queen- of messing things up. The more complex the easier it is for me. The more simple....and I just...it falls apart.

!
Well I wish you luck. It really isn't too hard. I like to tell people if I can do it then ANYONE can do it.



C.S.

<---Spooder says that because CS is "special"