Infused Oils – How to Make your Own

Aromatherapy is one of the most popular forms of alternative medicine in the world today. Part of the reason it seems to be catching on at such a rapid rate is that it can help with so many horrible problems. In the world of medicine, there are a number of different applications. Women use it to ease labor pains on a regular basis. It is often used by seriously ill patients, like those dealing with cancer to help ease the problems associated with the side effects of traditional treatments. It has even been used to help rehabilitate people with heart problems. You don't have to be sick to benefit from aromatherapy, though. It can simply help you to focus your mind. It can improve your memory, improve your mood, it can even invigorate you after a long night. One great way to change your aromatherapy practices is to make your own infused oils. This means you can create your own combination of scents based on the plant essences that work best for you.

You can make infused oil by simply placing the plant material in oil and allowing it to steep over low heat for a specific period of time. This helps to concentrate the parts of the plant material that will be most useful during your standard aromatherapy practices. Historically, there have been hundreds of uses for infused oils. It has been recorded that ancient Egyptians used this homeopathic practice for many purposes. They used sweet smelling oils during massage sessions for upper class individuals. They used them in the medical treatments. Cosmetics used botanical oils. They were even used in the practice of embalming dead bodies. Even Hippocrates talked of the use of aromatic oils. He suggested a massage with these oils was helpful not only mentally, but also physically. Over time, they have been used for cosmetic, medical, and perfume style applications.

Dealing with infused oil in an aromatherapy procedure is a lot like dealing with your standard essential oils. Infused oils have many of the same attributes as an essential oil. Better than most essential oils, though, they can have multiple benefits that are simply not present in most essential oils. One reason that some use infused oil instead of essential oil is that some plants have a very low oil yield when trying to extract the essential oil. As a result, it simply wouldn't be possible to use those plants in aromatherapy circles without procedures like infused oils. Moreover, though, infused oils can be made right in your own home, which means that they don't require some of the expensive equipment the manufacturing of essential oils often does. Some essential oils have to be diluted. Infused oils, though, can be used exactly as they are without any form of dilution.

In order to make your own essential oils, you should first use only dried plant material. If you choose to use fresh plant material, you might end up with moldy oil, which is not the best thing for your aromatherapy procedures. Choose the plant material or the combination of plant materials that works best with your normal aromatherapy procedures. Start the process with a glass jar, like a mason jar. It should be heat resistant. It should also have an airtight seal. Add the dried plant material until the jar is half full. It should be crushed, but it should not be in powered form. Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Use one teaspoon for each cup of oil you plan to add. This should help to release all of the plant materials. Shake your jar well. Your next step is to actually fill your jar with oil that has a good shelf life. You want something that has been cold pressed. You have many options in this area. Jojoba makes a great oil for this purpose. Macadamia also makes a wonderful oil to work with during the infusion process. High-oleic sunflower oil can also be quite helpful. Now you are ready to place the lid on the jar. Keep the jar in a warm place, something that measures at least one hundred and thirteen degrees for no less than twenty-four hours. A sunny windowsill or an incubation box would work quite well. A crock-pot filled with water would also work for these purposes. Once your twenty-four hours is up, you need to filter the oil first through the use of a sieve, then through a cheesecloth to catch any extra particles. At this point, you have a single infused oil. Many, though, choose to make a double or triple infused oil by taking the infused oil, adding a new batch of plant matter, and sending it through the entire process again.

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