How to Make Lavender Oil

with Lea Elleseff

Transcript: How to Make Lavender Oil

Hi, my name is Lea Elleseff and you're watching About.com. Today I'm going to show you how to infuse olive oil with the properties of lavender.

This process will result in a fragrant olive oil, which can be used as a hair moisturizer, a bath fragrance, or an additive in soap and candle making.

Supplies Needed to Make Lavender Oil

Here's what we'll need:

• a large bouquet of fresh lavender
• paper towels
• virgin cold pressed olive oil
• a jar
• plastic wrap
• a rubber band
• a sieve

Remove the Heads From the Lavender

Begin by rolling out two to three sheets of paper towels. Then, remove the flower heads from the plants and onto the towels.

This can be easily done by running a stem of the plant between your thumb and pointer finger.

This could take a while, and chances are, by the time you're done deflowering, you'll have a fragrant headache.

Let the Flowers Air Dry

Now, let the flowers air dry for two hours or so to diminish the chances of them going bad in the olive oil.

Gently soak up any extra moisture with a paper towel. The flowers are not ready for their big journey.

Combine the Lavender and Olive Oil

Fill a jar almost entirely with flowers and pour olive oil to cover them. You want there to be little empty space in the jar, as this reduces the chances of oxidization and increases the shelf life of your lavender oil.

Seal the Jar of Lavender Oil

Next, stretch a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the jar, and hold it in place with a rubber band. This creates an airtight seal.

Infuse the Oil With Lavender

Now comes the hard part: waiting. For maximum infusion to take place, you have to wait at least a week.

And remember, since we are using fresh flowers, keep the jar out of direct sunlight, as that would increase the chances of spoilage.

Strain the Lavender Oil

After a week or so, strain out the flowers with a sieve, and make sure to push lightly on the flowers to get out the good stuff.

You can use your fingers to do this but I prefer to do it with a spoon.

Reseal the Lavender Oil

Finally, pour the oil back in to the jar and re-seal it for safe keeping. Now your lavender oil is ready to be used, unless of course you think the fragrance can use a lift. In this case, just re-infuse it as many times as you want.

And do remember you can experiment with other herbs and flowers, such as mint or jewelweed.

Thank you for joining me. To learn more, visit us on the Web at style.about.com.

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