How to Make Rosemary Essential Oil

6 Easy Steps for You to Follow

a bowl full of rosemary

If you own a garden, you probably grow a variety of plants. You might use these plants for a variety of things. You might grow your own vegetables to cook with, or your own herbs. If you grow your own plants, you might find that you have way more than you know what to do with, and that is okay! In this article, we will be talking about how you can use plants from your garden, specifically rosemary, to make essential oil. 

We will specifically be talking about the benefits of essential oils and how to make rosemary oil from scratch. If you don’t specifically grow rosemary in your garden, don’t worry! You can definitely buy some at your local grocery store to make the oil. It’s totally understandable if gardening isn’t your thing. We all have different interests. 

Essential oils can help you to have a good night's sleep.
Essential Oils are mainly used for aromatherapy. One benefit from using these oils is that they help you to fall asleep faster and have a good night's rest. 

The Many Benefits of Essential Oils

8 Reasons Why You Should Consider Using Them

So, you might be wondering what essential oils are? They are oils made from chemical compounds extracted from plants. You can make essential oils from a large variety of plants, but some popular scents are lavender, peppermint, and sandalwood. 

Essential oils are mainly used for aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is when you use aromatic materials to help improve your psychological and physical health. It is a natural way to help treat health related issues. 

In this section, we will get into some of the health benefits that have been produced from essential oils. 

  • They help with stress and anxiety. It has been known that certain scents of essential oils help to relieve stress and anxiety. Some scents that are good for reducing stress and anxiety are sweet orange and chamomile. So, if you’re having a stressful week at school or work and can’t seem to catch a break, you can put some chamomile essential oil in a diffuser and breathe in the scent to feel some relief. 
  • They help you to relax. If you use a sage scented essential oil, you might use it to feel some peace and clarity in your daily life. This scent helps you to take a  deep breath and take in what life has to offer. Don’t be focused on the next thing all of the time. Sometimes you just need to relax and let life run its course. 
  • They might help you feel a bit brighter. Some essential oils just help you feel a little lighter and happier. Lemon scented essential oils seem to result in people feeling happier and more relaxed. It makes sense that lemon results in happiness, because it probably reminds people of cleanliness. We often feel happier when things are clean. 
  • They help you to improve your focus. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can not concentrate and get things done. We have all had those days. The work definitely needs to be taken care of, but we just can't muster up the motivation to do it. If you breathe in rosemary scented oil or lemon scented oil, your concentration may improve. If you put those scents in an oil diffuser, you should be able to find that you will be more focused and be able to concentrate on the tasks at hand. 
  • They allow you to sleep better. If you suffer from insomnia or just seem to have difficulty sleeping some nights, dab some lavender essential oil on your pillow. That way you will feel more relaxed and be able to fall asleep faster. 
  • They help to reduce headaches. If you find yourself suffering from headaches, try using some peppermint scented essential oil. This scent has been known to bring relief to people suffering from headaches and migraines. 
  • They help to reduce nausea. You may be familiar with the fact that ginger helps to reduce nausea. Oftentimes, if you aren’t feeling all that well, you get offered either ginger ale or a ginger tablet to help you feel better. Well, you don’t even need to ingest it to feel relief. Carry around a bottle of ginger essential oil and take a couple whiffs if you’re feeling nauseated. Sniffing the ginger should help to reduce your nausea. 
  • They help to clear your sinuses. You probably can agree that the most annoying part of getting sick is having a stuffy nose. You feel like you can’t breathe and are just miserable 24/7 when your sinuses are stuffy. You can use a eucalyptus scented oil to help clear your sinuses so you can breathe that fresh air once again. 

As you can see, there are many health benefits from using essential oils. If you want to try natural treatments before turning to medicine, try these scents to help relieve these health issues. 

You can make essential oil from a variety of items.
If you have rosemary available, you can make your own essential oil. 

Making Your Own Rosemary Oil

A Step By Step Breakdown of How to Make Your Own Essential Oil

If you’ve been growing rosemary in your garden, and have way more than you could have possibly imagined, or you are just bored, you can try making rosemary essential oil. This recipe is really easy to follow. Once you make it, it’ll be perfect to use for aromatherapy, or you can give it to some of your friends. 

To make this recipe, you will need the following items:

  • 1 cup of rosemary
  • 2 cups of oil
  • A slow cooker
  • A strainer
  • A bowl
  • A couple small sealable containers (bottles)

Once you have gathered these items, you will be ready to start making your rosemary oil. 

  1. If your rosemary is attached to the stem, remove the leaves until you have a cup separated from the branch. Once you have a cup measured, dump the rosemary leaves into your slow cooker.  
  2. Measure two cups of oil and pour it over the rosemary in the slow cooker. Any kind of oil will work, but a low-scent oil is best. Try sunflower oil if you are unsure of what oil to use.
  3. Warm the oil and rosemary by setting the slow cooker to low and let it sit for six hours. 
  4. Allow your essential oil to cool in the slow cooker for about an hour or until you feel like it is no longer warm. 
  5. Strain your concoction over a bowl. The rosemary leaves will get caught in the strainer, so your oil will be the only thing left in the bowl after this step. 
  6. Pour the strained bowl of your oil into your small sealable containers and voilà! Your oil is ready for use!

As stated earlier, your rosemary doesn’t need to be freshly picked from a garden. You can buy it from the store if that is more convenient for you. 

This recipe is pretty simple to follow and is a relatively quick way for you to make your own rosemary essential oil! As stated earlier, you can use this oil when you find that you are lacking the ability to focus, and it should help you to begin to concentrate on what needs to be done. 

Essential oils in a bottle.
There are many different ways to use essential oils to be able to receive the health benefits. 

Different Ways to Use Essential Oils

Some Tips and Tricks on How to Put Your Oil to Use

Essential oils can be used in many different ways. If you are not sure how to use your essential oils, here a few tips and tricks for you!

  • Spray some of the oil on your pillow and sheets for a peaceful sleep. Get a spray bottle and fill it with water. Add a few drops of your oil to the bottle and mix it around a little bit. You can then use this mixture and spray it on your bedding before you go to sleep. 
  • Add a couple drops to your bath. So you’ve had a long day and are looking to relax, what can you do to relieve some of the stress? Run a bath and add a few drops of your oil to it. 
  • Take a whiff. If you don’t really feel like finding a creative way to use your essential oil, you can simply just twist off the lid and sniff it.
  • Use an Oil Diffuser. Another simple way to use your oil is to just put it in an oil diffuser and allow the scent to fill your living space. 

There are many different ways for you to put your oils to use. Get creative and have fun with it! Using these oils is a great way to relax and bring some peace into your life. 

Hopefully this article was able to give you some helpful insight on how to make your own rosemary oil and the benefits of essential oils in general. If rosemary isn’t necessarily a scent you enjoy, remember you can also make essential oils from plenty of other plants. 

Gabby Haduch

Gabrielle Haduch is a senior double majoring in marketing and accounting at the University of Pittsburgh. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.
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