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DIY Absolute Oils Recipe & Guide

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In the increasingly expensive modern day and age, it is natural for us to consider cheaper alternatives for many of the products we buy and use on a regular basis as a means of cutting down on costs. When it comes to natural products – this principle can be applied quite wholeheartedly and when done correctly, it can save you a lot of money in the long run.

I for one love DIY projects and when I have the time, I often find myself browsing online for new ideas or practical solutions to many of the products I use on a regular basis – which is probably how you stumbled upon this very article.

The growing amount of competing brands around these days, and the advent of the internet has forced the price of certain products to come down. Due to factors such as competition, the reality is that you often get what you pay for and when it comes to absolute oils or essential oils – you really want to get the best possible quality.

By utilizing a few simple DIY recipes at home, it can be quite easy to replace most of the consumable products around your home without spending a lot of money or time doing so. All it takes is a little practice, some concentration, time and the willpower to do so and you’ll be on your way soon enough.

So if you’re interested in finding out more about how to turn a few common household appliances and ingredients into your own collection of products, I’d recommend that you keep reading. There’s a wealth of information to be found about helpful DIY projects online and most of them don’t take as much effort as you’d think – that is, if you’re new to the field altogether. So keep reading!

What are Absolute Oils and How Are they Made?

Bowl of oil.

This highly fragrant substance is often used in making perfumes of skincare products.

Absolute oils are essentially created from organic material that is too sensitive for the traditional heat/steam-based method that is used to create essential oils as we know them. For instance, carnation absolute oil is one of the more commonly used flowers in the process of creating absolutes because introducing them to a steam-based treatment would destroy them long before their essential phytochemicals and natural compounds could be extracted i.e. essential oil. 

Instead they are subjected to the lengthy chemical treatment that is used to produce absolute oils which I will explain briefly. First, the organic material is gathered and placed in a large vat (in this case carnation flowers). Once enough have been gathered, a hydrocarbon solvent is added to vat, usually hexane or toluene. This vat is then rotated to help the organic material absorb the hydrocarbon solvent. After the solvent has been fully absorbed, it is left to evaporate at room temperature, or in some cases is subjected to a vacuum distillation to remove the hexane or toluene.

Once evaporated, a waxy substance known as ‘concrete’ or ‘resin’ is left behind. This is a highly fragrant substance that is often used in making perfumes of skincare products. However, for the sake of creating a purer final product, the concrete is then washed out with ethanol alcohol which helps to separate the aromatic compounds from the pigments and waxes. This final mixture is then left to cool so that waxes and non-odiferous materials are separated and removed. The remaining mixture is then left to evaporate again so that any leftover alcohol is removed.

Generally, essential oils are more suitable for therapeutic or medicinal use because they are free of any chemical contaminants, while absolutes or better for natural perfumery and general skincare or beauty products as they usually contain anywhere from 5-40% leftover alcohol/hydrocarbon solvent in their final form.  

So it’s always important to know the difference and to be sure that you understand why you would use either one. If you have any known allergies to hydrocarbon solvents or alcohols, or if you have particularly sensitive skin, it would be better for you to stay away from absolute oils in general, as they may cause skin irritation or lead to a worsened quality of health over time with regular use.

Where to find Absolute Oil

There are a wide variety of traditional brick-and-mortar holistic health care stores that specialize in essential oils and absolute oils and will definitely stock absolutes in various quantities. However, this involves the trouble of locating them and physically traveling there to actually acquire the stuff.

If you’re not interested in going through the trouble of actually driving there and picking this stuff up, you’ll easily be able to order a bottle online as there are even more online stores that stock a wide variety of holistic healthcare products. It’s as easy as Googling what you want, placing an order, paying and waiting for it to arrive.

However, I would recommend going to a traditional store first, as it’s a lot easier to ask someone questions regarding the quality and nature of the product before buying it, than it is to do so over the internet. But the choice is entirely up to you.

How to Make Your Own DIY Rose Absolute Oil

Bowl of oil with rose petals.

DIY Rose Absolute Oil.

While making your own absolute oil or pure essential oil can be very difficult and generally unrealistic for regular domestic use, making a ‘watered down’ version in the comfort of your own kitchen isn’t that difficult and can be done with relative ease. It won’t be an absolute oil – as this requires a variety of industrial grade chemicals and machinery – but it’ll be effective nonetheless.

This recipe shouldn’t take you more than a day to complete – but be sure to read through it a few times to make sure that you’ve got all your ducks in a row before you start, as you could waste a lot of time and money trying to make up for silly mistakes. What you’ll need:

  • A slow cooker with a lid.
  • Distilled water (¾ of the volume of the slow cooker).
  • 4-5 Cups of Rose Petals.

First, place all the plant material (in this case, rose petals) in the slow cooker and then cover it with the distilled water. Now place the lid on the slow-cooker, but upside down as the convex shape allows the droplets to fall back down into the liquid.Bring the slow cooker to a high heat and when the water is at a high heat, lower the heat again to a low simmer. Let this stew for 4-5 hours to make sure that all the rose petals have been properly cooked through.

Once the time has elapsed, place the slow cooker in the fridge. If your fridge is too small, pour the liquid into a separate container. Leave the liquid in the fridge overnight and allow it to rest. In the morning, gently lift the slow cooker out of the fridge and examine the contents. You should see a light layer on the surface of the water – this is essential oil.

Lightly scoop this out of the slow cooker and store in an airtight jar for later. In reality, this is really more of a hydrosol than either an essential oil or an absolute oil – but without spending thousands of dollars on costly equipment and hazardous chemicals – it’s as close as you’ll get in a day.

Conclusion

Ultimately, creating your own essential oils or absolute oils is a real challenge for anyone who only needs them for regular domestic use or who doesn’t have the kind of money you need to spend on industrial grade equipment and chemicals. So don’t get your hopes up with regards to creating your own store-grade absolute oils for use in your own products – plus it generally works out to be a lot cheaper to outsource the manufacturing part of your business – if this is what you intend to use the oil for.

However, this hydrosol recipe still goes a long way for how cost effective it is and the oil produced by this method can be utilized for a variety of other DIY recipes at home without the risk of contaminating your body with harmful chemicals that often remain in the finished product. Hydrosols are healthier and cleaner and depending on how well you produce them, can be just as potent.

I would also recommend blending this with another, medical grade essential oil as a means of strengthening its properties and increasing your volume. A few good options would be Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Lavender and Neroli oil work well – but you are only limited to your imagination.