How to Make Lemongrass Oil at Home
Is there anybody who doesn’t enjoy the refreshing scent of lemongrass? This aroma helps to drive mosquitoes and other insects away, leading to refreshing feelings, and relaxation after a hard day. The oil gotten from this plant is also very helpful in fighting different inflammations and fungal infections. However, not everybody knows how to make lemongrass oil at home. It’s really easy and won’t take much of your time.
What Is Lemongrass?
This strong plant with a pleasant fresh fragrance is a natural inhabitant of tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and America. In Africa, it’s especially popular as a powerful means against the Tsetse fly, which can’t stand the aroma. Stalks and leaves of this plant contain plenty of essential oil, which can be used as a natural medicine for skin troubles, to kill bacteria and fungi, heal wounds and improve sleep.
Besides this, lemongrass is a natural spice used in many cuisines. Though the essential oil that can be received from the fresh plant is not meant to be used with food, you should add no more than one single drop to a teapot.
However, feel free to use the oil for beauty care (add several drops to skin care creams and lotions, shampoos or hair balms, and so on).
How to Make Lemongrass Essential Oil at Home?
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You will need fresh stalks of lemongrass itself, some very simple tools, and a neutral oil that will serve as a base for the essence. There are several available types of lemongrass but some of them are more preferable for the oil making than others. If you are purchasing the plant at the market, try to make sure that the species is good for oil extraction.
Now, there are two common methods. They are both equally effective, so, it’s up to you which one you choose. They are called cold and hot infusion. Depending on which of them you will choose, you will need different tools.
In both cases, in order to prepare homemade lemongrass oil, you will need:
- 4 to 5 lemongrass stalks
- 1 quart of a neutral oil (made out of coconut, almond, or grape seeds)
- Dark glass jars with tight lids for storage
- A piece of cheesecloth
Then, if you choose cold infusion, you will need:
- Two 1-quart canning jars with tight lids
- One 1-quart glass jar
- A mortar with a pestle (if you have none, a rolling pin will do)
If you choose hot infusion, you will need also:
- A double boiler
- A wine press
Precautions: Before you start the oil extraction, you need to remember that it can be irritating to your skin. If it occasionally gets into your eyes or mouth, rinse them with cold water. Keep children away while you are preparing the essential oil.
Getting the Oil: Cold Infusion
If you are interested in how to make lemongrass oil in the simplest way without spending much time and effort, cold infusion if what you need. It doesn’t require your presence and attention for hours. You just need to check the process once in two days. Now, let’s get down to the preparation of the oil.
Prepare the lemongrass. You need to wash it thoroughly and let them dry completely. If the stalks are still wet, don’t start the process. Any drop of water that gets inside the essence will spoil everything.
- Make sure that the stalks are dry and clean. Take two of them and cut them into pieces. Then, use the mortar and pestle to mash them completely. They will give off a lot of juice that contains plenty of oil. If you have no mortar, a rolling pin can do the job perfectly well.
- Put the mashed stalks, their juice and everything into a canning jar and cover the mass with the neutral oil. Cover the jar with its lid tightly.
- Find a place that receives enough sunlight and warmth through the day and leave the jar there. Keep it there for two days.
- Filter the oil through a piece of cheesecloth into the second jar after two days of fermentation.
- Cut two remaining stems of lemongrass and mash them in the same way. Then, add them to the filtered oil, cover the jar tightly and leave in the sunlight for two more days.
- Repeat this step as many times as you want until the received oil smells concentrated enough.
- Finally, filter the concentrated oil into dark glass jars, cover them tightly, and store the oil in a dark place.
Note: You need only dark glass bottles or jars to keep the lemongrass oil because sunlight can destroy the essence. The oil can be stored for about 12 months before it starts decaying.
Getting the Oil: Hot Infusion
The method of hot infusion is slightly more time-consuming and needs your constant control. Besides that, you need a double boiler to receive the oil. However, you need to go through the process only once, and you receive the lemongrass oil without additional fermentation.
The steps towards your goal are as follows:
- Remove the top part of the boiler and fill the bottom with hot water. Let the water boil.
- Cut the lemongrass stalks (all of them) into pieces and combine with the neutral oil in the top part of the boiler. Install the top onto the boiler when the water in the bottom part starts to boil.
- Heat up the oil with lemongrass stalk pieces this way for about three hours. You need to control it all the time because too much heat can ruin everything.
- Prepare the wine press. The tube from its bottom part should end into a glass jar.
- Place the cheesecloth on the wine press rims and make sure it’s set securely. Filter the lemongrass oil so that it runs into the bottom part and to the jar through the tube.
- Let the oil cool down and then pour it into dark glass bottles for storage. Cover them with tight lids and store them in a dark place.
Note: When infusing the oil with this method, make sure that the oil in the top part of the boiler doesn’t boil itself. Only gentle heating through a long time can help you extract the essence in the right way.
Now, you can see how easy it is to prepare homemade essential oil from lemongrass. It’s not expensive or very hard. No matter which method you choose, you will receive a high-quality natural essence with all its positive powers. Don’t hesitate, do it right now! Here’s a detailed video to help you understand the process of hot infusion.
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Source: Legit.ng
