I have two healthy lavender bushes how do I go about extracting the essnetial oils? What are some other uses?

Question

I am new to dealing with fresh lavender and would like as much information as I can get as to what types of things I can do with the flowers. How would I go about making potpouri etc.

Answer 1

to extract the oil you will need a 'still' to collect the steam as the unopened flower buds boil, the liquid that's collected is pure lavender oil, it is much easier to buy pure oil (and exactly the same) and mix it with a base oil like Almond and use the flower buds to put inside a pillowcase to aid restful sleep

Answer 2

To make potpourri, simply dry the leaves in a paper bag, shaking occasionally. Dry them in a bag for about a week. Add some rose oil, or another light essential oil to the bag. After a week, put the new potpourri in a dish and voila.

You can also make a sachet using the same method, only putting the lavender concoction in silk fabric and tying it together. Keep in underwear drawer or any drawer. You can also place in your pillow case for a nice restful sleep.

As for oil: I would suggest using mineral oil. Mineral oil is very thick, harmless, non toxic, and is readily available. Put the oil in a jar (airtight) and put a bunch of lavender in the jar as well. Let it steep for a week. After it steeps, use a filter- a plastic or mesh one- to filter out the lavender leaves. Filter several times to remove all solid particles. You can also add rose petals to the concoction or rose oil.