Essential oils are the oils obtained from plants by various methods, such as distillation. They are called essential oils because it carries a distinctive scent, or essence, of the plant. The use of essential oils has a history dating back at least a thousand years and has been used for medicinal uses, skin care and aromatherapy.

If you are fortunate enough to have an herb and/or flower garden, or have access to fresh cut herbs and flowers, you can make your own essential oils quite easily. Sweet almond oil with Vitamin E will be the base of all your essential oils. Vitamin E will act as a natural preservative. You essential oils will last 6 to 12 months if kept in a dark, dry, and cool place. Remember to sterilize your containers and start with clean utensils.

Ingredients: Day 1, Repeat for days 2 through 4

1/2 Cup Sweet Almond Oil
couple of drops of vitamin E
1 Cup packed fresh herbs OR 1/4 cup chopped fruit peel, such as orange, grapefruit, lime, lemon, etc. or 1cup freshly cut flowers. Rinse herbs, fruit or flower petals thoroughly.

Day 1
Every day for four days place 1 cup of flowers or 1/4 cup herbs or chopped fruit peel in the plastic bag.

Close the bag securely and lightly tap the materials in the bag. Do not beat them to a pulp, as this is a gentle process.

Add the sweet almond oil and the flowers, herbs or citrus peel into one wide mouth glass jar. Close and shake gently to distribute the almond oil thoroughly. Place bottle in warm place.

Day 2:
Transfer the materials in the jar into a cheesecloth or gauze and strain the oil into the second glass jar. Squeeze as much as possible to extract all the oils. Discard material.

Day 3, Repeat Day 1

Day 4, Repeat Day 2

On the 4th day, when all oils have been extracted into jar 2, strain the oil one last time. Pour into pretty bottle

Below are some fun recipes.

Scented Rocks (A Nice Alternative to Potpourri)

1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup salt
1/4 tsp. essential oil in your favorite scent
2/3 cups boiling water
Food coloring, if desired

In bowl, mix dry ingredients well. Add essential oil and boiling water to dry ingredients. (Scent will be strong, but will fade slightly when dry.) For colored stones, blend in food coloring, one drop at a time, until desired shade is reached. Blend ingredients and form balls. Allow stones to dry. Place rocks in a bowl or dish to scent a room.

Oriental Nights Perfume

4 drops sandalwood
4 drops musk
3 drops frankincense
2 tsp. jojoba oil

Mix all the ingredients together and shake well. Allow perfume to settle for at least 12 hours. Store in a cool dry place.

Luscious Body Polisher

2 C. plain yogurt
1 T. wheat germ
1 T. honey
1 T. almond oil

Omit almond oil if skin is acne-prone. Mix all ingredients. Dampen skin in shower and massage mixture all over. Rinse with warm water. Rinse immediately with cold water to boost circulation.

Lemony Lavender Toner

3 drops lemon oil
3 drops lavender oil
3 teaspoons of distilled water

Use a soft cotton ball to massage mixture into the skin after cleansing. Follow with a moisturizer if desired.

What’s in a holy anointing recipe? Essential oils and hopefully therapeutic grade essential oils are the ONLY ingredients. I have thought about this in regards to a “spiritual” recipe for aiding you in your holiday celebrations particularly spiritual celebrations honoring the birth of the Christ child. Let’s first look in the Bible. There are only a few oils that the biblical writers deemed holy enough to call them “holy.” They are frankincense, myrrh, spikenard, galbanum and onycha. There are actually 35 different plants named by name in the scriptures but only these five got the special designation of holy. Of these five, only frankincense and myrrh have traditionally been used by churches in their incense.

A Recipe for Anointing

Frankincense will lend a particularly holy fragrance to your recipe and the myrrh will give a musky tinge to the body of the blend. Galbanum is actually a wonderfully earthy oil and will add a bit of grounding to the recipe. Onycha is styrax benzoin and can render a sweet vanilla-bean like fragrance to the recipe. Should you choose to add the spikenard, I would do so very sparingly since it is in the valerian family of plants and will give a “dirty socks” kind of aroma to your blend.

So here is the recipe:

12 drops of frankincense

6 drops of myrrh

2 drop of galbanum

1 drop of onycha (optional)

1 drop of spikenard (optional)

To use this blend for anointing in a spiritual service, I would add it to 1 teaspoon of virgin olive oil. Better yet, I would add it to a clear vegetable oil since olive oil tends to be greasy. You can use jojoba oil or fractionated coconut oil or almond oil. This will make about a 50% dilution. If you want to diffuse this blend rather than use it as an anointing oil, then don’t add the vegetable oil since it will clog up your diffuser. Just diffuse the frankincense/myrrh/galbanum mixture. The fragrance will give an “old world” kind of churchy aroma.