Creating Homemade Peppermint Essential Oil

The use of essential oil in aromatherapy has been approved by health professionals. In fact, several patients even prefer it over synthetically produced medicines since there is less possibility of developing adverse effects. The cost-efficiency of using essential oils has also contributed to its growing popularity.

In order to create your own peppermint essential oil at home, you will utilize only household items. And of course, you will need to harvest the materials you need for extraction from a peppermint plant. If you gather enough supply, it can last you for a few months. If you were to compare that with buying bottled essential oils from your nearby health shop, it will certainly add up to your savings.

Needed Materials

Learning the steps to preparing your own peppermint essential oil is easy. In fact, some of the items you need for preparation are find right at your kitchen. Below is a list of necessary items and an explanation on what purpose they will have during your preparation.

*Jar/Container with Lid: This is where you will store the initial phase of essential oil you produce, before proceeding onto the next set of procedures.
*Herb/Plant Materials: You must gather a substantial amount of peppermint to produce the desired amount of essential oil for your consumption.
*Storage Bag: This is useful during the processing of the essential oil.
*Carrier Oil: This is useful in diluting the peppermint essential oil, since it can be too concentrated and harmful when directly applied.
*Mallet: You will use this in crushing the leaves of the peppermint plant while stored in the bag, in order to secrete oil.

Tips When Harvesting

Since the peppermint plant is the most important ingredient to produce your own homemade peppermint essential oil, you need to give enough attention on your harvesting procedure. The quality of the plant material you harvested from will impact the quality of oil you produce.

If possible, perform your harvesting in the morning - before the sun is at its peak and after the dew has dried up. Also, take note of the quality of the plant itself. Examine the appearance of the leaves and the plant structure. Make sure to harvest only those with the best appearance and of highest quality produce.

Here is a specific guideline that you need to follow to create your own peppermint essential oil.

1. After gathering the right amount of peppermint you need, wash the leaves using cool water. This will help retain the freshness and quality of the leaves and plant itself.


2. Once you are through washing the peppermint plant, dry it off using a paper towel. Store it away using a sealed plastic bag and wait to dry so you can use them.
   
3. Once the leaves have completely dried off, keep them in a sealed bag. Take the mallet and use it to crush against the plant stored inside the bag. There is a technique to doing this such that you are causing it to secrete the essential oil but make sure not to bruise the plant. You could lose all the helpful properties present in the oil.


4. You must now gather into the container with lid all the oil produced from the peppermint plant. Mix in the carrier oil, which could be almond, grape seed, or wheat germ. The carrier oil serves two purpose: for easy absorption and dilution of the essential oil.


5. Once you have fully incorporated the peppermint essential oil with the carrier oil, store it for another 24 hours.


6. The next day, perform the same process until you reached the desired strength of the essential oil. When storing, keep the container in a dry and cool place. Avoid direct contact with the sunlight.

Now that you have your own homemade peppermint essential oil and its usage purposes, you might be interested to learn about the types of application. Each one are detailed below:

*Massages: Peppermint essential oil, aside from aromatherapy, has also seen wide application in reflexology. It is able to provide effective relief from pressure points during a massage.
*Chest Rub: You can apply a substantial amount of the peppermint essential oil solution into the patient's chest for soothing effect and immediate relief.
*Compress: This application is suitable for problems on the internal nasal passages or respiratory system.
*Air Spritzer: Peppermint comes with a sweet and vibrant aroma, which makes it useful in purifying the air and adding fragrance into your room.
*Breath Freshener: Aside from your room, adding a few drops of the peppermint essential oil into your tongue can provide you with a fresh breath.

Commercial or Homemade?

If you are still not sure about what is the more practical choice between a commercial or homemade peppermint essential oil, then hopefully the following pointers can help you out.

*Frequency of use

If you intend to use peppermint essential oil for a specific purpose only, instead of using it on a constant basis, then maybe buying one off your nearby health store would make more sense. Although simple, the preparation methods for peppermint essential oil still requires some effort and time on your part.

So, if you are going to use it one-time, then might as well save yourself the effort and time by buying pre-made ones. However, if you are going to use it for an ongoing treatment, then you can save a good chunk of money over the long run.

*Budget

In this times of financial crisis, you want to reduce your medicinal bills as much as you can. Hence, making homemade essential oil solutions is a practical way to producing effective yet affordable treatment solutions.

Safety Precautions

Despite its therapeutic benefits, you need to observe certain precautionary measures when using peppermint essential oil. This will enable you to maximize the benefits it has to offer.

*Pregnant women must NEVER use peppermint essential oil. Its strong aroma has been known to induce labor, or worse cause miscarriage.
*Do not use peppermint essential oil on young children or toddlers. Their sensitive skin might produce adverse effects from the contact with this type of oil.
*Peppermint essential oil must only be used externally and should never be ingested.