A heat source — usually direct fire A pressure cooker A 10 mm glass pipe A tub of cold water to cool down and condense the steam flowing through the pipe[1] X Research source Krell, Erich Handbook of Laboratory Distillation. New York: Elsevier Science Ltd. , 1981. An essencier, which separates out the essential oil from other materials you don’t want in your final product. [2] X Research source
Make sure you cut the hose long enough to allow some room to bend. Otherwise, your pipe will stick straight up in the air, and you’ll have to give it a 90 degree bend so it can run toward the cooling tub.
Most essential oils are held in the plant’s oil glands, veins and hairs, and these are very fragile. If you disturb or break them, you’ll get less oil from your plants. Handle the plants with care, and handle them as little as possible.
While distillation removes many impurities, pesticides and herbicides can contaminate your oil. It’s best to use organically grown plants, whether you purchase them or grow your own.
The ideal drying method varies from plant to plant, but in general, you shouldn’t overheat the plants. Drying in the shade or even in a dark room minimizes the oil loss. Don’t allow the plants to become wet again before distillation. Distill as soon as possible after drying. You can choose not to dry your plant material if you’d like to skip this step.
You don’t need to chop or otherwise prepare the plant in any way — in fact, doing so will cause you to lose some of the oils.
Don’t be disappointed that you get a very small amount of essential oil from a large amount of plant matter. Percent yields vary from species to species, but they’re always lower than a beginning distiller might think. [6] X Research source
Decide what to do with the hydrosol as well. The other material in the essencier is hydrosol — water that’s been distilled and infused with the scent of the plant. Some hydrosols, like rose or lavender water are usable themselves. If you don’t want to save the hydrosol, you can pour it into the still for the next batch if you will be distilling another batch immediately. Otherwise, throw it out.
