Lemon Essential Oil
Lemon Essential Oil has a deeply invigorating aroma that instantly uplifts the mood. This oil is regarded as the best essential oil with stress relieving capabilities and is widely used in combating anxiety and depression.
Lemon oil contains a phytochemical called limonene which has cancer fighting properties. This oil is power packed with a host of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants which make this oil beneficial in treating some common skin problems like acne, fungal and bacterial skin infections, respiratory problems, headaches, indigestion, obesity and fever.
This oil is added in many skin brightening creams owing to its high vitamin C content which magically illuminates the skin tone and lightens dark spots and blemishes.
Apart from its numerous benefits for skin and overall health, lemon oil is frequently used in home cleaning solutions and mists. Pure lemon oil has degreasing properties which makes it capable of dissolving grime from hard surfaces.
This oil can also be used with other ingredients for making wood and floor polishes.The cheerful scent of lemon oil acts as a wonderful deodorizer for your house. While using any essential oil, you must ensure that you use it correctly and in right quantity, as some essential oils are known to irritate the skin and induce an allergic reaction, if used in excess.
If you apply lemon oil on your skin then refrain from going out in the sun as lemon essential oil increases skin’s sensitivity to sun. Lemon oil can be easily prepared at home from lemon peels but it may not be as effective as the commercially produced essential oils. Hence, one must have a clear purpose in mind before attempting to make lemon oil at home.
If you are tempted by the idea of making something yourself at home, you should surely give it a try as making essential oil at home is in itself a rejuvenating experience and a wonderful way to connect with nature.
Most commercial essential oils are made using steam distillation process to ensure that the oil extracted is of highest purity. Getting all the equipment at home for making lemon oil with steam distillation can be challenging and pricey. It also takes a lot if time to make lemon oil with this process.
For this reason, a simpler method called infusion is utilized for making lemon essential oil at home. It should, however, be noted that any oil you make at home should not be ingested or used for relieving medical conditions as the purity of homemade oils is not guaranteed.
Homemade lemon essential oil can be used as a beauty ingredient or for cleaning tasks at home. For beginners, infusion method is the simplest way of making lemon essential oil as it does not require a long list of ingredients or special equipment to make lemon oil with this method.
Once you master this process, you can switch to another method for making this oil at home. We have explained step by step method of making infused lemon essential oil at home.
How To Make Lemon Essential Oil At Home
- Get the supplies ready before beginning to make lemon essential oil. You will need 7 to 8 lemons, a can of cold pressed olive oil, wooden spoon, a glass jar with lid.
- If you are using homegrown lemons, then make sure that you pluck them early in the morning as the oil content of plants tends to be at its highest in the morning.
- Wash the lemons thoroughly and spread them in an open space to dry the moisture on the lemons. To make sure that the lemons are completely dry, wipe them individually with a clean towel to rid them of all the moisture. To ensure that your oil stays protected from bacterial overgrowth, following this step is of utmost importance.
- Grate the outermost part of the lemon peel into a glass jar until it fills up to half. While grating the lemon peel make sure that the lemons do not get squeezed during the process. Shake the jar a bit to layer the rind uniformly.
- Pour olive oil into the jar until the lemon rind gets completely submerged in the oil and there is atleast an inch of oil layer above the rinds. Close the lid and place the jar near a window to expose it to the sun for two days.
- Shake the jar well twice a day to let the peels release their aroma Into the olive oil. Let the container soak in the warmth of the sun to quicken the release of the aromatic oil.
- Strain the oil into a clean glass bottle and discard the lemon rind remnants. Place the lemon oil in a cool dark place and use it in home cleaning solutions, as a beauty oil or add it to homemade face washes or soaps for an uplifting lemony aroma.
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