Creating Infused Oils at Home

Infused oils, also referred to as essential oils, can be inhaled though products such as candles, room air freshener sprays, and infused bamboo sticks within an oil holder. This type of aromatherapy is known as pharmacological. Infused oils can also affect the body physiologically when used as a lotion or massage oil. Psychologically, infused oils can produce an emotional response such as happiness and feelings of well-being.

While you can shop for infused and essential oils online or in a retail store, you can also make your own infused oils at home. Here is a way to create your own mint infused oil, using your own kitchen and ingredients that you probably already have on hand:

1. Purchase a quantity of organic mint leaves. Choose organic leaves, and not those that have pesticides applied to them. Since you might use the mint oil on your skin, you don't want to apply pesticides to your skin. The amount of leaves you buy will depend upon the size of jar you use to make the oil. You'll need a fresh bunch of mint leaves every day for seven days.
2. Purchase a glass jar with a snug lid, and a vial of carrier oil of your choice. Carrier oils are not scented and are used to carry the essence of the herb throughout the liquid so that you can transfer the herb in a liquid form to your skin or a diffuser stick. It doesn't matter what kind of carrier oil you use, as long as it isn't scented. If you need to find a carrier oil, perform an online search for suggestions.
3. Crush the mint leaves with your hands and place them loosely into your clean jar.
4. Pour enough carrier oil into the jar to cover the crushed leaves, and place the lid firmly onto the jar. Set the jar in warm place.
5. Strain the oil from the leaves the following day, crush a new batch of leaves and place them into the same jar, and top with new carrier oil. Lid the jar and place in a warm place.
6. Repeat the same process for five more days and, on the last day, pour the concoction into smaller bottles, and then refrigerate them.

If you wash your mint leaves before you crush them, make certain that there is no water left behind on the leaves before you place the carrier oil onto them. Water can make your infused oil go rancid very quickly.