DIY: Rosemary Essential Oil (Actually it's Infused Oil) | TUTORIAL

In my backyard are two big and fluffy rosemary shrubs. They yield rosemary all year round. The aroma when you stand near by is divine in that it is herbal and almost cleansing. I want to find every possible use for rosemary and take advantage of this bounty. Sure, I know rosemary is wonderful in the kitchen. There's all kinds of recipes that call for some rosemary but I recently found that you can make your own infused oils, so I did.

***I thought this was essential oil because I was just going off the tutorial I found and didn't question it. But as someone pointed out below, maybe I should have questioned it. This is infused oil, not essential oil. Basically though, both essential oil and infused oil are made from herbs or plants. Infused oils are diluted, while essential oils are pure concentrated oils.***

Check it out, my rosemary infused oil! I followed this tutorial from the Living Life with Purpose blog.

Infused oils are pretty easy to make. Rosemary only required 4 things!

• A Carrier Oil (I used olive)
• Fresh Rosemary
• A Jar
• Patience

Plenty of patience because making infused oils is all about letting time pass. I waited for a month like the tutorial instructed. By that time the fresh rosemary had completely lost its green color. The new oil has such a strong aroma but that's probably because it had been sealed in for so long. I plan on incorporating this oil into my shampoo because the rosemary will restore moisture, add shine and stimulate hair growth.

Now when I was looking for how-to's on this I came across two videos and according to this one by Lauren Roy, infused oils should be made in dark or amber glass jars and bottles and left for months. Then this video uses basically the same instructions as the first tutorial but I noticed that, either people say to put the oil in a sunny spot or a dark cool place. The reason for a cool dark place is to avoid your oil turning rancid after so long. Like I said, I ended up following the first tutorial and placing my clear jar on my window sill. It seemed to work for me, it has yet to go bad.

As with all herbs, there are precautions and such to consider. Take a look at Making SAFE Herbal Infused Oils by 21st Century Simple Living.

Oh and in my backyard there's also lavender and mint growing, so I think I know what oils are up next. I hope you give making your own infused oils a try too.