The Essential Oil Maker's Handbook

If you are looking for a theoretical book backed by practical facts on EO, this is it! I enjoyed the layout and the relèvent illustrations provided by the authors. I highly recommend it for those new to EO distillation.

This book contains so much information! I didn't expect producing essential oils and hydrosols via steam distillation is so easy. The best of all, you don't need much. Between 10 and 20 ounces of plant material is enough for 2 to 20 milliliters of essential oil and 500 milliliters of hydrosol, depending on the used plant species. The authors describe in detail all issues to maximize oil yield and to receive the most intense hydrosol, whether it is still shape, amount of water, distillation process, plant preparation, harvest time, etc. Finally I've found a sensible application of unused or surplus material from my herb bed which I composted all the years before. It's even possible to use dried plant materials. Assembling your own still with equipment found in every kitchen is simple, no need to weld or solder. Nearly every imaginable essential-oil-plant is accurately described: which part to use, when to harvest, specific preparation, oil yield, and other special characteristics. The last part of the book contains step-by-step instructions for all kind of essential oil and hydrosol applications. An outstanding handbook for everyone who intends to produce his own essential oils and hydrosols.

I haven't had time yet to collect the materials or equipment to produce my own oils, but I've read the book almost cover to cover already. It is very comprehensive, with excellent descriptions of the right way to get the most oil and best quality from many ingredients. There is good detail on many types of equipment, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each, as well as common mistakes that could potentially ruin the batch of oil. I am looking forward to setting up my own "still room" and producing my own small batches of essential oils and hydrosols. I've made herbal tincures and salves from wild crafted herbs - it's time to take the next step! Edited to add: It should be noted that the authors sell stills and some of the information is focused on selling the two models they've developed. (All the other info can be applied to any distillation method.)

I found a lot of excellent information in this book. I've been distilling my own hydrosols and some essential oils for a few years now, but was looking for a book that could help with the little details, like how much oil is yielded from which plant, how much plant material, the best way to prepare the material, how long each plant needs for a complete distillation, etc. This book is crammed with the info I wanted! I do wish there was a tad more information on the distillation of resins, but what is there was very helpful. The reason I took a star away, is because I was really annoyed that the chapter where the authors describe different stills, they only go into detail about the still that they sell! So that chapter is basically a big advertisement for the still that they sell! Not even a mention of an alembic still either, which in my opinion is probably one of the most used by the home/hobbyist distiller. Other than that the book is good, and also goes into detail on other extraction methods, for example, cold pressing, solvent extraction, etc. This book is not only for the home/hobbyist distiller, but for anyone that uses essential oils. I say this because if you're using essential oils, you're going to want to learn everything you can, even how they're made. Had the authors not tried to heavily sell their still to me in this book, I'd have given 5 stars.

There are 2 books by Bettina Malle and Hedge Schmickl. It is worth having both. The other is Crafting Distilled Spirits. Both books are released as high quality hardbound books. The photos and illustrations are excellent. Both books are very practical. If you are going to only buy one book, then this book on the Essential Oils goes more deeply into which types of stills work, and which ones are not as effective. The book on crafting spirits gets into how to prepare the mashes. Please keep in mind that the USA has very tight regulations on alcohol production .. you must pay taxes if you produce large quantities. But there are no problems with distilling essential oils. These authors are very experienced, and they know what they are doing. Highly recommended!

This book was written by two doctors, and has excellent technical information I was pleased with, but not so much as to be overwhelming. If you are interested in many varieties of still, a world of different techniques and options, you will enjoy this book. If you are less interested in knowing what a hydrosol is in a chemical sense, you can easily skip ahead and get right to the procedures. For me this was the perfect style.

Seems a bit outdated to some extent, but great overall resource!

The directions are a little obscure so if you want something more definite like I did it’s not this book.