Did you know?? You CAN, in fact, make your own carrier oil.
Originally, carrier oils were created by pressing seeds on a wooden board, and bottling the oil that dripped out. Some artisan oil producers still may use that same method, but now it is much more common to have metal industrial presses to speed the process and increase quantity. These processes are much more healthy as they do not involve any chemicals or heat.
What to make carrier oil out of
** Please keep in mind, this is not a complete list. You may be able to find additional plants to make carrier oil out of that is not listed here. General rule of thumb… a carrier oil is a seed-based oil… though not all seeds are easy to extract oil from and may require industrial equipment or chemicals to extract.
- Apricot Kernels
- Avocado seeds
- Black Cumin seeds – also known as: nigella sativa, black seeds, black caraway (English), Kalonji (Hindi) and Habbah Sauda (Arabic)
- Carrot seeds
- Cocoa beans
- Coconut (shredded)
- Cucumber seeds
- Grape seeds
- Guava seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Olive seeds
- Passion Fruit seeds
- Pomegranate seeds
- Prickly pear seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Red Raspberry seeds (you'll need a LOT because they're small)
- Ricinus communis seeds (to make Caster Oil)
- Rose hip seeds (the fruit of the rosebush)
- Sesame seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Wheatgerm seeds
Nuts you can make carrier oil out of
- Almond
- Hazelnut
- Jojoba
- Macadamia nut
- Walnut
** Please note instructions for nut based oils will be a little different. You'll need to slightly heat up the nut, puree it into a paste and grind it from there to extract the oils out.
How to make your own carrier oil
- Choose what you're going to make carrier oil out of
- Remove the skin and seeds
- Wash the seeds thoroughly
- Allow to rest and dry for ~24 hours. Using low heat will help speed the drying time, and may produce more oil.
- Add your seeds to your cold press, and press them. You may also add washed and dried skins/hulls too.
- Press the extracts until the oil shows a visible separation from the solids.
- Set aside, and in time the oil will continue to separate.
- Skim the remaining oil from the solids.
- Save the pressed oil and preserve it in glass bottles.
What if you don't grow your own?
If you do not have access to plenty of grapes, raspberries, avocados, olives…etc… but wish to make your own organic extract, consider purchasing bulk seeds from wholesale suppliers, or collaborate with a local farmer.
Of course, it is never too late to learn gardening. If you don't have a yard large enough to garden or live in harsh climates, you can also grow your own flowers and produce to extract seeds from using indoor gardening systems (this indoor garden system is my personal favorite).
While the process is fairly simple, it isn't always as easy as it sounds. This process of DIYing your own carrier oil could take some trial and error to find what techniques works best for you.
For most people, it may still be easier to find a quality source you trust and purchase from them – and there is absolutely no shame in that. Of course a trusted local source is always the best.
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Nicole
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