How to Make Eucalyptus Oil and Save a Ton of Money!

If you are a lover of aromatherapy, essential oils or just suffer from a lot of congestion, you need to learn how to make eucalyptus oil at home. It is really quite simple once you find a good source of eucalyptus leaves. Ideally, you should make eucalyptus oil from fresh eucalyptus leaves because the resulting oil will be stronger than if you use dried ones. I will share a few links with you for more information as well as a few affiliate links for things you might need. This is a very simple project and can be done a couple different ways, depending on your supplies and how much time you want it to take.

How to Make Eucalyptus Oil: Method 1

You can make eucalyptus oil in your slow cooker.

It is really very simple. You want fresh eucalyptus leaves (you can grow them yourself or check out your local florist for a supply). You need to decide on a carrier oil (olive oil, coconut oil, or almond oil are good. Very gentle on the skin) and then you set them in your slow cooker for 6 hours on low before straining.

1/4 ounce fresh eucalyptus leaves (crushed, torn, chopped, etc to release oil)
1 cup carrier oil

After 6 hours on low in the slow cooker, let cool, strain through cheese cloth and store the oil in a dark location. Do not ingest! Eucalyptus is toxic! Apply to skin only and if you have sensitive skin you may want to do a test patch before slathering it on your chest.

How to Make Eucalyptus Oil: Method 2

You can make eucalyptus oil on your windowsill.

If you don’t have a slow cooker or you aren’t in a hurry, try making eucalyptus oil on your windowsill. Just take your 1/4 ounce of eucalyptus leaves and put them in a mason jar. Crush them with the handle of a wooden spoon to release the oils. Then, pour your oil over the top until they are covered. Use the same oil options… olive oil, coconut oil, or almond oil work well.Let the mason jar sit on your windowsill for a few weeks. Then, strain out the leaves using cheese cloth and store the oil in a dark jar or in a dark location to prevent breaking down of the oils.

1/4 ounce fresh eucalyptus leaves
enough oil to cover them in a mason jar

How to Grow Eucalyptus:

If you have a green thumb, consider learning how to grow eucalyptus in the back yard or in a pot, depending on your location. I used the Silver Dollar variety since that is what I found in my local nursery. There are a TON of varieties of eucalyptus to choose from. Check out this post on how to grow eucalyptus and then check out this post on uses for eucalyptus because you will have more than you could ever use!

A few notes on making eucalyptus oil:

If you absolutely cannot find or grow your own fresh eucalyptus oil, you CAN use dried eucalyptus. It wont make the oil quite as strong as fresh leaves but it will work. Also, do not be surprised if your oil takes on a dark green tinge to it. You are using a dark green product and some of those pigments to transfer over into the oil.

And, please keep in mind that when making eucalyptus in a slow cooker, your house will REEK of eucalyptus! Be prepared for how strong the smell is! You might want to do it on a nice day when you can open the windows up!