How to Distill Lavender Essential Oils

Steam distillation is the most commonly used method to extract lavender essential oil. The distillation time will be shorter than the hydro distillation method, and the ester substances in the plant will be destroyed less. However, some fragile flower plants are not suitable for steam distillation and can only be hydro distilled, such as roses and orange blossoms.

When lavender flowers are harvested, fresh lavender flower spikes are placed in a distillation pot and heated from below. Hot water vapor is fed into the flower spikes. The oil will be released after the flower spikes are fumigated. The essential oil molecules in the bag rise with the hot vapor. The water vapor containing the essential oil is collected through the tube and cooled, and then condenses into a liquid. Due to the different specific gravity, the condensed essential oil and water will naturally separate. After collecting essential oils, there will be some residual essential oils and water-soluble substances in plants in the remaining distilled water. This is the so-called "lavender flower water" or "hydrosol", which is a by-product of processing essential oils. 

The above is just a general process for extracting essential oils. If you want to obtain high-quality essential oils, you must carry out secondary distillation and finishing under specific temperature, pressure, and time control. Due to the different lavender varieties and origins selected for extraction; the collection conditions and time of the flower spikes; the differences in temperature and pressure control during the distillation process, and other factors, the quality of different batches of extracted essential oils varies greatly, with different smells and colors.