Okay, so I’ve been wanting to try making my own green tea essential oil for a while now. I mean, who doesn’t love the smell of green tea? And the supposed benefits? Sign me up! I finally got around to doing it, and let me tell you, it was a bit of a rollercoaster.

Gathering My Supplies

First things first, I needed to gather my supplies. I thought I could just wing it, but a quick online search showed me I needed a few specific things.

• Green Tea Leaves: Obviously. I used some loose-leaf green tea that I already had. It smelled amazing, so I figured it would be perfect.
• Carrier Oil: This is important, apparently. You can’t just use straight-up green tea leaves. I opted for sweet almond oil because I read it’s good for your skin.
• A Jar: I Grab a clean, airtight jar.
• A Double Boiler (or a makeshift one): I don’t actually own a double boiler, so I used a heat-safe bowl over a pot of simmering water.
• Cheesecloth or a Fine-Mesh Strainer: For straining out the leaves later.
• A Dark-Colored Bottle: To store the finished oil and keep it out of direct sun.

The Infusion Process (aka “The Waiting Game”)

I put the green tea leaves in my jar and poured the almond oil over them. Made sure the leaves were fully submerged. Then, I put the jar into my makeshift double boiler. The key here is to keep the heat low and slow. I’d read that you don’t want to boil the oil, just gently heat it to help the green tea infuse.

I let it simmer like that for…oh boy, it felt like forever. I think it was around 2 hours, maybe even a little longer. I kept checking on it, giving it a little stir every now and then, making sure nothing was burning.

Straining and Storing

After I was satisfied (and my kitchen smelled fantastic), I took the jar out of the double boiler and let it cool down a bit. Then came the fun part: straining! I carefully poured the oil through my cheesecloth into a clean bowl, squeezing out every last drop. All that was left in the cheesecloth were the spent tea leaves.

Finally, I poured my freshly made green tea essential oil into my dark-colored bottle. It looked so pretty, a nice golden-green color. I made sure to label it with the date, just so I know how long it’s been sitting around.

The Final Verdict

The oil smells absolutely divine – a lovely, subtle green tea scent. I’ve used it a few times in my diffuser, and it definitely creates a calming atmosphere. I’ve even added a few drops to my moisturizer, and my skin seems to be loving it. My skin does feel a bit softer, but it’s probably too soon to tell if it’s really making a huge difference.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with how this turned out! It was a fun little project, and I ended up with a product that I actually enjoy using. Would I do it again? Maybe! It’s a bit time-consuming, but the result is worth it, I think.