The Essential Oil Maker's Handbook Hardcover – September 1, 2015

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!

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.)

Seems a bit outdated to some extent, but great overall resource!

A lot of detailed information. It would have been nice to be offered a basic at home set up, but this field does require some very specific items designed to get the most from the plant oils. The best distillation stills are from about $500 and up; however, if this is your passion, then I am sure it is worth every penny.

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've always wanted to learn how make my own essential oils! This book is awesome!

Most of the information in this book is already online available for free via google. There are already lots of sources of information online for this sort of thing, they all seemed to reference this book and now I'm fairly disappointed that there isn't more to it - I assumed it went in-depth. It does have some pretty pictures, and a useful plant guide in the back where they discuss some specifics of dealing with particular plants. The book would've been worth it, if they've fleshed this out quite a bit more. However considering what I paid for, definitely don't think that I got my money's worth.