How to make rosemary oil

An infused oil is the plant soaked in a carrier, so it carries a little of the plant's scent. An essential oil is distilled from the plant and is far stronger, which is why it is measured in drops.

You cannot distil rosemary at home in any useful way, so this page does not give a method for it. If you are looking up how to make rosemary oil for hair, the infused oil below is what you can make; how people use it is on the page about rosemary oil for hair.

Rosemary

Fully dried, never fresh. The section below says why.

Carrier oil

Sweet almond, which stays liquid in the fridge. Coconut sets solid when cold, so it does not suit this method.

A jar

Glass, clean and completely dry, with a lid.

A strainer

A fine sieve, or a square of muslin.

1. Put a small handful of dried rosemary in the jar.
2. Pour in sweet almond oil until the rosemary is covered.
3. Close the jar and keep it in the fridge for a few weeks. Shake it now and then.
4. Strain the oil into a clean, dry bottle, and keep that in the fridge too.

Make a small amount at a time. This oil is for the skin and hair. Do not eat it.

Plants packed in oil can grow the bacteria that cause botulism unless they are properly processed, and Food Standards Australia New Zealand says such products should be kept refrigerated. That advice is written for food, but it is the reason this method uses fully dried rosemary, small amounts and the fridge.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Safe Food Australia, Appendix 4, "Foods requiring special care", page 212.

No source we trust gives a shelf life for an infused oil made at home, so we do not give one. Make small amounts, and keep them cold.

A homemade infused oil holds only a little scent. Some people add a few drops of rosemary essential oil to it. Treat the infused oil as your carrier, and the mixer on the front page works out the drops for the size of your bottle.