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How to Make Lavender Essential Oil From Leaves
You can make lavender essential oil from leaves, though the result is different from the classic floral oil most people know.
The leaves contain a lighter, more camphor-like aroma with subtle herbal and sometimes slightly medicinal notes.
If you’ve ever brushed against a lavender bush and smelled that green, fresh scent on your hands, you’ve experienced the leaves’ volatile oils.
Learning how to make lavender essential oil from leaves means capturing that green aroma rather than the sweet floral one.
It’s a rewarding project that lets you use more of the plant, especially after you’ve already harvested the flower buds.
In this post, we’ll walk through how to make lavender essential oil from leaves using two different methods, plus tips to get the best results.
Let’s get into it.
Why You Can Make Lavender Essential Oil From Leaves
You can make lavender essential oil from leaves because the leaves contain tiny oil glands that produce volatile compounds.
These glands are the same type found in the flowers, just with a different chemical makeup.
The leaves rely on these oils for protection, and you can extract them for your own use.
1. The Leaves Are Rich in Volatile Oils
Lavender leaves are packed with volatile oils, which are the foundation of any essential oil.
These oils are stored in microscopic glands on the surface of the leaves.
When you crush a leaf between your fingers, you’re releasing those oils into the air.
That’s why lavender leaves smell so strong when you rub them.
2. You Can Extract Oil Through Steam or Infusion
Making lavender essential oil from leaves relies on two main approaches.
Steam distillation is the traditional method that produces a true essential oil.
The other option is an oil infusion, which creates a lavender-infused carrier oil rather than a concentrated essential oil.
Both start with the same raw material, but they end with very different products.
We’ll cover both so you can choose what works for your setup.
3. Leaf Oil Has Its Own Unique Benefits
The oil from lavender leaves has a more herbal, camphoraceous scent than flower oil.
It’s often used in DIY cleaning sprays, massage blends, and outdoor repellent mixes.
Because the chemistry differs, leaf oil isn’t a perfect swap for floral lavender oil in every recipe.
Still, it has a place in your homemade apothecary, and it’s a great way to use the whole plant.
How to Make Lavender Essential Oil From Leaves by Steam Distillation
This is the method that yields a true essential oil from lavender leaves.
Steam distillation uses heat and water vapor to pull the oils out of the plant material.
Here’s how to make lavender essential oil from leaves step by step.
1. Gather and Dry Your Leaves
Harvest fresh lavender leaves in the morning before the heat of the day sets in.
Rinse them gently and pat them dry, then let them air-dry for a day or two.
Wilted leaves release their oils more easily than fresh, wet ones.
You’ll need a good handful, roughly two to three cups, for a small batch.
2. Set Up Your Distillation Equipment
You’ll need a distillation setup, which can be a stovetop still or a dedicated essential oil distiller.
Fill the pot with water and place the leaves in the steam basket above the water line.
As the water boils, steam rises through the leaves and carries the oils with it.
That vapor then travels through a condenser, where it cools back into liquid.
3. Collect and Separate the Oil
The cooled liquid drips into a collection jar as a mix of water and oil.
The oil floats on top because it’s less dense than water.
Use a separatory funnel or a small pipette to draw off the oil layer.
Store it in a dark glass bottle away from heat and light.
How to Make Lavender Essential Oil From Leaves by Infusion
If you don’t have distillation gear, this is the easier route.
Just know that this method makes a lavender-infused oil, not a true essential oil.
Here’s how to make lavender essential oil from leaves using the infusion approach.
1. Choose a Carrier Oil
Pick a light, stable carrier oil like jojoba, sweet almond, or fractionated coconut oil.
These hold the scent well and have a long shelf life.
Avoid heavy oils that go rancid quickly, as they’ll ruin your batch.
2. Warm the Leaves in the Oil
Place your dried leaves in a clean glass jar and cover them with carrier oil.
Set the jar in a warm spot or use a double boiler on low heat for two to three hours.
Keep the temperature low so you don’t cook away the delicate aroma.
Stir gently now and then to help the oils mingle.
3. Strain and Store
After the oil has absorbed the leaf aroma, strain out the plant material through cheesecloth.
Squeeze the cloth to get every last drop of oil.
Pour the finished oil into a dark glass bottle and label it with the date.
It’ll keep for several months if stored in a cool, dark place.
So, How Do You Make Lavender Essential Oil From Leaves?
You can make lavender essential oil from leaves through steam distillation for a true essential oil or through infusion for a scented carrier oil.
Both methods let you capture the green, herbal aroma hiding in those slender leaves.
Steam distillation takes more gear, but it gives you a concentrated oil.
Infusion is simpler and still delivers a lovely lavender leaf oil for everyday use.
Either way, you’re making the most of your lavender plant and turning those leaves into something useful.
Give one of these methods a try and see which one fits your style best.