How To Make Neem Oil From Neem Leaves

How To Make Neem Oil From Neem Leaves: Every type of remedy solution you can think of can be found in nature. It’s as if nature made provision for problems long before man knew how to combine different substances. Extracts from different parts of a plant can tackle a lot of health issues.

Neem is a medicinal plant characterized by its toothed dark green leaves and smooth, olive-like drupe fruit. The fruit encloses one, rarely two, or three, elongated seeds (kernels) having a brown seed coat. The flowers are white with a peculiar fragrant. The tree originated in India and can be in various parts of the world currently.

Its fruits and seeds are the sources of neem oil. Neem oil is very useful for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. The best way to be sure you’re using Neem oil in its purest form is by extracting it yourself. You don’t need a complex equipment, it can be done in your house. In this case, you will need just the Neem leaves because proceed the seeds (kernels) at home can be cumbersome. This article will guide you on how to prepare Neem oil at home using the leaves.

Ways Of Extracting Oil From Neem Leaves

There are three ways to do so. Two of them involve additional oils and in the end, you will receive the new oil, and the third one involves receiving a water extract. That is, the essential neem oil will be dissolved in water. All these methods are quite easy and you won’t need any special equipment or skills.

1. Cold Infusion Method

Here, there will be no temperatures influencing the neem leaves. They will simply give their essence away to the medium without any chemical, mechanical, or thermal influence.

2. The Hot Infusion Method

The neem leaves will give off their essential oil into the medium while undergoing the process of boiling. It quickens the process because everything you need to do is just wait for several minutes instead of several weeks.

3. The Water Extraction Method

Preparation Process

• The Cold Infusion Method

Requirements: a glass jar with a tight lid, clean coconut oil and fresh neem leaves.

The process is as follows:

• Wash the leaves thoroughly to remove sand particles.
• Remove excess water carefully with a paper towel and allow the leaves for several minutes until the water evaporates completely.
• Put them into a clean dry glass jar. Choose the jar size in such a way that the leaves don’t fill it to the brim. There should be enough space inside the jar.
• Pour in the clean coconut oil. Make sure the oil covers the leaves.
• Cover the jar with the lid and set aside for two weeks.

The jar should be stored at a room temperature and away from sunlight. The direct sun rays can destroy everything in a matter of minutes.

In two weeks, undo the lid and filter the oil into a separate jar or bowl. This is how you get the neem infused coconut oil.

However, such a delicate method will provide you with only a little part of the essential oil that can be found in the neem leaves. Store the oil in a tightly covered jar in a cool place as far away from the direct sunlight as possible and try to use it within three to four months. This is the longest storage time under proper conditions for neem oil of this type.

• The Hot Infusion Method

Requirements: Fresh neem leaves (possibly with stems), coconut oil, a good saucepan, and sieve for filtering out the end product.

The process is as follows:

• Wash the Neem leaves and, again, remove the excess water with a paper towel or just let it evaporate in a natural way.
• Pour a generous amount of coconut oil into a saucepan and heat it up on the kitchen fire. Coconut oil is slightly milky when it’s cold but loses this color during heating. You need to heat it up until it’s completely transparent.
• Meanwhile, grind the Neem leaves with a blender or grinder. You will get a thick paste with particles of leaves and stems.
• When the coconut oil is transparent, add the neem paste and stir immediately. Let the mixture boil while stirring it constantly and thoroughly.
• When it boils, reduce the heat and keep on cooking for several minutes more.
• When you can see that the liquid in the saucepan is green, turn the fire off.
• Filter the oil into a clean and dry glass jar with a tight lid.
• Press the residue out very carefully to get more of this expensive oil. This is how you can receive the neem infused coconut oil easily. The percentage of the neem essence in this mixture is much higher than in the cold infusion method.

You can apply this oil as it is or even dissolve with some neutral basic oils to reduce the concentration. Store in a cool place, don’t expose to the direct sunlight and this extract will serve you for several months.

• Neem water extract

Requirements: Neem leaves and stems, some water, a big bowl for boiling, and a sieve for filtering.

As long as water extracts of the neem essential oil are not used for, say, cosmetic or medicinal purposes, you may not worry much about the cleanness of the leaves. The point is that the water extraction is mostly used as a natural organic pesticide for a garden. The neem essential oil that all goes into the water while boiling is a perfect repellent not only for the garden pests but also for pets who need to be protected from ticks, mosquitos, and other insects.

The process is as follows:

• Take the leaves from stems and put them into the bowl together.
• Add enough water to cover the herbal parts.
• Put the bowl onto a low fire and allow it to boil gradually.
• When it boils thoroughly, reduce the fire and cover the bowl with a lid. Keep on boiling the leaves for 5 minutes to extract all the essence.
• Remove the bowl from the fire and let it cool down. When the liquid is no more scalding hot, remove the leaves from the water by hands, squeezing the leaves tightly to press out the remaining essential oil.
• Then, filter the water into a jar or bottle with a tight lid to remove particles of leaves.
• Spray over the garden plants with the help of special tools in generous amounts.

You don’t need to worry: it’s not dangerous for the plants but will make insects leave your garden alone.

Using Homemade Neem Oil at a remedy for hair and scalp issues:

The ingredients are practically the same: Neem leaves and some base oil (coconut or sesame). However, it’s recommended to add fresh basil leaves, too, as their effect on hair and scalp is amazing. The remedy works for hair strengthening, to repel lice and kill their larvae, to remove scalp inflammations, and to make hair shine like silk.

The preparation process is similar to the hot infusion method:

• Grind washed neem and basil leaves and add them to the boiling base oil.
• Let the mixture boil for 15 minutes and then remove from the fire and allow for 2 hours more.
• Filter the liquid into a glass jar and cover with a tight lid.
• Store, as always and as all other essential oils, in a cool dry place where the direct sunlight cannot reach it. Under proper conditions, it can be stored for three to four months without a fridge.

Warning! Neem is said to be one of the most powerful organic contraceptives. It is highly recommended to consult your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to, before starting any work with neem, its oil, any parts of the plant, and other neem products.