An essential ingredient in some of the world’s most luxurious skin- and hair-care products and a superb beauty elixir on its own, almond oil can be whipped up in your home kitchen, no special skills or fancy equipment required. Considered the finest all-purpose carrier oil, sweet almond oil softens and revitalizes your skin and hair. Handcrafting this marvelous all-purpose oil is a satisfying and accessible process, rivaling store bought for quality and affordability.
Step One
You’ll need 2 cups of fresh unroasted almonds, 1 to 2 teaspoons of virgin olive oil and a regular household blender to make almond oil. Ensure your blender is clean and dry, then add all of the almonds at once. Set the blender to its lowest speed and blend, pausing often to scrape down the nuts that accumulate on the sides of the blender. When the mixture is blending more smoothly, you can increase the blender speed to medium, then high. Once blended into a thick, creamy paste-like consistency, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil and continue to blend until the mixture is as smooth as possible.
Step Two
Scoop the mixture into a clean glass jar, cover tightly and store at room temperature for two weeks. Although patience is required for this final stage in the process, your reward will be the rich, golden oil that rises to the top as it separates from the nut meat. When it’s finally ready, collect the oil by tipping the jar on a slight angle and slowly pour into a clean jar to store. Alternatively, you can pour the whole mixture into a sieve placed over a bowl to strain the oil from the nuts, then transfer to a clean jar to store.
Step Three
Once you’ve experienced the almost magical effects of sweet almond oil -- silky-soft skin and super-shiny hair -- you may consider investing in an oil press for making larger, smoother batches. An oil press is a no-wait, instant gratification option. It’s well worth the price if you’re eager to produce your own creamy signature beauty potions, super-emollient hand-milled soaps, luscious lip balms and more. Take note that you need roasted almonds, rather than unroasted, for the oil-press method.The oil produced is also a bit cloudier; to clarify, let it rest overnight.
Step Four
You’ll only need 2 cups of roasted almonds for hand-cranked oil presses -- no olive oil needed for this fast, efficient process. Some models have a small oil lamp to heat seeds and nuts, so always follow the manufacturer's instructions for the model you own. Most are mounted on a sturdy work surface to operate securely. Load your almonds into the press and place a container below the nuts to catch the oil. Start turning the crank slowly to get the almonds to start expressing their oil -- as more oil is extracted, it will be easier to turn the crank.