Cedar oil can be made at home using either steam distillation or a solvent-based extraction method. Steam distillation is the traditional approach used commercially, while solvent extraction is simpler to set up and often produces higher yields. The method you choose depends on your equipment, budget, and how you plan to use the finished oil.
Before you start, it helps to understand what you’re actually extracting. Cedar wood contains between 1% and 4% essential oil by weight, concentrated mostly in the heartwood. The oil is a mix of naturally occurring compounds, with the most abundant being cedrol (19% to 26% of the oil), alpha-cedrene (18% to 40%), and thujopsene (16% to 31%). These are the compounds responsible for that distinctive woody scent and the oil’s insect-repelling properties.
Choosing the Right Cedar Wood
Not all cedar is the same, and the species you use changes what you get. The most common source for cedar oil in North America is Eastern red cedar (technically a juniper, not a true cedar). Texas cedar is chemically similar. Both produce oil rich in cedrol and cedrene. Atlas cedar and Himalayan cedar, which are true cedars, have a completely different chemical profile dominated by compounds called himachalenes and atlantones. They smell different and have different properties, so pick your species based on the scent and use you’re after.
Heartwood produces significantly more oil than sapwood, bark, or leaves. Bark and leaves average only about 0.5% oil content, while heartwood from older trees can yield up to 3.8%. If you have access to cedar lumber scraps, sawdust from a woodshop, or freshly cut branches, prioritize the darker inner wood. Older trees (50+ years) tend to have higher oil concentrations than younger ones. Sawdust or small wood chips work best because they expose more surface area to steam or solvent, which speeds up extraction and improves yield.
Steam Distillation at Home
Steam distillation is the standard method for producing cedar essential oil. The basic setup requires a heat source, a pot or flask to hold the wood and water, a condensing coil or tube, and a collection vessel. You can buy purpose-built home distillation kits online, or improvise with a large stockpot, a length of copper tubing, and a bucket of ice water to cool the steam.
Fill your pot with cedar wood chips or sawdust and add enough water to cover the material. As the water heats, steam passes through the wood and carries volatile oil compounds with it. The steam then travels through a cooling tube, where it condenses back into liquid. What collects at the other end is a mix of water and cedar oil. Since oil and water don’t mix, the oil floats on top and can be separated using a pipette or a separating funnel.
Expect this process to take several hours. Research on Eastern red cedar found that hydrodistillation of 10-gram wood samples required about 6 hours to fully extract the oil. Conventional hydrodistillation typically yields around 3.6% oil by weight of the dried wood, meaning 100 grams of dry cedar heartwood produces roughly 3 to 4 milliliters of essential oil. That’s not a lot, so plan on processing a good volume of wood if you want a usable quantity.
Solvent Extraction Method
Solvent extraction is an alternative that can produce higher yields and requires less specialized equipment. The concept is straightforward: you soak cedar wood in a solvent that dissolves the oil, filter out the wood, then evaporate the solvent to leave behind the concentrated oil.
For a home setup, high-proof grain alcohol (190 proof or higher) works as a food-safe solvent. Some people use isopropyl alcohol, though this isn’t suitable if you plan to use the oil on skin or around food. Industrial methods use hexane or even liquid carbon dioxide, but these aren’t practical at home.
Here’s the basic process:
- Prepare the wood. Reduce your cedar to sawdust or fine chips. The smaller the pieces, the more oil the solvent can reach.
- Soak. Submerge the wood completely in your chosen solvent in a sealed glass jar. Let it sit for one to two weeks in a cool, dark place, shaking it daily.
- Filter. Strain the liquid through cheesecloth or a coffee filter to remove all wood particles. You should have a fragrant, amber-colored liquid.
- Evaporate the solvent. Pour the filtered liquid into a shallow dish and allow the alcohol to evaporate in a well-ventilated area, away from any open flame. Alcohol is flammable, so do not use heat to speed this step. What remains after evaporation is a thick, resinous cedar oil extract.
Solvent extraction has real advantages over steam distillation for cedar. Research comparing the two approaches found that solvent methods produce higher yields and preserve more of the oil’s chemical complexity, since some compounds break down under the high temperatures of steam distillation. The trade-off is that solvent extracts may contain waxes and heavier compounds that wouldn’t come through in steam-distilled oil, giving a slightly different scent profile.
Making a Cedar Oil Infusion
If you want a simpler product for household use rather than a concentrated essential oil, a cedar-infused carrier oil is the easiest option and requires no special equipment at all.
Pack a clean glass jar with cedar wood shavings or chips. Cover them completely with a carrier oil like olive oil, sweet almond oil, or jojoba oil. Seal the jar and place it in a sunny window for two to four weeks, shaking it every few days. The warmth helps the oil absorb the aromatic compounds from the wood. After steeping, strain out the wood and store the infused oil in a dark glass bottle.
This won’t produce a true essential oil. It’s a much more dilute product. But it works well for scenting drawers, making simple wood polish, or as a base for homemade insect repellent sprays. You can repeat the process with fresh wood in the same oil to strengthen the concentration.
What Cedar Oil Is Used For
Cedar oil has a long history as a natural insect repellent. The EPA classifies cedarwood oil (Virginia, Texas, and Chinese varieties) as a minimum-risk pesticide under federal pesticide law, meaning it can be used in pest control products without formal registration. This makes it a popular choice for DIY moth repellents, flea sprays, and general insect deterrents around the home.
The oil is also used in aromatherapy, woodworking finishes, soap making, and as a fragrance component. Cedrol, the primary alcohol in the oil, is especially valued in perfumery for its warm, woody base note.
Safety Around Pets
Cedar oil requires caution if you have cats or dogs. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists cedar among the essential oils that can cause seizures in animals. Concentrated cedar oil should never be applied directly to pets. If you’re diffusing cedar oil, keep pets out of the room while the diffuser runs, limit sessions to under 30 minutes, and ventilate the room afterward. Cats are particularly sensitive to essential oils because they lack certain liver enzymes needed to metabolize volatile compounds. Always use diluted rather than concentrated oils in any space your pets share.
Improving Your Yield
Getting a meaningful amount of oil from cedar takes patience and volume. A few tips to maximize what you get:
- Use heartwood exclusively. It contains several times more oil than sapwood or bark.
- Go small. Sawdust and fine chips extract far more efficiently than large chunks because of the increased surface area.
- Dry the wood first. Moisture in fresh wood dilutes and interferes with extraction. Let wood dry in a warm area for a week or more before processing.
- Extend your extraction time. Whether you’re distilling or soaking, longer processing pulls more oil from the wood. For steam distillation, plan on at least 4 to 6 hours. For solvent extraction, two weeks of soaking outperforms one.
Even with optimal technique, expect modest quantities. A kilogram of dry cedar heartwood will typically produce somewhere between 10 and 38 milliliters of essential oil, depending on the tree’s age, the species, and your extraction method. That small bottle represents a lot of wood, which is why commercial cedar oil carries a meaningful price tag.