You can make frankincense oil at home by infusing crushed resin into a carrier oil, a process that takes a few hours of gentle heat and requires no special equipment. True essential oil extraction through steam distillation is more complex and demands specific glassware, but a resin-infused oil captures many of the same aromatic and skin-beneficial compounds. Here’s how both methods work and what to expect from each.
Infused Oil vs. Essential Oil
Before you start, it helps to know that “frankincense oil” can mean two very different products. A steam-distilled essential oil is a highly concentrated liquid made almost entirely of volatile aromatic compounds. It’s potent, evaporates quickly, and must be diluted before touching your skin. An infused oil, on the other hand, is a carrier oil (like jojoba or olive) that has absorbed both the aromatic compounds and the heavier, non-volatile resin components over hours of soaking. It’s gentler, ready to use on skin with little or no further dilution, and far easier to make at home.
The essential oil yield from frankincense resin is small. Industrial extraction of Boswellia carterii produces roughly 4 to 5 grams of volatile oil from 60 grams of resin, a yield under 5%. For most home users, the infused oil method is more practical and wastes less material.
Choosing Quality Resin
The resin you start with determines everything about the final oil. Frankincense resin is sold in dried “tears,” the hardened drops of sap harvested from Boswellia trees. Quality varies widely depending on species and harvest region.
Omani frankincense is graded into four tiers. Hoojri, the top grade, has the lightest color and largest, most uniform clumps. It comes from trees growing in the mountains of Dhofar. Najdi, the second grade, is pale yellow. Shathari and Shaabi are progressively darker and more opaque. Lighter, more translucent resin generally indicates higher aromatic quality. If you’re buying online, look for resin labeled Boswellia sacra, Boswellia carterii, or Boswellia serrata, and choose pieces that are pale, large, and free of bark debris.
Making Infused Frankincense Oil
This is the best method for most people. You’ll need frankincense resin, a carrier oil, a glass jar, and a pot for a water bath.
What You’ll Need
- Frankincense resin: about 50 grams to start
- Carrier oil: 150 grams of jojoba, sweet almond, or olive oil (a 1:3 resin-to-oil ratio by weight)
- Mortar and pestle or a heavy zip-lock bag and a hammer
- A glass jar with a lid
- A pot large enough to create a water bath around the jar
Step-by-Step Process
Grind or crush the resin into a coarse powder. Frankincense is sticky, so freezing the tears for 30 minutes beforehand makes them brittle and much easier to break apart. You don’t need a fine powder. Pea-sized chunks and smaller fragments work well.
Combine the crushed resin and carrier oil in your glass jar at a 1:3 ratio by weight. For example, 50 grams of resin to 150 grams of oil. Stir to combine, then loosely place the lid on top.
Set the jar inside a pot of water so the water level reaches about halfway up the jar. Bring the water to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. Let the jar sit in this warm bath for 3 to 4 hours, stirring the mixture occasionally. The heat helps the oil pull aromatic compounds and resin acids out of the frankincense. You’ll notice the oil gradually becoming more fragrant and slightly golden.
After 3 to 4 hours, remove the jar from the water bath and let it cool completely. Strain the oil through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a clean, dark glass bottle. Squeeze the cheesecloth to get every last drop. Discard the spent resin.
Cold Infusion Alternative
If you prefer a slower, no-heat approach, combine the same 1:3 ratio of crushed resin and oil in a sealed jar and let it sit in a warm, dark spot for 4 to 6 weeks. Shake the jar every day or two. This produces a milder oil but preserves heat-sensitive compounds. Strain and bottle the same way.
Steam Distillation at Home
If you want a true essential oil, you’ll need a basic distillation setup: a heat source, a distillation flask or pot, a condenser (copper or glass tubing cooled by cold water), and a collection vessel. Home distillation kits designed for essential oils are available online for around $50 to $150.
Grind approximately 110 to 150 grams of resin and combine it with 300 milliliters of water in the distillation flask. Seal all connections tightly to prevent vapor from escaping. Heat the mixture to 120 to 160°C. As the water boils, steam carries the volatile oil compounds upward through the condenser tube, where they cool back into liquid. The condensed mixture of water and oil drips into a collection flask.
The entire distillation run takes about two to two and a half hours. When you’re finished, you’ll have a small amount of liquid in the collection flask with a thin layer of essential oil floating on top of the water. Separate the oil using a separating funnel, a pipette, or by carefully pouring off the water. Expect a very modest yield. From 150 grams of resin, you might collect only 5 to 7 milliliters of essential oil.
Storing Your Oil
Both infused and essential frankincense oil degrade when exposed to oxygen, light, and heat. As soon as you open a bottle, oxidation begins slowly changing the oil’s composition and reducing its potency. Store your oil in dark glass bottles (amber or cobalt blue) with tight-fitting caps. Keep them in a cool, dry place like a cabinet, away from windows and heat sources. Using smaller bottles helps too, because less air gets trapped inside each time you open them.
A well-stored infused oil typically stays good for 6 to 12 months, depending on the shelf life of the carrier oil you used. Jojoba lasts the longest because it resists oxidation. Essential oils last longer, often 2 to 3 years, but will gradually lose their top notes over time.
Using Frankincense Oil Safely
If you made an infused oil, it’s already diluted in carrier oil and is generally safe to apply directly to skin. You can use it as a facial oil, massage oil, or add it to homemade balms and salves.
If you distilled a pure essential oil, never apply it undiluted. Aromatherapists recommend a 1 to 2% dilution for facial use, which works out to about 6 to 12 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier oil. For body application, you can go up to 5%. Always test a small patch on the inside of your forearm before using a new oil on your face or larger skin areas. Wait 24 hours and check for redness or irritation before broader use.