Things You'll Need
Grape seeds
Cheese cloth
Fine strainer
Hand-held moisture tester
Oil expeller
Cookie sheet
Rectangular storage containers
Grape seed oil is used in cooking, and to make perfumes, scrubs and lotions. It is odorless and can be combined with essential oils as a carrier oil (an oil you mix essential oils in to thin them). In cooking it can replace olive oil as it has a low heating temperature and will not smoke. Grape seed oil contains high concentrations of vitamin E and antioxidants making it good for the skin.
Step 1
Place the cheese cloth in the bottom of your sink and then place your grape seeds on the cheese cloth. This will keep your grape seeds from running down the drain but allow dirt and sand to escape. Run water lightly over the grape seeds to remove any dirt, sand, and other detritus.
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Step 2
Strain the seeds to remove excess water by placing them in the fine strainer. Allow the seeds to dry for a day on cookie sheets. Seeds can be left to dry in the sun or in a dry warm room.
Step 3
Test the seeds with a hand held moisture tester. If the moisture content is above 10 percent, warm the seeds in a 100 F oven for 10 minutes.
Step 4
Put the seeds through the oil expeller. The oil should be collected in a rectangle storage container. This will make it easier to scrap the scum off that will float to the top as it settles.
Step 5
Let the oil sit for two to three weeks in a dry place at room temperature. Scrape the top of the oil to remove any scum.
Tip
You will need a large amount of seeds to press the oil yourself. Usually these seeds are taken from grapes after they have been pressed for wine making. You can buy them from local wine makers that don’t press their own oil.
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