How to make herbal infused oil

Making your own herb infused oils is a great way to unlock the healing benefits of certain herbs. Once the oils are infused with the herbs they can then be used alone or to make salves, creams, body lotions and more. This is a great way to get the healing benefits of herbs directly to your skin problems. I've been making and using my own infused oils for many years.

Through an Instagram post a few weeks back, it was brought to my attention that I've been using herbs since before it was 'trendy' to do so. Way before. Like more than 20 years ago! 

I was having health problems back then and someone gave me a copy of Today's Herbal Health and I read that book like my life depended on it! (I have the 3rd edition printed in 1992.)

The 6th edition is most recent issue and is available on Amazon) After curing my illness I started referencing that book for every little thing wrong with me. My love affair with herbal remedies had started! 

I used to have to hunt down dried herbs in obscure health food shops. These days I grow over a dozen different herbs every summer. I grow everything from Basil & Calendula to Lambs Ear and Valerian. I use them all too! 

I make oils and body butters, bath soaks and ointments, lip balms, teas, tinctures, creams and everything in between. 

So, today I decided to show you how I made an oil infusion using Calendula this summer. Let's get started....

How to make herb infused oil

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is excellent for healing the skin, which is why I chose to make this oil at the end of summer. I need it for dry chapped skin in winter! 

A few months back I had been given an Amazon gift card and I sorta went on a shopping spree. I bought a quart of sweet almond oil. I always buy large containers since I use it so often, but they also sell a 4oz size if you don't think you'll be needing much. 

You could also use extra virgin olive oil, but I usually save that for infusions I want to use as food. For instance a rosemary olive oil infusion is really great with some grated cheese and dipping bread! The sweet almond oil is more of a body oil. 

I had been picking and drying my Calendula flowers all summer and I had a good amount to start with. See my oven drying method here: How to oven dry herbs. I don't follow an exact recipe, I just put the dried herb in the jar and cover it with oil. Make sure the oil covers the dried flower petals.

If you don't have dried Calendula petals you can buy some here. That should be enough for a few recipes.

For herbs that have bigger leaves, I tend to crush them up a little so there's not so much airspace before I pour the oil in. Cap tightly and leave in a sunny window shaking once a day for 4 weeks. (there are faster heat methods, but I always seem to take the traditional route!) 

After 4 weeks, strain the herbs out using a cheesecloth and funnel. Strain into a clean, dry jar or bottle. Cap tightly and store in a cabinet away from a heat & light and you're done! I sometimes knot the cheesecloth up and throw it in the bathtub with me the next time I get a warm bath. 

Remember the bath oil beads of the 80's? It works just like those only better for your skin! It's great after a sunburn when your skin is all dry and itchy, or for dry winter skin. 

Now your oil is ready to be used. You can use it to make salves, creams, scrubs, lotions....pretty much anything. You can also just apply it directly to the skin to soothe irritation. 

Here how I use calendula infused oil in my recipe for cuticle oil which soothes ragged cuticles and promotes nail growth.

Heat method for infusing herbs

If you don't have 4 weeks to wait, you can use a double boiler or the warming area of your stove to infuse the oil in less time. I put the oil in a double boiler and turned the heat on medium. I added the dried plantain leaves and calendula and stirred until they were submerged. 

I let it heat until the oil was very warm (don't let it boil) then turned it down as low as possible and let it stay on warm for about 20 minutes. After the time was up I removed it from the heat and strained the herbs out.

You could also put the oil and herbs in a jar on the warming section of your stove and leave there for about 4 hours. Remove and strain to use oil.

I really love Calendula oil, there are so many great products I make with it. Plantain oil is another infused oil you will find a million uses for! I'll have to give you my body butter recipe some time. Stay tuned for that!

~L

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