The Ultimate DIY Skin Soothing Herbal Infused Oil

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Infused Herbal Oil

Making this infused herbal oil is simple and you can use it as the base for a nice massage, in skin-soothing salves, as a delightful bath oil, and more.

Making Infused Herbal Oil

The end of summer brings one of my favorite things: fresh herbal infusions.

By this time dried herbs from the summer have been infusing long enough to be strained and made into salves. This year, especially I am excited because I have my own homegrown herbs to use in herbal infusions.

Calendula, lavender, and chamomile have been drying on my DIY herb drying rack throughout the summer. It seems like I am out gathering calendula and chamomile every few days!

Since I have so much of both, I decided to use them in a large herbal oil infusion. Both calendula and chamomile are lovely for skin, so I knew I would easily use them in many salves. Lavender is also a skin-soothing herb and lends a relaxing aroma to this infusion.

Choosing a Base Oil

When making herbal infusions, it is important to consider which base oil you will be using. Some things to consider are shelf life, the scent of the oil, cost, and the oil’s properties.

Some of my favorite oils to infuse into are sweet almond, jojoba, sunflower, and olive oil. I choose each one for various reasons depending on what I am going to make with the herbal infusion later on.

High-oleic Sunflower Seed Oil

For this skin-soothing herbal infused oil, I chose high-oleic sunflower seed oil. Firstly because this oil is affordable to buy in larger quantities, which I knew I would need for this recipe.

Sunflower seed oil is also lovely for skin. In her book, “Power of the Seed,” Susan Parker says that oleic acid, “helps maintain suppleness, flexibility, and softness” on the skin (p. 80). She also says that the skin can easily absorb and use this oil.

Another bonus is that high-oleic sunflower seed oil has a longer shelf life. That is a very important factor to consider when infusing. You don’t want to choose an oil that will expire in 6 months unless you plan to use your infusion quickly or you are only infusing a very small amount.

Sunflower seed oil is virtually odorless, which allows the beautiful aromas of chamomile, lavender, and calendula to shine through in this infusion.

Infused Herbal Oil

Infused Herbal Oil Recipe

Making this infused herbal oil is simple and you can use it as the base for a nice massage, in skin-soothing salves, as a delightful bath oil, and more.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Active Time
5 minutes
Infusing Time
28 days
Total Time
28 days 10 minutes
Servings
16 ounces
Estimated Cost
$34

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Place herbs in a 16-ounce wide mouth mason jar.

  2. Pour in sunflower seed oil, allowing the herb matter to be completely covered.

  3. Allow any bubbles to escape, then fill to the top with oil if herb matter is not fully covered. Make sure to completely cover herbs with oil or the infusion will risk developing mold.
  4. Cap and store in a sunny window for 2-4 weeks, shaking every so often.

  5. Once the infusion has reached the desired strength, strain out herb matter into a new, clean mason jar using a cheesecloth. Be sure to squeeze all the wonderful oil out of the herbs! A little fine sediment at the bottom of your infusion is normal.
  6. Store in a cool, dry, dark place for the shelf life of the oil.

Notes

Using Your Infused Oil

Using this infusion is easy. It can be used as the base for a relaxing massage, in a skin-soothing salve, or as a delightful bath oil.

Personally, I like to use this infused oil in salves and creams as it makes a beautiful base that I can customize to any need. It would make an awesome base oil for this DIY bug bite and boo boo stick recipe.

It can be substituted for any plain carrier oil in recipes as well. The possibilities are endless!!

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About Katie Vance

Katie is a wife, mother, aromatherapist, and lover of all things DIY. She offers consultations and gives simple aromatherapy advice at Katie Vance, Aromatherapy Simplified. You can also find Katie on Facebook.

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Comments

  1. Avatar photojsj says

    I put comfrey in my infusions. Sometimes makes a nice green color, too. This stuff is wonderful!