Herbal Remedies for Beginners | How to Make an Infused Oil
Do you want to make some powerful healing oils but confused by all the various recipes on the internet? I want to continue our Herbal Remedies for Beginners series with how to make infused oils. But not just any infused oils. We are going to make them top notch using a few tricks. Dig in! Herbal oils are a wonderful tool to have in your herbal arsenal.
What is an infused oil and why you should make them
If you’ve never heard of infused oils let me explain what they are. Basically, an infused oil is where you take an herb and soak it in a carrier oil (such as olive oil) for an extended period of time. This allows many of the beneficial chemical compounds from the herb to extract into the oil. Once you’ve let the herbs soak, you then strain them off and the oil is ready to be used in many different body care recipes. (They can also be used for culinary purposes, but today I’m talking about oils for body care.)
Making herbal oils can be crazy intimidating. First off, there are so many ways you can make them which can cause confusion and frustration. And second off, you may be questioning what to even do with an oil if you do choose to make one!
Well I’m here to show you how to make a very powerful version of herbal infused oils. Forget all the other ways of making them! I feel like there is a “right” way of doing this, even though the other ways may somewhat work. The method I’m going to share with you today clearly extracts many more nutrients thereby creating a stronger and more potent and healing herbal oil.
I will also be sharing some great application ideas. For example, you can use calendula infused oil in my soothing Calendula Chamomile Aloe Gel. Or use chamomile infused oil in a body butter for after shaving, or as a baby butt balm. You can use arnica to create a salve to help heal bruises, or St. John’s Wort to help relieve back pain. There are so many great ways to use the oils!
So if you’re ready for me to break it all down for you, I’m ready to show you how easy it is to make herbal infused oils!
This method was taught to me by Kami McBride. If you want an even more in-depth look into making infused oils, I highly recommend her online course!
What do I mean by powerful infused oils?
You may think I’m full of bologna, but I assure you I am not! Check out the picture below! This is comparing the folk method of herbal infused oils with the method I’m going to show you today. Can you tell which one has more active properties and thus more healing power? Both these oils are made with sunflower oil and dried calendula and were allowed to infuse for the same length of time. The only difference is the way I prepped the herbs. Check out that insane color!!!
Choosing your carrier oil
There are so many beautiful options for carrier oils that it can be hard to choose! Maybe you have a recipe already in mind that will determine what type of carrier oil to use, if not, totally fine! Some great options to use would be olive oil, apricot oil, jojoba oil, or sunflower oil. I’ve linked to a great source for oils if you want to check it out. Keep in mind, the type of oil you use will depend on what your application will be and perhaps what your skin type is. Check out this post to learn more about different types of carrier oils.
Fresh or dried herbs and which ones?
Do I use fresh or dried herbs?? That question was never very clear to me when I first started. To make it easy on yourself, I would strongly recommend only using dried herbs. You can use fresh with certain herbs, but that introduces water into your oil which can cause your infused oils to go rancid rather quickly. I am able to get super potent herbal oils using only dried so that’s generally what I stick with. If you’re new to this—go with dried.
The only exception to this rule seems to be St. John’s Wort. Apparently most herbalists agree that fresh is best. So at some point I’ll share more about using fresh St. John’s Wort.
I have provided you with a little cheat sheet of a few different great beginner herbs and their benefits at the end of this article.
Video Tutorial
Now without further ado, here is the video. You will find the written instructions down below with more information on various types of herbs to use.
How to make Extra Strength Super Potent Herbal Infused Oils
Ingredients
1/2 ounce by volume of vodka (everclear is ideal, but 80 proof vodka will also work)
1 ounce by weight dried herb of your choice
7 ounces by volume of carrier oil of your choice
Directions
Using a blender or Magic Bullet blend your herbal material until it is a fine powder.
Pour the powdered herb into a pint sized mason jar. Mix in the vodka until it has been thoroughly absorbed by the herb.
Cap the jar tightly and allow the mixture to sit for about 8-12 hours.
After 8-12 hours open the jar and pour in the carrier oil. Thoroughly mix in the carrier oil until all the herb has been saturated.
Cap the jar again, give it a vigorous shake, and label the contents with the type of herb, type of carrier oil, and the date.
Now place it in your yogurt maker or dehydrator. If you’re using a dehydrator the temperature should be set at 100°-110° F.
Allow the oil to infuse for a couple days. Approximately 3 but you can certainly go longer. Anytime you think of it, shake the jar vigorously to help extract the nutrients into the oil.
After about 3 days remove the oil from the yogurt maker and strain off the herb and discard. (I feed it to my chickens but the compost works well too!)
Store your finished herbal infused oil in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Remember to label it and store away from direct sunlight.
HOW TO STRAIN OFF THE HERBS
After your herbs have finished infusing for the proper length of time it’s time to strain off the herbs. If you have never strained off herbs before here’s a quick little how-to.
YOU WILL NEED:
Your herb/oil mixture
Another clean and dry glass jar with lid
A clean old thin towel or t-shirt to use for straining
I love using old tea towels and cutting them in smaller squares. I find it absolutely ridiculous to purchase cheesecloth which is what most people recommend. Use what you have and save yourself some money!!
Rubber band
DIRECTIONS:
Place the towel over the clean glass jar and secure it with a rubber band. Carefully pour the herb/oil mixture into the towel and allow the oil to drip down into the other jar. Once you get all the herb/oil mixture into the towel, you can remove the rubber band and gather up the towel and squeeze out all the oily goodness. Don’t waste a drop!! Once you get it all squeezed out, you can discard the herbs into your compost pile. Then cap your infused oil, label and date! Store it in a cool dark cupboard.
The shelf life on infused oils will vary depending on the type of oil you used, whether you used fresh or dry herbs, etc. They could last up to a year if properly stored.
extra tips
DO store your oils somewhere it’s okay to get oil on. Trust me, they will leak. No matter how tight you put that lid on!
Feel free to add a little vitamin E oil to help prolong the shelf life. Oils do not need a preservative because there is no water for bacteria to grow, but they do go rancid. Vitamin E is an antioxidant which can keep them from going rancid quite as quickly. Read the manufacturers instructions for how much to add.
Please do your research before choosing what oil and herb to use. Certain herbs may not be ideal for specific conditions. It’s always a good idea to do a small patch test on a small part of your body (such as the inner arm) and see how it reacts after 24 hours. Some people can be allergic to certain herbs so just be aware!
The oil will stain clothing so use caution (or just wear old clothes.)
How to use herbal infused oils
All right, so you’ve made some oil, now what the heck do you do with it?!
Here are some brilliant ideas to get you started:
Make Arnica Salve—great for burns
Make a homemade Icy Hot with cayenne infused oil—great for sore muscles
Make a soothing Calendula Chamomile Aloe Gel—awesome to apply after shaving
Make a Green Tea Eye Cream—helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles
Apply the oils directly to your skin either before or after showering
Use the oils in a scalp massage
Add some oil to a foot bath
HERBS THAT MAKE GREAT INFUSED OILS
Here is a quick little guide for you on some great herb options and what they might be used for.
ARNICA FLOWERS—EXTERNAL USE ONLY
Great for healing bruises, sprains, and muscle pain. Arnica is an Anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain reliever).
Suggested use: In a salve to promote healing of bruises or muscle pain.
CALENDULA FLOWERS
Very calming and soothing to the skin. Helps to rebuild tissue and promote healing. Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-spasmodic, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal.
Suggested use: In a cream to use after shaving to promote healing and reduce inflammation and any infections from in-grown hairs. Also wonderful for diaper rash.
CHAMOMILE FLOWERS AND LEAVES
Great for easing itchy or sore skin and even eczema. Anti-inflammatory, and anti-spasmodic.
Suggested use: In a cream to soothe eczema or other skin inflammation.
COMFREY LEAVES
Comfrey is well known for its ability to help heal bruises, sprains, strains, fractures, and broken bones. It contains a compound that actually helps to repair damaged tissue. Anti-inflammatory and astringent.
Suggested use: As an ointment applied to bruises, or use the infused oil by itself to help promote sprains to heal.
YARROW FLOWERS AND LEAVES
Yarrow is quite well known as a wound healer and for its ability to stop bleeding. Anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, and astringent.
Suggested use: As an ointment to promote healing for cuts and scrapes.
ST. JOHN’S WORT FLOWERS
Externally St. John’s Wort is helpful for wound and burn healing, as well as for relieving cramps and nerve pain. Anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, and analgesic.
Suggested use: In an ointment to help relieve back pain or cramps.
There are definitely other herbs you can infuse into oil, but these should give you a great starting point! If it’s your very first time making infused oils, I would highly recommend calendula since it is so very versatile and so great for the skin.
WHERE TO PURCHASE THE INGREDIENTS
I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog! By purchasing through one of my affiliate links you will not spend a penny more, but you are allowing me to receive a small commission. This allows me to keep posting great content for you. Thanks for your support! Read more here.
If you are unable to grow your own herbs, or find ingredients locally, then here are two of my favorite places to buy bulk ingredients:
This company is where I purchase the majority of my seeds. Great selection of heirloom and/or organic seeds:
These are hands down my favorite seed starting trays and pots. These are heavy duty and don’t crumple when you pop your plants out! Definitely worth the investment in my opinion.
Now let me know what herbal infused oils you’ve concocted!!