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Have you ever seen a recipe that called for a vegetable oil infused with an herb? Or do you grow herbs and are looking for different ways to use them? Herb-infused oils are a great addition to any bath and body product and they also make a great carrier oil for essential oils, which lets you experience the benefits of both the herb and the essential oil simultaneously. With just herbs and a fatty vegetable oil of your choice, you can be well on your way to making your own!
Making herbal infused carrier oils is a great way to experience the benefits of herbs. You can use a single herb in your infusion, or just like blending essential oils, you can blend herbs to make a blend that’s 100% your own and customized to what you’re wanting and needing.
Carrier oils allow you to customize a skin-care product that fits the needs of your skin. Carrier oils each have their own therapeutic properties; some can help slow and reverse the signs of aging while others can help with retaining moisture and soothing skin irritations. Every carrier oil you’ll find on the market will provide some type of benefit and nourishment to the skin.
Top Skin-Loving Carrier Oils:
There are so many good carrier oils that can be used for the skin. Let’s take a look at what some of them are, and how they can help the skin.
Almond Oil – Safe for all skin types, NOT safe if a person has a nut allergy!!!
Apricot Kernel – high in Vitamins A and B which help heal and rejuvenate the skin. Works especially well for delicate, prematurely aging, and sensitive skin types.
Avocado Oil – Soothes and nourishes undernourished, aging, dry skin.
Castor Oil – Helps seal in moisture and is beneficial for all skin types, also very beneficial for the hair.
Evening Primrose Oil – high in antioxidants, great for aging or skin concerns such as eczema and psoriasis.
Grapeseed Oil – hypoallergenic, long shelf life, available at any grocery store.
Hemp Seed Oil – Very nourishing to dry and maturing skin.
Jojoba – Very similar to skin’s natural sebum, contains antioxidant properties. Jojoba oil is actually more a liquid wax than it is an oil, this is one of my favorite carrier oils to use because it’s so nourishing to the skin and has a long shelf life.
Olive – Olive oil is very nourishing to dry skin, especially during cold winter months.
Rosehip Seed Oil – High in Vitamin C which helps rejuvenate and heal the skin.
Vitamin E Oil – Contains antioxidants, helps rejuvenate skin cells.
Herbs:
You can really use any herb that you have on hand or that you want to infuse, but some of my favorites for their skin-loving properties are listed below:
Calendula
Mint
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Chamomile
Rose
Recipes:
Quick Method
1. Take a mason jar and fill it almost all the way with chopped, thoroughly dried herb.
2. Fill the jar, just higher than the herb, with a carrier oil.
3. Take a saucepan and fill it with water, and put it on the stove over low heat.
4. Add the jar to the water and allow it to simmer for an hour – be sure to keep an eye on it and add water as needed to make sure you don’t end up scorching your pan.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool, covered with cheesecloth for an hour or until it feels cool to the touch
6. Pour the herb and oil into a second jar, filtering it through the cheesecloth. Make sure to squeeze the cheesecloth out as the herb will absorb a lot of oil, this way you make sure you end up with the most herb-infused oil possible.
7. Cap the jar and place it in a cool, dark spot. The shelf-life of your infused oil will be based upon the shelf-life of the carrier oil you used. Shelf-life can be greatly extended by storing the oil infusion in the refrigerator.
Crock Pot Method
1. Place a hand towel in the bottom of your crockpot.
2. Fill crockpot half full of water and turn on to the warm setting to allow the water to begin to warm up.
3. Take a clean, dry jar and fill it with the herb(s) you want to infuse.
4. Fill the jar with a carrier oil so that it just covers the herbs you placed in the jar.
5. Cap jars and place them in your crockpot. Allow the herb and oil to infuse for 8-12 hours.
6. Remove jars from heat, shake gently, and allow to return to room temperature.
7. Strain the herbs out of your oil. Using cheesecloth to contain the herb, gently squeeze the herbs to collect any oil they’ve absorbed.
8. Cap the jar and store it in a cool, dark spot. The shelf-life of your infused oil will be based upon the shelf-life of the carrier oil you used.
Traditional Method
1. Take a clean, dry jar and fill it with the herb(s) you want to infuse.
2. Fill the jar with a carrier oil so that it just covers the herbs you placed in the jar.
3. Gently stir the oil and herb mixture to make sure any air pockets have been removed.
4. Cover the jar tightly and gently shake.
5. Store in a cool dry place for 2-4 weeks to allow the herbs to fully infuse into the oil.
6. Gently shake your jar of oil every other day or so.
7. After 2-4 weeks strain the herbs out of your oil. Using cheesecloth to contain the herb, gently squeeze the herbs to collect the oil they’ve absorbed.
8. Cap the jar and store it in a cool, dark spot. The shelf-life of your infused oil will be based upon the shelf-life of the carrier oil you used.
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