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Herbal infused oils are a centuries-old method of extracting the beneficial medicinal properties of herbs into the oil. These oils can be used for a variety of health, skin care, and culinary preparations.
Ayurvedic beauty rituals included oil treatments, which promoted physical and spiritual cleansing. Ancient Indians believed that if you couldn't eat it, it didn't belong on the skin. Their skin care was edible and derived from the most nutritious herbs and oils around.
Making your own herbal infused oils is a simple process and perfectly suited for beginners. It is often the gateway into making your salves, creams, lotions, and in cooking flavored oils are excellent for making vinaigrette, seasoning food and so forth.
Selecting Ingredients: Oils and Herbs
There are countless oils you can use. Each ingredient brings its valuable properties to the infusion.
Carrier Oils
Carrier oils are vegetable oils derived from the fatty portion of the plant. There are many different oils you can use, and most can be found at your local food store.
Try to make sure that what you're buying is 100% cold pressed (unrefined) and organic. If possible buy oils that are grown locally.
Each oil comes from a plant, and as such offers its unique benefits and properties. Some are better for dry skin, oily skin and so on. Some oils you might consider include olive, sunflower seed, avocado, coconut, grapeseed, almond, and sesame oil.
Selecting Herbs
Oil infusions are generally quite gentle enabling you to get creative with combinations of herbs to suit your needs. That said, you should always take time to know the medicinal uses of the herbs you will be using. In many cases skincare and culinary herbs are interchangeable, but not always.
For culinary uses consider herbs such as basil, chives, chive blossoms, dill, fennel seed, Nasturtiums, rosemary, garlic, ginger, peppers, thyme, lemon balm, lemon peel, and all of the herbs familiar to you in the kitchen.
For skincare consider herbs such as calendula, comfrey, yarrow, aloe, rose petals, rose hips, mint, lavender or one of the other many healing herbs available.
How To Make Herbal Infused Oil
For beginners, dried herbs can be the easiest to use. Moisture from the plant material can cause spoilage. If working with fresh, do not wash the herbs and allow them to wilt for a day in a dark/dry location before using.
Lightly bruise the herbs to release the fragrance. A Mortar and Pestle works excellent. Chop up the herbs into fine pieces. Doing this ensures that more of the oils are released from the plant material into the oil.
Fill the jar with herbs 3/4 full with herbs and then cover with oil. To prevent spoilage ensure that all of the herbs are covered by at least an inch of oil.
Affix a lid and shake gently.
Using the warmth of the sun to help speed up the process, place the jar outside in a warm spot but not directly in the sunlight or set on a sunny windowsill. The other option is to heat the oils using the stove top method gently. If you are in a hurry or working with fresh herbs for the first time, this might be an option to consider.
Shake the jar every few days and infuse for two to three weeks. Once you are happy with the infusion strain the herbs out of the oil using cheesecloth and re-bottle for long term storage.
You can also do a double infusion where you strain out the plant material and go through the infusion process once more.
About The Author
You can find her online:
Steemit | Homesteaders Co-op Walkerland | Wildwood Consulting
References
Herbal Infused Oils For Natural Skincare
Herb Infused Oils: The Herbal Academy
Ancient Rituals: Luxurious & Simple Botanical Oils & Elixirs
Disclosure
Information offered on the Natural Medicine Blog is for educational purposes only. We make neither medical claim, nor intends to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Links to external sites are for informational purposes only. Natural Medicine neither endorses them nor is in any way responsible for their content. Readers must do their own research concerning the safety and usage of any herbs or supplements.
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