Oil infusions are amazing for skin, hair and even cooking! A herbal infused oil, or 'macerated oil', is a carrier oil that has been infused with the goodness of a herb or a flower. By letting herbs and flowers infuse in an oil for a certain period of time, we are able to extract many of the powerful and healing properties of the plant into a usable form. Best of all, you can do it yourself at home.
There are a two different ways you can make infused oils, for which I'll give you step by step instructions below.
Choosing your ingredients
First, you'll need to choose your carrier oil and herb or flower. If you're not sure where to begin, some of my favourite oil infusions are:
Lavender and apricot oil
Rosemary and olive oil
Rose and grapeseed oil
When choosing your carrier oil, it's a good idea to first decide where you'll be using your infused oil. Different oils can suit different parts of the body. For example, if you'll be using your infusion as a moisturising body oil, you may wish to choose a heavier oil than if you're planning to use your infusion on your face. If you're making an oil for your hair, there are many oils that a particularly good for hair growth and shine. (For more hair tips read Jash's hair care blog here!).
You can always contact us if you'd like us to help point you in the right direction, but otherwise below are some of my recommendations for different carrier oils.
For hair: olive oil, argan oil and almond oil
For body: sesame oil, grapeseed oil, almond oil, macadamia oil
For face: jojoba oil, pomegranate seed oil, apricot oil
For cooking: olive oil, sunflower oil
*If making an oil infusion for cooking, make sure your oil is food grade
When choosing your herb or flower, first consider whether there are any specific skincare needs that you'd like to address. For example, for fungal infections, lavender can be beneficial; for scalp, rosemary is a great choice and for fragrant skin, rose petals are softly scented. For cooking, bay leaves are lovely to infuse in oil.
Whichever herb or flower you choose, make sure that it has been thoroughly dried. This is really important as fresh herbs may contain moisture, which would cause your infusion to spoil. In order for your oil to last a long time, there needs to be no water introduced into your formulation.
So, onto the different ways you can infuse your oils!
1. Cold infusion
This is my preferred method for oil infusion, and is the method shown in the video above. It takes the longest as there is no heating involved but it is simple enough!
- Use a sterile, dry container
Make sure there is absolutely no water in your container and ideally use a container with a water-tight lid
Use a container appropriately sized for the amount of oil you're going to use, as the more air in the top of your container, the quicker oxidation will spoil your oil
- Ensure your herbs/ petals are thoroughly dried
- Tip them into the container then pour over your carrier oil
- Seal the container, then label and date it
add a use by date of 10 months
- Optional Leave in the sun to accelerate the infusion process
- Wait at least one month before using your oil infusion. After this time, the oil will have absorbed the nutrients and benefits of your chosen plant
- Store in a cool, dry place
- Enjoy!
2. Heat infusion
This is a much quicker way to infuse oils, but it's easy to accidentally 'cook 'the herbs, which would cause them to lose important nutrients.
- Use a sterile, dry container
Make sure there is absolutely no water in your container and ideally use a container with a water-tight lid
Use a container appropriately sized for the amount of oil you're going to use, as the more air in the top of your container, the quicker oxidation will spoil your oil
- Ensure your herbs/ petals are thoroughly dried
- Place the herbs in a double boiler, slow cooker or bain-marie on a very low heat
- Pour over your carrier oil
- Leave to infuse for 2-6 hours
- Turn off the heat and leave to cool
- Optional Strain the oils through a muslin cloth or bag into your container
- Seal the container, then label and date it
add a use by date of 10 months
- Store in a cool, dry place
- Enjoy!
Oil infusion tips
Once the oils are infused, they tend to change colour and take on the scent of the plant used in the infusion. Herbal oil infusions will keep for approximately a year if stored properly in a dark and cool place, but some oils are more vulnerable to rancidity than others. We recommend to aim to use within 10 months, just to be on the safe side.
We have many different carrier oils are available for purchase here, all of which are cold pressed, unrefined and many of which are organic.
If you give making your own oil infusion a go, please let us know how you get on!
Message us any questions about carrier oils and we’d be happy to help.
If you have any questions whatsoever, please let us know via email sales@suneetacosmetics.co.uk