How to Make an Herbal Infused Oil

How to Make Infused Herbal Oils

Infused herbal oils are a great way to capture the scent and flavor, and all that potent plantiness of some of our favorite herbs. They are nice to have on hand for when different needs arise. I love using the herbs that I grow and harvest from the summer months to make these oils, like oregano, rosemary, lavender, and calendula, among others. But dried herbs from good sources like Mountain Rose Herbs work well too. 

You can make herb infused oils that are made to eat, that can be used in salad dressings and marinades, for drizzling over roasted veggies, to use in dipping sauces, to dip warm fresh bread in, or to use in your herbal skincare recipes, the possibilities are really endless.

They can be made to use in body butters, lotions, face oils, and massage oils. Or for healing salves and herbal balms. Or for a soothing bath oil for tired minds and sore muscles. The possibilities are many.

Whatever you are making an herbal infused oil for, they are easy to make and great to have on hand in the cabinet. That way when the need arises you already have it ready.

One of the most important things to remember is to use dried herbs. Fresh herbs often contain too much water and this can cause the oil to spoil and to grow bacteria.

The other thing to remember is to make sure and do your research, plants are powerful. Make sure you know what you are using and that there are no contraindications for you to be using it.

Two Methods

Well there, there are probably more than two methods but we are talking about two of the most common methods.

The slow method, also called the no heat method. And the quick method, the heat method.

The quick method is faster and uses heat. Whereas the slow method is, (you guessed it) slower and does not use a heat source. There are folks that firmly believe that one is better over the other. I think it comes down to the carrier oil being used and the herbs being used.

I think it also comes down to how fast you need the infused herbal oil. If you are needing something for some muscle aches and pains, quickly infusing cayenne pepper into an oil is going to serve you much better than waiting 6 weeks for it to be ready.

The Slow Method

The slow method is favored among many because it does not use a high heat to infuse the herbs. High heat is thought to destroy some of the more delicate medicinal properties of the herbs and of the oils. This might be better for something like roses, that are so delicate to begin with.

1. Fill a clean glass jar half full with your dried herb or herbs. 
2. Pour a carrier oil over the herbs and fill to the top of the jar. Make sure to fill the jar to top.
3. Cover with a tight fitting lid.
4. Label with the date and the ingredients
5. Store in a warm, dark cabinet for 6 weeks. (Some folks like to infuse on a sunny window sill, but I prefer the dark cabinet)
6. In 6 weeks strain through a funnel lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth into a clean glass jar. And label your jar.

The Quick Method

The quick method is very similar to the slow method. You measure your herbs and oil just like in the first two steps of the slow method and then use a crock pot on the lowest setting for 6-8 hours to get your desired infused herbal oil.

1. Fill a clean glass jar half full with your dried herb or herbs.
2. Pour a carrier oil over the herbs and fill to the top of the jar.  Make sure to fill the jar to the top with your carrier oil.
3. Next pour this oil herb mix into a clean crock pot. Turn the crock pot on the lowest setting. You want to make sure the herb oil heats up very gently. If you see bubbles its too hot, you don’t want to burn the oil or the herbs. 
4. After 6-8 hours strain the herb oil through a funnel lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth into a clean glass jar. Let it drip until the oil is all strained through. Label your jar with the date and ingredients.

Some Tips

Shake your herbal infused oils daily! The more you shake the better.

Always label, pretty soon you'll have a cabinet full of herbs, oils, and tinctures and you'll wonder what is what.

The longer you let it strain through the cheesecloth the more oil you will get, sometimes it can take hours. You can squeeze excess oil through the cheesecloth, by wringing with your hands, but sometimes this lets little floating herbs bits through that then get into your oil.

Apricot oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, and grapeseed oil are all great choices for carrier oil. Olive oil is great too but has a strong scent so consider what you are making with your herbal oil. I like olive oil for salves and balms but not for body butters and face oil. Obviously it’s a great choice if you are infusing herbs for a salad dressing.

Apricot oil is my favorite, it is lighter than jojoba (jojoba is a thicker oil in consistency) and most people are not allergic to it, and it suits most skin types. It's my usual choice for most of the herbal skincare things I make.

 

Herbs

Only use dried herbs in your herbal infusion. Fresh herbs can introduce bacteria into your oil. Make sure you use herbs that have not been sprayed or treated with anything. Mountain Rose Herbs (that's an affiliate link, thank you if you use it) is a great source for herbs.

If you think of questions, let me know in the comments!

Happy making!