Herbal infused carrier oils are a great way to reap the benefits of herbs. These herbal infused oils will make your skincare recipes pop!
Before we dive deep in the hows of making an herbal infused oil, I want to touch on a few questions that you might have.
1. What is an Herbal Infused Carrier Oil?
An Infused Carrier Oil has been infused with different herbs or herbal blends. This can be done multiple different ways, which you'll find below.
We have so many skincare recipes here and a LOT of them use carrier oils, including a few favorites like this healing skin balm for babies, diaper cream, amazing face serum and sugar scrubs as well.
But what is a Carrier Oil? It is simply a fatty oil that is beneficial to the skin.
An Herbal Infused Carrier Oil has been infused with different herbs or herbal blends. This can be done multiple different ways, which you'll find below.
I am sharing a bunch of options down below, but if you want to know the best carrier oils for anti-aging, I would recommend grabbing my Carrier Oil Cheat Sheet here:
2. Why Make an Infused Carrier Oil?
Making infused carrier oils is a great way to reap 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 your own unique combination.
These herbal infused oils are amazing when used with essential oils! You'll reap the benefits of both the herbs and the essential oils.
If you haven’t worked with herbs much, or you’d like to learn more about using herbs for skincare, Aroma Culture Magazine has a great blog post on the best herbs to use in skincare.
Some of my favorite herbs to use in my skincare recipes are:
I am using all 3 in today's recipe!
3. Why Use Carrier Oils on Your Skin?
Carrier oils allow you to customize a skin-care product that fits the needs of your skin. Some can help slow and reverse the signs of aging, while others can help with retaining moisture and soothing skin irritations.
4. Which Carrier Oils are Best for the Skin?
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. I am using this carrier oil in my video tutorial today!
Apricot Kernel Oil – high in Vitamins A and B which help heal and rejuvenate the skin. Especially good 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.
Grapeseed Oil – hypoallergenic
Jojoba Oil – Very similar to skin’s natural sebum, contains antioxidant properties.
Tamanu Oil – helps heal damaged skin, soothing to scars, stretchmarks, and rashes. Contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Evening Primrose Oil – Moisturizes and nourishes skin while reducing signs of aging.
Ok, let's get down to business!
3 Ways to Make Herbal Infused Carrier Oils
There are multiple ways to infuse oils and it really just depends on how much time you have. I am not that great at planning ahead so I usually go with the quick method, which we're going to talk about first.
How to Make Herbal Infused Carrier Oils for the Skin
Herbal infused carrier oils are a great way to reap the benefits of herbs. These herbal infused oils can also be used as a carrier oil with essential oils. You’ll get the benefits of both the herbs and the essential oils for a win win!
Materials
Tools
- Double Boiler: Heat safe container placed in pan with several inches of water.
Instructions
- Quick Stovetop Version
1. Take a mason jar and fill it almost all the way with chopped, dried botanical material. (Or as full as you like)
2. Fill the jar, just higher than the botanical material, with a sweet almond oil or carrier oil of your choice.
3. Take a saucepan and fill with water.
4. Add the jar and place over low heat and allow the water to heat the oil for at least an hour, adding additional water as it evaporates.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool, covered with a cheesecloth for an hour.
6. Pour the first jar into a second jar through the cheesecloth and squeeze to make sure all the oil has been removed from the botanical material.
7. Cap the jar and place in a cool, dark spot and it will keep for up to a year.
Crockpot Infusion Method
1. Place a hand towel in the bottom of your crock pot.
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 carrier oil so that it just covers the herbs you placed in the jar.
5. Cap jars and place them in your crock pot. Allow 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 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 Infusion Method
1. Take a clean, dry jar and fill it with the herb(s) you want to infuse.
2. Fill the jar with 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.Gently shake your jar of oil every other day or so.
6. 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.
7. Cap the jar and store 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.
Recommended Products
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There are so many benefits from infusing your oils with herbs and now you have 3 ways to do it!
Be sure to pin this post for later!
Athena
Saturday 28th of November 2020
Do you have to strain out the herbs? What will happen if you leave them in?
Mindy Benkert
Thursday 3rd of December 2020
You definitely want to strain out the herbs if you're planning on using the infused oils in your skincare products like lotions and creams. Once the benefits have been drawn out of the herbs, there's no added benefit to leave them in the carrier oils and it could lead to your oils going rancid faster.
wynema walker
Sunday 9th of August 2020
Thank you for sharing these, I've been wondering what would be the best option for me and now I have options to try!!!~Wyn
Mindy Benkert
Friday 14th of August 2020
You're welcome! Have fun!
Raia Todd
Monday 23rd of September 2019
I'm definitely trying the quick stovetop method! Thank you!