This is a great time of year to start thinking about making infused herbal oils as you hopefully have some dried herbs laying around that you’ve collected throughout the harvest season.
The first thing you need to make an infused oil is dried herbs. It is very important that the herbs are totally dry before you combine them with oil, as they can cause rancidity otherwise.
Many different types of herbs work well for making infused oils, especially lavender, rosemary, calendula, plantain, yarrow, comfrey, and mullein.
If you don’t already have your own dried herbs, Mountain Rose Herbs (a local herb business for me ) has a great selection of medicinal herbs to choose from.
Then you will need to choose the oil that you want to use. I usually use a high quality, light sunflower oil, but there are many types of carrier oils that you can choose from.
Once you have those two simple ingredients, there are several ways of making infused herbal oils.
While making an infused oil sounds like it could be complicated, it really is as easy as putting two ingredients together and letting them sit in the sun for a few weeks.
INFUSED HERBAL OIL: WINDOWSILL METHOD
The first one is probably the easiest, but it does take the most time.
This method is best when using oils that don’t go rancid quickly, like coconut or jojoba, as exposure to sunlight can degrade some oils more quickly.
Simply put the dried herbs of your choice into a jar and cover them with oil.
Stir the mixture gently with a spoon to get as many of the air bubbles out as possible.
Then put in a sunny windowsill for several weeks to steep.
Alternatively, you can put the jar in a cool place out of direct sunlight. This will help to preserve the quality of more light sensitive oils, like sweet almond oil.
When you feel it’s ready, simply strain the herbs from the oil.
Cap with a lid and use as soon as possible. Once oils have been infused they have a shorter shelf life, so I try to only make as much as I’ll use within a few months.
Any extra you might have should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
INFUSED HERBAL OIL: HEAT METHOD
There are quicker ways of making infused herbal oils, as well.
You can use a double boiler by putting the herbs and oil in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water.
Make sure that the oil doesn’t get too hot as to fry the herbs, and it should be done in a matter of hours.
I’ve also used a mini slow cooker on the warm setting to make calendula oil with good results.
A box style dehydrator would also work well, especially if you are already using it for something else.
INFUSED HERBAL OIL: OVEN EXTRACTION METHOD
The last method is oven extraction.
Put the dried herbs in oil, cover, and put in a low temperature oven for several hours, making sure not to cook the herbs.
