How to Make Herb-infused Oils - The Alcohol Intermediary Method
Herbal oil infusions are an excellent way to capture the benefits of herbs in your skincare, and a quick way to do this is to use alcohol as an intermediate.
The alcohol method makes a lovely quality oil that is very shelf-stable too. The alcohol draws out some of the healing substances of the plants and makes it more readily to the oil.
Even though the oils and herbs are only in contact for a short time, the quality of the final product is fantastic.
With this technique, you need to use dried herbs only!
How To Use Herbal Oil Infusions
You can use this herb-infused oil recipe for bath and skincare products and other topical uses like massage oils, body butters, salves, lip balms, facial serums, hair treatments, body creams, soaps, and more!
Which Carrier Oils To Use For Infusions
Carrier oils like fractionated (MCT) coconut oil and olive oil are popular and wise choices because they have long shelf lives and are suitable for many applications. But there are many other oils you can use. I also like to use kukui and peach kernel oil
Which Herbs To Infuse In Oil
This recipe uses dried rose petals and hibiscus flowers, but there are a countless number of herbs (and even resins!) you can infuse into oil, depending on your needs.
I suggest you use organic herbs whenever possible to ensure you are not adding synthetic chemicals to your creations.
I also recommend using dried herbs. If you want to use fresh herbs, wilt them first for 12 hours to remove the moisture (too much water will cause your oil to go rancid), cut into small pieces, and crush with a mortar and pestle before adding to your infusion container.
Here are some of the most commonly used herbs:
Lavender or lavandin flowers
Myrrh gum resin
About The Herbs In This Recipe
I love using hibiscus and rose petals in my homemade skincare products like face masks and oil infusions because of their unique properties.
Both flowers also have seductive, gorgeous colors when you extract them in water and alcohol, but unfortunately, that color cannot transfer into the final oil product - as you’ll notice.
Hibiscus
Hibiscus boasts an array of healing properties when applied topically or consumed as hibiscus tea. Here are 6 skin benefits of hibiscus.
1. It supports your body's own collagen production. Thanks to the super high vitamin-C content in this flower it boosts your body's natural collagen production.
2. It may help slow down collagen degradation. Hibiscus is high in an antioxidant called myricetin. This compound suppresses collagenase, an enzyme that targets and degrades collagen. (Collagenase activity naturally increases as we get older, causing the skin to lose its firmness and structure.)
The myricetin in hibiscus, however, could potentially pump the brakes on collagen degradation—keeping your skin strong and firm.
3. May help prevent elastin breakdown. Elastin is a very stretchy protein found in connective tissue and skin that works to keep your skin tight and taut.
Elastin is broken down by the enzyme elastase. This enzyme also increases as we age, resulting in sagging skin. Hibiscus help decrease elastase activity, which protects against skin wrinkles by sparing elastin.
4. It can help ease inflammation from the inside out. Hibiscus is rich antioxidants, including beta-carotene, and as mentioned vitamin C. It also contains an antioxidative and anti-inflammatory plant pigment called anthocyanin, which gives the plant its pink-red color.
These antioxidants can help reduce oxidative stress, which can contribute to aging skin and the inflammation that comes with it.
5. It has AHAs, which exfoliate the skin. Hibiscus is a natural source of AHAs, suggesting benefits when used on the skin. It contains malic acid and citric acid, which gently exfoliate and brighten the skin.
AHAs also slough away dead skin cells and encourage skin cell renewal. Through this gentle mode of exfoliation, AHAs can help reduce hyperpigmentation, increase skin clarity, and promote fresher and smoother-looking skin.
6. It may speed up wound healing. Proper wound healing is an essential component of healthy skin, as it prevents infections and other complications that can cause scarring.
There's some evidence hibiscus could support wound healing. In lab studies, researchers have examined the topical effect of hibiscus extract on wounds in skin samples called skin explants. The extract increased the production of fibronectin, a protein that helps the edges of a wound close. It also stimulated the expression of genes involved in various healing processes, including skin hydration and regeneration.
Rose Petals
This iconic flower does beauty wonders on the skin. Rose petals contain natural oils and sugars that will lock moisture into dry skin cells and promote glowing skin.
It has extraordinary anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities.
Roses are also rich in vitamin C, which is a powerful anti-oxidant for sun protection.
Vitamin C will bolster the skin’s UV defense and steer away free radicals from skin cells and effective in providing instant relief to severe sun burned skin.
Roses have therapeutic benefits that relax the body and reduce stress.
Recipe - Alcohol Intermediary Method For Topical Herbal Oils
Note that this oil is NOT suitable for eating—even though most of the alcohol will evaporate off during the process, a detectable and unpleasant taste will remain.
Props:
Bullet blender, stick blender with grinder, blender, or coffee grinder
Ingredients:
1/2 oz. rose flower petals (organic)*
1/2 oz. hibiscus tea (organic)*
1/2 oz. alcohol (I use vodka as it has the most neutral flavor)
8 oz. of carrier oil, e.g. Olive oil, MCT oil, Peach Kernel Oil.
*) Or a total of 1 oz. of your preferred herbs.
Directions:
Weigh out approximately 1 oz. dried organic herbs.
Using a blender, coffee grinder, or bullet grinder, grind into a coarse powder.
Transfer the ground herbs into a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Pour the alcohol into the jar with the ground herbs.
Put the lid on and shake to disperse the alcohol through herb material—it should be the consistency of damp beach sand.
Allow the herbs to macerate in alcohol for at least 24 hours.
Put the herb blend into a standing blender.
Add approximately 8 oz. of carrier oil, measured by volume or weight.
Blend until blender jar is warm to the touch - about 5 minutes.
Place a good-sized mesh strainer or jelly strainer over a heat-safe glass bowl.
Line the strainer with cheesecloth or fine muslin.
Pour herb-infused oil through the lined strainer and squeeze out as much of the oil as possible from herbs.
Pour the oil into dry, clean, dark-colored glass bottles with caps.
Label, and store in a cool, dark location.
The oil should keep a year or more when stored in a cool, dark, dry place.
