It's spooky season with Halloween right around the corner and the weather on a precarious trip between Fall + Winter. Below are Laura's recipe to make an oil infusion and balms with Rosehip and Calendula, a perfect way to spend the more chilly nights coming up!
Let's start with a simple oil infusion!
SO you have been getting your herbal goodies in the mail and following along in the blog…..and you are feeling ready to make your own! Over the next two posts we will be making a Rosehip and Calendula infused oil and turning it into a balm. For those of you who have been CSA Members you are double lucky because you have a large bottle of Rosehip and Calendula oil at your finger tips already.
Image from, Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies
Starting with the oils:
Ingredients + Equipment: Rosehips picked after first or second frost Calendula, dried Carrier oil of choice (I use olive oil, avocado oil, grapeseed or sweet almond oil. Or a combo! Stay away from castor oil as it tends to dry skin out believe it or not.) Half pint mason jar with lid -Fill your jar with your herbs. Rosehips need the frost and the application of heat to extract into the oil effectively. And Calendula’s beneficial properties are not destroyed by heat as many other herbs are. Most things you will encounter do not require the addition of heat and a lot of times will greatly reduce the efficacy of your oil.
-Cover your herbs in oil of choice, stir with a clean butter knife or spoon to remoce any air bubbles. Top off with oil to just below the lip of the jar and cover with lid.
Calendula flowers
-Find a warm area, near a woodstove, in a heated greenhouse, a heating pad or the top of your fridge. Somewhere out of direct sunlight. Wrap it with a towel if this is not possible.
-Label with date and all ingredients. Turn the jar over and give it a loving shake every few weeks. Ready to use in 6 weeks.
EASY RIGHT?? For non heat applied oils, it’s even SIMPLER. Herbs in jar. Oil. Label. Wait 6 to 8 weeks. Done. Next up Balms!
Ingredients + Equipment:
2 oz Infused oil 1oz Beeswax 1 oz Coconut oil Optional essential oils (add after the mixture is off of heat according to package instructions) A jar or tin for a balm that is about 4 oz in size A small pot half full of water and heat proof dish you can easily pour from like a measuring cup Small scale OR you can mix them as a 1:1:2 ratio of beeswax: coconut oil: infused oil
-Place all ingredients except for the essential oils in the heat proof measuring cup. Place the cup into the small pot of cold water. The water should be no higher than halfway up the measuring cup.
-Turn on med heat until it boils. Try to avoid getting water into your oil/wax mixture. It will spoil easier if water gets in.
-Once the beeswax is melted completely, set a timer for 5 minutes. The wax may melt, but its not truly combined for a while yet so I add this step. Makes for a smoother balm in my experience.
-Once the timer goes off, remove mixture from heat. Add your essential oil now if you are using them and mix them in with a rubber spatula.
Pour your liquid into the tin/jar you have reserved for your beautiful creation! Let us know how it all turns out!
Happy Creating!
Becky