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I remember one time when I spoke with our pediatrician and she told me that it would be good if I buy immortelle (Helichrysum italicum) herbal oil for my son, because he has a sensitive skin. And then she added ‘Or of course, you can make it.’ I was like…what?!?!! What do you mean, I can make it? Isn’t that something that requires some kind of machinery or something else that costs a million dollars?😄
Yeah, that’s funny to you now, but I really thought so. As you can see, I am not an expert in herbs and herbal oils. I didn’t finish any education on this, but I did a looooot of research and learned a lot doing it. So, with that being said, it is something that I enjoy and love and, naturally, I want to share it with you.😊
But enough about me, let’s talk about why we’re here and that is to find out how to make herbal oil. But first, I want to tell you a little bit on why should we even use it.
What is herbal oil and why should we use it?
So, let’s start with explaining exactly what herbal oil is. It is a product made by soaking herbs in oil for some time, and then, when we remove the herbs from the oil, we get herbal oil. Voila! The benefits of herbal oils are endless, so I will not go into details now, but I will just list a few:
- Cosmetic companies use them in making anti-age cosmetics (to prevent wrinkles)
- Helps with removing stretch marks
- You can use them for self-tanning
- Sensitive and problematic skin treatment etc.
Now, not all herbal oils are for all the listed problems. Each oil has it’s purposes. Of course, when you start to use them, you will know better which one is more compatible with your skin type.
For example, my favourite is immortelle (Helichrysum italicum) herbal oil. I use it for almost everything. When my kids fall and they have a scratch, I just gently rub it with this oil, or with the balm I made of it, and the day after it is almost all gone. On the other hand, I gave it to my sister and she says that she feels like it is to ‘heavy’ for her skin. But she still uses it for her kids. So, you’ll know better when you use it.
Making the herbal oil
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Ok, we’re finally here. How to make herbal oil? The process of making it is pretty easy. There is more than one way of doing it (such as slow cooking), but I make it the old-fashioned way – with the sun:-).
What you’ll need:
– herb of your choice
– oil (olive, almond, sesame or coconut)
– mason jar
First thing first, the herbs has to be dry. If it’s not dry, the water from the herbs makes the oil go bad quickly. For the same reason, the mason jar has to be dry, too.
Next, fill mason jar with herbs and pour oil (I always use olive oil) over them. Place it in the sun. This process now lasts for 3-4 weeks. Just a note, every herb can be in the sun except St. John’s wort which loves the shade.
During this process, shake the mason jar every day for the first week. Before you shake it, open the lid for a second to let the moisture go out, close it and then shake it.
After about 4 weeks, strain the herbs from the oil using fine sieve, and then again through cotton gauze or a coffee filter. Store the oil in a dark, cool place. It can last for at least a year.
If you are new to this, please don’t use it two times and then say ‘this doesn’t work for me’. Everything needs time to process before we see the results.
Do you make your own herbal oil? Or you want to start? Please share your thoughts on this with me.
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