Simple, homemade herb-infused oils are a very easy, affordable and healthy way to use herbs in your garden for topical use or to add flavor to your cooking. Whether you simply want a fragrant, herbal oil to use as a moisturizer, or you’d like to harness the healing power of your medicinal herbs, it’s a great thing to know how to infuse them into oil. You can use the oils as a base for simple DIY healing balms. There are a number of home remedies you can make with infused oils as a base.
For topical use and to add to lotions and balms, almond oil works best, and for cooking, olive oil is preferable. But feel free to experiment with different oils and see what you like best!
There are two ways to make the infused oil:
The first method, which is more effective at maintaining the healing properties and fragrance of the herb but takes longer, is to take your thoroughly dried herbs and stuff into a jar. Then cover completely with oil and set on a windowsill or shelf, preferably that gets direct or indirect sunlight for at least a portion of the day. Let sit for 2-3 weeks, shaking every day or so.
The second method is the quicker method, but because it uses heat, you will lose some of the properties of the herbs. There are a number of ways to do this one. The easiest is to place your in a saucepan over low heat and cover with oil. Keep it very low and gently stir frequently so the oil doesn’t burn. Alternatively, you can use a small crock pot, like the ones they make for fondue, by simply adding your herbs and oil and letting it cook for a few hours. This is easier than doing it on the stove.
Once your oil is properly infused, you can strain the herbs out and keep in a bottle or jar as you would any other oil. They are now free to be applied to your skin as needed, as an ingredient in lotions or balms, or in every day cooking to add flavor.
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