cellydaniel Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Has anyone tried to make oil infusions at home?I am considering making calendula and chamomile infused oil to use for my healing salve and I would like some suggestions whether this is something you can do yourself.Thank youCelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 I made some at home for a healing salve. It was really easy (my kids helped me and had blast).Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnhorsemom Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 I have infused oils for my booboo balm, it was easy to do. I am not a real patient person so I didn't do mine in the jar/sunshine I did mine on the stove. I put the herbs and oil in a bouble boiler and kept the heat as low as I could while still keeping the water hot enough to keep the oils warm and let it "cook" for several hours. I have always wanted to try soaping with infused oils but I think that the cp process would kill the goodies in the infusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macnmyer Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 If you scroll half way down the page there are some instructions that will help get you started. http://www.tlcsoaps.com/mknghrbl.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cellydaniel Posted May 14, 2007 Author Share Posted May 14, 2007 Thank you for the site. It is very helpful. I think I am going to try the Crock Pot method. What kind of olive oil should I use. Is the Extra Virgin Olive Oil ok for infused oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBE Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Any kind of olive oil would do... I love making infused oils. I made a St. John's Wort infused oil one time... came out to a beautiful ruby red color. Awesome. I usually do calendula, St. john's wort, comfrey, and chickweed. Makes an awesome salve. I just let mine sit on the kitchen window sill..... 6-8 weeks... depending on how strong you would like it. Then I strain through a cheesecloth. (very messy!) I usually have to strain two to three times... especially if the herbs I use are cut really small. But the end product is worth the messiness!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cellydaniel Posted May 15, 2007 Author Share Posted May 15, 2007 If you don't mind sharing, where do you get your herbs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBE Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 If you don't mind sharing, where do you get your herbs?I grow my own calendula... it's way cheaper than buying the dried herb. You can find the seed basically anywhere... either under calendula or pot marigold. It's not like the regular marigold... those smell like skunk!! LOL But calendula is REALLY easy to grow. And very purdy!! LOL I usually buy the rest at Mountain Rose Herbs. I've tried growing St. John's Wort, but I would always end up killing it!! LOL The comfrey just really takes over everything... so decided not to grow that. The chickweed is actually a weed... they say you can find it in your own backyard... I've yet to find it in mine. So I just order it with the rest!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladysj Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 Which herbs would you recommend infusing for aches and pains? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cellydaniel Posted May 15, 2007 Author Share Posted May 15, 2007 Creative Body Essentials, thanks a lot for the info. I'm going to try Mountain Rose Herbs. I have never tried growing herbs at home. I am afraid I might kill it. I am not good at taking care of plants. Maybe I'll try that someday, it sounds really interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadryga Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 You can find the seed basically anywhere... either under calendula or pot marigold. It's not like the regular marigold... those smell like skunk!!Uh oh... I'm currently experimenting by infusing marigold and fresh coffee grounds in RBO... but now that I've already set the stuff in the double boiler I see this! I used some dried stuff I got from a tea supplier, but it only said marigold, so I'm not sure what this stuff is. Any way I can tell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazerina Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 I was curious about this question of Pot Marigold vs 'your average Marigold'. So I've just been doing a quick research jaunt and i'm still as consfused as I was after I first read this thread, lol. There was one web site that listed the latin names of many different types of marigold... they all were Calendula something or other. I have never heard that there is only one kind that will do anything for you. When you read everything about the plant being used as an herb, they still call it 'Marigold'. Plain ol' Marigold. I could only find ONE site that specifically stated that Pot Marigold was different than other Maridgolds. But nothing else that I've seen so far supported this claim. My best guess about the situation in general... given that the offcial latin name of Pot Marigold is Calendula Officinalis... and the latin term officinalis is translated as 'of the workshop' 'officially used' and many other loose interpretations of 'Official'... is simply that before there were so many hybrid varieties, it was the basic and original Calendula that was used in ancient pharmacopoeia. What i've read indicates that other varieties of the same basic kind of plant can have a higher toxin amt or less flavinids (sp?), etc etc. I would guess that very few garden variety hybrid marigolds have been studied for use as an herb...only the original. So- long story short - I will not be using my Dwarf Safari Marigold (burgundy and gold and yellow and orange mixed pallete- soooo beautiful, lol) as infusion fodder! I'll stick with the tried and true. Jadryga- I think if you bought the marigold in tea form, I wouldn't worry about it being anything other than the Officinalis variety. Purportedly it is often made into a tea to soothe sore throats. I think it was labeled 'Marigold' for label appeal because it is more recognizeable and sounds friendlier than 'Calendula'. But - I dunno. I'm sure the supplier can give you the official species name of the flower they used.And to answer to the OP, I'm addicted to making infusions! It's sooo easy and I don't really think that there is any oil that you CAN NOT use. The experts can correct me if I'm wrong and im sure some require special handling and such, but overall- the oil you use is simply a carrier for all intents and purposes. A good oil can certainly add to the overall wonderfulness of the infusion, but I don't look at it entirely that way. I just want a medium to carry the goodness of the herb into the bar of soap. ( I do M&P and my best reviewed bar was a calendula/chamomile/lavender bud infusion recipie) An absolutely awesome healing salve can be made with a bit of beeswax, calendula and an oil of your choice. I looked for a link to it online and can't find it :-( sorry !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadryga Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Oh good! The tea label did mention sore throats and all that. I was thinking of making a salve out of it actually. Thanks lots, blazerina! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Regular marigolds are Tagetes, not Calendula. They're a totally different genus. I make a salve that I love with RBO infused with Oregon Grape, and beeswax. I do all my infusions in RBO, since I don't use olive oil. I just have to be careful about heating it, because RBO is more sensitive to oxidation than olive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadryga Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Hmmm... I thought RBO has a higher smoke point that olive as well as a longer shelf life... or do you mean something else, Robin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Creative Body Essentials, thanks a lot for the info. I'm going to try Mountain Rose Herbs. I have never tried growing herbs at home. I am afraid I might kill it. I am not good at taking care of plants. Maybe I'll try that someday, it sounds really interesting LOL, a plant killer like me. Every time I remember the plants, it's because they are dead.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Well, I'm kind of extrapolating from my experience with it in soaping - it's more prone to DOS if heated, which is an oxidation. It has twice as much linoleic acid than olive oil, and linoleic acid is unsaturated, with 2 double bonds. The more double bonds, the more prone to oxidation it can be. It could very well have a higher smoke point, dunno. Just kind of a gut feel from my usage, and hearing others' experiences with RBO who have high humidity climate. I've never had any problems with it at all. I love RBO, that's all I use. I don't like OO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3bees~1flower Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 regarding straining your herbs....i just read about an idea not too long ago that i think will make me NOT hate infusing so much...instead of cheescloth, try putting your dried herbs into a muslin bag and then setting that into your oil...when the infusion is done, simply take out the bag give it a squeese and your done! you could infuse several herbs ito the same oil this way...when i do it, i will probably use a separate bag for each herb.hth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadryga Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Now... why on earth didn't I think of that? Brilliant idea, I say. Now to go find lots of muslin. Actually, I wonder if tea bags work too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cellydaniel Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 I read somewhere here that a member used large tea bags instead of muslin and it worked. I tried wrapping the herbs with the cheesecloth and it somewhat worked. There were still teeny tiny crumbs that escaped the bag though. I am going to try using tea bags next time.Celly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Di_in_AZ Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 This is a terrible thread for me because I started buying aromatherapy books a few months back. Decided I was going to get into that but started seeing the prices on some of the oils Soooo...I put the books away. Now I am reading this and am thinking of pulling the books out...why can't I just be addicted to ONE thing?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadryga Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I read somewhere here that a member used large tea bags instead of muslin and it worked. I tried wrapping the herbs with the cheesecloth and it somewhat worked. There were still teeny tiny crumbs that escaped the bag though. I am going to try using tea bags next time.CellyExcellente! I bought a bag of 100 tea bags and I've been using them for various things, but this would make my life so much easier than straining, since I'm not so sure what muslin is.Can you see me rubbing my hands in glee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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