A Guide to Crafting a Natural Infused Oil You’ll Love

Today, I want to share with you my go-to method for creating your own herbal infused oil.

These oil can be used for everything from skin care, for pain relief of some kind to cooking or an ingredient for something like a salve or chap stick.

Jars of dried herbs to make infused oils with

There’s lots to choose from

Which you use begins with how you want to use the oil. Do you want it for skin care, a medicinal purpose of some sort or for cooking.

Here’s a short list of some herbs you can choose from for a few different things. This is a really short list, but it’s good to get you started.

Skin care

Calendula (always my first pick for skin issues)
Rose
Lavender
Cottonwood tips

Medicinal

St. John’s wort – reduce inflammation
Arnica – pain relief, bruises
Lavender – muscle relaxant
Garlic – decongestant

Cooking

Rosemary
Thyme
Basil
Garlic

Making your infused oil

There are all kinds of ways to create these oils, but this is my go to method that’s quick & easy to put together and the one I use almost all the time. This method is meant to use with dried leafy type herbs or crushed softer type roots.

You can use fresh herbs if you want. But, if you choose to use fresh herbs, the moisture from the fresh herb can allow mold to grow. So you’ll want to keep them in the refrigerator.

You can also combine different herbs for a specific blend you may want. The sky is the limit so be creative and experiment a little.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to making your infused oil

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 ounce of chopped & sifted herbal material. If you are buying it from an online source, you will likely be able to buy it this way.
A quart mason jar with a lid and ring. Don’t use the plastic lids as they don’t seal well. Although I’ve recently seen a new lid put out that specifically says it’s for liquids.
7 ounces of oil. This can be olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil or almond oil. It can actually be any kind of oil that is naturally produced without the need for any chemical extraction. Be sure to read the label.
1 ounce of at least 80 proof vodka.
A chop stick for stirring or something similar.

Here’s how you use all these things:

Pour the herb into the mason jar.
Pour the vodka over the herb.
Use the chop stick (or something similar) to mix the vodka with the herb. You want to ensure all the herb is slightly damp. It shouldn’t be wet, just slightly damp.
Pour the oil into the jar. The dried herb may soak up too much of the oil. So keep an eye on it for several hours. You might need to add an ounce or two more. You want to make sure the herb is covered with the oil.
Cover tightly with the lid and ring.
Shake the oil till your arm gets tired.
Now let it sit for 6 weeks. You’ll shake the jar everyday for at least the first week. Then shake it every time you think of it for the remainder of the time.

A few explanations

Here we’ll go over a few things so you understand why you’re doing them.

First the vodka: You’re adding vodka to the herbs because most herbs have water soluble constituents and alcohol soluble constituents. Adding that small amount of vodka allows those constituents to be pulled from the plant into the oil. Because you’re using so little (just slightly damp), it will evaporate eventually and your oil will be left with those constituents that wouldn’t have otherwise, been pulled from the plant.

Choosing your oil: If you’re choosing an oil for cooking, make sure you get one you like to use for cooking. If you’re using it for skin care, do your research and determine which oil will work best for you. I can tell you olive oil is great for cleaning the skin, but using it as a moisturizer will leave you pretty oily. It doesn’t soak in well. Whichever oil you use, be sure it’s a good quality one.

Infusing for 6 weeks: Many people will let their oils set for 2 weeks and then strain it. I’ve always allowed my oils to sit for 6 weeks in order to get as much out of the herbal material as I can. You can choose to strain it prior to that time. There’s no right or wrong way. This is just how I’ve done it.

Infusing in the sun: Letting the oil sit in a sunny windowsill while the mixture is infusing will allow the sun to gently heat the mixture while it infuses. This will only help your oil. Just make sure you can see it so you don’t forget to shake it.

Several types of oil to make infused oil

Straining your new infused oil

This is pretty straight forward. I use 2 layers of Grade 90 cheesecloth, in a hand held strainer, sitting over a glass or ceramic mixing bowl or something similar. I use an 8 cup glass measuring cup.

Pour the mixture from the mason jar into the strainer that’s covered with your cheesecloth. If you’re using a 6 inch or so strainer, you can probably turn the jar into the strainer and allow it to strain out of the jar.

This grade of cheesecloth allows the oil to pass through in a reasonable amount of time with very little of the herbal material getting through.

Once the majority of the oil as drained, you can pick up the corners of the cloth, capturing the herbal material inside and squeeze the remaining oil from the cloth.

NOTE: If you used fresh herb for your infused oil, skip this step of squeezing out the herbal material. You don’t want to squeeze any additional moisture into your oil. Just allow it to drip by gravity for several hours up to a few days. You can cover your whole set up with saran wrap while it drips.

Even with the tight weaved cheesecloth, there might be small bits of plant material that makes its way into your finished oil. This poses no issues to your oil. So unless you just don’t like the looks of it, it’s not a problem for it to be there.

Storing your Infused oil.

Once you’ve strained your oil, you’ll want to keep it in a dark cool place. Kept in the optimal conditions your oil can last you up to a year.

If you’re using it in small amounts, put what you will use in a bottle, and put the rest in the refrigerator if you wanted to. This will ensure it stays nice and cool until you use it up.

However, as long as you’re using your oil, you should use it up in plenty of time and a refrigerator isn’t necessary.

And there you have it

Your herbal infused oil is ready for you to use. Use it for:

Cooking or to create a vinegar and oil salad dressing or marinade.
A moisturizer or cleanser for your face.
Or an ingredient in a lotion, salve or chap stick.

It now carries with it the power of the herbal constituents from the herb you used to nourish your skin or your body.

Let me know what you’re making in the comments below.