Oil infusion

topic posted Sat, July 19, 2008 - 6:58 PM by  cherri123
Share/Save/Bookmark
Advertisement
Hi does anyone know how much calendula or rosemary herbs to use with my 1 cup of olive oil for a 2 weeks cold oil infusion?.I'll be using a spaggetti glass jar for this.Is calendula and rosemary a good combo? I'll be using them for hair creams.
posted by:
cherri123
Advertisement
Advertisement
  • Re: Oil infusion

    Sat, July 19, 2008 - 11:29 PM
    Are the herbs fresh or dried? If fresh, start with 1 c. chopped herbs and add that to your olive oil. You can basically pack as much of the fresh plant into the oil as will fit, as long as you cover it with a good half inch of oil once its packed. Otherwise the wet herbs hitting the air can go bad or grow fuzz. If that happens, I find that you can scrape off the top layer of plant/oil and cover again with a half inch of oil. If you're only doing two weeks it should be fine. For dry herbs, you can powder the plants (in a coffee grinder or blender) and use about a quarter of teh volume you would have used fresh.

    Hope that helps!

    BTW, the combo is good; rosemary for scalp health, calendula for soothing the scalp and warm highlights.
    • Re: Oil infusion

      Sun, July 20, 2008 - 10:18 AM
      Thanks for the help.My herbs are dry=).
      • Re: Oil infusion

        Thu, July 24, 2008 - 4:47 AM
        What about infusing lavender? Can you use leaves and all? Or does it have to be just the buds? The whole thing smells wonderful to me!
        • Re: Oil infusion

          Thu, July 24, 2008 - 6:44 AM
          i believe you can use the whole thing.
          then strain. ")
          • Re: Oil infusion

            Thu, July 24, 2008 - 9:44 AM
            Yep, all of the lavender plant is wonderfully aromatic. If you get a bundle at the farmers' market, you can take it in small handfuls and cut it into 1/2" pieces with a pair of kitchen shears. All the way from the bottom of the stalk to the flower tips. Lavender is a panacea!
  • Re: Oil infusion

    Thu, July 24, 2008 - 5:47 PM
    previously posted in another thread, here

    ****
    Drop half a cup of fresh herbs into a glass jar and pour one cup of your preferred oil over it. Place this jar in the sun for about a week ,shaking it once a day. After a week "squeeze" the oil through cheesecloth. You can then further blend this oil with a carrier oil
    of your preference for application.

    OR

    Place the herbs into a dutch over pot or, even better, a crock pot. *for each half cup herbs you will add one full cup of your
    preferred oil. Simmer or "cook" on low for 2 to 3 hours. Cool it and "squeeze" the oil through cheesecloth.

    OR

    Infuse the herbs in alcohol for a few days (vodka, brandy or gin are best choices because they allow for the proper alcohol to
    water ratio needed for extraction of all the herbs oils), If you are, somehow, averse to actual drinking alcohol, I've heard you
    can use vinegar but will need to warm it before pouring into the jar. *cover herbs entirely but leave headroom, as if you
    were canning, in the actual jar.

    .................

    Rosemary, Patchouli, Lemon, Tea Tree, Ylang Ylang or Basil: Oily hair

    Rose and Chamomile: Fine hair. Itchy Scalp

    Peppermint, Myrrh: Dry Hair (also stimulates growth)

    Clary sage: All types of hair & Dandruff treatment

    Lavender: Good For all types of hair and scalp

    • Re: Oil infusion

      Thu, July 24, 2008 - 5:49 PM
      oh and with regard to the carrier....I'd suggest Hazelnut or Jojoba if you have the least bit oily or itchy scalp. Olive
      oil is wonderful but not as well suited to those types of scalps. If your hair is dry my personal fave is Grapeseed Oil.

Recent topics in "homemade beauty remedies"

Topic Author Replies Last Post
Yeast infection remedies anyone? NeSSaBeLLe 95 February 24, 2012
How to get rid of skin fungus? Lil H 26 January 25, 2012
substitute djimon 1 January 3, 2012
White lumps on tonsils Rachel 91 December 23, 2011