I finally got around to finishing the update on my Making Herbal Infused Oils: The Ultimate How-To Guide, so I decided to come here and share one of my favorite recipes from the guide with you.
This recipe is for a solar-infused herbal oil. Solar-infused herbs are made by combining herbs and oil and letting the mixture sit in the sun or a sunny window so the heat and energy of the sun can pull the properties of the herbs into the oil. There’s a little more to it, but I go into more detail on the process in my guide.
I call this recipe “Body Beautiful Oil” because it’s so nourishing to the skin. I use this solar-infused herbal oil in several different ways such as a base for a light, luscious body cream to simple bath oil to my almost daily abhyanga ritual. It makes a great all-purpose body oil, and it’s filled with skin nourishing oils that absorb deeply into the skin while taking the anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, relaxing, and tissue regenerating properties of the infused herbs with them.
Enjoy, and don’t forget to check out my new and improved Making Herbal Infused Oils: The Ultimate How-To Guide along with eleven other great herbal infused oil recipes here.
Beautiful Body Solar-Infused Herbal Oil
Ingredients:
- 1/4 jar of equal amounts comfrey, lavender, chamomile, rose, and calendula
- 3/4 jar of equal amounts sweet almond, argan, and avocado oils
- 5 drops sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) essential oil, 2 drops steam distilled lime (Citrus aurantifolia) essential oil, 2 drops jasmine absolute (Jasminum sambac) essential oil, and 2 drops vanilla oleoresin (Vanilla planifolia) essential oil per ounce of oil
Directions:
- Fill a glass jar 1/4 full with equal amounts of herbs. Dump this out into a bowl and set aside.
- Using the same jar, add equal portions of base oils until 3/4 of the jar is full.
- Add the herbs that you set aside back into the jar and stir to incorporate well. Cap and label.
- Cover jar in an opaque fabric or paper. Place outside in a sunny, covered area (or in a sunny windowsill) to infuse for 2-4 weeks. Shake often.
- When finished, strain herbs from oil. Compost herbs and add essential oils to finished infused oil. Bottle and label.
To Use:
Massage daily over the entire body (after bathing) to stimulate and nourish the skin.
Get More Herbal Infused Oil Recipes
Learn more about making herbal infused oils including supplies you’ll need, how to store and extend your oil’s shelf-life, and advanced herbal oil techniques (such as how to make fresh herbal oil infusions) in my ebook, Making Herbal Infused Oils: The Ultimate How-To Guide.
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Sounds lovely!
Love infusing herbs in oils (and well.. anything else possible!)
Thanks for sharing! Looks like a super guide for those wanting to learn more!!
Hey, I have all the ingredients for this! Wonderful, Can’t wait to try it!!!
That’s so cool! They are perfect for colder months when the air is so dry and my skin absolutely needs this!
I live in Pennsylvania, the land of very little sun. Can this be done using heat?
You can totally make this oil using a heat-infused method (crockpot or stovetop). Good luck!!
I infused this oil however in a dark cabinet for two months instead of the solar method. My oil turned out to be a little sweet smelling but also smells like it may be bad. I was wondering how you can tell if the oil infusion has gone rancid or what this one smells like after you make.
Thank you !!
I have never had an oil go bad when infusing dried herbs. I have had one go bad using fresh herbs, and it grew visible mold on the top due to the water content of the fresh herbs. Infusing this in a cabinet for two months should be fine, and it should smell a little sweet as the herbs you are infusing have sweet floral scents. You can tell an oil has gone rancid if it smells old. I’m not sure how to describe that smell, but it smells bad. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help!