Favorite Infused Oil?

[makemineirish]

I have read the threads and articles on HOW to infuse oils and understand that many of you do this as a natural colorant option. However, my interest lies more in the medicinal aspects of the infusions. My favorite skin care products contain calendula, so that is a no brainer for me. Chamomile is also a given. Now, I am hoping to mine the collective wisdom for other suggestions.


Color aside, what are your favorite herbs or spices to infuse into oil based on their cosmetic benefits for either soap or lotion?

I COULD stop with calendula and chamomile, but...
at the risk of sounding like a total girl,...
I like the image of sunlight filtering through colored oils in my kitchen window as a manner of functional decoration.

 

[cursivearts]

I don't have a favorite, as I have just started doing this, but I wanted to say, I despise the smell of calendula. I infused it in the crockpot the other day and my whole kitchen smelled weird. I am going to use the oil I infused (probably) in a castile. I did infuse some lavender and that smelled nice (but I used it in castile so I won't know for months how it turned out). I did just try some peppermint and am going to infuse that for a foot scrubby soap.

I should try chamomile. Chamomile is one of the first plants I remember having as a little girl. (I would pour hot water over the leaves and pretend it was real tea and drink it with my dolls).

So really, I don't have an answer, but I'd love to know your experiences with infusing, as it's something I am just trying myself.

 

[Candybee]

I don't do oil infusions but may try it sometime. For the time being I have been doing water or tea infusions with different herbs, fruits, and seeds. I think my favorite is lavender water. I use lavender buds and crush them a little bit before adding my water to make sure they release their oils. I get the best smelling lavender water and use it in my lavender soap. I do the same with a combo of chamomile and calendula. Lately I have been experimenting with a variety of fruits and fruit juices, citrus peels, etc. Sometimes instead of water I use aloe juice for my infusions.

 

[CaraCara]

I love infusing oils with citrus peels, hands down. I have mint growing in my backyard so I might try that too.

 

[lsg]

I also like comfrey infused oil.

 

[hoegarden]

i infuse rose , chamomile, lavendar, spearmint n peppermint and alkanet root

 

[newlycrunchy]

Rosemary is a wonderful smell as well!

 

[makemineirish]

I don't have a favorite, as I have just started doing this, but I wanted to say, I despise the smell of calendula.

Thanks for the heads up on calendula smell.

I read a thread on natural blue colorants in which woad was described as smelling "like a chicken house". The author was grateful that the smell was extinguished in saponification. Let's hope that the smell of calendula is so easily killed in the process of soap making.

The lotion recipe I wanted to try involves making a tincture. Maybe the smell will be less offensive infused into different media.

Smell is so subjective, anyway.

I personally do not care for the smell of patchouli, but clearly I am in the minority. I am always a bit struck by how "off" other people's houses smell to me and wonder if they feel similarly about mine. I cook quite a bit and have a small candle-fetish...so I can imagine having strong opinions about it one way or the other.

 

[makemineirish]

I love infusing oils with citrus peels, hands down. I have mint growing in my backyard so I might try that too.

This is a phenomenal idea:clap:.

I adore citrus in all forms and hate waste. Re-purposing the peels for infusions sounds far more fun than composting them.

 

[makemineirish]

I also like comfrey infused oil.

I would not have thought to infuse this herb. Soap or lotion aside, comfrey infused oil or aloe should be nifty to keep around the house to smear on my cuts and bruises.

 

[makemineirish]

Rosemary is a wonderful smell as well!

Agreed...and an herb that I have in my yard year-round. I think that rosemary also has preservative properties, extending the shelf life of soap-making oils:mrgreen:.

 

[cursivearts]

Calendula, to me smells like all the bad parts of a flower, magnified. That sickly pollen-y smell times a hundred (of course, I do crockpot infusion, so that probably magnified it).

I am curious to how you guys all go about your infusions, especially with things I don't exactly consider herbs, ie citrus peels and roses.

That said, whoever said they didn't want to throw citrus peels in compost, you can also soak them in vinegar in a jar for a few weeks, then use the vinegar in a water solution for cleaning.

 

[kazmi]

I haven't done many yet but at the moment have a batch of calendula, a batch of rosemary, and a batch of green tea leaves in OO. Just started the calendula so don't know how that's going to turn out. But the green tea leaves have been in the jar for a few weeks now and I'm thinking about what soap I want to use the infusion for. It's a pretty green but I'm pretty sure that color isn't going to last :sad: The rosemary I started infusing AFTER I made my rosemary ombre soap since the idea came to me as I was sprinkling it on top of my soap. Wish my ahh moments would come at a better time.

I have lots of mint so thanks for that idea. If I don't keep picking pieces of it, the mint will take over my garden so what a good use for it besides my ice teas and mojitos!

 

[Ancel]

I do quite a lot of infusions of different local herbs. I make custom soaps for several local stores and hotels and infuse one or more of the botanicals in their gardens to make the soap more 'their' soap. I have several jars sitting here now with various leaves and flowers inside: hibiscus, ginger flowers, soursop, noni, nettle, gavilana and Madera Negra. Would so love to get my hands on calendula and comfrey! I'm going to infuse some chamomile teabags when I remember to buy them.

Really like the infusions as they add something special to the soaps, usually a subtle colour too. On another forum they've just been talking of infusing jewel weed for poison ivy soap, so it seems that some of those medicinals must make it through saponification.