Written by Mindy, Contributing Writer
Calendula is such an easy and fun flower to grow. Besides being beautiful to look at, it offers a wealth of beneficial healing properties for your skin. It is an herb that will definitely earn it’s spot in your garden!
Homemade Calendula Oil
What you will need:
- dried calendula petals
- carrier oil (olive oil, almond oil, or sunflower oil are all great choices)
- a clean, glass jar with a lid
How to infuse the oil:
There are two different methods to infuse your oil with the healing properties of calendula. We’ll look at the two different methods below and talk about the pros and cons to each method.
1. Cold Infusion Method
This is usually the preferred method, because it protects the delicate calendula from being damaged by heat.
Steps for the cold infusion method are as follows:
- Put your desired amount of dried calendula petals in your clean, dry glass jar.
- Fill the jar with your carrier oil of choice to cover the petals by one inch.
- Put in a sunny place to infuse for 4 weeks.
- Drain the petals from the oil and store your oil in a container with a lid for up to one year.
That’s it! Very simple and straightforward. The only downside to this method is that it takes 4 weeks to get your finished oil. If you are in a hurry then you might need to use this next method.
2. Hot Infusion Method
This method is much quicker then the cold infusion method, but it won’t have quite the same strength because of the heat that it is subjected to. Don’t worry though! It will still have healing properties, just not to the same extent as the cold infused oil.
Steps for the hot infusion method are as follows:
- Put your desired amount of dried calendula petals in your clean, dry glass jar.
- Fill the jar with your carrier oil of choice to cover the petals by one inch.
- Dump the entire contents of your jar (the petals and the oil) in a small saucepan or slow cooker. Heat on low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Let cool. Drain the petals from the oil and store your oil in a container with a lid for up to one year.
Photo Credit
What to do with your calendula oil:
This is the fun part! Now that you have the oil, the things that you can do with it are almost limitless. Here is a list of ideas to get you started.
- Use it as a body oil after bathing.
- Make a calendula salve.
- Use it as a baby oil.
- Make a calendula lotion.
- Apply it to specific problem areas where you might have dry skin, inflammations, or rashes.
If you are interested in growing your own and would like more information on how to do that, check out these articles below!
Last fall I made a salve by infusing coconut and olive oils with calendula from the garden and plantain leaves from the yard, then adding some beeswax to thicken it. We use it on cuts, scrapes, bug bites, rashes, and things like that. It is affectionately called “the green stuff”. 🙂 It is very soothing and so easy to make!
That sounds great, Kristen!
I recently got a book about herbs that talked about making herbal oils and infusions, and it sounded so easy – I wondered why I had never considered it before! I still might not ever get around to it, lol, but at least now I’m not longer apprehensive of the idea. I love your simple instructions here!
I know right? I’ve read about it before, too, but until I read Mindy’s instructions, I didn’t realize just how easy it was. Now I’m definitely inspired to try it!
I hope you both try it! It really is so easy and it’s GREAT to have on hand for all sorts of things 🙂
You’ve made this sound incredibly easy, Mindy! Now…if I can only grow some flowers without killing them! Ha! I bet this smells sooo good, too!
Trust me, Erin. If I can grow calendula, so can you! 😉 It is such an easy plant to grow!
I use a strong calendula tea to cover my gray hair. It is perfect for folks with lots of red in their hair. I just use a cotton ball to dip and blot on my hair. It does wash out so it must be repeated. I grow it in my garden since it helps repel tomato hornworms, aphids, flea beetles, asparagus beetles AND it attracts bees and butterflies. What a wonderful plant! <
That’s so interesting, Catherine. I’ve never heard of using calendula tea to color hair before. Good to know!
I also like to make herbal oils, as we produce our own olive oil. I do find it difficult to find calendula in Portugal. I’ll have to search the net for some seeds. Thanks for the post.
I am new to oils and herbs, but love this recipe! Any idea what is a typical ammount of petals? Is there too little or too much?
It really just depends on how much oil you want to end up with. You can make as much or as little as you want all at once. So it’s really up to you 🙂
I love, love, love how easy it is to make something so useful and effective!
I like to use it in my slaves and lotions. 🙂 Wonderful post!
Could I do the same process but used dried chamomile flowers instead?
Although I’ve never tried it myself, Priscilla, I’m sure that it would work just fine 🙂
I use it to make soaps. Especially baby soap. Another name for Calendula is Marigold, so if you can’t find Calendula try looking for Marigold instead 😉
I tried the cold infusion method with olive oil and have been really happy with the results. I wrote about it here: http://www.creativesimplelife.com/making-and-using-herbal-infused-oils-calendula-and-olive-oil/ Thanks for this great info!
I’ve made the oil with olive oil. Do i store in room temperature? Or in fridge? Many thanks 🙂