HOW TO: MAKE YOUR OWN HERBAL OIL INFUSIONS | DIY

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Herbal oil infusions are a way of getting the benefits of a herb or herbs and the oil all in one. The benefits of oil infusions cannot be over emphasized as you can make a thousand and one herbal oil infusions with various benefits.
Examples of herbal oil infusions are neem leaves in coconut oil, turmeric in olive oil,  neem leaves in sunflower oil and a host of others. The goal you want to achieve in either your hair or skin will determine your choice of herb and oil.
 What you will need
- Dried plant part or powdered herb
- Carrier oil
- Glass/mason jar

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How to make oil infusions
Gather your herbs whether in powder or dried parts of the plant you want to infuse. If you got your herbs fresh, ensure you dry them under the sun. Preferably do not oven dry and if you choose to, make sure you research on favorable temperatures that will not extensively destroy the active constituents of the plant.
The reason you will need your herbs dry is because any presence of  moisture during the infusion stage will make your oil go rancid (in lay terms - bad).
Next is to get your carrier oil of choice. Relatively cheap ones include coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil. You can even try this with cooking oil like rapeseed/canola oil which is way cheaper and is good for the skin and hair (so I read).
Get your glass jar which you will use to carry out the oil infusion process. I recycle mayonnaise containers for this purpose.
Once you have your oil, herbs and glass jar, you are ready to proceed.
Main process.

• Place your dried herb or powder in the glass jar first. Make sure the glass jar is clean and dry.
• Pour your oil next and make sure it totally covers the herb. You need your herbs to be fully immersed in the oil.
• Cover and keep in a cool, dry and dark place.
• Shake every few days so some of the herbs standing for a while can release its constituents into the oil.
• Once your time has lapsed, filter the oil into a bottle and start using.

I leave my herbs to infuse for 1 to 2 months but you can leave it for longer. The longer you leave your oil to infuse, the better your oil gets because of the prolonged extraction of nutrients from the herbs. Most times, you will notice a gradual change in the colour of the oil. This shows that the oil is extracting something from the herbs. Below is a picture of some of my oil infusions still in process.

L - R: carrot shavings in sunflower oil, neem leaves in coconut oil, neem leaves in rapeseed oil

If you have made an oil infusion before, how did it go and what was your choice of herb and oil. If not, hope my post has inspired you to make one😊.

Till next time,