Different Methods

There are different ways to make an herbal-infused oil. The easiest way is known as the folk method. Herbs are placed in a jar, covered with your choice of oil, and left to sit for a few weeks.  Dried herbs are usually preferred over fresh because your oil is more likely to grow mold when you use fresh plant material. That said, if you take specific measures, you can make an oil with fresh plants.  Sometimes, fresh plants are preferred for certain infusions, like when making St. John’s Wort oil. 

Use the warm method if you don’t have a few weeks to wait for an infusion.  Dried herbs are still placed in a jar and covered with oil, but they are heated at low temperatures for a few hours up to a few days.  The most common way to do this is in a crockpot on low (in a water bath or lay a towel underneath the jars). This is faster than the folk method, but you must stir the mixture regularly and ensure it isn’t getting too hot. It’s also a good idea not to leave the crockpot completely unattended. 

Which Oil to Choose

What you want to do with your oil can help you decide which oil to choose. Olive oil is a popular choice for herbal infusions because it does not go rancid as quickly as other oils. It’s also fairly neutral in smell. Olive oil is a good choice for most skin types, and it is not known to clog the skin, but it can feel too heavy for some.  Olive oil is a good choice for salve-making.  Avocado oil is also good for salves, and since it’s “heavy,” it’s a good choice for soap making. 

Some oils that feel light on the skin are argan, apricot, and meadowfoam. 

Whatever you choose, it’s always best to use an oil that is “cold-pressed” or “expeller-pressed.” This means that no weird chemicals or damaging heat were used to make the oil.  Cold-pressed oils have the best shelf life.

Herbs

Several herbs can benefit the skin:

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)-This superstar herb soothes skin, promotes wound healing, and is gentle enough for the whole family.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)-used for stubborn wounds that need a little extra care. (do not use comfrey over deep wounds due to concerns about pyrrolizidine alkaloids).

Lavender -has anti-inflammatory properties and makes a great base for homemade whipped body butter.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) -is known to have anti-fungal and antiseptic properties. 

A note of caution: while using herbally infused oils is generally very safe, everyone reacts differently to plants.  A patch test can be helpful to determine if you will tolerate a new herb. Rub a dot of herbal oil on your inner wrist and wait 24 hours to see if any irritation appears. If you are allergic to certain plants, always know what family an herb belongs to before using it.  

The Folk Method Way to Infuse Oil

Supplies needed:

A clean jar with a lid

Enough dried herbs to fill your jar halfway

A small piece of wax paper (if you’re using a metal canning lid for your jar)

Oil

Supplies for when it’s time to strain:

Coffee filter or cheesecloth/muslin 

Funnel 

A clean jar

Amber bottle 

Infuse the Oil

1. Grind your dried herbs using a mortar and pestle, crumble them by hand, or chop them up. This ensures a good extraction of the herb constituents or healing properties.
2. Fill a jar halfway with the dried herbs.
3. Cover the herbs oil, but leave ½-1 inch of space at the top. You do not want to overfill the jar. The herbs are going to soak up the oil and expand.  If your jar is too full, you might experience an oil leak.  If your jar isn’t full enough, you could expose your mixture to too much air, leading to a shorter shelf life. 
4. Label your jar with the type of herb(s) and oil used. Put the date on your label to track how long it has been infusing.  Masking tape is a good label because it comes off easily. 
5. Place the jar in an area that is reasonably warm and dark. Some herbalists prefer to infuse their oils in the sun, and in some cases, such as when making a St. John’s Wort-infused oil, this is the traditional way. I always infuse St. John’s Wort oil in the sun (and with freshly wilted flowers), but I keep all other infusions in the dark. It helps protect your oil from any deterioration from the sun. 
6. Let the oil infuse for 4-6 weeks. Remember to check on it and give it a gentle shake or roll every day or so. Resist the urge to open the jar to see what’s happening. You want to avoid exposure to the air as much as possible. 

Time to Strain

1. After 4-6 weeks, it’s time to strain. If you go over 6 weeks, it’s not a big deal; nothing bad will happen. Infused oil has a shelf life, so it’s best to get it to use. 
2. To filter your oil, you will need a clean jar, a funnel, cheesecloth, or a coffee filter. A regular mesh strainer will generally not filter out all the tiny bits of herbs very well. 
3. Place the funnel into the jar and line it with the cheesecloth or coffee filter.  Carefully pour your mixture over the filter.  It takes a while for the oil to filter, especially if you use a coffee filter.
4. After a while, you can use a clean spoon to press down on the herbs to help extract the oils they have soaked up. Or, with clean hands, you can very carefully squeeze the filter or cheesecloth to get every last drop you can. You can compost the herbs afterwards.
5. Sometimes, even after good filtering, you can be left with cloudy debris of herbal sediment. Let your oil settle to the bottom, and slowly pour it into another jar, trying to avoid the sediment. Or you can filter that oil one more time. 
6. A couple of drops of Vitamin E can be added to help maintain the oil’s freshness. It does not kill germs, but it helps fight oxidation.
7. Your oil is now ready for bottling or being used in making salves or other herbal products.  
8. Bottle the oil in dark-colored bottles or jars. This helps protect the oil from light and air. Use bottles with small necks. Store the oil in a cool, dark location. Always use clean hands when dispensing oil. Properly stored herbal oils, on average, last around a year. 
9. Label the bottle with the type of oil used, the herb(s) used, and the date it was made. 

Herbal oils are perfect for gift making.

Look out for a video on how to make an herbal infusion, on our YouTube channel.

Dried Bouquets

Dried flower bouquets let you extend the beauty of cut flowers well past summertime.  You can personalize your bouquet with the receiver’s favorite flowers. You can also use seed heads and foliage of plants in addition to the flowers. The best time to cut flowers is after any dew has dried and right before they are in full bloom. Gather your bouquet and secure the bunch with garden string or a rubber band.   Hang upside down in a cool, dark, well-ventilated area for a few weeks. Dried bouquets make great decorations that can brighten up any space. Some good plants for dried bouquets are lavender, yarrow, poppy seed heads, grasses, sunflowers, and roses. 

Dried Fruit and Vegetables

Fruit and vegetables can be dried and then packaged up for gift-giving.  Dried fruit makes a tasty snack or oatmeal topper.  Dried vegetables can be used in soups, pasta dishes, and more.  A dehydrator works best for drying produce, but fruit high in sugar and acid can be dried outside in the sun.  Most tomatoes are high in acid and so can be sun-dried. Be sure to research the best techniques for drying your own garden pickings. 

Pressed Flowers

Flower pressing is a hobby that goes back quite a long time. Pressing flowers is one of the easiest ways to enjoy your garden in a tangible way. There are some really neat flower presses you can buy. Otherwise, you can flatten flowers between a piece of wax paper and use books to press down on the plants for a couple of weeks. The secret is to use plants that are not too bulky or full of moisture. Suggested plants are roses, calendula flowers, yarrow, ferns, lavender, daisies, California poppies, Queen Anne’s lace, and zinnias. After a couple of weeks of pressing, check to see if the plant is fully dried, and look out for mold. If there is any mold, sadly, it needs to be tossed. There are so many things you can make with pressed plants. You can make greeting cards and gift tags, decorative pictures using clear panes, and more. 

Herbal Tea

If you have an abundance of chamomile flowers, consider using them as part of an herbal tea gift basket. Combine your flowers with a loose tea leaf infuser, and you have a gift that promotes relaxation. Other good herbal teas are lemon balm, rose petals, sage, lemon verbena, or any combination.  

Kitchen Spices

Almost everyone can appreciate a homegrown gift of dried spices. We all have to eat, so dried kitchen spices can be a universally loved gift! It’s a great way to use that extra harvest of rosemary, sage, or thyme.  For garlic lovers, you could give up a few cloves or a whole garlic braid if you’re generous. 

Lavender Hot Chocolate Mix

For something unique, lavender hot chocolate mix can be easily made at home. Harvest some lavender cuttings and hang them to dry upside down. English varieties are best to use for flavoring.  In a couple of weeks, after they are fully dry, collect the dried flower buds by stripping them off of the stems.  Mix 1 TBSP of dried flower buds into 1 cup of your favorite premade hot cocoa mix, or make your own blend. Dried lavender is pretty strong in flavor, so you can use less if you like. Package in a jar and label.  You could make a pretty label with pressed flowers, too!

Herbal Bath Soak

Dried herbs can be mixed with Epsom salt to enhance bath time.  Chamomile and lavender are a fantastic mix for a sleepy-time bath blend.  Sage and rosemary can be supportive to use during a cold.  You can also add different kinds of salts for color and relaxation.  Dead sea salt can give your mix a luxurious spa feeling. Pink Himalayan salt adds a fun color.  Add layers of salt and dried herbs in a jar.  Get creative.  Rose petals are a classic herbal bath addition.  Add a muslin bag to contain the herbs to avoid any mess in the bath. 

Time to Start Planning

Handmade gifts take effort, so give yourself plenty of time. Making gifts with your plants is a fun way to connect to your garden. If friends and family enjoy spending time in your garden, then chances are they will be moved by a thoughtful gift that came from the source. Happy gifting!

Paper Bag Method

The paper bag method is nice because it doesn’t require anything fancy.  Place your herbs in a clean paper bag, ensuring not to fill it too much because good air circulation is critical for successful drying. Leave the bag somewhere with good airflow, that is above 65 degrees F. This method doesn’t work very well if you put the bags in a cool and damp place. If you can hang the bag up on a hook, that helps with proper airflow; if not, you can use a fan in the area.  If you live somewhere very humid, you might want to add a dehumidifier to the room. Some good herbs to try this method are chamomile, rose petals, sage, thyme, yarrow, etc.  If you are trying this with roots, you must have the roots cut up into small chunks and you must keep the room warm and with low humidity. For roots, I strongly recommend investing in a dehydrator.  Each paper bag should only have one kind of plant, and it’s a good idea to write the plant’s name on the outside of the bag.

Hang Drying

You can dry bunches of herbs with long stems by tying their stems with twine or using rubber bands and hanging them upside down on a hook or a hanging drying rack. Clothes drying racks can be put to use for drying herbs. Keep them somewhere well-ventilated, out of direct sunlight, and away from steam, condensation, or moisture sources in the air. This is the preferred way to dry lavender, especially if you want to keep dried bunches for decor. 

Drying Racks

Herbs can be laid on top of mesh drying racks, allowing air to circulate all around. Keep racks out of direct light and in a well-ventilated area. Stir the herbs around every few days. You can find racks in stores, online, or even make your own out of an old window screen. 

Dehydrator

If you plan on drying a lot of herbs or want a fast(ish) way to dry herbs, then you might want to use a dehydrator. Using a dehydrator is the most reliable way to dry roots.  Dehydrators come in many styles and budgets. When using a dehydrator, you don’t want the temperature to go above 100 degrees F, as this can compromise the quality of the herbs.  A suitable average temperature for herb drying is 85-90.  While herbs are drying, it can be helpful to stir them occasionally.  Drying times can vary depending on how much you are processing. A dehydrator assures you that those tougher-to-dry herbs, like calendula, with their resin-rich centers, won’t mold during storage. It’s worth mentioning dehydrators can give off a lot of heat, which can be unwelcome if it’s already hot in the area you are dehydrating.

Ready for Storage

Herbs can be stored when they crumble easily, or their stems can be snapped in half cleanly. If they are bendy or soft at all, they are not ready. If there is even just a little moisture left, herbs can mold. If you dry your herbs on stems, you can remove them from the stem. Stems don’t hold much goodness in a plant. Cut roots in half to check if they are thoroughly dried.  Dried herbs are freshest if you keep them in their whole form. They tend to lose potency faster if you crush or powder them before you are ready to use them. The best containers to store herbs in are air-tight glass ones.  You can use plain old Mason jars.  Try to keep your jars in a dark area and out of light. Light can degrade the quality of herbs. Always label your jars with the plants’ names, and you can add the date that you jarred them up. If you keep your herbs in a cool and dark place, dried flowers and leaves can stay potent for a year or more. Roots can stay vibrant even longer.  If your stored herbs have lost their smell and look less than vital, it’s time to compost them.

Some herbs can be frozen for use in the kitchen. Sage, lemon balm, rosemary, and bay leaves can be frozen in plastic bags or ice cube trays.  

Moldy Herbs

If herbs aren’t thoroughly dried before they are stored, mold can grow. If you find mold on any of your stored herbs, it’s best to compost that batch.  It can be disheartening to throw away a whole jar of herbs, but mold spores are present, and it’s not worth risking your health. 

Having your own stash of dried herbs is an amazing way to connect with your garden, even when the first days of winter arrive. Give it a try this season! Check the Planter app for more information on harvesting herbs.

Harvest Timelines

• Harvest aromatic herbs like basil, lemon balm, sage, and oregano just as the flowers are beginning to open. This is when the volatile oil levels are strongest, giving you a more flavorful or potent herb. You can use sharp scissors to remove leaves individually or snip stems with the leaves attached.
• Flowers and the tops of flowering herbs like yarrow, chamomile, and roses are best picked right as they are starting to bloom or not too long afterwards.
• Dill and fennel seeds can be collected right before they begin to dry, so they are still highly aromatic. You can cut the flower head off and hang it upside down to dry, then put a paper bag around the flower head to collect the dropping seeds.
• Herb roots and rhizomes are usually harvested in the fall when the plant is dying back and sending all of its constituents to be stored in the root for winter.  Check back this fall for the steps on how to harvest and dry roots.

To Wash, or Not to Wash?

If you are planning on using culinary herbs fresh in your cooking, then you can rinse them off with some water just as you would vegetables. You can rinse your herbs prior to drying them too. Lay them out to dry after rinsing before you move on to the drying process. Not everyone does this because it may increase the chances of the herbs holding onto moisture and molding in storage. You can also spray your herbs with a garden hose a day before you harvest them; that way, they’ll have time to dry off before harvesting. Washing herbs before harvest may increase the time it takes to dry them. If you don’t spray your herbs with chemicals, you keep your pets out of your garden, and you don’t see dirt on them, you don’t necessarily have to wash herbs, especially if you’re concerned about increasing chances of molding. Either way, after harvesting, you should look through the herbs and remove any damaged or diseased-looking plant parts.

More Tips

• It’s best to harvest on a dry day, just after dew has evaporated, and before any extreme heat.
• Be mindful not to take too many leaves or flowers from one plant at a time, as this can stress the plant and sometimes lead to its demise. 
• Only harvest your herbs when you have time to start the drying process.  Plants start breaking down pretty quickly, so you want to process them as fast as possible. An exception is for herbs like chamomile and calendula that have these teeny tiny bugs crawling all over them. I like to let those bugs have a chance to move out before I dry, so I let them hang out in the shade for a while. I don’t really want a bunch of bugs in my dried herbs!
• Use a large bag or loose-weaved basket to avoid crushing your herbs while harvesting. 
• Only harvest what you think you will use. This can be tricky to determine sometimes, especially during your first year harvesting a plant.
• If you plan on saving seeds for next year, remember that before you harvest too much of a plant.

Harvesting your own herbs is so rewarding! When you’re ready to learn the best practices for drying herbs, make sure to read this next post in the herbs series!

Aloe

Aloe deserves a top spot in our herbal body care garden lineup. Many of us reach for aloe after getting too much sun. It’s great at soothing irritated and sun burned skin. The gel inside of a leaf offers some relief of the itchiness that follows a burn too. In the case of minor burns from touching something hot, aloe can be useful. Aloe thrives in deserts and it’s perfect for gardens with arid conditions. If you don’t live in the desert, aloe is easy to grow in a container as a houseplant. Aloe needs a lot of bright, but not necessarily direct, sunlight so it’s best to put it near a south facing window. Water an aloe about once a week, but make sure you let the soil dry out between waterings, and be careful not to overwater it, too much water can kill an aloe. Container-grown aloe can be moved outside in the summer.

Bee Balm

Monarda, or bee balm, is a favorite for pollinators and hummingbirds, but it’s also an amazing plant for skin care. Bee balm is known to smell a little “spicy” and that spiciness comes from its high thymol content. Thymol has powerful antiseptic and antifungal properties, making bee balm a good choice when dealing with issues like build-up on the scalp or fungal infections of the skin. You can infuse apple cider vinegar with bee balm for a clarifying scalp rinse. You can make a strong tea, called an infusion, of bee balm and apply it as a compress to support blemish-prone skin. Monarda didyma (most commonly found at nurseries) and Monarda fistulosa are the types of bee balm to use as herbs.

Calendula

If I had to recommend just one herb for a body care garden, it would be calendula. In my opinion, Calendula officinalis is the leader of the herbal skin care world. Calendula is famous for its anti-inflammatory effects on skin. Today’s science is studying what traditional medicine has known for years, that use of calendula is associated with a potentially faster recovery time for injured skin. Harvest the whole flower head, after any dew has dried, ideally mid-morning, and dry for later use. Calendula can take a long time to fully dry out, but a dehydrator can speed up the process. With your dried flowers you can make infused oils for bath salts, turn the oil into a soothing salve, use dried flowers in a bath tea, or you can make an infusion to use as a compress on irritated skin. Calendula is a very enthusiastic self-seeder, which I find delightful, but you might not. So keep deadheading your flowers to prevent an enormous amount going to seed.

Chamomile

The lovely little chamomile isn’t just for tea! This mighty flower makes a perfect addition to a sleepy time bath tea blend. Make a strong infusion and add it to bathwater. A cloth soaked in chamomile tea is a treat for sunburned skin.

Elderflower

Since ancient times, people have been using Sambucus to enhance their beauty. The fragrant elderflower is full of antioxidants. Antioxidants fight free radicals that can cause inflammation on the inside and outside of our bodies. Use elderflower tea internally or externally to promote healthy skin. Salves infused with elderflower are popular for baby creams. Add some elderflower tea to lukewarm bathwater when you need to cool yourself down.

Fennel

Fennel seems more appropriately used in a spaghetti sauce, but surprisingly, fennel can be helpful in the pursuit of glowing skin. Fennel seeds have a lot of antioxidants and have antiseptic properties. Ground up fennel seeds can be mixed with honey or yogurt and turned into a wonderfully exfoliating face mask. Gentle exfoliation removes dead skin which is helpful if you’re prone to breakouts. With special emphasis on the word gentle. Too much scrubbing can lead to irritation and redness, the exact opposite of what you want.

Lavender

Besides being an amazing plant for pollinators, lavender is fun to use in herbal body products. A lot of us love the smell of lavender and it can be dried and used to scent products you can make at home: soaps, lotions, body butter, salves, lip balms, infused oils, calming bath salts, bath teas, and more! The variety ‘Grosso’ is prized for its intense smell and it creates a lot of buds, so it’s a great choice for an herbal body care garden.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a very popular culinary herb so maybe you already have some in your garden. If not, you might want to add this multi-purpose plant! Olive oil infused with dried rosemary makes a wonderful hair/scalp treatment (and marinade too but don’t mix them up)! Rosemary has been used to help boost hair growth and studies show this isn’t just an old wives’ tale. Rosemary is a favorite for those with very oily skin too because it has a strong astringent effect.

Roses

Way back when, you could find the ancient Egyptians using roses to maintain their beauty. Roses are one of the most famous ingredients in natural based skin care. Rose petals are soothing and have anti-inflammatory actions on the skin. Roses are suitable for all skin types. Rose water is a popular way to use the petals and you can make it at home. The power of the rose doesn’t end after the blooming season; rosehips, the fruit that forms after a bloom, are an excellent source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for maintaining healthy skin. Vitamin C promotes collagen production and fights free radicals. You can make rosehip jam or rosehip tea to reap the benefits of vitamin C.

Yarrow

In the herbal world, Achillea millefolium, or yarrow, has a lot of uses. Yarrow has been used as a styptic, meaning it can help control bleeding when used externally on wounds. Yarrow can help tighten the skin because it is astringent. It has substances that are helpful in controlling fungus and bacteria. Yarrow is used a lot in herbal salves and wound washes. Dried yarrow can be powdered and added to clay and other powdered herbs for a DIY clarifying face mask.

A note of caution: while yarrow can beneficial for most skin, paradoxically, some people can experience contact dermatitis when in contact with it. If you’ve never used yarrow before, you might want to do a “patch test” to be safe. See below for more on the “patch test”.

This is just a short list of plants that can be used in body care. There are a lot of different ways you can use your plants. If you’re new to do-it-yourself skin care, I recommend learning how to make an infused oil. Once you’ve learned that you can make things like salves, lip balms, lotions, body butter, and bath bombs/salts. Keep a lookout for future posts where I will explain how to create your own herbal products.

Just like with food, there is always the potential to react to herbs. You can see if you might react to a new herb by doing a patch test on your skin before using an herbal product. You can make a strong tea (infusion) of the herb and “paint” the tea somewhere that you would notice any redness or irritation, such as the inside of your wrist. Or you can rub the fresh herb on your skin to see if you have any irritation. If you have any reactions like redness, itchiness, or hives, then do not use that herb. I wait 12-24 hours after a patch test to see if any sort of reaction shows up. This is not to be taken as medical advice. Refer to your health care practitioner before starting a new herbal regimen.