Jump to content
IndiaDivine.org

Herbal Infusion

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

I'd like to make an herbal infusion with purchased dried lavender flowers

for a body butter formula. I'm a bit confused about the process. Should I

heat the oil with the dried botanicals to sanitize it? I've read somewhere

of heating it to 180 degrees and holding it there for an hour or so. But

I'm not sure. Most of the information I can find online says to just place

it in a cool dark place. I'm a bit concerned about the sanitation issue,

since the body butter will be left on the skin.

 

 

 

Thank you for any thoughts you may have regarding the infusion process.

 

 

 

Pamela

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pamela,

If you heat lavender buds , they will turn a very ugly brown, I don't

know why you are not using lavender essential oil to make the body butter.

Infusing the herb into fat is a long process, of over and over and over

saturating the fat to get the essence out of the flowerbuds.EO's would

be much more effective , I would think.

C-M

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't plan to leave the lavender buds in the body butter, I plan to strain

it first. I'm looking for a light scent, and I have lots of buds that need

to be used. I'm mostly concerned about sanitation, EO would be more

sanitary. However, even a heat cycle of 180 degree F would still be more

gentle than steam distillation. Since I have the extra lavender buds on

hand, I thought I'd expand my skill base and practice infusion. Is herbal

infusion not recommended for products intended to be left on the skin? I'm

confused.

 

Pamela

 

 

Christa Maria [cmaria]

Wednesday, November 10, 2004 8:27 AM

 

Re: Herbal Infusion

 

 

Pamela,

If you heat lavender buds , they will turn a very ugly brown, I don't

know why you are not using lavender essential oil to make the body butter.

Infusing the herb into fat is a long process, of over and over and over

saturating the fat to get the essence out of the flowerbuds.EO's would

be much more effective , I would think.

C-M

Link to comment
Share on other sites

--- " Pamela Gardner " wrote:

> I don't plan to leave the lavender buds in the body butter, I plan

to strain it first. I'm looking for a light scent, and I have lots of

buds that need to be used. I'm mostly concerned about sanitation, EO

would be more sanitary. However, even a heat cycle of 180 degree F

would still be more gentle than steam distillation. Since I have the

extra lavender buds on hand, I thought I'd expand my skill base and

practice infusion. Is herbal infusion not recommended for products

intended to be left on the skin? I'm confused.

>

> Pamela

 

 

 

I don't think so at all Pamela. She was just saying that the EO is

easier --and I do find it is easier than taking the time to infuse.

Nothing wrong at all with infusing and using those infusions in

skin-care products (especially lavender!) --just more costly in terms

of dollars and time.

 

Also, if you have a lot of buds that need to be used up, well....

makes sense then.

 

I have often wanted to infuse the lavender buds, but in my case I

would have to purchase that large amount to do so. It would be fun as

it is my favorite and I do infuse vanilla all the time (wonderful

results there and more cost effective than the CO2 or absolute). I

just always find myself buying the lavender EO instead.

 

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

Andrea

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Pamela,

Are you wanting a very quick infusion or a long-term infusion?

Because there are as many ways to infuse herbal oils as there are stars in

the sky. I use an aged, long-term infusion process of where I allow my herbs

to set in the base carrier oil for a minimum of one year but I think that

you are looking for a quick method. One of the quickest methods would be to

put your lavender flowers in a crock pot filled with your chosen base

carrier oil. Turn the crock pot on high and leave the mixture cooking

overnight or for several days. You probably want to cover the crock pot and

every once in a while stir your flowers. Once it has " cooked " to your

desired smell, then pour off the oil with the herb in it into a large jar

and from that strain off what you need. I have found that as long as I leave

my herb in the oil it does not go bad. Pour off what you need, cap it, date

& label it, and place it in a cool dark place to keep it stable and cool.

Personally I don't care for short-term infusions but after all of the

research that I did last year on the history of infused oils I have changed

my thinking to telling people about some short-term methods that will work

for a specific use. There should be no problem as to the sanitation issue. I

have been using long-term herbal infused oils for 20 years plus now with

success.

Have a great day!

Rhavda Emison

Scents of Success (http://www.scentsofsuccess.com)

Texas Grown - USA Made Rose Oil Products

Rose, Helichrysum, Oak Moss, Melissa, Chaste Berry, & Other Aged

Infused Oil Products

 

>I'd like to make an herbal infusion with purchased dried lavender flowers

>for a body butter formula. I'm a bit confused about the process. Should I

>heat the oil with the dried botanicals to sanitize it? I've read somewhere

>of heating it to 180 degrees and holding it there for an hour or so. But

>I'm not sure. Most of the information I can find online says to just place

>it in a cool dark place. I'm a bit concerned about the sanitation issue,

>since the body butter will be left on the skin.

>Thank you for any thoughts you may have regarding the infusion process.

>Pamela

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pamela,

Herbal infusions are fine to use on the skin. But it depends what you

infuse and what menstrum you use.

If you use fat ( oil) to infuse your lavender buds, you will get very

little scent. If you make an infusion with water, you have the problems

of mixing water with fat, for that you need a stabilizer.

Anytime you use an herb infused product you raise the problem of

spoilage.EO's are so much easier.

If you have a lot of lavender buds, I recommend making little sachets

for closets, clothes hangers, etc.

C-M

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pamela,

 

I use lavender infusions regularly. I was taught that if you heat

the oil above 120 F you will destroy the properties of the herb.

Thus, you either need to let the herb sit in the oil for a long

period of time with out heat, or heat it at a lower temp. The

method I use is this, grind up the herb and place it in a crock

pot,cover it with oil (i usually use olive). Heat it between 110

and 120 degrees for 2 weeks stirring daily. Now, the next problem

was that crock pots wont stay that cool, so my husband, being an

electritian, rigged an adaptor with a slider switch so I could

regulate the temp better. (sorry that doesn't help you:) Before I

had that handy switch I would just turn the crock on to heat it then

turn it off again. Continuing to do this a few times a day. (bit

more labor intensive) Anyway, I have had great success with this

method and the lavender infusion smells wonderful. I use it in bath

oil and massage blends.

 

Hope that helps,

Juliet

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Andrea:

 

Would it be all right if you e-mailed me on how you infuse your vanilla? I am

wild about the scent but the cost of the oil/absolute is prohibitive for a

business my size. If you feel inclined, here's my address:

oceanmoon

 

Thanks!

Drae

 

 

I have often wanted to infuse the lavender buds, but in my case I

would have to purchase that large amount to do so. It would be fun as

it is my favorite and I do infuse vanilla all the time (wonderful

results there and more cost effective than the CO2 or absolute). I

just always find myself buying the lavender EO instead.

 

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

Andrea

 

 

 

 

 

Step By Step Instructions On Making Rose Petal Preserves:

http://www.av-at.com/stuff/rosejam.html

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...