Guest guest Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 --- " 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 11, 2004 Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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