Herb infused oils are awesome for lots of reasons, but my favourite reasons are 1) you get the benefit of the herb without having funny chunky bits hanging out in your lotions and balms and 2) they just get better as they age, like whiskey, but cheaper (and you can still drive after partaking).
Plantain infused [sv slug="olive-oil-pomace"].
There are two ways to make herb infused oils, so I thought I’d run through both of them, and why I like each method.
For each method you’ll need the same things: a 500mL mason jar, a relatively large amount of a fairly inexpensive, shelf-stable liquid oil (olive, grapeseed, and safflower are all great choices), and the herb in question, dried (about 1/3–½ cup). You want to be sure to use the dried version so you don’t introduce any water into the oil, which will shorten the shelf life of the oil dramatically.
Calendula infused [sv slug="olive-oil-pomace"]—this has been steeping for nearly two years and it’s awesome in balms and salves.
Method #1 is wonderfully easy: Put the herbs in the jar. Top off with oil & seal. Leave on a sunny windowsill for three weeks or so (shaking on occasion) before moving to a dark, cool cupboard. The initial dose of warmth and sunshine will speed the infusion, but after that you’ll want to move it so you don’t speed rancidity. You can use the oil after the first three weeks.
Method #2 is a bit more involved. Start with the first two steps of #1, but instead of sealing the jar, empty the contents into a small saucepan. Heat on very low heat, stirring, for half and hour. Let cool and then pour into the jar. Seal and store in a cool, dry cupboard. You can use the oil immediately. If your stove tends to run hot or you are absent-minded, it’s a good idea to do this in a double boiler as you don’t want to accidentally fry all your dried herbs.
The benefits of each method are pretty apparent: #1 is nice and passive, so you don’t really have to do much of anything. Great if you won’t need the oil for a few weeks. #2 is fast, just in case you don’t have the extra time to leave it for three weeks.
Usage for both types of oils is the same; simply spoon out the amount you need and run it through a sieve to remove any bits of herb, and then proceed with the recipe.
I’ve used both methods and I like them both. I always keep infused oils of calendula, comfrey, and plantain on hand for use in balms, salves, and body butters, and I’m sure that collection will continue to grow!
Very nice!
Hey Marie! If I’m using method one (which I most likely will be using) can I just put the oil/herb mixture back in the cupboard instead of letting it sit out in the sun for a bit? I don’t really use EVOO except on salads and I’m in love with rosemary but I’d rather not be picking it out of my teeth.
You can, Heather, but the sun really helps speed the infusion along, meaning you can use it after 3 weeks. If you just put it in the cupboard, I’d recommend waiting at least 2 months before using 🙂
Can you use hemp seed oil?
You can use any carrier oil that you’ve got a surplus of, Cindy! I mostly use Olive oil as I tend to buy it 4 gallons at a time, but I’ve also used grapeseed with great results.
I literally just made this yesterday, before I read your post. I used fresh rosemary that grows outback instead of the dried. I wish I had read this first as I see your point on using dried herbs. I will probably use my oil in a soap recipe. Thanks for the good info.
Don’t you hate it when that happens? 😛 I’m sure your oil will be fine, just use it fairly quickly—once it’s in the soap you shouldn’t have to worry about rancidity anymore since rosemary tends to dry quite quickly.
So glad I found this post! I’m trying to expand my herb garden this year to include more than just what one would commonly use for cooking. I think this will give me a good way to harness the healthy benefits of some of my new plants. Question, though– as this is an infused oil, I’m guessing it would not be a suitable substitute for an essential oil? It seems like you would have to use a massive amount in order to have the same benefits as one or two drops of essential oil.
Yes, sadly these infused oils are not substitutes for EOs 🙁 That’s why EOs are so much more expensive than dried herbs (NDA says “approximately 4000 kilograms of petals are required to produce 1 kilogram of pure rose oil”). The reason I make herb infused oils is because you can’t buy comfrey, calendula, or plantain essential oil (at least I’ve never found them). That way I can get the benefit of those herbs in my salves 🙂
How about a 3rd method? 😉 Put the oil and herb in the jar, top with canning lid (you do not want moisture dripping into the infusion). Put a washcloth on the bottom of your crock pot, put the jar inside, then fill the crock with water to the level of the oil in the jar or a good 2″ from the top of the lid. Put the cover on the pot and turn it to high for an hour, then down to low for hours, (or just low for hours), to slowly infuse the oil without worrying about a pot on the stove. OR (heh heh)- Get a small gravy or potpourri crock pot, mix the oil and herbs in it, cover and turn to low and let it infuse for hours. Where I live, summer is about a minute long, my stove is usually going most of the summer with the canner and such, or I am outside and cannot watch the stove.
Awesome, thanks Debbi! I just ordered myself up tons of new herbs, I’ll have to try this method for some of them!
I used the crockpot method with olive oil (from Costco) and dried herbs I bought from the herb store. May be I cooked it on low too long–overnight. The chamomile olive oil and comfrey smell musty and yeasty like wet, stale bread.
I’m not a fan of chamomile smell or tea, so may be that’s it, but my daughter and her friend agreed it smelled awful. Any idea?
I’m going to do the window sill method for 3 weeks and compare, perhaps.
Hi Cat! The mixture should smell herb-y, but musty/yeasty doesn’t sound right. Is is possible your oil had spoiled? I would also say that overnight sounds far too long—I recommend half an hour on low heat.
All the same, I’d probably still save the oil and use it in low concentrations in recipes to see if I can get away with it. Soap is also a great place to use up not-so-great smelling oils 🙂
Hey Marie, here is Gui again all the way from brazil.
So, I used to do the crockpot method… leaving the herbs with the oils for 6 to 8 hour in a very slow cook, around 60 to 90 celsius. no more than this or the oils is going to spoil.
My last project was calendula, lavander and chamomille… AMAZING smell that after the cook, I turned into a nice balm/ointment to heal scrapes, cuts, rashes. My mom used in her nails after she tried to done her nails all by herself(very bad idea) One day later – after the ointment – all healed.
My next project is goin to be cayenne pepper and juniper berries.
Take care
Gui
Fantastic! I adore the scent of lavender and chamomile together, so I know your oil smelled fantastic 🙂 I’ve been reading about cayenne for pain relief, and I know juniper is said to be good for that as well, so let me know how that goes—I’m super curious!
Sure! I’ll take a picture. Do you use facebook!?
I don’t have a Facebook page for my blog, but you can e-mail me the photo at me[at]humblebeeandme.com 🙂
First, I’d like you to know that I love your recipes because they use ingredients that broaden my horizons from the same ole stuff!
My question is regarding your infused oils. There was some that you mentioned that have been going for a year or more.
Does that mean after you use some oil for making a product that you add fresh oil to your infusion jar to keep it going?
Thank you,
Judy
No, I wouldn’t usually top it up—I just wouldn’t finish the jar in less than a year 😛
Hey Gui,
Is it ok to ask which carrier oil you’ve used? Also, what ratio of the herbs (calendula, lavender and chamomile) did you use for what amount of oil?
Thanks a lot!!
I’m very excited to get started on this project
Enjoy it! I just made up another three jars of arnica, St. John’s Wort, and chamomile. I can’t wait until I can use them!
I would like to make clove oil, I have the oil and whole clove’s and would like to know how much of each i would need to make it, it is for tooth and gum pain.
Interesting—I’ve heard of clove essential oil being used for tooth and gum pain, but never clove infused oil. If you are making it for pain I would recommend making it very strong as clove infused oil will not be nearly as strong as the essential oil. I would probably just fill a jar with whole cloves and then top it off with your carrier oil to make sure it is as strong as can be!
Hey there! So…random question. I recently acquired a BUNCH of coconut oil. I’ve been wanting to make my own DIY lotions, lip balms, etc. and I keep reading your blogs (and I get excited every time). For a first-timer, what would you suggest trying? I’d like to start easy (but awesome) and move upwards from there. I don’t want to buy hundreds of dollars worth of products right off the bat. What would you say I try first?
Ooh, lucky you! How much is a bunch? Is it virgin or has it been deodorized? If it’s been deodorized it’s great for soap making (not that the virgin stuff isn’t, but it’s so luxurious that using it in soap seems like a waste). I love virgin coconut oil for lip balms, lipsticks (use it instead of the shea butter), and body butters. You should be able to make a wide variety of products if you add beeswax, cocoa butter, and a liquid oil to your collection, along with a few favourite essential oils. That way you’ll have oils that are liquid, soft, and brittle at room temperature, along with the wax to help harden things up. You might also look at getting some emulsifying wax so you can make lotions as well. I’ve written an entire entry on ingredients to start your pantry with (and equipment) that you can check out as well!
I just get the oil and herbs to a slow boil on the stove, let it cool. Strain it into a container and it’s ready to go. It doesn’t have to take weeks.
Yup, that’s method #2 here 🙂 The thing is you really don’t want to be bringing herbs to a boil in oil, though. That’s not a boil—that’s a big ol’ deep fry, and that’s not good for the herbs. You’re generally dealing with temperatures that are significantly higher than that of boiling water, which is why I recommend a double boiler for this.
I think someone needs to come and take my computer away 😉 I’ve gone from reading to ordering, to making, rereading & reordering… it’s a nasty cycle. I’m about to order a butt load (yes… a butt load) of herbs to make tinctures and infusions.
This post sparked my curiosity though when I saw you left your herbs in your jars instead of straining them out. It caught me by surprise as everyone (EVERYONE) suggests to strain them out. But not soon after reading this post, I read about it in a herbal book by Rosemary Gladstar, Medicinal Herbs, yet can’t seem to find an answer for the phenomenon online. She stated that oils which have been exposed to heat and light tend to spoil within a couple weeks, such as solar-infusions. However, as long as herbs are infusing in the oils, they don’t go rancid. Once the oil is poured and strained, they become susceptible, but during the actual steeping they remain stable.
So my question(s) to you is… what’s the longest you’ve steeped your herbs and where do you keep them? Do you find the oil goes rancid after a typical 1 year period even with the herbs in them? I figure plant based material is going to become spent at some point, but just trying to get a good idea of what this process will look like as I’d really like to leave the herbs in the oil.
I can’t wait to fill my cabinets with jars of culinary and medicinal goodness. Thank you for lighting the spark 🙂
Ange
So… would that be a fluid buttload or a cubic buttload? LOL! It sounds like you and are are trapped in the same dangerous cycle, so I don’t think I’ll be of much help, haha, I am definitely in the enabler category 😛 I love this bit of research/detective work you’ve done! Honestly, it was just a bit of a no-brainer to me to leave the herbs in, I could never understand why people strained them out, haha. The longest/oldest jar I have is from July 2011, and it’s olive oil with dried calendula petals in it. It’s still going strong (literally!) and I haven’t noticed any signs of rancidity. I store it in a dark, cool cupboard in my basement. Enjoy your new at-home apothecary!
Yes! It’s like your rebelling against the norm for oil longevity. I have major respect for you 😀 My standard has been set. Thank you! Now to remember to label everything.
Thanks 🙂 Enjoy your fantastic herb-steeped oils—I sure love my growing collection!
I infused some olive oil with dried calendula flowers anf comfry leaves and totally forgot about it for 5 months now. Can i still use it? Lol
You should be able to, I have infused oils that are much older 😛 Just smell it to make sure it doesn’t smell rancid 🙂
Good one for earache
Soak 2 handfuls of dried or fresh mullein flowers and leaves in 2 cups of olive oil or sweet almond oil for 8 days, strain, bottle and store in cool place.
I make this for skin ulcers, wounds, sunburn,general burns and hemorrhoids.
for ears a few drops of the oil slightly warmed and placed inside the ear canal, helps to relieve painful earache.
Thanks, Linda! I’ve never heard of mullein flowers before, I’ll have to keep an eye out for them. General wisdom on steeped oils discourages using fresh plant matter, though, because it introduces water into the oil, which allows it to spoil much faster—in the future you might try leaving the flowers out in the sun to dry for a week before adding them to the water 🙂
I’m a guy and I use grocery store olive oil to shave. I got the idea as a DIY alternative to a fairly expensive product called ShaveSecret, which I suspect is olive oil-based (or simliar). The ShaveSecret has a great aroma which reminds me of cloves. So my questions is, will your method described above work with cloves? Also, do your recommend any other herbs for men’s applications?
Hi Franz! I couldn’t resist looking up ShaveSecret—it looks like the shaving equivalent of Proactiv, haha. I imagine there is a cheesy informercial out there to be found as well as their rather hilarious website.
To answer your question, you can definitely steep cloves in olive oil—I might toast them in a dry pan a bit first. You can also add a few drops of clove bud essential oil to your mixture, which would be faster. Cloves are a classic painkiller (especially for toothaches), so their inclusion makes sense. Something else you could include would be menthol (crystals or essential oil)—I noticed it on the rather sparse ingredients list on the ShaveSecret website. Peppermint essential oil also contains a good amount of menthol and is easier to find/less expensive than menthol 🙂 Have fun & enjoy your DIY!
… also, have you ever thought about making your own shaving soap?
OK I am hooked!!! After caring for my wife and household for nearly three months after her broken ankle and surgery my hands are chapped and sore all the time. Since we are beekeepers I decided to DYI some hand cream following your recipes. I made your Egyptian Magic…which was magic and my wife uses on her sun-damaged lips! I have made 8 different creams now…same basic base with different carrier oils and essential oils. So, like so many things I begin…I want to try to master making the cream. I just bought some books and wonder what you would suggest to me as a on-line way to study more about the interactions of the oils and uses. Or am I better to continue to follow your recipes and research. My kitchen is very clean except for my aromatherapy section where I continue to “cook”. These days I feel like I am a stand-n for Walter in Breaking Bad!!…but hungry for his chemical degree.
Ha! Awesome 😀 Another DIY junkie made, muahahaha 😉 I’ve got to say, most of what I know I learned (when it comes to formulas, at least) from a combination of understanding the fundamentals of solubility, melting points, etc., and from experimentation. I generally learn about the benefits of various oils from NDA’s product pages (to start with, at least), and then assorted googling. You need to be wary of not relying solely on those who sell the oils for your information, especially companies that specialize in just one oil—they’ll have you believing that oil is the be-all and end-all in three sentences, haha.
Agreed on the chemistry knowledge—if I could be loaded up with a great understanding of chemistry and biology a la The Matrix, I’d be thrilled!
Hi Marie, I’m curious; can I do this with argan oil? I wanted to infused it with dried rosehips for the vitamin c benefit, but I’ve noticed that every time I’ve come across argan oil, it seems to be kept in dark glass bottles. Is it photosensitive at all?
I’m really enjoying your blog; I love making things and your guides are quite useful in approximating ratios, substituting materials, etc. Thanks for all the information!
–Becca
Hi Becca! You definitely can, if you can afford it 😉 All oils from reputable sellers should be sold in darkened glass bottles, which extends shelf life by limiting UV exposure, but is not necessarily an indication of a short shelf life. Argan oil should last about a year if stored well. Have you thought about simply blending argan oil with rosehip oil? That would give the same vitamin C punch and result in a facial oil that will absorb even faster than argan oil.
Thanks so much for reading!
I didn’t even realize they made rosehip oil! I’d wondered about the herb because I have at least half a pound of it sitting around… I’m trying to bulk up my next NDA order (since they now have a $100 minimum) and I thought I might try argan… maybe I’ll have to try out the rosehip oil as well! I’m in love with some of the fancier vitamin c oils and serums from Sephora, but my goodness the prices, and many of the ingredients lists are more than half synthetic and/or filler nonsense. Thanks for the reply! I’ll let you know if anything works particularly well =]
Ha! Rosehip oil is a really nice one—it absorbs super fast, and has a lot of fans. It’s also on the pricier side, so it should help bulk up that NDA order of yours 😛
Hi Marie 🙂
Im so happy to have found your very inspirational blog – sorry my english 🙁
I look at your recipes all day long and dream of trying my self….
You are an artist out in the creation of sensuality – your products and your pictures.
Thank you for sharing with us.
I would like to ask you where you buy these beautiful glass-jars you use for your
Herb Infused Oils?
Happy New Year from Luise – Denmark 🙂
Hi Luise! Thanks so much for reading 🙂 The glass jars in this entry are just standard 1 pint/500mL mason jars that are readily available at the grocery store—good luck!
Tkank you very much 🙂
🙂
Hey Marie!
Any suggestions as to what herbs to start with? So far I’ve experimented with arnica, calendula and comfrey but am anxious to expand– but I’m not sure where to start!
Thanks 🙂
Macky
Hi Macky! The next ones I’d recommend trying would be plantain, St. John’s Wort, chamomile, and coffee beans 🙂
Coffee beans?! YES PLEASE. I can’t believe I never thought of that! What would you used coffee-infused oil for?
Thank you again for your consistently above-average recipes and for being such a great source of inspiration! I’m totally obsessed with your blog!
I’ve made lip balm and lotion with it 🙂 Thanks for reading & DIYing with me!
I have some chamomile that has been infusing for a couple years never opened since I made it. Do you think it is still usable? I am not sure if chamomile has the same infusable properties as calendula….I noticed you have some calendula oil that has been steeping for a couple years
Hi Rebecca! It may well be, depending on the oil it’s infusing in. Give it a sniff—if the oil hasn’t gone rancid, you should be good to go!
I’ve just found your blog and I’m in love!!! I’ve been looking over all your posts and can’t wait to try them out!
Oh, and, for the infused oils, I make mine similarly to your second method – however, I put the herbs and the oils in a jar, then pop in a low-set oven for an hour or so! Saves a bit of effort!
x
Welcome to my blog 🙂 I love your two-in-one infusing method, I’ll have to try it next time I need to make some infused oils!
What’s your take on infusing calendula in hemp oil? I have a jar which i have been infusing 2 weeks ago outside in the sun as i don’t have a sunny window sill. I just read that hemp oil is very sensitive to sun and fluctuations in temperature and will degrade the oil. Is this true?
Hey Esther! Any oil will degrade and eventually oxidize, and exposure to heat, light, and temperature fluctuations will speed this process. Hemp oil is more susceptible to spoilage than some other oils thanks to its fatty acid makeup (the unrefined stuff especially—~8 months), so I wouldn’t use hemp oil as an infusing oil; it’s best to use a more stable oil with a longer shelf life so you can really enjoy that oil rather than throwing it out after a couple months. If you’ve already made some infused oils with it, I’d make that your last batch, but there’s no reason you can’t use it (quickly would be best) if it doesn’t smell rancid.
What is the ratio of herbs to oil????
It’s not really a science, it’s more like making a cup of tea. There’s plenty of room to play. With a lighter herb like calendula I might fill the jar halfway with the herb and then top off with oil, and with a heavier herb like white willow bark I’d probably do a quarter to a third of the jar.
Have you made calendula infused coconut oil? I would like to do this (using my crockpot) and add it to my lip balm recipe. Do you think I will reap the benefits of calendula if I infuse my coconut oil?
I generally don’t use coconut oil for infused oils because it’s solid at room temperature here, and thus doesn’t passively infuse well. There’s no reason you couldn’t if you live somewhere warm enough for the oil to be liquid, or if you want to do a warm infusion.
Hi Marie,
Glad that i found your post.
I was wondering when you let the infused herb oil sit under the sun, did you cover it with box or aluminum oil? or did you just let the jar as it is? it is in direct contact with the sun rays?
I just left it in the sun… it wouldn’t really be a sun infusion if I didn’t 😉
hi Marie,
I have just made up a batch of olive oil infused with St.john’s wort. Gorgeous red colour, but the smell is’nt great. Could you recommend which essential oil I could use to disguise the slighly unpleasant smell?
Thanks
Bronwyn
Hey Bronwyn! Rather than adding essential oils directly to the infused oil, I’d wait to see how the infused oil performs in recipes. Chances are it’ll be diluted and paired with other herb infused oils and essential oils as part of a larger recipe, which should already account for that smell. I’d leave it be, work with it as an ingredient, and see how that goes 🙂
Hi Marie!
I love your informative, entertaining, and knowledgeable blog! Great work here! I grew up with a no waste era, as a suggestion only…My rancid oils are recycled into pet treating concoctions or lamp oils for burning for yard lighting or camping. I had a gallon of kitchen herbal oil that went rancid and made it into a “bug off” for livestock…My horses love it and it saves a ton of money! Just a thought to pass on for repurposing….
Thanks so much, Farm Granny! Since I don’t have any horses (or pets… or lamps) I’ve been turning my rancid oils into soap, where you can’t tell at all. What do you put into your horse bug off?
I have wondered for a while why everyone recommends straining the herbs before you are ready to use them! Have you infused Jewelweed? I want to make a batch of poison ivy soap so I started infusing fresh leaves and stems into olive oil. (To keep it’s anti itch properties I’ve read you must use fresh plant.) I have also read that when infusing time is up you should just strain it and be careful to leave behind the watery part that separates from the oil. Do you think it would be ok to leave the plant material in the oil for months or should it be strained after 6 weeks to prevent spoilage?
Hey Honest! I haven’t—I’ve never even seen it for sale. I definitely haven’t tried poison ivy, either. If you are infusing fresh plants you are introducing water and bacteria into the oil, and it will eventually mould. There’s really no way to say when that’ll happen, but where water goes, a microbial party follows. I doubt it would last six weeks, honestly, but there is absolutely no way to say how long it’ll take to spoil. There’s also no way to ensure you got all the water out, even after discarding the watery part, so I would recommend making that oil in small batches, relatively close to when you intend to use it, and using it quickly.
Hey Marie,
I was wondering if you can add a few of your favorite combos to your post? So far I’ve read that your favorite herbs are “calendula, comfrey, and plantain”, because these are hard to by in essential oil form, but I’m not sure if to use all of them together or separately? Also, can you suggest upon which carrier oils to use with which herb?
Thanks a lot (luuuuv you blog!)
I never do combination infusions—I just do straight-up single herbs and then blend the resulting infused oils as required on a recipe-by-recipe basis 🙂 I typically use olive oil for everything. (Also, there is no such thing as calendula essential oil [or any of the other herbs you mentioned], so if you see somebody selling it, run—they have no idea what they are selling!)
Ok, thanks a lot! 🙂
Hey Marie,
Another question – do you think adding a bit of Vitamin E oil will prolong the shelf life of the infused oil? And if so, how much Vitamin E oil would you use for a 500mL infused oil batch?
It definitely would! Aim for about 0.5% by weight 🙂
Thanks!!
And do you use comfrey root or leaves?
For infused oils, both—that’s sort of like asking if I use red potatoes or russet! Refer to individual recipes for root vs leaf.
You right. Should’ve checked that before asking you.
Dear Marie,
I had read your article “Baby Bum Balm” and I interested in chamomile infuse olive oil. Then I try to find the dried chamomile on the website. However, I still want to research more about the dried chamomile information. I found the type of them call chamomile tea and I wonder that can I use it to replace the dried chamomile? Are they the same?
I’m still learning of it. I’m looking forward for your answer.
Thank you,
Check the ingredients; if it’s 100% dried chamomile, that’s exactly what you want 🙂
Thanks a lot !!!!
Hi Marie,
I love, love love your blogs! You have inspired me too go DIY-ing for a lot of my bodycare products. Please keep doing what you are doing! And thanks!
Thanks so much for reading, Sharon! Happy making 😀
Hi Marie! I have 100g of dried calendula flowers, and was wondering how much oil I would need for that amount, thank you
I have no idea by weight; I typically do about 1/2 a mason jar + oil 🙂
Oops, also, for the Rosemary infused oil, can you just used dried rosemary from the supermarket?
Yup; a cosmetic supplier would be an even better choice, though 🙂
Hi Marie, would I be able to make rose infused oil? I saw the Scottish rose salve called for rose wax and I could find any that shipped to Australia, so I was wondering if I could infuse sweet almond oil and dried rose petals, thanks,
You can, but it will in no way be anything like an alternative to rose wax; that’s sort of like the difference between drinking lemon tea and eating straight lemon zest. I’d refer to the linked substitutions page for more effective alternatives 🙂
Thank you, I don’t really mind if the scent isn’t as strong, it’s just that the only place I could find rose wax that would ship to Australia was Safire blue, and orders under $75 have the surcharge
It probably won’t be noticeable at all, honestly—unless your rose petals are significantly different from mine, at least. I’ve yet to find any dried rose petals with enough of a scent to impart any kind of rosey goodness into an oil. Definitely don’t order from SB—I got my latest batch of rose wax from Dr Adorable off Amazon, and it’s lovely.
Marie in your 4th photo, that’s dried plantain right? I’m asking because my dried plantain from local store has the same brown colour but when i google dried plantain, most result has greenish colour rather than brown so i’m afraid that my plantain is too dried
Yup! All the the dried versions of green herbs I’ve encountered are brown-ish; flowers like calendula & roses maintain their colour, but my dried herb collection doesn’t have much green in it!
hi
so ive seen you have given an option for people to use patreon when they sell and make profit using your recipes. but how about those who sell occasionally as a side business to make some extra pocket money once in a while and eventually don’t make profit every month. patreon has no such option since it is on a monthly basis, if I am not wrong. in that case do people have to contact you to send you your part of the profit (i.e. for using your recipes) whenever they make profit or what? if so is there a fixed amount or what? I would like to know how that works. Thank you
Btw… love your website and youtube videos. will soon begin trying out your recipes!
I’d recommend estimating your annual profit and then dividing that by 12 🙂 You could then pledge that amount monthly—that seems fair! Thanks for DIYing with me 🙂
I’ve had plantain infusing on the windowsill for 5 months… Is that too long?
The first thing you’ll want to check is the smell—does the oil smell rancid?
Hi Marie, sorry for my grammar first.
I had been searching around how to prepare herbs before infusing the herbs and seem not able to get the answer. The question I want to ask is will you wash the dry herbs (buy from outside) before do infuse? The reason I ask, I can’t trust how well-keep is the herbs from the seller, they just open up the herbs selling at the shelves. That really bothers me the hygiene LoL. And is it as long the oil doesn’t rancid and the herbs oil can keep as long as we can right (eg: alcohol). The older the better quality or no different?
Good morning Liz Kimberly!
No, one would not wash botanicals before infusing them. Most reputable suppliers wouldn’t leave their botanicals out in the open where random things could get in there! One of my bee pollen suppliers suggested tossing all my botanicals (and bee pollen) into the freezer for 24 hours to kill anything like eggs or creepy crawlies that may be in there from transport and whatnot. A safety precaution!
As for the self life of your newly macerated oils, it depends on many factors. My personal rule of thumb is less than six months. So I always make a small amount!
Thank you so much for your guideline
Hi Marie, i made infused oil as how ur instruction indicate. Was wondering if prt of the infused oil were used and i top it up n store it away for sometime will it still be effective or it will be diluted??
There’s a finite amount of extractable compounds in the plant matter, so the plant matter will eventually be “spent”. Think of it as if you were doing the same thing with a tea bag; the first cup would be good, the second would probably be ok, but at some point in time you’re going to be making a very unsatisfactory cup of tea. Exactly where that happens is hard to say, but it will happen. I’d probably avoid topping up and make a fresh infusion as the first one starts to deplete 🙂 Happy making!
That make sense. Thank you Marie ☺️
Incase i want to make a smaller batch of maybe 100ml instead of 500ml shall i use the same time to boil of 30 minutes or should that also be reduced?
Also we strain the calendula once the oil is heated right? Just reconfirming…and what’s is the maximum shelf life for the same?
Can you use Fractionated or MCT oil? Using the heat method? I am concerned how these products will handle heat and what max. temperature. I plan to infuse for 1-2 days in my instant pot/ Thanks