Learn how to make a calendula infused oil recipe, it's benefits for skin care, and how to use it for natural beauty recipes. Calendula is often used in skin care recipes for its many skin benefits, including promoting healing for dry skin, eczema, and psoriasis.
I've used calendula infused oil several times in DIY bath and body recipes here on my blog, but I wanted to back up and devote an entire post to how to make a calendula infused oil recipe. I also want to talk about calendula oil benefits for skin and hair and how to use this oil to make DIY recipes for natural beauty.
Calendula is one of my favorite herbs. I always have dried calendula in my stash of supplies. It's a gentle oil, so it's suitable for most skin types. I used it often for lip balms, body butter, and lotions.
Whether you have used calendula before or are just learning about it, here's how to make calendula infused oil for both a quick infusion or a longer infusion, how to use it, and its benefits for your skin.
Keep track of this recipe and more in my Recipes for a Natural Home binder.
How to Make Calendula Infused Oil Recipe
Is Calendula the Same as Marigold?
No, calendula and marigold are not the same plant. They are similar, but they aren't the same.
Both marigold and calendula are from the Asteraceae family, which is the sunflower family. This family includes at least 50 species. The Calendula genus has about 15 to 20 different species of plants. In layman's terms, calendula and marigolds are cousins.
What is Calendula Oil Used For?
Calendula oil is often used in DIY bath and body recipes. It can be used in soaps (cold process or melt and pour soap), lotions, body butters, bath melts, and more. Calendula oil can replace any carrier oil in a recipe with the exception of coconut oil in some recipes.
In some recipes, coconut oil can be swapped for a liquid carrier oil; however, in other recipes, like body butter, you need the solid coconut oil in the recipe.
Is Calendula Oil Good for Skin and Face?
Yes, calendula oil is excellent for your skin, including facial skin. Perhaps the biggest benefits is that it is said to promote wound healing. These properties make it great for dry skin, eczema, and even acne scarring on the face.
Calendula oil is said to help treat acne, and it can help reduce scars from acne. Use it for oil cleaning, a face oil, or in a DIY moisturizer or cleanser.
Calendula is said to promote skin firmness and boost hydration in the skin. It can also help soothe skin irritation and may even help with poison ivy, eczema, psoriasis, and dry skin.
Is Calendula Oil Good for Hair?
Calendula oil is also great for your scalp and hair. Since it's a good oil for dry skin, it can also help a dry scalp. If you have flakes from dry scalp, try massaging calendula oil on your scalp.
It's also said to help stimulate the hair follicles so hair grows faster and thicker. The antioxidants in the infused oil also help reduce free radicals.
Choosing a Carrier Oil
I used sweet almond oil for my calendula infused oil recipe. Sweet almond oil is my favorite all purpose oil. It's considered a dry oil, so it soaks into the skin quicker than other oils. I am making a few DIYs with this calendula oil, and I wanted a dryer oil and not a heavy oil.
You can use your favorite carrier oil based on the recipe that you're using. Other good oils to use are:
- Fractionated coconut oil (soaks in quickly)
- Avocado oil (great for dry skin)
- Argan oil (great for hair)
- Sunflower oil (soaks in quickly)
- Hemp seed oil (great for dry skin
Where to Buy Dried Calendula
I buy my calendula at an Amish greenhouse. They grow herbs and dry them and sell them by the ounce. I love this because I can buy a cup of herbs at a time without spending a lot of money on a pound.
Atelieremmarose on Etsy sells dried calendula from 1/4 pound to 8 pounds, so you can get what you need. These are dried organic flowers, and your order ships free.
For larger quantities, I recommend buying dried calendula from Mountain Rose Herbs.
You can also buy calendula infused oil on Etsy. If you don't want to order the herbs and make your own, I get it! Buy the infused oil and use that for DIY recipes.
Calendula Oil Ingredients
- 4 ounces dried calendula
- 6 ounces sweet almond oil (or carrier oil of choice)
Tools and Supplies
- Pint mason jar
- Fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth
- Spoon
- Slow cooker, optional for the quick method
Calendula Oil Directions
I'm going to separate the directions for the two methods, cold infusion and warm infusion. The cold infusion takes two weeks to make, but the warm infusion takes about 4 hours plus time to cool, so you can make it one day and use it the next day.
Both methods use the same ingredients. The ingredients aren't exact; just make sure that the carrier oil that you use covers the dried calendula completely.
Cold Infusion
Step #1
Fill a pint mason jar about half full with dried calendula. Cover with your carrier oil.
Step #2
Place a cap on the jar and set the jar in a cool dry location. Let it sit for two weeks, giving it a swirl each day to make sure the herbs are fully infused.
Step #3
After two weeks, pour the infused oil through cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve to strain out the herbs. You can not reuse the herbs, so discard them or compost them.
Step #4
The oil is now ready to use immediately.
Warm Infusion
Step #1
Fill a pin mason jar about half full with dried calendula. Cover with your carrier oil.
Step #2
Place a towel on the bottom of a slow cooker. Set the jar on the towel and slowly fill with water to cover at least half of the oil. Be careful not to get water in the oil.
Step #3
Turn the slow cooker on low. Do not place a lid on the jar or cover the slow cooker with a lid. Water can condense and collect in the lid and drop down into the oil, which will cause your oil infusion to grow mold.
Step #4
Let the calendula and oil warm up and infuse for 4 hours. I don't start the timer until the water gets warm, so this takes about 5 hours.
Step #5
After four hours, turn off the slow cooker. You can remove the jar and set it on the counter or wait for it to cool slightly. It will be hot, so use a hot pad.
Step #6
Leave the jar uncapped and let cool completely. Then strain out the herbs with cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve. Discard the herbs. Now that it is cool, you can use a cap to prevent it from spilling.
How to Use Calendula Oil
You can use calendula oil by itself or in DIY beauty recipes. I put some in a 1 ounce dropper bottle, add some essential oils if I want, and use a drop for my cuticles or for dry patches of skin.
You can use this calendula infused oil to make a calendula salve recipe.
You can also use calendula oil in place of the carrier oil in one of these recipes:
- Dandelion salve recipe
- Herbal healing lip balm recipe
- DIY after sun care balm recipe
- Dandelion body butter recipe
- Dandelion lip balm recipe
Not ready to DIY? That's fine! Order infused calendula oil from Etsy or from Mountain Rose Herbs.
How to make calendula infused oil was originally posted at Everything Pretty.
How to Make Calendula Infused Oil
materials:
- 4 ounces dried calendula
- 6 ounces sweet almond oil (or carrier oil of choice)
tools:
- Pint mason jar
- Fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth
- Spoon
- Slow cooker, optional for the quick method
steps:
- Fill a pint mason jar about half full with dried calendula. Cover with your carrier oil.
- Place a cap on the jar and set the jar in a cool dry location. Let it sit for two weeks, giving it a swirl each day to make sure the herbs are fully infused.
- After two weeks, pour the infused oil through cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve to strain out the herbs. You can not reuse the herbs, so discard them or compost them.
- Fill a pin mason jar about half full with dried calendula. Cover with your carrier oil.
- Place a towel on the bottom of a slow cooker. Set the jar on the towel and slowly fill with water to cover at least half of the oil. Be careful not to get water in the oil.
- Turn the slow cooker on low. Do not place a lid on the jar or cover the slow cooker with a lid. Water can condense and collect in the lid and drop down into the oil, which will cause your oil infusion to grow mold.
- Let the calendula and oil warm up and infuse for 4 hours. I don't start the timer until the water gets warm, so this takes about 5 hours.
- After four hours, turn off the slow cooker. You can remove the jar and set it on the counter or wait for it to cool slightly. It will be hot, so use a hot pad.
- Leave the jar uncapped and let cool completely. Then strain out the herbs with cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve. Discard the herbs. Now that it is cool, you can use a cap to prevent it from spilling.
NOTES:
Only use dried calendula.
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