Recipes

Recipes

Botanical Recipes

Note: ** DENOTES NON-ALCOHOLIC RECIPES

**DIY INFUSED OILS (for Skincare, Home Fragrance)

(adopted from GardenTherapy.ca)

Turning your oils into herbal infusions allows the oils to absorb the beneficial properties of plants. *Some herbs that are good for infusing are:

  • Lavender #675 – relaxing, antibacterial
  • Calendula – healing, adds golden color to oil
  • Chamomile #603– calming, antibacterial
  • Comfrey – helps with pain and inflammation
  • Sage #676 – pain relief, anti-inflammatory
  • Mint #605, #604– energizing, pain relieving, darkens color of oil
  • Rose #660– romance, love, relaxing
  • Burdock Root #602- anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, acne, eczema, psoriasis
  • Eucalyptus #669- Headaches, antioxidants, stress relief

Infused oils can be substituted in most recipes for natural beauty: soap, body butter, lip balm, and scrubs. Some good choices for oils to infuse are:

  • Coconut oil – nourishes and hydrates skin, good for sun-damaged skin
  • Sweet almond oil – moisturizing and skin softening
  • Grapeseed oil – easily absorbed into skin; light, non-greasy feeling
  • Olive oil – greasier but very moisturizing, can clog pores so not for the face
  • Jojoba oil – closest to the skin's own sebum so it is a great carrier oil and cleanser
  • Rosehip oil- can be DIY using Rosehips #659, high in vitamin C, antioxidants (our preferred method)
    • Adding vitamin E drops to any infused oils can help prolong shelf life. Also beneficial on its own for soothing scars and stretch marks.

Uses for rose water and rose oil:

  • Scent homemade or home-poured glycerine soap
  • Add to a sachet of potpourri
  • Make your own perfume
  • Scent homemade beauty products or massage oil
  • Add rosewater to tea, homemade baked goods and other foods.

To make rose oil: (*can be used using other herbs listed above)

  1. Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan, then remove from heat.
  2. Pour a cup or so of oil in a glass jar. Look for an oil that doesn't have much natural odor to avoid competing with the roses. Jojoba and grapeseed oil are good choices, but olive oil (opt for the lighter kind) will work in a pinch.
  3. Crush, shred or "bruise" a cup of rose petals and place in the oil. Swirl the jar around to coat the petals, but don't shake.
  4. Cover the jar and place into the hot water. Warming the oil will help release the scent from the rose petals. When the water cools, you can move the jar to a warm area like a sunny windowsill.
  5. Leave the jar alone in the warm area for at least 24 hours.
  6. Strain the oil through a cheesecloth, pressing the petals to extract as much oil as you can.
  7. If you want a stronger-smelling oil, you can repeat steps 1-6 with fresh petals. You may need to repeat the process 5 or 6 times to get the desired level of scent.
  8. Pour clear oil into a dark bottle with a lid (dark glass will help block out sunlight and keep the oil more stable).

To make rose water: (*can be used using other herbs listed above)

Making rose water is a simpler process, but will yield less potent results. To make rose water the easy way, simply pour boiling water over rose petals (about one part rose petals to two parts water) and strain when cool.

Store in a sterilized jar in the refrigerator, where it can stay good for as long as a month.

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