Fields and Forests Project – Flower and Herbal Oils
Gather flowers in the early morning. Later in the day, the heat of the day may have evaporated some of the essential oils from the plants. They should be dry and bug-free.
To Make a Flower or Herbal Oil
INGREDIENTS
Examples of flowers to use:
Rose petals
Calendula petals
Chamomile heads
Geranium petals
You can also use leaves and other plant parts. E.g.:
Lady’s mantle
Witch hazel leaves
Greater plantain leaves
Chickweed
Make sure your petals or leaves are free from insecticides and other chemical sprays.
DIRECTIONS
Fill a glass jam jar with petals, flower heads, or torn leaves.
Cover to the top with vegetable oil. Sunflower oil is the most easily and cheaply available and can be bought in all supermarkets. For a light oil you can also try sweet almond oil.
Put on a sunny window sill for 2-3 weeks.
Strain, squeezing the flowers gently to extract the oil but not any juice. Then filter through fabric like muslin or a clean tea-towel. Throw away the flower heads or leaves.
The oil will have absorbed the properties of the plant.
USES AND IDEAS
You can use this as a massage oil or a bath oil.
You can mix this oil with beeswax or cocoa butter to make an ointment.
You can mix this into any creams that you make instead of vegetable oil.