Have you ever tried to make your own infused oil? Are you wondering why you should or how to get started?
Infused oils have so many uses! From making medical salves to cooking and salad dressings! Making them on your own is not only cool points on your lifelong scoreboard, but can open a door to being more self-sufficient!
Why make homemade infused oil?
Essential oils are great for many things, but natural, non-synthetic oils can be very pricey! Infused oils are an excellent alternative for certain things you may want, like a bangin’ base for a lemon-garlic dressing or a delicious marinade.
Making salves, balms, and medical creams and lotions is so, so much cheaper if you use herbs from your garden and make them with infused oils rather than essential oils plus a carrier. With infused oils, the carrier is built in!
Making DIY-infused oils puts you in the driver’s seat when it comes to the ingredients you and your family will later ingest! Every little thing that you control is one less thing putting unnecessary chemicals into those you love.
Should you use dried or fresh Ingredients for your infused oils?
Dried herbs give you a better shelf life because they contain less water than fresh herbs. Water-in-oil products and salves increase the risk of mold and bacterial growth.
If using fresh herbs, let them sit in the sun or on a windowsill for a few hours to dry. This will cause them to wilt and a good portion of the water content to evaporate.
Which one you use depends on the shelf life you want and the uses you have planned. If you are making oils on your stovetop and turning them into a salad dressing for the week, fresh herbs are wonderful and can be easier for you to assemble.
However, if you plan to turn into salves, body creams, or lotions, you need as little water as possible! I would stick to dried herbs. Drying them is quick, and you don’t need a dehydrator! You can lay out fresh herbs on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven on its lowest setting. They will usually be completely dried out within an hour or less, depending on the herbs and quantities being dried.
Choosing Your Ingredients
The oil is essential. I suggest a vegetable oil such as olive or avocado. You likely already have them in your kitchen’s arsenal, so no new purchase is necessary.
Olive oil is medicinal in its own right and is an excellent base for most medical creams and salves. It doesn’t go rancid as quickly as other types of oils, making it more shelf-stable.
Jojoba oil is a fantastic base for lotions and skin applications, including face creams.
As for the herbs to use, there are just too many options to list in this article! I suggest starting with something versatile, such as rosemary or oregano for medical use and garlic & Italian herbs for kitchen use.
Making Infused Oils on the Stovetop
Be careful with this method! I see so many people online telling you to put a jar full of oil directly into a pot of boiling water. Please. Do. Not. Do. This. Overheating your herbs will render them medically useless, and the oil can burn if it’s exposed directly to the bottom of the pot.
If you’re making a salad dressing and do not care about the medical benefits, go for it! However, if you are trying to extract the medicinal benefits from both oil and herbs, keep your heat low and simmer the oil in a double boiler.
What you need
- Either a double-boiler or, if you’re cheap like me (Financially, not that other way), you don’t own one and can use a pot and a large glass bowl.
- Oil of choice
- Herbs of choice
- Jar or glass container to store in once done
- Small strainer and/or reusable tea bags
How to make Stovetop Infused Oils
Step 1
Start heating water in your pot or the lower section of a double boiler, with the water level about halfway up. A small pot can make it easier to find a bowl that will fit properly. Put the bowl or upper section on top.
Step 2
Put the desired amount of herbs into the bowl. If learning, start with a cup or two of dried herbs. No need to make a lifetime supply. Now, cover entirely with the chosen oil.
Step 3
Slowly bring the oil to a simmer. Keeping it around 95-110 degrees is perfect! Now simmer for at least 45 minutes. The few times I use this method, I try to simmer for about an hour.
When the oil is done, it will smell “herby” and may even have a green or yellow tint, as it has taken on the color and properties of the herbs.
Step 4
Strain out the herbs. If you plan to store, a double strain will be necessary to ensure all small particles are removed from the oil. I use a cloth tea bag for this second strain. It gets all of the smaller particles.
Making Solar-Infused Oils
I like this method. A lot. It’s simple, no time & temp pressure, and it just feels more natural. There is zero chance of burning your oil in a pot or overheating the herbs. You can just “set it and forget it”, kinda.
This could be called the “old-fashioned” way, as people have been making solar-infused oils for thousands of years. There are records of the Ancient Egyptians using this method! How cool is that?!
Why doesn’t the oil go bad since you’re exposing it to the heat of the sun?! Don’t know. Not to be funny, but no one seems to understand precisely why. Some sources kinda talk in circles if you look into it, but no one has thoroughly explained it.
Typically, if essential or infused oils are exposed to light and/or heat, they deteriorate rather quickly. The strange thing is, if you are making solar-infused oil, it keeps just fine while the properties are extracted into the oil by the sun’s heat. Nature is so calm.
What you need
- Glass jars. 1 with a lid
- Oil of choice
- Herbs of choice
- Small strainer and/or reusable tea bags
How to Make Solar-Infused Oils
Step 1
Place herbs in a jar, leaving plenty of space at the top, known as “head space”. Mark the top of the herbs with a black marker. This is in case some of the pesky herbs choose to float, you will still know how high to go.
Step 2
Pour in the chosen oil and cover the herbs by 1 inch in an 8- or 16-oz. And by 2 in larger containers.
Step 3
Put the lid on and set it in a warm, sunny area for 2 weeks. I keep mine in a windowsill, but some people leave them outside in warm weather.
Some people will bury the jars in warm sand to intensify the heat. This is a technique used in the Mediterranean.
Step 4
Strain the oil from the herbs, but don’t press or squeeze them. This will allow smaller bits to enter the oil. It’s easiest to strain the oil into another jar or even a glass measuring cup.
Now, you can either discard the herbs, compost them, or put them into a reusable tea bag. You can use a cloth, but you won’t feel so bad ruining these with the oil. A coffee filter works, but it takes entirely too long and is a hard pass for me!
Step 5 (optional)
Double straining is not a bad idea, especially for a longer shelf life. I like to pour them through the same style of disposable tea bags, then pour everything back into the now-clean original jar.
Conclusion
Be sure to write the date on the lid and store it in a cool, dark place. If you used fresh ingredients, put them in the fridge and use them within a week for safety.
If you’ve used dry ingredients, try to use them within 6 months. If you don’t, be sure to check every few weeks to make sure it hasn’t gone rancid. You can tell by the smell or if mold is forming.
Aren’t sure? Chuck it. Better safe than sorry on this one.
Don’t throw those herbs away!
In the photos above, I’m doing garlic, oregano, and parsley. Mash the garlic, then add everything to the butter. This can make some mean garlic toast! You can also add grated Parmesan and fresh oil for a yummy bread dip on spaghetti night.
Feel free to compost the herbs if you’re into that, but otherwise…you’re done!
Until Next Time!
PJtxGirl
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make infused oil with a crockpot?
Sure! The main issue with this one is the amount you’ll make all at once if everything goes straight into the pot. I suggest using hot water in the crockpot, then place jar(s) into the water with the lids off. Put on low.
Before adding the jars of oil, check the temperature of your water after having the lid on and off. You want to ensure the temperature is between 95°F and 110°F. You need to know where your temperature is both ways & what the best conditions are for the jars.
Does infused oil need to be refrigerated?
If you used fresh herbs, then absolutely! If kept in the fridge, you have about 7 days to use it. If you use dried herbs, the shelf life is much longer. With some herbs, it can be as long as a year!
What is the difference between infused oils and essential oils?
Infused oils are carrier oils that have had herbal ingredients steeped into them, allowing them to take on the medicinal qualities of the herbs.
Essential oils are produced through a distillation process that extracts the medicinal oils directly from the plant. It is a very condensed, strong oil with an aroma and medicinal properties.
Are infused oils and essential oils interchangeable?
No, not really. Infused oil is not as strong and already has a carrier oil. It basically is the carrier oil. With essential oils, you often need to dilute them in a carrier oil before applying them to your skin due to their potency.
Essential oils are the way to go for diffusing.
Can you infuse oil without cooking it?
Yes! However, heat is required regardless. Try the directions above for solar-infused oils. It’s the easy, “old-fashioned” way to make infused oils yourself.
Why is my infused oil cloudy?
It could be a couple of reasons. If it is colored green or yellow, this is due to the oil taking on the properties and colors of the herbs. No worries!
If it is not clear at all, it is likely just due to being cold. Remember that your career oil is just that. Oil. The fats in the oil can start to solidify if they get too cold. An oil pulled from the fridge, for example.
Leave it out for a bit, and it will clear up once it reaches room temperature.
What are the best oils to infuse with?
Natural, vegetable oils are best. For ingesting, try olive or avocado oils. If using it for salves and creams, you can also use jojoba oil for added skin care and moisture.
What are good herbs for infusing?
Too many to list! It’s best to have an end goal in mind and go from there. Would you want to make a salve for your joints? Look up which herbs are helpful for joint health or anti-inflammatories and go from there.
Be sure to use organic oils and herbs to prevent more exposure to chemicals.
How can I tell if my infused oils are bad?
Mostly smell. It will become rancid and have a weird smell that is hard to explain, but easy to detect once you know what you’re looking for. Be sure to breathe your oils deeply when making and completing so that you are familiar with how they smell when they are fresh.
My rule of thumb is, not sure? Chuck it. They are too easy and cheap to make to risk it
What is the ratio of dried herbs to oil for infusing?
It’s less about the ratio and more about the “head space” or quantity being made.
If you are solar-infusing in a jar, cover the herbs by at least an inch. If making on a stovetop, be sure everything is fully covered by at least 1/2 inch.
How long does it take to infuse oil?
It depends on the method that you use. Stovetop oils will take roughly an hour and a half, including time for you to strain them thoroughly. If making solar-infused, the process takes 2 weeks. However, it’s 2 weeks of basically ignoring it and letting it do its thing.
Until Next Time!
PJtxGirl
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