Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) oil is easy to make and has so many useful qualities. I’ve been making my own oil for quite a few years, but in the past, I used organic petals I was buying from a wholesaler. Since I started growing my own Calendula flowers, the oil making became a real passion!
Here are just some of the potential benefits that you will get from using Calendula oil:
-
Helps with damaged skin of all kinds (safely used on all parts of the body)
-
Assists with irritated and dry skin
-
Helps with healing minor wounds and cuts
-
Known to soothe eczema
-
Relieve diaper rash
-
Can assist with inflammation and pain
-
It also has antibacterial and antifungal properties
It is easy to grow Calendula plant from the seed, or buy the seedlings from the local nursery. It is delightfully easy to grow!
-
Once the plants flower, pick the flower heads as they bloom.
-
Place the flowers on a cotton cloth to dry. I use only petals as I love detail, but you can use whole flower heads as well.
-
When they are completely dried (3-5 days approximately), fill a clean, sterilised jar with the petals and press them in to fill as much as it possibly can fit.
-
Slowly pour in organic extra virgin olive oil while tapping the jar on a hard surface gently to make sure that it fills all the space in the jar.
-
Leave the lid off for around half an hour and pour in more oil if needed to completely cover the petals. There will be air bubbles coming out.
-
If you have some Rosemary essential oil on hand you can add a drop, that will help to preserve the oil.
-
When that is finished, close the jar and place on a sunny window sill. Every now and then shake the jar a little to redistribute the oil through the petals.
-
In 4-6 weeks strain the petals and pour oil into a dark bottle (I use an amber bottle). And it is ready to use!
A couple of notes
You will get a beautiful golden colour when extracting, a little bit also goes a long way!
You can also use almond or walnut oil instead of the olive, however, it is more fragile and may expire sooner. With the olive oil, you can macerate on the sun. With the almond or walnut oil, it has to be in a dark, cool place. If you are in Australia or Europe, Aldi (AKA Hofer) has a nice inexpensive organic olive oil. If you like lavender, you can add a layer of lavender flowers to it as well. For my personal use, I am currently making a mix of Calendula, Red Clover, Lavender and Chamomile.
Enjoy making this beautiful oil that will nourish your skin!
