Plant-Powered Beauty

Herbal infusions are wonderful beauty ingredients that can be used in place of carrier oils to enhance a recipe’s therapeutic power. Whether you are formulating a facial serum, body butter, or massage blend, consider an herbal infusion with properties that complement your intention.

HERBAL INFUSIONS

CALENDULA FLOWERS /CALENDULA OFFICINALIS
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: dried flowers ABSORPTION RATE: medium COLOR: bright yellow VISCOSITY: light to medium SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	Grows well in warm, temperate climates	infused in either olive or sunflower oil

PROCESSING NOTES	HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
Make sure flowers are dried well and maintain a rich yellow to orange color.	rich in flavonoids that are anti-inflammatory and antioxidants	anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, wound healing, skin soothing, tissue repairing

COMFREY LEAVES AND ROOTS /SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: dried roots/ leaves ABSORPTION RATE: medium COLOR: greenish hue VISCOSITY: light to medium SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	hardy plant that is an annual; native to Europe	infused in either olive or sunflower oil

PROCESSING NOTES	HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
Make sure leaves and roots are dried and broken down into smaller pieces.	contains allantoin, which is known to promote skin healing, attract moisture, stimulates cell regeneration, and that is why it is such a strong wound healer and skin soother	wound healing; eases sprains, torn ligaments, tendons, bruises, muscle aches, and pains; anti-inflammatory

PLANTAIN LEAVES /PLANTAGO LANCEOLATA
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: dried or fresh leaves ABSORPTION RATE: medium COLOR: greenish hue VISCOSITY: light to medium SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	believed to have been brought to America by early colonials; considered a hardy weed that grows only where humans have disturbed the earth	infused in either olive or sunflower oil

PROCESSING NOTES	HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
Make sure leaves are dried and broken down into smaller pieces.	contains tannins and mucilage that promote and soothe wound healing and reduce swelling	wound healing and soothes inflammation of skin and muscles

VANILLA BEANS /VANILLA PLANIFOLIA
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: dried bean pods ABSORPTION RATE: medium to fast COLOR: deep gold VISCOSITY: light to medium SHELF LIFE: 2–3 years SAFETY CONCERNS: none	native to South and Central Americas; now grows in the West Indies, Madagascar, and Reunion Islands	for best results, infuse in jojoba oil

PROCESSING NOTES	HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
Use dried beans that are semi-moist and sticky.	contains vanillin, which has been researched to have antioxidant actions along with a wide array of aromatic molecules	aphrodisiac, antioxidant, mood lifter, and anti-inflammatory

How to Make Herbal Infusions and Decant Herbal-Infused Oils

Many of our recipes include herbal-infused oils as one of the ingredients. You will find them in our recipes for face and body oils, butters, balms, treatment gels, and cleansers. Extracting the therapeutic constituents from medicinal and aromatic plants with vegetable oils is both easy and affordable and provides a varied assortment of botanicals to use in your recipes.

Infusing an oil means that we are infusing the medicinal and therapeutic properties of the plant material, which derive from its actual chemical constituents and molecules, into the oil that the plant material is soaking in. In other words, we are soaking the plant material in oil so that the therapeutic molecules are drawn out of the plant material and are able to bind with the molecules of the carrier oil. And once the plant material is removed from the carrier oil, the carrier oil is newly charged with the healing benefits of the plant.

Decanting an herbal-infused oil allows us to actually use it! We remove the plant material that has been soaking for 6 weeks to 3 months in the carrier oil by straining the oil through cheesecloth and a mesh strainer to remove any plant residue and then portion out and bottle the infused herbal oil to be used as an ingredient in a plant-powered beauty recipe.

HOW TO INFUSE AN HERBAL OIL

What you will need

° vegetable oil

° plant material of your choice, dried and chopped or ground

° glass mason jar with a tight-fitting lid

° label

1. Decide what you want to infuse and source the ingredients.

Depending on what therapeutic actions you are looking for, you will reach for different types of plant materials, ranging from a wide assortment of medicinal herbs to plant materials that are particularly aromatic, like vanilla or coffee. Once you’ve narrowed down the ingredients you need, we suggest finding a reliable certified organic source for the medicinal herbs you wish to infuse.

For your vegetable oil, we recommend using a certified organic cold- or expeller-pressed sunflower seed oil or olive oil. Traditionally herbalists have preferred to use only sunflower and olive oil to prepare their oil-based infusions because these two vegetable oils have been shown to be the most stable over time, a characteristic due entirely to their high content of naturally occurring antioxidants, which ensure their stability throughout the infusion process.

2. Prepare the jar and botanicals.

Wash and sterilize the mason jar and its lid. If you don’t have a dishwasher, we suggest boiling the jar and then wiping it down with rubbing alcohol. Make certain the jar is absolutely dry before placing any dried plant material in it.

If you are using leaves and flowering tops, lightly break up the plant materials. If you are using roots and seeds, chop and grind them roughly (this can help release the active constituents more easily into the vegetable oil).

3. Fill the mason jar.

Fill the jar loosely three-quarters of the way to the top, pour in your selected vegetable oil all the way to the rim, and cap tightly.

Label the jar with the botanical name of the plant material, the type of oil, and the date, so you can keep track of what you have made and how long it has been sitting.

Let the jar sit for 6 weeks to 3 months in an area away from direct light.

HOW TO DECANT AN HERBAL OIL

What you will need

° disposable rubber gloves

° 2 cheesecloths

° strainer

° glass measuring pitcher

° dark glass bottles with caps

° labels

1. Put on disposable gloves. Fold the first cheesecloth in half and line the bottom of a strainer. Place the cheesecloth-lined strainer over a bowl.

2. Pour all the contents of your herbal infusion (the oil and the oil-soaked plant material) into the strainer, making sure the edges of the cheesecloth don’t fall into the strainer.

3. Once all the contents of your herbal infusion are emptied into the strainer, lift up the edges of the cheesecloth and bring them together as if you were about to tie the edges together.

4. Holding the edges of the cheesecloth together, twist and squeeze with your hands to wring out all the oil from the plant material into the strainer, letting the oil drip into the bowl.

5. Once it feels like the oil is completely squeezed out of the cheesecloth, lift the strainer and set aside the spent cheesecloth filled with the plant material.

6. Use a sterilized glass measuring pitcher to ladle out the herbal-infused oil into the empty bottles. If you find that some residual plant material or sediment is floating in the oil, you can strain again through the second cheesecloth and try to get the oil to be as clear of plant material as possible.

7. Cap the bottles and label them with the botanical name of the plant material, the type of oil, and the date decanted.

8. Store in a temperate area away from direct light. We recommend to use it within 1 year of decanting.

HYDROSOLS

WHAT THEY ARE

Hydrosols are the aromatic waters created during the steam distillation of plant material. They contain components of the aromatic essence of the plant, just like essential oils, but in a less concentrated form. What we love about hydrosols is their gentle, medicinal qualities, which are appropriate for a spectrum of beauty needs.

Beauty Note!

The word hydrosol literally breaks down to hydro, meaning water, and sol, meaning solution.¹ Some beauty practitioners and formulators also refer to hydrosols as hydrolates, floral waters, or distillates.²

HOW THEY ARE USED

Hydrosols are highly useful beauty ingredients that possess a range of beneficial properties depending on the plants from which they were created, including anti-inflammatory, soothing, antiseptic, and tissue-reparative actions. We turn to hydrosols in many of our recipes, including the spray deodorant, mouthwash, facial scrubs, gels, and facial steam. Hydrosols are also useful as stand-alone beauty companions—think toners and makeup removers. We recommend having a selection on hand in your home beauty lab.

HYDROSOLS

CALENDULA /CALENDULA OFFICINALIS
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: blossoms COLOR: clear SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	Grows well in warm, temperate climates	steam-distilled

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
wound healing, tissue repair	antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic; especially soothing for dry, itchy, irritated, damaged, or problem skin

DOUGLAS FIR /PSEUDOTSUGA MENZIESII
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: needles and twigs COLOR: clear SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	native to western North America	steam-distilled

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
astringent, antiseptic	uplifting, refreshing, gently energizing; rejuvenating, purifying, and tonifying

GERMAN CHAMOMILE /MATRICARIA CHAMOMILLA
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: flowers COLOR: clear to light yellow SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	grows well in warm, temperate climates	steam-distilled

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
anti-inflammatory	antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and calming, while supporting soothing relief for reactive skin; great for sensitive skin and inflammations like acne

LAVENDER /LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: flowering tops COLOR: clear SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	native to Europe, Africa, and Asia	steam-distilled

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and sedating	anti-inflammatory, soothing, toning, antiseptic, healing, astringent, sedative

LEMON BALM /MELISSA OFFICINALIS
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
COMBINATION/OILY SKIN PARTS USED: top leaves COLOR: clear SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	native to South Central Asia, Iran, and Europe	steam-distilled

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
antimicrobial, clarifying	antiviral, anti-inflammatory, soothing to acne breakouts, rashes, insect bites, most skin irritations, sunburn, eczema, and even herpes sores

HYDROSOLS (CONTINUED)

NEROLI/CITRUS AURANTIUM
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: blossoms COLOR: clear SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	native to southeast Asia, but has spread around the world	steam-distilled

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
anti-anxiety and balancing for emotions	emotionally uplifting while balancing, regenerative, astringent, calming, and soothing for the skin

PEPPERMINT /MENTHA PIPERITA
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: flowering plant COLOR: clear SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	native to Europe and the Middle East	steam-distilled

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
cooling, pain relieving	cleansing and clearing, supports clear thinking, awakening, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, reduces pain, astringent, tonifying for skin; may encourage increase in circulation

ROSE /ROSA DAMASCENA
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
COMBINATION/OILY SKIN PARTS USED: flower petals COLOR: clear SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	native to Middle East and Central Asia, now primarily cultivated in Eastern Europe	steam-distilled

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
emotionally soothing and skin tonifying	moisturizing, balancing, calming, sedating, relaxing, appropriate for wide range of skin irritations and inflammations; can help soothe grief, depression, stress, and anxiety

ROSE GERANIUM /PELARGONIUM GRAVEOLENS
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
ALL SKIN TYPES PARTS USED: flowers and top leaves COLOR: clear SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	native to South Africa	steam-distilled

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
antibacterial, antimicrobial, balancing	especially helpful for breakouts, insect bites, bruises, burns, cuts, most skin irritations, poor circulation, and stress

ROSEMARY /ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS
	WHERE IT IS SOURCED	METHOD OF EXTRACTION
COMBINATION/OILY SKIN PARTS USED: leaves COLOR: clear SHELF LIFE: 1 year SAFETY CONCERNS: none	native to Mediterranean region	steam-distilled

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES	THERAPEUTIC ACTIONS
astringent, cleansing	stimulating, uplifting, energizing, antibacterial, and antiseptic