A heat infused oil is one of two methods you can use to make herbal infused oils. An herbal oil infusion extracts the active fat soluble ingredients in the herb into the carrier oil. A cold infusion process is to soak herbs in oil for several weeks without any heat. On the contrary, a heat infused oil uses heat to speed up the infusion time. It's important to note that infused oils are not the same as essential oils. Essential oils are only the plant's volatile oils that are extracted by steam distillation. Similarly, Infused oils are in skin care, hair care, and great for culinary purposes.

How to Make a Heat Infused Oil

Standard Herb Ratio

• 250g dried herb
• 3 cups carrier oil – olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil, or any other high quality organic oil.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Firstly, fill a mason jar or a glass measuring cup with your herbs and cover the herbs with your carrier oil. The oil should cover the herbs by a couple of inches.
2. After that, place your glass container into a pot with a few inches of water to create a double boiler. Lightly simmer the water to warm the herbs and oil.
3. Let this simmer gently for 2-3 hours.
4. When the oil is done, remove the heat and allow the mixture to cool, then pour into cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to remove the plant matter.
5. Press or squeeze the herbs to get all remaining oil out. (an herb press is a handy tool for that)
6. Lastly, collect the strained oil and pour into a dark glass bottle using a funnel. Seal and label the bottle.

For this purpose, you don't need any fancy equipment to make a heat infused oil – you probably already own a pot, a glass measuring cup or mason jar, and a mesh strainer. Start simply and use the materials you already own. However, if you start to make a lot of infused oils there are some fancier tools that make the process less messy and less time consuming.

Oil Infusing Machine

The picture in this post is showing my Levo C, which is an infusion machine. I really like this gadget, it keeps all the herbal material separate from the oil which makes it less messy in the end. I also appreciate that I don't have to watch over the pot all day, it can be left alone like a crockpot.

Dried Herbs or Fresh Herbs? It's best to use dried herbs when infusing oils because fresh plant matter will release moisture into the oil which can cause mold growth. Air dry fresh herbs by laying them out on a table, using an herb drying rack, or a dehydrator before using them in oil infusions.

Storage

Store your finished infused oil in a sterilized, airtight, dark glass bottle for up to 1 year, for best results, use within 6 months.

If you want more recipes to try, download our skincare recipe book here.

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