A SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE RECIPE

Making your own healing, nourishing, anxiety-soothing lavender oil is easy to do. It is also an affordable option compared to so many other natural skincare products commercially available. Use lavender oil to soothe rashes, sunburn, swelling, eczema, acne, stings, wounds, burns, scrapes, chicken pox, razor burn, and more. It can be used straight on its own as a face or body moisturizer, as an ingredient in other homemade skincare products like salves or creams, or even as a marinade - if an edible carrier oil is used.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Infusion time (maceration): 10+ days

Ingredients:

• Dried lavender flowers or buds, homegrown or organic if possible
• Carrier oil of choice. Select a high-quality, unrefined, cold-pressed, and organic oils. Popular options for natural skincare include jojoba oil, calendula oil, olive oil, argan oil, hemp seed oil, grapeseed oil, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, and more! (Choose an amount that matches your infusion container)
• 1 glass container for infusing, such as a half-pint or pint jar
• optional: lavender essential oil

Instructions

1. Get dried lavender flowers. It is important to start with 100 percent dry flowers.
2. Fill a clean glass container about ¾ full of dried lavender buds.
3. Pour your choice of base oil over the dried lavender flowers, until the container is full and/or until the flowers are completely submerged.
4. Place a lid on the container, and store it in a sunny, warm location to enhance infusion. A bright window is a popular choice! Allow the oil and flowers to infuse for at least one week, up to several weeks. Shake/turn the jar on occasion to keep the floating flowers coated with oil.
5. When the time is up, strain the flowers from the oil. Line a fine-mesh strainer or funnel with cheesecloth, gauze or else- place it over a clean glass container, and then pour the oil and flowers in to drain. Squeeze the cheesecloth sack of flowers to extract every bit of oil!
6. Optional: Add lavender essential oil for little extra oomph of aroma. The commonly recommended safe dilution ratio for essential oils is about 2 percent, or 12 drops of essential oil per 30 ml of carrier oil. Yet since the oil was already infused with whole lavender flowers, you can use far less here - whatever suits your nose.
7. Store the finished lavender oil in a cool, dry space. It can also be stored in the refrigerator to extend the shelf life (keep away from children’s reach). Read the information on your carrier oil bottle to determine the recommended shelf life of your lavender oil.
8. Enjoy! Use your lavender oil as a daily facial moisturizer (only a few drops needed), as a massage oil, as part of your cleansing method, an ingredient in other homemade skincare recipes such as salve or soap, to condition hair, as a makeup remover, as marinade or in baked goods (if an edible oil was used), in homemade cleaning products, or give it as a gift.