
Folk Method of Herbal Infused Oil
Today I am making lavender infused oil. Lavender is a very gentle herb that has a variety of uses. It supports healing of minor cuts and scrapes and would be perfect in a first aid salve. You can use either fresh or dried herb for infusing but if you’re using fresh , you have to take precautions to prevent mold. Also, some herbs are better used in one form or the other, so it is best to know the herb you are working with. For example St. John’s Wort should only be used fresh.
To Heat or Not To Heat
- Lazy herbalist here! I tend to do things the “easy” way and allowing it to sit on a dark shelf for 4-6 weeks is easier for me than monitoring the heat to make sure I don’t burn my infusion, even if I may have a finished infusion sooner.
- I prefer not to use electricity if I don’t have to.
- I easily get distracted because I’m usually working on 2-3 projects at once and if I leave my infusion for an extra couple of weeks it is no big deal. If I leave it on the heat too long, it can be a VERY big deal.
Infused Oil Ingredients
Carrier oils

Herb Choices
There are dozens if not hundreds of choices of herbs you can infuse in oil. Which herbs you choose depend on your end goal. Don’t forget to consider taste/constitution when choosing an herb too.
Rosalee de la Foret is one of my favorite herbalists and she has a lot of great information about how the taste of herbs and your constitution can affect how well an herb will work for you. She also has a fabulous book, Alchemy of Herbs, that helps build an understanding of this concept.
Are you making a first aid salve? Calendula, Comfrey, Lavender, Yarrow, and Plantain are all herbs to consider including.
How about a face serum? St John’s Wort, Calendula, and chamomile are all good choices.
A culinary oil for cooking or salad dressing? How about oregano, rosemary, or basil infused oil? Rosemary infused oil drizzled on roasted potatoes sounds so tasty!
Lavender Infused Oil Recipe
Lavender Infused Oil
Materials
- lavender flowers
- carrier oil such as olive oil or almond oil
- pint canning jar
- cheese cloth or paper coffee filter
Instructions
- If using fresh herbs, prepare your lavender for infusion. (remove leaves and buds from stems)
- Add lavender to pint jar, filling about 3/4 for fresh or 1/3 for dried.
- Pour carrier oil over lavender until covered by about 1 inch.
- Stir lavender into oil if needed, and push down until all lavender is covered by oil.
- Cover with cheesecloth or coffee filter. If using dried lavender, you can use a screw on lid.
- Allow to sit in a dark cupboard for 4-6 weeks.
- Strain using cheesecloth or muslin. You will not be able to clean this for reuse, so be sure it is something you deem disposable.
- Discard spent lavender and store strained oil in jar with screw on lid until you are ready to use it in your fabulous herbal creation!