How to make Infused Oil

Making infused oils is a process of transferring flavour and scent into a carrier oil.  It can be used to add flavour to cooking oils. As well as making scent oils for use in aromatherapy, massage oils and making beauty products like soaps and lotions. 

It is a simple process of infusing flowers, herbs or spices into an oil by heating or letting it sit in a sunny spot so that  the volatile oils can transfer into the carrier oil. I will show you how I make them in this instructable.

Step 1 Materials:

• Oil (I will discuss the different types to use in Steps 2 and 5)
• Herbs, spices, flowers
• Clean, dry glass jars
• Clean decorative glass containers
• Coffee filters, cheesecloth, sieve
• Funnel
• Spoon
• Hot plate/double boiler or pan/skillet
• Mortar and pestle
• Sunny windowsill

Sterilize the glass jars and bottles that you will be using by running them through the dishwasher.  It is important that they are completely dry.

As you will see in the following steps a wide assortment of flowers, herbs and spices can be used in making infused oils.  Since you will ingesting or putting these oils on your body I would recommend using organic material if you can.  Better still if you can grow them in your garden, you can control what goes on the plants as well as save yourself a lot of money too.  Even a little potted herb plant on your windowsill will do.

Comments

[emmaazing]

This is great! im going to use cinnamon infused almond oil to add to my lip balm so it promotes circulation and soft pouty lips! so excited!

[ChrysN]

Sounds awesome!

[humblebug]

hi ChrysN, i'm so glad to have your instructable on infused oil..i made one, a mix of fresh oregano and basil leaves... its been 5days now..i want this as massage oil and ive been thinking if its ok to put a little of fragrance oil, what fragrance would you recommend...(i bought diff. fragrance oils but read a warning it should not be used for the skin...) what should i mix to have a better smell..

pls help.,....thanks!

[ChrysN]

You should be able to use an essential oil on your skin rather than a fragrance oil. You can try sage or bay oil, those would probably go nicely with the oregano and basil. If you want your infused oil to have a stronger scent you can drain off the leaves and re infuse with more herbs.

[humblebug]

thanks for the response chrys...please take some more time to answer some more of my questions ;)

is it possible to mix dry herbs since i originally processed fresh herbs (i saw dried sage and bay leaves in the supermarket) ?

or should i drain the leaves (oregano and basil) before mixing the dried ones?

i also found methyl salicylate in a drugstore (with labels like: 65ml methyl salicilate, 35ml mineral oil) and it smells good (minty smell), is it safe to add this? ( its even indicated in the bottle that its oil of wintergreen -antirheumatic)

i am also bothered whats the best thing to do, if to store it in a dry cool dark place or to place it where it can really be spotted by the sun...what i do is put it in direct sunlight for 20-30 minutes in the morning, is this ok? by the way, my bottle is clear so i wrapped it with a dark colored plastic bag.

i tried putting the oregano-basil infused oil in my skin and it feels really good, but im just bothered with the smell... i hope you could help me with this questions before i share it with mom and dad ;)

Thank you in advance....

[ChrysN]

1) You should drain the old leaves before adding the dried ones.

2) methyl salicylate smells nice and is used in sore muscle creams but it is also toxic so only use small amounts (see the wiki article).

3)Only leave in a sunny spot while the herbs are steeping, once you drain off the herbs you should store in a dry cool place.

3)If you don't like the smell try adding something with a smell that you like.

[humblebug]

is there a duration when leaving it under sunlight? i have read one of the comments that direct sunlight for long hours might have an effect on strength of the aroma...
ok then, il try to put some drops of methyl on it. :)
and try to look for fragrance oils that's good for the skin... :)

one last (i hope so) is it also save to mix ethyl alcohol? just wonderin ;)

[ChrysN]

I think it is the warmth of the sun rather than the light which helps absorb the herbs in to the oil, so if you don't have a spot that doesn't get long hours of sunlight but is warm, it is okay. Ethyl alcohol is okay to use on skin, it is used in hand sanitizers as well as perfumes.

[humblebug]

thanks again...i might try putting ethyl alcohol..i hope it wouldnt affect on the effectiveness and strength of the massage oil... i wiki the methyl salicylate and now having doubts of mixing it :)
ill take your advise on putting dried bay and sage, il let you know how the smell would turn out in a couple of days ;)

thanks again ;)

[Batness]

GREAT JOB! Especially mentioning the whole "DRY the herbs/etc" part. There have been a few 'Ibles without that mention, and it bugs me. THANK YOU!

I also love that you've included the massage oil/botanical oils. Now I can smell good and cook with delicious oils! Have you tried lavender? I have not but am curious to see what it smells like in an oil base...

[ChrysN]

Thanks for your comment. I have tried lavender, it is really nice definitely one of my favorites.

[chillen1]

How would you use these oils? Heating them up, with reed infusors or just laying them out in a bowl or open bottle?

[ChrysN]

You could use them as massage oils or in homemade lotions, soaps personal care products or in the bath.

[Dea della Luna]

Awesome! Thank you very much (=

[lydwatters]

Is there a way to speed the process up?

[ChrysN]

You can try heating it like in step 4, though I've never tried it myself with flowers.

[cdawisconsin]

This is on my 2011 to do list. BTW, your photography is amazing.

[ChrysN]

Cool, thanks!

[robbied]

If you boil the garlic in the oil for around 10 minutes, it will kill the bacteria. This also helps infuse the oil with the garlic flavours.
Other sites I have seen also say to store it cold. So if you boil it first, let it cool then into the fridge, you should be safe

[cjccjc]

Very nice. I was wondering if these could be used in a reed diffuser?

[ChrysN]

The scent in infused oils are generally not as concentrated as in essential oils or fragrance oils.

[dustinbikes]

You definitely want to keep these out of the sun, the uv light causes cooking oils to go rancid faster, also another thing i would like to add is, do not try to do this with garlic and oil. Putting garlic into the oil creates an anaerobic environment and there is a likelihood that botulism will grow. The garlic infused oils that are available from the grocery store are acidulated to a very specific ph balance that inhibits the growth of the botulism.

[ilieva]

Place the oil at the sunny window for 15-30 min. just before using the oil. It will get the benefits of the sun energy but will not have time to destroy the aromatic molecules of the infusion.

[GreenD]

Placing in a sunny spot may be bad - this can cause degredation of the aromatic molecules, or even of the oil's aroma itself. If you have a UV filter or UV blocking windows than this will be ok, but sunlight is very powerful!

[morthole]

I thought the same, maybe dark bottles is a better option?
This way you can take advantage of the heat of the sun but not the light.

Very nice instructable.

[mikeasaurus]

looks great, infused oils are tasty to cook with/enjoy!
I'm sure it depends on what they are infused with, but how long will these keep for?

[ChrysN]

They should keep for a few months provided that the jars/ bottles are sterile and you avoid getting moisture into the oil, and close the lid tightly and stored properly. The dried herbs/spices should last longer.

[ArisenProdigy]

Great instructable! When making massage/bath oils, is it absolutely necessary to leave in the sunlight? I ask because it's snowy child here and I doubt much would get absorbed in the cold.

[ChrysN]

I live in Canada and certain times of year I don't get much light coming into my place, I haven't actually compared infused oils that I've made in the summer vs those I've made in the winter. In discussions I've read about making infused oils some people suggest putting it in a cool dark place to absorb the herbs -this I haven't tried. You could try leaving it another week.

[mistressdominastar]

What do you use as a preservative. I know some oils go rancid after a certain time.

[ChrysN]

Yes, that is a concern with making your own infused oils. I don't use any preservatives. So it is important that you sterilize your glassware (run it through the dishwasher -or as you would for canning) also not to let any moisture get into you oil. Also to store in small bottles in a cool dark place or the fridge, or to make small quantities. This way you'll probably use it up before it goes rancid. Just smell it before you use it.