Today I have an AMAZING homemade beauty recipe for you.  Seriously, if you sensitive, try, or irritated skin you need this oil infusion recipe in your life!  I recently began using a few products with calendula oil in it and came to love the way they soothed my skin and how the oil was multi use with so many benefits! So of course I decided I wanted to make some calendula oil based products of my own.  Well before I could get too far into specific products I knew making a calendula oil infusion would be where I would need to start.  

What is calendula you ask?  Well calendula is a flower extract, marigold to be exact.  I remember growing up always planting marigolds with my mom and grandma .... I’m not sure why this was, maybe it was the easiest flower to plant?  I’m not sure but marigolds were always the seeds I remember planting, even in Girl Scouts haha!  But anyways, back to our main focus - the marigold extract, or Calendula, has several benefits for the skin.  

Some of the top benefits are:

- Calendula has strong anti inflammatory properties which means it can calm inflamed skin (think dermatitis, skin rash, sunburn, etc.).

- Calendula can help increase blood flow and oxygen to the skin aiding in wound healing, or new skin cell turnover.  This can help reduce facial scarring and can even help firm and tone the skin.

- Calendula is a natural antimicrobial meaning it aids in fighting against and ridding the skin of bacteria.  If you are prone to acne or breakouts then this is a key ingredient you will want in your skincare.

As you can see, this ingredient is a must for irritated or sensitive skin!  The best part about this recipe however is that it’s multi use so this one recipe can give you the base that you need for several homemade beauty products, so far I have made a lip balm and cleansing balm! 

Aside from the calendula, a few other ingredients are added to this oil as the base in which the calendula infuses into.  The main carrier oil I have chosen to use is Grapeseed Oil because it is both a lightweight oil but also a highly moisturizing one.  It also is chock full of antioxidants which will protect against free radical/environmental damage to the skin.  Plus it also has anti inflammatory properties which increases the soothing factor of your overall oil.  The remaining ingredients - jojoba oil and vitamin E oil are also soothing and moisturizing oils while the vitamin E also adds a bit of preservation to the oil.

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Ingredients And Supplies Needed  

• This recipe will make about 1-1.5 cups of oil

Mason Jar or Container

1 Cup Grape Seed Oil

6 Tbsp Jojoba Oil

2 Tbsp Vitamin E Oil (the one I use is a blend with Rosehips and Jojoba)

3/4 Cup Of Dried Calendula

Cheesecloth (Cut to fit over mouth of mason jar with some overhang)

Optional: 10 Drops Grapefruit Seed Extract (this acts as a preservative and can make your oil last longer but not absolutely necessary)

Homemade Calendula Oil Infusion Recipe

Begin by mixing the grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, and vitamin e oil together in a pot on the stove.  Once mixed add your calendula, you will want as much as it takes to saturate the oil but with a layer of oil still covering all the flowers.  This is usually about 3/4 a cup of dried calendula.  Now turn the stove on as low as it will go and let the mixture steep over very low heat for 2 hours.

After allowing the mixture to steep you are now ready to strain your oil into your mason jar. Let the oil cool on the stove for about 10-15 minutes before doing this so you do not risk burning yourself…. just sayin LOL! To strain out all the calendula flowers you will want to place the cheesecloth over the mouth of your opened jar and secure it tightly with an elastic. Using a funnel or spouted pot, carefully and slowly pour all of the mixture over the cheesecloth and the liquid portion will strain into the jar.

With clean hands, occasionally remove the solid matter away from the cheesecloth to make room. Side note - I used the solid matter as a type of compost for our garden soil. Once everything has been poured out of the pot, gently remove the elastic from the jar and fold up the ends of the cheesecloth to make a little ball of cheesecloth with the calendula flowers in the middle. Give this little ball a squeeze a few times to squeeze out any excess oil that remains within the flowers.

This recipe should make about 1-1.5 cups of oil extract. Store in a cool, dark place and this should last about 6 months (perhaps longer of you use the grapefruit seed extract).

Stay tuned for all the awesome homemade beauty and skincare products you can make with this calendula multi use oil!

Information regarding benefits of Calendula obtained from the following site: Calendula” The Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Viral Herb That Heals

Information regarding the benefits of Grape Seed oil obtained from the following site: 5 Reasons Dermatologists Say You Should Rub Grapeseed Oil Into Your Skin