What Calendula Adds to a Balm

Here’s another ‘wordification’ from my Instagram feed: Soothiness

Calendula Officinalis has an amazing natural built-in power of soothiness that it happily imparts when infused into an oil and is added to a balm.

It has demonstrated this many times to me over the years, but science is also starting to catch up and has an increasing amount of documentation of the many traditional medicinal uses of calendula.

Want to learn more about what calendula has to offer? I’ve written about it on the main blog:

Extracting the Medicinal Powers of Calendula

Calendula, the Healing Flower

Infusion Straining Tip: Double Filter

Pictured: a small batch of vanilla infused oil ready to strain on left and stacked filters on right. By using a tea filter (the small one) inside a coffee filter (the bigger one), you double up straining effect in one pass. This method is especially useful for vanilla-infused oil and has become my go-to method for small batch straining.

What to do with the vanilla after straining? Don’t discard it just yet! Add it to a coffee-in-oil infusion for a warm and extra rich dimension to the scent (and flavor). What to use the infused coffee oil for? Think naturally flavored lip balm.

You’re welcome.

Rosemary Honey Cleanser

Rosemary is an amazing herb that offers so much for skin and hair. Here’s a pot of freshly picked rosemary from last summer infusing in raw honey.

With fresh rosemary, it only takes a few days to create a deliciously scented honey that is an effective and gentle face cleanser.

Find a step by step how to on the main blog right here.

Suffering From Tincturitis and Making Up Words

Above: the definition of Tincturitis: a condition I have ‘suffered’ from for quite a while and which continues to increase with no end in sight. (The pictured tincture is with fresh, wildcrafted cleavers).

My Instagram account has a few more posts with these ‘wordifications’.

Wordifications? That’s my term for making up words. This is another affliction I have had for years and something I have only relatively recently come to terms with. Making up words happens a lot while I am working (many botanical ingredients seem to want to chat and some can even be quite vocal about providing input and inspiration).

I have sometimes wondered if this kind of thing is more commonly found in people who speak more than one language. I will sometimes get ‘stuck’ between languages and suddenly a brand new term will present itself out of the blue.

If you are a word-maker-upper too, I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on the matter!

Find more wordification fun on my Instagram account.

Naturally Flavored Lip Balm

If you like making infused oils, you can use the oils to create all natural flavors for your lip balms. Pictured is a small collection I made to test a few ideas - all with handcrafted flavors. The light colored balms include vanilla-infused oil and a dash of plum oil for extra richness. The green balms are a mix of pepper and mint (see what I did there?) for a surprisingly spicy-fresh flavor, and the bright orange balms have both their color and flavor from the chili-infused oil that delivers a warming after-burn.

Learn how to make vanilla-infused oil on the main blog. There’s also a chili-infused oil how to on the main blog as well.

Do you have any favorite herbs you use to create flavors for your lip balms?

Chili for Skincare

Handcrafted chili oil has been useful in several products I have made over the past winter season. (think soothing muscle rub, spicy lip balm or warming foot rub).

Generally, oils for infusion should have a long shelf life, although there can be benefits from using a specific oil with a specific ingredient for infusion and then using the entire batch within a short time of making it.

If you’re interested in giving this a try, there’s a chili-oil how to right here on the main blog. Depending on the strength you are looking for, vary the type and amount of chilis you work with. There is tangible difference in heat and effect depending on which ingredients you choose.