Teach Soap

Hi all - I attempted to infuse lavender with my olive oil. I had read about the double boiler method. That's what I did. I let simmer on the stovetop for 2-3 hrs, strained it, let cool, put more lavender into the oil, same process, then let sit overnight, reheated for another 2 hours, let cool, strained it. I have a faint lavender scent. I was wondering if there is another method I could use without the maintenance involved. (Maybe just stuffing the jar with herbs and letting it ferment) I live on the oregon coast, doesn't get very warm here, but we do have a greenhouse I could put the jars in there during the day. Right now it gets around 90 degrees is all, in there. Will this work, or could I just set them on the self and forget about them for a few weeks? Any thoughts? Thank you and sorry this is so long.

I have never infused lavender but I have infused calendula into olive oil using the crockpot method... just put it in on low for about 4-6 hours, stirring occasionaly, and then strain into a bottle after it cools. And I don't see why you couldn't infuse the same oil with fresh botanicals a couple of times for stronger scent.

I think just leaving it in a bottle for a few weeks is probably a more traditional method and no reason it won't work well unless you are impatient like me.

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- Mickey!

Thank you Mickey. I'll have to scour the thrift shops for a crockpot soon.

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- Mickey!

If you get a crockpot make sure it has a "low" feature option. You don't want to cook the herbs, just infuse them into the oil.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

i've tried the crock pot in the past on low, and i'll tell you the BEST results i get is letting the herbs steep by themselves in a warm area (preferably in direct sunlight). i let them steep in a glass jar one week straight, then remove the herbs, add a fresh batch of herbs to the oil (you may need to add a bit more oil to cover the herbs) and steep again. i usually do this 3 times, as each time makes the infusion stronger. make sure you squeeze all the oil out of the herbs every time you change it or are finished. you don't want to waste any the best way to filter your herbs out of the oil is to use cheeze cloth. works very well, and you can squeeze the heck out of it.

even on low, you run the risk of over cooking your herbs and the oil when using the crock pot. ask me how i know doesnt smell nice either.

good luck

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~Shell

Hi Shell, I have some brewing in a crockpot right now. I'll let you know how it turns out. The problem with putting it in the jar in a warm spot - I live in a rainy cool area and there are no warm spots. Plus, the cats tend to tip everything over onto the floor & that would be a potential mess here. I had to clean up many broken glasses that the shove on the floor. They are brats! Anyway, I'm going to try the jar method in the greenhouse this summer to see if that works. I'll have to bring in the jars at night and lock them in the pantry for safekeeping, then put them out there again the next day. Thanks for the tip on how to change out the herbs! You all are most helpful here.

Well the crockpot ordeal was a disaster. It was fine for the first hour, then I checked on it and you can definitely tell when you've burnt the herbs, yuck! I threw the whole mess out. I was wondering if I put them in jars on a heating pad on low in the garage if that would work? Our garage is around 50 degrees.

you could try a heating pad, though i have reservations about keeping a heating pad on too long. i'm not sure if they're meant for prolonged heating.

if you do try it, make sure that the glass does not get any hotter than it would in direct sunlight. if it does, it runs the risk of cooking again..

also, since you will be using a man made heat source, i recommend putting cheese cloth on top instead of the tin lid to promote breathing, and to keep particles out. just make sure that the cheese cloth is kept away from the heat source.

be careful with that heating pad…

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~Shell

Thanks.

I've read that the best way to do it is to put it all in a jar and put it in a sunny window for about 3 weeks. Once a week strain the oil through a cheese cloth and put fresh leaves/flowers into the jar. I have some "brewing" right now.

I wonder if it makes sense to wrap the herbs/flowers in a chees cloth or coffee filter before submerging in the oil. That way you can just remove them from the jar, squeeze out the oil, and drop in a fresh batch... without having to pour out everything and strain it.

Has anyone tried this? If not I will give it a shot and report back.

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- Mickey!

I love the idea of infuseing herbs in oils (cause I grow alot of them. When you've done that then what do you use them for? Im assumeing you can't get it strong enough for soap.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

would it be enough to scent the soap without useing FOs? How would you know the right amount? Im assumeing herbs like lavander, rosemary and mint might work??? Any information on this would help.....