Save Your Dandelions For This!

I am sure many of you haven’t seen a dandelion pop-up yet. These so-called weeds grow abundantly in spring actually have medicinal properties as plant medicine. Just make sure you don’t overharvest, as these little flowers are among the first food available to bees & we all want to make sure the bees are fed!

One of the soaps we used to make was from a dandelion oil infusion – and for good reason! Read on to learn more…

Dandelions are actually an herb that in the same family as sunflowers. Like many medicinal herbs, dandelions also offer a number of benefits for the skin when infused in an oil.

Making homemade dandelion oil is great to use for its skin benefits. It will also give your DIY bath products a beautiful golden hue. Keep reading to learn more about dandelion infused oil uses and how to make it.

Is Dandelion Oil Good for Skin?

Just as eating the root or aerial parts of dandelion offers nutritional benefits, dandelion oil makes a marvelous addition to your skin care routine. Dandelion infused oil has a number of natural properties that are good for skin.

Dandelion Oil Benefits for Skin

Dandelion oil benefits for skin include the following:

• Dandelions are high in antioxidants - namely Vitamin C. Antioxidants fight free radicals that can cause signs of aging.
• They may help to reduce skin inflammation & irritation in addition toimproving hydration & boosting collagen production.
• Dandelions are high in potassium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus to promote skin health.
• In addition to Vitamin C, dandelions are also high in Vitamin A, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin K. These vitamins promote skin health and neutralize free radicals.
• Dandelion oil for skin may also have some antimicrobial properties.

How to Harvest Dandelions

Part of making herbal infusions involves safely harvesting or sourcing your plant materials. Here are some tips to help you safely harvest dandelions to make oil infusions for your natural skin care recipes:

• PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not pick every dandelion you find. This is especially important in early spring. Many insects rely on those dandelion flowers as early food before everything else blossoms. We will die if our bees die. Save the bees! So PLEASE leave one for the bees when you take one for your infusion!
• When you’re looking for dandelions to make a dandelion infused oil, make sure the flowers haven’t been sprayed with any chemicals. Also make sure they are in an area that dogs or other animals don’t visit. If you live near a busy road, pick flowers more than 500 feet from the road so they are not polluted.
• Pick dandelions when the flowers are fully open and the dew is gone. Simply pick the flowers and reserve just the flower. You will not use the leaves or the stems for your dandelion infused oil for skin, so you do not need to pick them.
• Rinse flowers with cool water to remove small bugs and dirt. Then let dry on a towel or in a colander.

Tips for Making Oil Infusions

• In most cases, your dandelion flowers should be dry when you make your dandelion oil infusion. Water can cause mold to grow in your oil.
• Use a carrier oil with a long shelf life so you don’t waste your infused oil.
• Dandelions will give the oil a golden hue that may alter the color of your DIY recipe.
• Wear gloves when you strain the infusion because the dandelions can stain your hands.
• If there are small pieces of dandelion left in the oil after straining, you can run the oil through a coffee filter.

Supplies Needed to Make Dandelion Oil Infusion

You will need the following supplies to make dandelion infused oil for skin:

• Dried Dandelion Flowers
• A carrier oil your choice depending on your skin care needs. You can use sweet almond oil or a nice organic virgin olive oil (my personal favorite).
• A glass Mason jar with a lid– any size you would like.
• You use cheesecloth to strain the dandelions and remove them from the oil.
• A coffee filter to do a second straining.
• A canning funnel makes things easier if you have one!

How to Make Solar Dandelion Infused Oil

• Begin by sterilizing your mason jar. Once sterilized, fill the jar halfway with dried dandelion flowers. Now pour the carrier oil of your choice over the flowers until the oil is an inch above the dried herbs.
• Mix the oil and dandelion flowers together using a dry, sterilized spoon in order to evenly coat all of the flowers, and so no air bubbles remain. 
• Now place a square piece of wax paper over the mason jar you’re using for the oil infusion. Screw the lid onto the jar and gently roll the jar or turn it to mix the ingredients.
• Once you’ve screwed the lid onto the jar for your oil infusion, place the jar inside a brown paper bag. (You can also wrap the jar in an opaque cloth)
• Now place the jar in a sunny window. You should leave the herbal oil infusion in direct sunlight for a period of 1-2 weeks, mixing the ingredients, every few days.
• After which time, strain the oil with the cheese cloth & again using a coffee filter.

How to Store Your Dandelion Oil

• Once you’ve strained your oil and removed the plant material, you can store the dandelion oil in the same mason jar you used to make the oil.
• The trick is to keep the jar in a cool, dry place. I store it in my pantry where the jar gets no light.
• Syphon off some into smaller jars to give as gifts, or use as needed in place of oils in your bath & skincare recipes!