oil infusion

I really enjoy infusing plants in oil. It seems like a better alternative than essential oils (I don't have to worry about safely diluting them) and besides I get to do it myself! Previously I've used olive oil because it's easy to get and has a good shelf life, but its smell tends to stick around. I wanted to try to have the more pure scent of the flower to use for perfume/massage oil sort of thing so this time I used almond oil. It has a shorter shelf life so I just made smaller batches.

I had some lavender I picked from a relative's garden that smelled amazing. It was only semi dry so I used the double boiler method for about 3 hours to infuse the oil since I was worried about it going rancid- and it turned out perfectly! If I had more flowers I would infuse it again but the smell is really lovely as is. It works really well as a moisturizer- my skin was so soft afterward!

I've got some calendula petals from the health food store that I'm trying as well. I didn't have enough oil to fill the jar up as you're supposed to so this one is a bit of an experiment- I let it sit in the window for a week, shaking it every day, and now it's in the cupboard for a couple of weeks. Apparently it's good for the skin as well! I just couldn't get the flower out of my mind after seeing it in some gardens around here so I figured it was a good sign.