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Chamomile Infused Coconut Oil is super simple to make, in fact you can even use tea bags! Great for soothing dry skin or helping with eczema.
We all love a good moisturizer. One that works well and yet has no concerning ingredients can be hard to find however.
Coconut oil is one of those amazing ingredients in the crunchy household that can be used for oh so many things. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that coconut oil is an amazing moisturizer.
Now I use coconut oil in place of a lot of moisturizing products.
I use it for our diaper cream, our lotion, my face moisturizer, and more. Simply by its self it works really well.
However, when I have to do battle with my son’s eczema, sometimes the coconut oil needs to be kicked up a notch.
That’s why I started to infuse his coconut oil with chamomile.
Chamomile is an often overlooked little flower. It is anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. Its anti-inflammatory properties makes it great for soothing eczema.
Its anti-bacterial properties help heal the eczema and prevent infections. Thus chamomile is the perfect additive to coconut oil which also is anti-bacterial and a wonderful moisturizer.
There are a couple different ways to infuse oils.
Option 1: You can infuse with no heat over the period of a few days but I have a hard time with that method as it just takes so long.
Not to mention coconut oil is a solid if not kept warm so you would have to make sure it always stayed warm enough.
Option 2: You can infuse over a heat source such as a stove for a few hours but this method seems difficult to do as you really do not want to leave a pan on the stove all day long if you can’t be in the kitchen the whole day as well.
This caused me to search out a new method.
A method that didn’t involve days of waiting, nor hours watching a pot.
Enter the crock pot.
Yes, the crock pot. Yet another crunchy essential item it seems.
The crock pot can keep the oil warm and yet you don’t have to worry about burning down your house if you need to leave the kitchen.
It also receives bonus points for not heating up the whole house (that would be ok in the winter but not wanted during warmer months).
And if you use little jars for your oil, you can actually cook dinner at the same time as infusing your oil! (more details on that below)
Chamomile Infused Coconut Oil>
1/2 cup coconut oil – melted
1 teaspoon chamomile flowers or 1 chamomile tea bag
1- 4oz mason jar
crock pot
Directions:
Place coconut oil in mason jar. The coconut oil should be in a liquid state to begin with so that you can start to infuse quicker.
Next place your chamomile into the jar of oil.
If you are using loose chamomile place as is into the oil. If you are using the tea bag version then stick the entire tea bag into the oil and make sure to get the oil into the tea bag before closing the jar; you may need to manually squeeze the oil into the tea bag with your hands.
Screw on the mason jar lid.
Next, decide if you will be using the crock pot for a meal or not. If not, place your jar into the crock pot, fill the crock pot with hot water so that your jar is about half way covered and set on warm for 4-8 hours.
If you do want to make a meal at the same time, simply put your meal into the crock pot as you are supposed to and cover your crock pot with the lid.
Place your coconut oil jar on TOP of the crock pot lid. Your crock pot lid will get hot enough that it will keep the coconut oil melted. Like the other heating method, you want to keep the oil warm for 4-8 hours.
Once you have infused the oil for the 4-8 hours, remove the jar from the heat source.
If you used loose chamomile then you will need to strain the oil through cheesecloth or muslin to remove the chamomile from the oil.
If you used the tea bag than all you need to do is remove the tea bag from the oil.
You now have chamomile infused coconut oil!
The coconut oil will solidify if it is at a temperature below 76 degrees and that is fine. It will work whether solid or liquid.
Use this oil for keeping eczema at bay, diaper rashes, sunburns, or anytime you want something a bit more relieving than just plain old coconut oil.
Does this expire?
Coconut oil lasts about 2 years so definitely not longer than that. However, most infused oils seem to last 6-12 months. Adding a preservative like vitamin E oil would help it keep to the latter 12 month possibility.
i tried this, used fractionated coconut oil instead (the regular coconut oil causes my eczema to flare terribly). I followed the instructions exactly, otherwise. the end result is oil that smells like it was used to cook chinese food 🙁
That’s unfortunate. My only guess would be that it had to do with the fractionated coconut oil (unless you were using a jar that used to contain Chinese food lol).
Another terrific suggestion. I’ve used coconut oil for all my moisturizing needs for years, and sometimes used it as a diaper cream with the grandchildren when I ran out of the calendula cream I kept on hand for them. I’m always looking for ways to avoid buying one more plastic container, and with a new grandbaby on the way. I can eliminate one right now. Thank you!
Could you use any tea? Would the infuse times be different for different teas?
You can use pretty much any herb or spice. Obviously different herbs/spices will have different benefits. I have a post on how to make herb infused oils that walks you through all the basics: https://pistachioproject.com/2015/09/how-to-make-herb-infused-oils.html
I haven’t tried chamomile yet, however I do love to make this with mint green tea and a sprig of dried lavender. The end result is sweet and cool and smells amazing. Every time I use it someone tells me I smell amazing, even though its a subtle scent. Love your page!
This sounds amazing! Pinned!
This sounds like an awesome idea so much better than store bought moisturizers. Found your post at Awesome Life Fridays, thanks for sharing!
Hi..Can you diffuse herbal tea bags i.e. chamomile into oil?. Thanks. Blue
Yes, as I mentioned in the post, you can just “steep” the tea bag in oil and then remove the tea bag when done. 🙂
Hi,
can this be done with other oils like jojoba or shea butter or chanvre?
You can do it with any oil…. shea butter wouldn’t work too well as it’s a bit harder to melt.