How to Make Calendula Oil

Calendula oil is my absolute favorite, I call it our liquid gold, for all things skincare. It has numerous benefits and is so easy to make your own.

A huge component of healing my autoimmune conditions and living an anti-inflammatory life is focusing on what I put on my skin. Our skin absorbs the products we put on and so it is important to me to avoid toxins. A lot of non-toxic skincare can get expensive, that is one reason why I love to make my own. Calendula oil is a staple in my homemade skincare and haircare. It is also a great oil just on its own. You won’t regret making some and having it on hand.

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Benefits of Calendula Oil:

This flower is rich in antioxidants which help protect cells from damage and promote tissue growth to heal our skin more rapidly. The naturally occurring flavonoids in calendula pedals give it anti inflammatory properties which can help fight skin inflammation. Another awesome thing about calendula is that it is antifungal, antibacterial, and antimicrobial. Those properties make it great for healing rashes, acne-causing bacteria, and insect bites. The oil is also commonly used for treating sunburns, wounds, eczema, yeast infections, and diaper rash. On top of all that, I have found calendula infused oil to be super moisturizing and gentle on my sensitive skin.

Dried calendula flowers can also be used in teas. They have many medicinal benefits like helping repair gut-lining, helping to heal ulcers, and aiding in digestion. Some early studies have shown calendula to help combat infections and fight against certain cancer cells (in test tubes) but more research is still ongoing.

This beautiful bright flower is so versatile in it’s benefits. Calendula oil is definitely something you want to have in your medicine cabinet.

Calendula Oil Uses:

There are so many wonderful uses for calendula oil as you can see by the benefits above. Here is a list of some of the things we use calendula oil for:

• Face and body moisturizer (just a few drops are needed for the face)
• Insect bites
• Sunburns
• Massage oil
• Carrier oil for applying essential oils topically
• Rashes or skin inflammation
• Chapped or chafed lips and skin
• Scrapes or other wounds
• Homemade lotions, balms, and salves
• Hair oil to soften, moisturize, and give shine

My favorite homemade recipes that use calendula oil:

• After Sun Lotion
• Calendula Healing Balm for skin inflammation

Growing Calendula Flowers:

The flowers are a beautiful addition to any garden however, they also help with natural pest control and attracting beneficial pollinators. These flowers are pretty low maintenance to grow and care for. They need lots of sun and regular watering.

I have done both direct sow, as well as starting seedlings indoors before the last frost then planting outside as the weather warms. Both those methods work really well. You can even let your plant go to seed at the end of the season and let the seeds drop, then they will sprout up on their own in the spring.

Harvesting Calendula Flowers:

The wonderful thing about harvesting calendula flowers is that the more often you harvest them the more it encourages new buds to grow and bloom. Throughout the summer I can harvest the flowers a few times a week and they continue to grow more every few days.

You will want to harvest the flowers later in the day when the sun is hitting them and the flowers are fully opened.

Drying Calendula Flowers:

There are different methods for drying the flowers. You can use a food dehydrator or food dryer or you can lay them out in a sunny area to air dry.

I use a homemade drying rack that a dear family friend made us years ago. It takes about 24-48 hours for the flowers to fully dry on my drying rack.

If you use a food dehydrator, I recommend using the low heat setting. Using high heat could decrease some of the beneficial compounds in the calendula flowers.

The drying time will vary depending on your method and drying rack. Make sure the flowers are completely dry and that there is no moisture left in them.

Infusing the Oil with Calendula:

Place your dried calendula flowers into a sterilized glass jar.

Press the flowers down to compact them into the jar. (I continuously dry flowers throughout the summer and add to the jar until I have a full jar of dried calendula flowers. If you do this make sure to not seal the jar if the flowers are warm from drying, that can reintroduce moisture into the flowers and cause mold)

Add organic jojoba oil to the jar until the flowers are completely covered.

Place the jar in a sunny window for 4-6 weeks.

After 4-6 weeks, strain the oil into a clean jar for storage. I like to use a sieve and cheesecloth to really squeeze every last drop of oil from the flowers.

FAQ about making Calendula Oil:

How should I store calendula oil?

Glass jars are best for storing calendula infused oil. To increase the shelf life of your calendula oil you should store it in a cool dark place.

If you are going to frequently use it for skincare and haircare it can be helpful to store some of it in a dropper bottle. I store my large batch in glass mason jars and then refill my dropper bottles as needed. I use these dropper bottles from Amazon.

How long will calendula oil last?

This can vary depending on the shelf life of your carrier oil. If using quality jojoba oil it should be good in a cool dark place for at least 24 months. Jojoba oil has a long shelf life (~5 years), other carrier oils have a much shorter shelf life.

If you use the calendula oil in other homemade skincare recipes, the shelf life of the other ingredients can impact how long that recipe is good for.

Can I use fresh calendula flowers to infuse in the oil?

I don’t recommend using fresh flowers to infuse in oil. Fresh flowers hold moisture which doesn’t mix well with oil and can lead to mold or a rancid infusion.

Do I need to wash calendula flowers before drying them?

You do not need to wash the calendula flowers before drying them. Since I don’t use any pesticides or chemicals I am not worried about them needing washed. Sometimes there are little bugs on the flowers but they all crawl off during the drying process.

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