Rosemary Infused Oil
Here’s how to make your own rosemary infused oil for warming and relieving sore muscles and aching joints. You can also incorporate it into soaps, salves, lotion bars, and more!
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus, synonym Rosmarinus officinalis) is a common kitchen herb that’s valued in traditional herbalism for its warming, circulation-boosting, and anti-inflammatory properties. This makes it a perfect ingredient for products designed for arthritis or cold, aching joint conditions.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need dried rosemary for this project – make sure that it’s still green and aromatic when crumbled. If it’s old, drab colored, and almost scentless, buy a fresh bottle. Rosemary from the spice section of your local grocery store is perfectly fine to use if it’s green/fresh looking!
If working with fresh rosemary from your own plants, just clip some stems, bring them indoors and let air dry for a few days.
You’ll also need a carrier oil of your choice. Olive oil is always a solid option and can be used for making soaps, salves, lip balms, and more. Sunflower oil or rice bran oil are two other good choices.
The third thing you need is a canning jar, along with its lid/top. Choose a size that best matches the amount of rosemary and oil you have on hand.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Rosemary Infused Oil
- Fill the jar about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way with dried rosemary.
- Pour in your chosen oil and gently stir a few times.
- For the traditional, slow method – cap the jar and allow it to infuse for 4 to 6 weeks, shaking every day or as often as you remember to
- For the faster method – keep the jar uncovered, set it down into a saucepan filled with a few inches of water, and place the pan over a low burner. Allow the indirect heat to infuse the oil for at least 2 to 4 hours, keeping a close eye and adding more water if needed so the pan never runs dry.
- After infusing, strain the oil and use in salves, soaps, lotion bars, lip balms, and other handcrafted skincare items. This rosemary infused oil is not intended for internal use.
Store your rosemary infused oil in a cool, dark place. Shelf life is around one year, or as long as the oil looks good and smells fresh.
For more information about making herbal infused oils, please see my article:
Uses for Rosemary Infused Oil
You can use the finished infused oil, just as it is, as a massage oil for sore joints or aching muscles.
It’s also nice wherever you need warming or a circulation boost – such as cold feet or the back of your legs if you’re prone to varicose veins.
Try infusing rosemary into olive oil and use it for soap recipes – such as my Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bars.
You can also infuse rosemary into melt and pour soap base, to make these cute little Rosemary Mint Sugar Scrub Cubes.
And of course, be sure to check out my next article – all about making a simple rosemary salve, which is perfect for rubbing into arthritic hands and sore joints. It can also be used as a chest rub for congestion.
