Chamomile Baby Oil

Delicate, fragile, tender skin needs ultra-mild, conditioning care to keep it soft, supple, hydrated, nourished, and healthy as an effective barrier to the outside world. This fresh and oh-souseful recipe is straight from the garden. The simple luxury of almond oil infused with chamomile flowers, with their anti-inflammatory and vulnerary properties and apple-like, relaxing aroma, is all that’s needed to care for your young one’s skin.

If you grow only one herb in your garden, you must grow a patch of German chamomile flowers. In addition to using them for bath, facial, and massage oils, you can brew them for tea, make sleep pillows, and use the infused oil for sleep and dream balms.

Note: For this recipe, I prefer to use the solar infusion method with freshly wilted flowers, as this process yields a sweeter and fresher scent, but the dried flowers work nicely, too.

2 cups dried or 3 cups freshly wilted chamomile flowers
3–4 cups almond base oil (enough to completely cover flowers)
2,000 IU vitamin E oil

EQUIPMENT: Widemouthed 1-quart canning jar, stirring utensil, plastic wrap, strainer, fine filter, funnel, glass or plastic storage containers
PREP TIME: 1 month
YIELD: Approximately 2½ cups
STORAGE: Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year

APPLICATION:

2 times per day, or as desired Place the chamomile flowers in a 1- quart canning jar. Drizzle the base oil over the plant matter until the oil comes to within 1 inch of the top of the jar. The dried herb may pack in the bottom and the wilted herb matter will settle with the weight of the oil, so don’t worry if it looks as though you don’t have enough plant matter in the jar. Gently stir to remove air bubbles and make sure that all the plant matter is submerged.

Place a piece of plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar (to prevent the metal lid from coming into contact with the herbs) and tightly screw on the lid. Shake the jar several times to blend the herbs and oil thoroughly. Place the jar in a warm, sunny location such as a southfacing windowsill, and allow the herb to infuse for 1 month. Shake the jar every day for 30 seconds or so.

After 1 month, carefully strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a fine filter such as muslin or, preferably, a paper coffee filter, then strain again if necessary to remove all herb debris. Squeeze the flowers to extract as much of the precious oil as possible. Discard the marc. Add the vitamin E oil and stir to blend. The resulting chamomile oil will be golden in color. Pour the finished oil into storage containers, then cap, label, and store in a dark cabinet.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

After a warm bath, pat the skin almost dry. Apply a small amount of infused oil onto the slightly moist skin, massaging it in with gentle, circular motions (always toward the heart) until it is completely absorbed. This oil can easily be massaged into dry skin anytime you desire — it sinks in so nicely. Allow oil to soak into skin for at least 5 minutes before dressing.

Bonus
Use every day as an all-over oil; it’s especially beneficial for thin, fragile, and sensitive skin. It sinks right in with nary an oily residue.