How to Make Dandelion Infused Oil Plus Ways to Use It

Dandelion Infused Oil for Skin

When I see dandelions dotting the lawn in the spring, I start planning my dandelion infused oil projects for the year. Every year, I make a dandelion oil infusion with dried dandelion flowers and a carrier oil. Then, I use the oil in DIY beauty recipes.

Dandelion oil may sound odd since many people consider dandelions to be a weed. However, dandelions are actually an herb that in the same family as sunflowers. Like many medicinal herbs, such as  calendula and  plantain, dandelions also offer a number of benefits for the skin when infused in an oil.

Making homemade dandelion oil is great to use for its skin benefits. It will also give your  bath and beauty recipes a beautiful golden hue. Keep reading to learn more about dandelion infused oil uses and how to make it using either fresh or dried flowers.

Is Dandelion Oil Good for Skin?

Just as eating the root or aerial parts of dandelion offers nutritional benefits, dandelion oil makes a marvelous addition to your skin care routine. Dandelion infused oil has a number of natural properties that are good for skin. Once you learn how to make this herbal infused oil, you’ll discover how beautifully this yellow flower works as a  natural skin care ingredient.

Dandelion Oil Benefits for Skin

Dandelion oil benefits for skin include the following:

• Dandelions are high in  antioxidants, namely Vitamin C. Antioxidants fight free radicals that can cause signs of  aging.
• They may help to reduce skin  inflammation and skin irritation in addition to  improving skin hydration and boosting collagen production.
• Dandelions are high in potassium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus to promote skin health.
• In addition to Vitamin C, dandelions are also high in Vitamin A, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin K. These vitamins promote skin health and neutralize free radicals.
• Dandelion oil for skin may also have some  antimicrobial properties.

What Can I Make With Dandelion Infused Oil?

Generally, you can use dandelion infused oil in place of a carrier oil in most DIY beauty recipes. Here are some dandelion infused oil uses and things you make using an herbal infused oil:

• Dandelion Cleansing Balm: This homemade facial cleanser melts away makeup and oil to naturally clean your skin.
• Dandelion Soap Recipe: Use dandelion oil in this easy melt and pour soap recipe.
• Dandelion Lotion Bars: Use dandelion infused oil for skin in these dandelion lotion bars that nourish your skin in an easy solid lotion.
• Dandelion Lip Balm: Dandelion oil promotes skin health in this luxe lip balm recipe.
• Dandelion Body Butter: Dandelion infused oil promotes skin health in this non greasy body butter recipe.
• Dandelion Salve Recipe: Dandelion salve is excellent for dry skin.

How to Harvest Dandelions

Part of making herbal infusions involves safely harvesting or sourcing your plant materials. Here are some tips to help you safely harvest dandelions to make oil infusions for your natural skin care recipes:

• When you’re looking for dandelions to make a dandelion infused oil, make sure the flowers haven’t been sprayed with any chemicals. Also make sure they are in an area that dogs or other animals don’t visit. If you live near a busy road, pick flowers more than 500 feet from the road so they are not polluted.
• Pick dandelions in the early or mid afternoon because this is when the flowers are fully open and the dew is gone. Simply pick the flowers and reserve just the flower. You will not use the leaves or the stems for your dandelion infused oil for skin, so you do not need to pick them.
• Rinse flowers with cool water to remove small bugs and dirt. Then let dry on a towel or in a colander.

If you aren’t sure whether the dandelions in your area have been exposed to chemicals or pesticides, you can purchase  dandelion seeds to grow indoors so they don’t take over your yard. I typically buy my seeds and dried herbs from  Mountain Rose Herbs when I’m not able to source my own as they sell USDA organic products. While they don’t sell dried dandelion flowers (only the dried leaves and root are available for this product on their website) you can find organic dried dandelion flowers on Etsy  here.

Alternately, you may also be interest in taking a  foraging course for detailed information on foraging wild edibles and herbs safely, ethically, and sustainably.

How to Dry Dandelions to Make Herbal Infusions

You will use dried dandelion flowers to learn how to make dandelion oil. Here is how to dry dandelion flowers:

Air Drying

Air drying is the most common way to dry the flowers to make dandelion oil for skin. Here is how to air dry dandelions:

• To air dry dandelions, spread the dandelions onto a screen, wire rack or towel in a single layer.
• Then let dry for 2 days.
• Make sure they are completely dry before making dandelion infused oil.

Solar Drying

Solar drying dandelions involves drying the flowers using the natural warmth of the sun. Here is how to solar dry this herb:

• Spread the dandelion flowers on a towel or wire rack in a single layer outside or inside near a window where they will be in full sun. It will take one to three hours to dry.
• Keep an eye on them because they can get crispy and go to seed if left in the sun too long.

Dehydrator Method

You can also dry dandelions in a dehydrator. Here is how:

• To dry dandelions in a dehydrator, set it to medium.
• Then dry the flowers for 18 hours, taking care to check on them periodically.

Tips for Making Oil Infusions

Use these tips when you are learning how to make dandelion oil:

• In most cases, your dandelion flowers should be dry when you make your dandelion oil infusion. Water can cause mold to grow in your oil.
• Use a  carrier oil with a long shelf life so you don’t waste your infused oil.
• Dandelions will give the oil a golden hue that may alter the color of your DIY recipe.
• Wear gloves when you strain the infusion because the dandelions can stain your hands.
• If there are small pieces of dandelion left in the oil after straining, you can run the oil through a coffee filter.
• You can blend more than one herb at a time. Try adding  lavender or  chamomile for their skin benefits.

Supplies Needed to Make a Dandelion Oil Infusion

You will need the following supplies to make dandelion infused oil for skin:

• Dried Dandelion Flowers: Enough to fill a mason jar.
• Sweet almond oil: You can also use another  carrier oil of your choice depending on your skin care needs. Use enough to cover the flowers completely in the jar with an additional one-inch of oil on top.
• Pint or Quart Size Mason Jar: The size of the container you need depends on how much dandelion infused oil you want to make.
• Lid for Mason Jar: I recommend using a  plastic mason jar lid to prevent spills and prevent foreign objects from being introduced into your infusion. It also keeps you from having to line the inside of the canning jar ring and lid with parchment of wax paper.
• Cheesecloth: You use cheesecloth to strain the dandelions and remove them from the oil. A  nut milk bag also works.
• Canning funnel: This is optional, however, it assists with the straining process to make it easier.

How to Make Dandelion Oil (4 Ways)

You can learn how to make dandelion oil four different ways, two are slow methods and one is a quick method. I also have directions to make a quick infusion with fresh dandelion flowers.

Warm Infusion Method for Making Dandelion Oil

To make dandelion infused oil using the warm infusion method, you will need a large glass mason jar, dried dandelion flowers and a carrier oil of your choice. Here is how to infuse oil using the warm infusion method:

• Begin by sterilizing your mason jar. Once sterilized, fill the jar halfway with  dried dandelion flowers. Now pour the carrier oil of your choice over the calendula flowers until the oil is an inch above the dried herbs.
• Mix the oil and dandelion flowers together using a dry, sterilized spoon in order to evenly coat all of the flowers, and so no air bubbles remain. 
• Now place a square piece of wax paper over the mason jar you’re using for the oil infusion. (Alternately, you can also use a  plastic mason jar lid.) Screw the lid onto the jar and gently roll the jar or turn it to mix the ingredients.
• Set the jar in a warm, dark location, such as a kitchen cupboard. (It should be kept out of direct sunlight.) Allow the dandelion flowers to infuse in the oil for four to six weeks, shaking the mixture every few days to mix.
• Once the four to six week mark for making your warm infusion has passed, strain the dandelions from the oil using a cloth lined strainer, such as  cheesecloth. Alternately, you may also use a fine  mesh strainer or  nut milk bag for this purpose. It’s now ready to used in  natural skin care recipes of your choosing.

How to Make Solar Dandelion Infused Oil

To make a dandelion oil infusion using this method, you would follow the same instructions, as outlined above, for making a warm infusion. In this case, however, you will introduce sunlight to the infusion method. Here is how to solar infuse herbs in oil:

• Begin by sterilizing your mason jar. Once sterilized, fill the jar halfway with  dried dandelion flowers. Now pour the carrier oil of your choice over the calendula flowers until the oil is an inch above the dried herbs.
• Mix the oil and dandelion flowers together using a dry, sterilized spoon in order to evenly coat all of the flowers, and so no air bubbles remain. 
• Now place a square piece of wax paper over the mason jar you’re using for the oil infusion. (Alternately, you can also use a  plastic mason jar lid.) Screw the lid onto the jar and gently roll the jar or turn it to mix the ingredients.
• Once you’ve screwed the lid onto the jar for your oil infusion, place the jar inside a brown paper bag. (You can also wrap the jar in an opaque cloth.)
• Now place the jar in a sunny window. You should leave the herbal oil infusion in direct sunlight for a period of 1-2 weeks, mixing the ingredients, every few days.
• After which time, strain the oil and bottle in a sterilized glass jar.

Hot Infusion Method for Making Dandelion Oil

A third method of infusing plant material in oil is the hot infusion method. This is a quick infusion method, unlike warm and solar infusions, which are slow infusion methods. Follow these steps to make a hot dandelion oil infusion:

• Put water in the bottom of a double boiler and bring to a boil.
• Place dried flowers and the carrier oil in the top part of the double boiler. Mix the flowers and oil until the flowers are completely covered.
• Simmer the flowers and oil for an hour. Add more water to the bottom as needed.
• After an hour, strain out the flowers with cheesecloth and reserve the dandelion infused oil.

How to Make a Fresh Dandelion Oil Infusion

You can also use fresh dandelions to make dandelion oil using the hot infusion method without drying the dandelions prior. Here is how to make a fresh dandelion oil infusion:

• Wilt the dandelions for 12 to 24 hours to evaporate some of the water.
• Then infuse the dandelions and carrier oil in a jar in a double boiler or in a slow cooker. Leave the lid off the pan or slow cooker so water can evaporate. You want to heat the oil and flowers at around 100 degrees for about 10 days.
• Finally, strain out the flowers using cheesecloth.

For more information on the methods used to make infused oils as well as proper safety precautions, I recommend the  online herbalism courses from The Herbal Academy. You can also get an introduction to becoming an herbalist with this  free intro course.

How to Store Dandelion Oil

There are several ways to store a dandelion oil infusion:

• Once you’ve strained your oil and removed the plant material, you can store the dandelion oil in the same mason jar you used to make the oil.
• Alternately, you can also use a  funnel to pour and store the herbal oil infusion in dark amber bottles to protect it from light. You can  purchase amber bottles with screw tops, as well as with reducer caps and spray misters and pour spouts.
• Other airtight containers, such as these  pantry jars will also work, and are also great for gifting.

Where to Buy Dandelion Oil

If you want to enjoy the benefits of dandelion oil for skin but don’t want to make your own, you can buy dandelion infused oil. Here is where to source  herbal infused oil:

• Wildly 207: Their Maine Wildcrafted Dandelion Oil is infused in olive oil and sunflower oil using the solar infusion method.
• Andrea’s Organic Market: This dandelion oil is infused a cold pressed carrier oil of your choice. Choose from a sunflower, olive, or hemp seed oil infusion.
• Artemis and Eve: This company sells an oil infusion of dandelions in avocado oil. 
• Witchy Shawoman’s Wares: Dandelion and yarrow come infused in safflower oil with this blend. You can also buy an  oil infusion with burdock, valerian and dandelion root infused in olive oil.
• Hooves n Hackle Co: Homemade in West Virginia, this oil is an infusion of dandelions in sweet almond oil.
• Flowers of Magic: Here you’ll find dandelion that’s been infused in sunflower oil.

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More Ways to Make Herbal Oil for Skin

If you like this tutorial on how to make herbal oil infusions using dandelions, then explore these other ideas for making herbal oil for skin:

• Calendula Infused Oil
• Plantain Infused Oil

If you like my recipe on how to make body oil infused with herbs, then make sure you try my other exciting bath and body recipes. You can also Soap Deli News on  Facebook,  Twitter,  Pinterest, and  Instagram. Or  subscribe to the newsletter.