Golden Elixir: How to Make & Use Dandelion-Infused Oil

Dandelions mark the beginning of spring. While many people think of them as annoying weeds that take over our yards in the early warm days, I have learned to love and appreciate them! They fill my yard with beautiful yellow flowers and encourage the bees to come out and pollinate! Sure, they get into places where I may not want them (like my garden) but it’s worth it. A couple of years ago I started learning about some of the benefits of dandelions and since then my appreciation has grown and I’ve started to make things like this dandelion-infused oil. I love it when that kind of stuff happens.

I had a similar experience recently with plantains, which grow all over my yard. Plantains are a powerhouse “weed” and you can read more about them and learn how to infuse oil with them HERE. If you want to take it a step further and make a salve with your plantain-infused oil, check THIS post out.

This post contains affiliate links. This will not cost you anything but will help us to offset the cost of running the blog. We only share products we are using and are items we would recommend to a friend. Thank you for your support! Click ‘HERE’ for more info.

Dandelion-Infused Oil – What You Need

First of all, what is an infused oil? An infused oil is an oil that absorbs the vitamins and properties of an herb. In this case, dandelions, have a lot of vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids in them that are beneficial to our skin and health. Who knew?! You don’t need a lot of supplies to make dandelion-infused oil, so why not take advantage of those golden beauties in your yard?

Here’s what you need:

• dandelion flowers
• tray or somewhere to dry the flowers
• jars with lids
• organic olive oil, sunflower oil, or whatever oil you want to infuse
• cheesecloth or coffee filter
• funnel

Choose your Dandelions Wisely

The first thing you need to do is collect your dandelion flowers. Be 100% certain that what you’re picking are, in fact, dandelions. There are a few plants that might look like dandelions so you want to double check with a plant identifying app to make sure they are the right plant. I found another plant in my yard called a Sow Thistle and the flowers are so similar, it can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference. It is a good idea to double-check the type with any plant or herb that you’re planning to eat or make something with. Make sure your dandelions are clean. You don’t want to get them from somewhere that sprays weed or bug killers on them. How many you collect depends on how much oil you plan to infuse. Once the dandelions are collected, rinse them off!

Next, lay them out on a tray to let them dry. I let mine dry for a few days and tossed them a couple of times before they were dry just to make sure everything dried evenly. If there is moisture in the flowers when you put them in the oil they could go rancid or mold because of the water. We don’t want that.

It’s Time to Infuse the Oil with Dandelions!

The number of flower heads you put into the jars is really up to you. There isn’t a magic number. I put as many flowers as would fit in 3 quart-sized jars. Then I filled the jar with organic olive oil, making sure the oil covered the dandelions. Depending on what you are going to use your infused oil for, you may want to use a different oil. Sunflower oil is also a great choice! I plan to use this oil in a few different salve and soap recipes and they call for olive oil.

Store your oil in a cool, dark place for about 4 weeks. The sun and heat will destroy all the good stuff in your dandelions so make sure to keep it away from windows. I stored mine in my pantry so I could admire it once in a while. And I won’t lie…also so I didn’t forget about it!

When the Wait is OVER

After about 4 weeks your oil should be a beautiful yellow color and the amazing benefits should be infused! It is ready to strain. I used a cheesecloth and a funnel to strain the oil into a jar. After pouring the oil out, squeeze the cheesecloth to get all of the oil out. Don’t let any of that liquid gold go to waste. Continue to store your dandelion-infused oil out of the sun until you’re ready to use it!

What can I use Dandelion-Infused Oil for?

Dandelions have many uses! I can’t believe I went almost 30 years of my life without knowing it. I’m happy to say that each year I’m learning more and more about the world around me. I’m excited to be able to share what I’m learning with you and with my kids. Here are some of the benefits of dandelion-infused oils and what you can do with it!

• You can use the infused oil as is or in a balm/salve to help with dry, cracked skin. It is high in vitamins A, C, and E which will help moisturize and nourish the skin.
• When used in a salve, dandelion-infused oil can help heal minor cuts & bruises because of its natural antifungal and antibacterial properties.
• Because of the vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids dandelion-infused oil is a great soap ingredient for all skin types.
• Dandelions have anti-inflammatory properties which help calm irritated or swollen skin.
• Dandelion-infused olive oil can be used in cooking too to get the anti-inflammatory benefits as well as gain access to vitamins and antioxidants.

I will definitely be experimenting with some cold process soap recipes using my newly made dandelion-infused soap. During the last two years I’ve been learning more and more about natural ingredients and my desire to create my own products using only natural ingredients has grown exponentially. The idea of putting all the toxic ingredients and chemicals on my body is disgusting. You might enjoy reading this post detailing more of the reasons I started making my own soap and other products.

Print

Dandelion-Infused Oil

Get the benefits of dandelions in the oil of your choice to add to soaps, salves, or even your recipes! Follow these super simple instructions to learn how to infuse oil with this golden "weed"

Equipment

• 4 cups dandelions per quart jar
• 4 cups organic olive oil/sunflower oil or other oil of your choice, per quart jar
• tray
• quart size mason jars
• cheesecloth
• funnel

Instructions

• Collect the dandelion flowers. Be 100% certain you're picking dandelions and not a similar flower.
• Rinse the flowers and spread them out on a tray to dry for 2-3 days.
• Put dried flowers into a quart sized jar (or whatever size you want to make!)
• Fill the jar with oil to cover the flowers. The oil-to-flower ratio is not exact. I just filled the jar with flowers and squished them down a little bit. Then filled with oil.
• Store in a cool, dry place for about 4 weeks.
• Using a cheesecloth and a funnel, strain the dandelions. Squeeze any excess oil out of the dandelions using the cheesecloth.
• Store oil in a cool, dry place until ready to use!