Calendula-Rose Body Oil
Water is the best moisturizer for your skin. The problem is, water quickly evaporates and leaves your skin drier than it started. In order to get the longest-lasting effects, moisturize after a bath or shower while your skin is still just barely damp. This will help keep the plumpness of your skin and reduce the chances of dry, scaly-looking skin. Good choices for body moisturizers are my age-reverse face and body lotion (see page 323 of our Sourcebook) or an herbal-infused body oil.
Today, we're teaching you how to make Calendula-Rose Body Oil. If you're planting a flower garden this spring, it's a great idea to keep in mind the ingredients listed below and incorporate them into your harvest. This body oil is wonderful for dry or itchy skin. It smells lovely and feels divine. For the best results, massage into your skin immediately after bathing.
To get started, prepare...
- Dried calendula petals
- Dried rose petals
- Sweet almond oil
- Sesame seed oil
- Essential oils of choice (I love rose and jasmine or a combination of frankincense, lavender, and sage)
1. Fill a jar one-third full with a combination of dried calendula petals and dried rose petals. Then fill the jar half full of sweet almond oil and half full of sesame seed oil.
2. Put on the lid, and place the jar in a sunny window.
3. Give the jar a gentle shake every day for 1 week.
4. Keep the jar in the sunny window for 1 to 3 weeks after that, and then strain out the petals. Add a few drops of your desired essential oils to give it a lovely scent.
5. To use, massage approximately 2 tablespoons of the oil into towel-dried skin immediately after bathing while skin is just slightly damp.
TIP: A good rule of thumb for essential oils is one percent dilution for face products and two percent dilution for body products. For 1 cup of herbal-infused oil, add no more than 48 drops total of essential oil if it will be used on your face. If you will only use it on your body, you can add up to 96 drops of essential oil per cup of herbal-infused oil—although personally I prefer a one percent dilution even on my body.