How to make Infused Oils
From the Seeds next to the Flowers, the permeability of the Skin next to the deepest, in the fire of the Sun.
Oleatos in the Sun and in a water bath (vegetable oils macerated in medicinal plants)
The Preparation of Macerated Oils is really easy. Maceration is the process of leaving an herb in some medium, in this case, oil, for a certain time and passing the liposoluble active principles of the plant to the oil.
There are two maceration processes: cold and hot.
Cold maceration, which would be in the Fire of the Sun:
It is really preferable, if we have the time, to macerate the herbs in this way, since the essences are much better preserved.
We’ll need:
* A clear wide-neck jar.
* A selected herb (see the herb selection section in “How to prepare Mother Tinctures and what they are”).
* Oil: there are many options: it can be organic sunflower (there are some really good ones, cold pressed), olive (it has a lot of vitamin E, but due to its strong aroma it is usually mixed with other oils), coconut (this oil changes its consistency depending on the ambient temperature, it is recommended to put a maximum of 10% in the total mixture of oils), almonds (this one is great, it has no cons, except for the price).
The mixture of oils depends on our own inspiration and the purpose that the ointment is to serve.
* An amber bottle for storage.
Process:
- We put the Herb or Flowers in the jar (Calendula leaves an orange tinge in the oil, and it is also very nice to see the whole flowers floating in the oil).
- We cover the herb with the oil and let the latter exceed two centimetres, the herb should not be in contact with air.
- We use a piece of porous fabric, such as burlap or gauze to cover the jar, securing it with a rubber band.
- We put a label with the date, because we are going to leave the preparation for at least 14 days in maceration (we witches relate a lot with multiples of 7, magic number: sum of heaven 3 and earth 4, for the time of preparation of the potions; so we leave the herb in the oil 14 days, or 21 days, or 28, and so on) in the sun during the day and bringing the bottle inside at dusk, so that the dew drops do not enter it. In dry places, like Capilla del Monte, you could leave the oils overnight as well, so that they would absorb the energy of the moon, in addition to that of the sun.
- After the right time, strain the herb out and keep the oil in an amber glass bottle.
Put on a tag and voila!
Maceration of Oils in the Heat:
This procedure has the advantage that it can be done much faster. Many times I combine both procedures in the preparation of an ointment or cream (see “How to prepare Ointments and Creams”).
We need:
* A pot.
* A container preferably made of clay, that fits in the pot leaving the handles outside of it, to be able to manoeuvre without burning ourselves.
* Oil (see indications for cold maceration).
* Herb.
* Amber bottle for storage.
Process:
- Put the oil to heat in the clay container (it preserves the heat much better, and brings us closer to the earth) in a water bath (inside the pot with water), over a low, very, very low heat.
- Add the herb, the amount that is necessary, as long as the oil is covering it.
- Cover the clay container with a lid and let it macerate over the stove for four hours.
- It is important to add water, as it evaporates, in the bottom pot.
- Both to put the herb in the oil and to mix it (we will use a wooden spoon), we do it by turning in an anti-clockwise direction, which is the direction in which the earth rotates.
- After the maceration time, let it cool, strain and label.
These oils are highly appreciated for the preparation of Ointments, pomades and Creams…
It is very nice to prepare an orange Calendula oil, a green eucalyptus oil… and let your imagination run…
Nature is Pure Beauty!
About the type of oil, what do you need to know first?
- That it is cold pressed (that is not refined)
- Better if it is extracted from seeds of organic cultivation.
- There are specifications for skin types and oils, which are not as important as the previous points.
In our first preparations we will relate to these two:
Sunflower Oil (cold pressed)
After safflower oil, it is the richest in linoleic acid and after wheat germ oil, it is also richest in vitamin E. It is the oil extracted from sunflower seeds.
Ideal for the care of oily and combination skin, it is one of the few non-comedogenic oils, it also normalizes sebum secretion. Sunflower oil is very beneficial for the skin because it strengthens the natural protective barrier, softens and regenerates. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Contains linoleic acid (63%), waxes, phospholipids (lecithin), carotenes, vitamin E.
Strengthens the epidermis barrier, softens and smoothes the skin. It has anti-radicals and anti-inflammatory action.
Olive oil
Among some of its properties, it has a large proportion of essential fatty acids, which makes cosmetic products that have this natural oil, both body milk and facial creams, very effective and provide our skin with hydration, nutrition and elasticity.
It protects the skin from external aggressions, when it is cold we can add a few drops to our body cream and we can also apply this oil to our lips to keep them more hydrated.
Why do we specify that it is not refined?
To explain this process well, I am going to extract a part of the book “healthy fats” by Nestor Palmetti. After reading it, you will see, you will never want to have such a toxic poison in your kitchen ever again!!!!
“Knowing the industrial processes of extraction and refining of oils (which began to be carried out at the beginning of the 20th century), we will understand the magnitude of the problem.
Given that each type of seed has a different industrial process and that the scope of this work prevents us from going into specific technical details, we invite those interested in deepening the subject, to consult the work of Dr. Jaime Scolnik “La mesa del vegetariano”, which analyzes in detail the industrial extractive system of each oil. Here we will limit ourselves to the general basics that affect the nutritional quality of oils.
Oilseeds (sunflower, corn, flax, cotton, peanut, etc.) deliver oil through a mechanical compression process. Depending on the quality of the press and the hardness of the seed, if the process is carried out completely cold, it is possible to extract up to 20% of the oil contained. But since these values are commercially unsatisfactory, large industries use temperature, heating the seeds before pressing, until they reach values between 80º and 100º C. After the first pressure, the oil still contained in the seed is extracted in a second step with the help of a solvent derived from petroleum (hexane), making the mixture boil. What is obtained is then subjected to temperatures of the order of 150ºC in order to recover the solvent by evaporation, a process that never reaches 100% efficiency and therefore leaves toxic residues in the oil. Depending on the type of seed, in all these processes treatments with caustic soda and/or sulfuric acid are used to correct the acidity and neutralise the oil.
Thus, the so-called “crude” oil is reached, whose state would be unpresentable for the consumer and which requires further refining processes in order to be packaged. In the neutralisation process, sodium hydroxide is used, where the combination with free fatty acids allows the separation of the soap produced. Minerals and valuable phospholipids are lost along with the soap. Then the degumming process is carried out, which removes more phospholipids (lecithin) and minerals (iron, copper, calcium, magnesium, etc.).
Then comes bleaching, a process that is carried out under vacuum at temperatures of the order of 95º / 110º C, with the aid of bleaching agents (such as aluminium hydrosilicate), where chlorophyll, xanthophyll and beta-carotene pigments are eliminated. Finally, deodorization is carried out, a process that requires temperatures between 180º and 270ºC in a controlled atmosphere. This is done to remove bad tastes and odours from the oil, products of the same industrial process, since they were not present in the original seed. With the flavours and odours, the aromatic oils and the remaining surviving free fatty acids are removed.
At this point the reader, even if he or she does not have technical knowledge, can imagine what remains in that transparent, tasteless and odourless liquid that we see in the transparent containers of the aisles, many times ostentatiously presented as the result of “five refining processes”, but without nutritional value, toxic and requiring antioxidants (generally synthetic) to prevent it from going rancid so it can withstand months of permanence on the shelves exposed to light.
From 110ºC the fatty acids begin to alter chemically. Above 150ºC, unsaturated fats become mutagenic, that is, dangerous for our genes, and carcinogenic. Above 160ºC, trans fatty acids are formed. This occurs when a transfiguration of the oil has occurred and the hydrogen molecules have moved out of place. In our body they act worse than saturated fat, they are toxic, they create free radicals, they are mutagenic and carcinogenic.
The industries do not tell us that part of the oil they sell us is in a trans configuration and they do not warn us of its dangers. Many researchers believe that this is one of the primary causes of the great challenges of the modern era: cancer and heart disease. It is also not suggested to the consumer that polyunsaturated oils should not be used in cooking processes due to their tendency to oxidation (perhaps because they have already been cooked in the extractive process and have been added antioxidants). In the same way, there is no warning about the need to protect unsaturated oils from light (a fact that in the past was achieved with the use of dark glass bottles), deterioration magnified by transparent containers and the lighting of the supermarket aisles. ”
Extracted from “Grasas Saludables”, Néstor Palmetti.