Have you ever made an herbal infusion before? Chances are you have, in the form of a tea. You can also make herbal infusions with carrier oils, such as Jojoba, Olive, and Shea butter. Making herbal infused oils is a great way to enhance and turbo charge the healing powers of your preferred plant oil because many of the healing and beautifying compounds in the plants you choose are then extracted into the oil, and then delivered to your face.
Now, you may be wondering what herbs are good to put onto your face. And while there are many, we’ll outline just a few here, specifically Horsetail, Rosehips and Comfrey. Horsetail is an herb that has an extremely high silica content, which goes hand in hand with collagen production, and skin elasticity. Horsetail helps to strengthen the skin and contributes to overall tissue regeneration.
Rosehips are basically the berries of wild roses, and many people enjoy taking them as a tea due to their lemony flavor and high vitamin C content. And it is this exact vitamin C content that makes Rosehips such a great addition to your Shea butter skincare, as vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that is especially effective at preventing and healing the damaging effects of photo aging on the skin.
Comfrey is a nourishing green herbal that is renowned for its ability to stimulate the growth of new, healthy tissue. Many people even use it to help in the healing of mild sprains and tears. For the skin, it makes a wonderful Shea butter skincare elixir as it aids in the proper maintenance and repair of the skin.
Making a raw African Shea butter infusion with one, or all, of these herbs is super easy. All you have to do is gently melt some raw Shea butter slowly over a double boiler, and when it has melted add in your herbs (they must be dried, not fresh). Mix herbs and Shea together, and transfer to a glass jar and allow to infuse from two weeks up to two months. When you are ready to strain, simply melt your Shea butter once again, and strain out the herbs.
Making your own Shea butter herbal infusion is such a great way to enhance the beneficial effects of your Shea butter skincare routine. It also makes a great gift or activity to do with friends. You can start simple and only use one of the featured herbs, or go for it and use all three!