Looking to care for your skin, face, and hair with a gentle, soothing, and 100% natural oil? This step-by-step guide will show you how to make homemade chamomile oil, a precious ally in natural cosmetics. This is not about making an essential oil, but rather a gentler infusion that's easy to prepare at home. With just a few simple steps, discover how to capture the benefits of chamomile in a nourishing and soothing vegetable oil!
Which chamomile should you choose?
For a high-quality oil, the ideal is to grow your own chamomile in the garden and harvest the flowers at their peak in summer. Once picked, the chamomile tops should be carefully dried before use for infusion. Drying the chamomile flowers is recommended to avoid moisture that could make the oil rancid. Both Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) and German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) are perfectly suited for this purpose. These two varieties are easy to grow in the ground or in pots and offer abundant flowering, ideal for homemade oil preparation.
Which vegetable oil should you choose?
Since this involves making a chamomile infusion, it's important to choose a gentle, stable vegetable oil that complements the soothing properties of the plant. Sweet almond oil is one of the best options: it's very well tolerated, ideal for sensitive skin, and suitable for both body and facial care. It pairs perfectly with chamomile to calm redness, irritation, or tightness.
Jojoba oil is also an excellent choice, especially for facial use. Its light, non-greasy texture and affinity with the skin make it an ideal base for a balancing treatment, particularly if chamomile is used to soothe skin prone to inflammation or blemishes. Finally, for hair care, avocado oil deeply nourishes hair while enhancing the softening and brightening effects of the flower.
How to make homemade chamomile oil step by step ?
Equipment needed to make chamomile oil
- A clean, airtight glass jar
- Muslin cloth or fine filter
- Dark glass bottle
Ingredients for chamomile oil
- Approximately 25 to 30 g of dried chamomile flowers (about 2 good handfuls)
- 200 to 250 ml of vegetable oil
Steps for making chamomile oil
- Fill a clean, dry glass jar with dried chamomile flowers
- Pour in your chosen vegetable oil until the flowers are completely covered
- Seal the jar tightly
- Place the jar in sunlight for 3 to 4 weeks, gently shaking it daily
- After this time, strain the oil using a fine filter or muslin cloth
- Transfer the oil to a dark glass bottle to protect it from light
Benefits and properties of chamomile oil
Chamomile oil is known for its calming and anti-inflammatory properties. It soothes redness, itching, and skin irritation. On the face, it softens sensitive and reactive skin. With regular use, it helps create a more even complexion and a feeling of skin comfort. It is also renowned for calming sunburn or sensitive areas after hair removal. For hair, in addition to nourishing and softening the hair fibre, it is known to naturally revive blonde highlights and slightly lighten fair or light brown hair, especially when used before moderate sun exposure, which enhances its lightening effect. It also adds shine and helps soothe sensitive scalps.
How to use chamomile oil?
This oil can be applied directly to the skin or scalp with gentle massage. For the face, a few drops are enough as a night treatment or to replace a moisturiser. It also works perfectly as a base for homemade makeup remover or to enrich a hair mask or body cream. For hair, it can be used as a pre-shampoo oil treatment. For a lightening effect, leave chamomile oil on the hair for 1 to 2 hours, preferably in natural light. The combined action of sunlight and heat enhances the effectiveness of the natural lightening compounds present in chamomile. Weekly application gradually intensifies blonde highlights, especially on fair or light brown hair.
How to store chamomile oil?
The oil should be stored away from light, in a dark glass bottle, preferably in a cool, dry place. It keeps for several months if the preparation conditions were properly followed, especially if the flowers used were thoroughly dried. A slight unpleasant odour or change in colour may indicate that it is no longer usable or has gone rancid.
Precautions and contraindications for chamomile oil
Although homemade chamomile oil is generally well tolerated, some precautions are useful. It's advisable to do a patch test on the inner elbow before first use, especially for sensitive or reactive skin. If you have a known allergy to Asteraceae (the botanical family of chamomile), its use is not recommended. This family includes several common plants that may cause cross-reactions, such as arnica, dandelion, yarrow, daisy, or sunflower.
As the oil is intended for external use only, it should not be ingested. It does not replace medical treatment for serious skin conditions. For children over three years old, it can be used in small quantities, particularly to soothe redness or dry areas, provided a tolerance test is done first and contact with the face or eyes is avoided. Finally, for pregnant or breastfeeding women, although the oil is gentle, medical advice is always preferable before regular use.
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