Homemade Dandelion Oil: Recipe and Skin Benefits

The dandelion, which cheerfully returns to our lawns from March onwards, may be a source of irritation for some, but it can transform into the perfect flower for homemade beauty treatments! It can be used to prepare an oil or flower macerate that's particularly interesting at this time of year.

With its beautiful golden colour, the often-unwanted dandelion reveals itself not only as an edible plant (all its parts, from root to flower, can be used for infusions, vinegars, delicious salads or a charmingly named jelly called cramaillote), but its flowers also hide numerous benefits for the skin. Discover in this tutorial how to make your own dandelion oil: a simple recipe that takes just minutes!

Dandelion oil macerate: benefits and uses

We should actually refer to it as an oil macerate, the correct term, which involves steeping plants in a neutral vegetable oil for several weeks to extract their natural compounds and active ingredients. The most well-known are St. John's wort for relieving muscle aches and calendula (the marigold in our gardens), but dandelion oil is another macerate worth discovering, made by steeping the flowering tops. These maceration oils are always reserved for external use, in skincare and massage.

What is dandelion macerate used for?

We know the benefits of dandelion roots and leaves in phytotherapy (reputed to be rich in inulin and polyphenols), but the active compounds in dandelion flowers also have their say! Dandelion flowers contain compounds such as flavonoids, carotenoids and phenolic acids. They are reputed to be regenerative for the skin, as these compounds are said to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and moisturising properties.

Much like St. John's wort, but with the major advantage of not being photosensitising, dandelion macerate is mainly indicated for:

As a massage oil to relieve muscle tension and joints.
As a relaxing oil for stress
To naturally treat sunburn.
As a local treatment to soothe eczema, acne and psoriasis.
You can also use this care oil as an ingredient to incorporate into restorative balms based on coconut or shea butter, for dry or chapped skin, as it has moisturising properties.
Dandelion is even known for its brightening action. It was once used to supposedly fade freckles!

Important! Be aware that some people allergic to Asteraceae won't be able to use it.

When and how to harvest dandelion flowers?

Harvest the flowers in the morning during spring, as soon as they're fully open and the dew has evaporated. Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) grow on our lawns in spring, it's best to pick them from your own garden rather than from meadows or roadside verges where they may be contaminated by animal waste or nearby pesticides.

How to prepare a dandelion oil macerate?

The dandelion oil macerate is essentially a simple cold infusion of flowers in a neutral oil. As with all homemade care preparations, be meticulous about cleanliness and sterilisation of the equipment used.

Ingredients and equipment needed to make two 200ml bottles of dandelion oil

Freshly picked dandelion flower heads (or dried flowers from organic shops or herbalists if unavailable), enough to fill your jar (between 100 and 150g)
A good organic neutral vegetable oil* (sunflower oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil or sesame oil)
A 500ml transparent glass jar with lid for maceration (reused or like a jam jar), or ideally a jar without a lid + muslin, a piece of linen cloth or a coffee filter and string
A wooden spoon that's perfectly clean
Some string or a large elastic band
Opaque 200ml bottles with lids
A fine sieve or muslin cloth
A pretty label

Dandelion oil recipe

Sterilise your maceration jar.
Harvest dandelion flowers, keeping about 0.5cm of stem.
Dry them flat for 24 hours on a clean cloth in a heated room, to allow any small insects to leave and to remove residual moisture.
Fill the jar three-quarters full with flowers, then completely cover them with oil. Press down lightly with a wooden spoon to remove air bubbles. Stir gently. Add more oil until the jar is full.
Seal the jar with muslin or a piece of cloth and secure with an elastic band or string.
Place the jar in a room at room temperature, in sunlight, by a window for example.
The maceration should last two weeks, ideally three **: stir every two days with a clean spoon. Check for absence of mould or fermentation (especially if using fresh flowers). Extended maceration allows better extraction of active compounds.
After this maceration period, strain the liquid through a fine sieve, then a second time through the sieve lined with muslin, into a clean bowl. The liquid should be perfectly clear.
Pour the resulting macerate – now a beautiful golden colour – into an opaque bottle, which should also have been sterilised in boiling water. Seal tightly with the lid.
Label with the date.

* You can choose to mix oils, combining their benefits. If you're preparing your oil macerate mainly for use as a massage oil for muscle pain, prefer sesame oil for its anti-inflammatory action. If it's for incorporating into balms or creams for the skin, opt for sweet almond, jojoba or sunflower oil instead. Olive oil is one of the most stable for optimal preservation.

** If using dried flowers, infuse for four to five weeks.

How to store dandelion oil macerate?

Store your bottle of dandelion oil in a dark place at room temperature, with a cool pantry being ideal. A dark-coloured bottle always ensures better preservation. To guarantee perfect preservation, two things are crucial during preparation: no damp flowers at the start, and all flowers must be completely submerged in oil! Finally, as mentioned earlier, the base oil affects shelf life: olive and jojoba oils are the champions.

This homemade dandelion macerate only keeps for a few months (between 6 and 9 months), as it goes rancid quite quickly. So you'll need to make it fresh each spring if you develop a taste for it. If the bottle emits a sharp, suspicious smell? Definitely don't use it.

Feel free to share your own homemade plant oil recipes in the comments!