Make a flower-based lotion

In spring and summer, flowers bloom and fill the air with fragrance. It’s a good time to harvest them to enjoy their benefits. Then two options are available: use them fresh or dry them for later use.

A very simple and quick way to extract active constituents from plants is to make a flower lotion. This can be tonic, soothing or purifying depending on flower used.

Using plants from your garden also ensures they are fresh and untreated.

Now let’s see how to make the lotion.

Some flowers and garden plants can be used to make homemade flower lotions

How to make a flower lotion?

As already mentioned, this is a very simple preparation within everyone’s reach and does not require any special equipment.

Ingredients

- Water. About 250 ml. If your tap water is very hard, you can use mineral water or demineralised water.

- Fresh or dried flowers. About a handful for the quantity given above.

Equipment

- A small saucepan

- A strainer

- A small sterilised container to store the lotion. A small spray bottle will be ideal, as it will greatly ease use of the lotion.

Flowers, clean small bottles or spray bottles and a small strainer will be needed to make your flower lotion

Steps

Now let’s proceed step by step.

Step 1

Start by bringing water to the boil. 250 ml of water is sufficient because the lotion only keeps for a few days. There is therefore no need to prepare large quantities. You can even make a smaller amount to fit the container.

Step 2

While waiting for the water to boil, gently rinse fresh flowers under a trickle of water to remove insects, dust and other potential debris. This step is not necessary for dried flowers.

Step 3

Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat then pour the flowers into the boiling water. Stir the flowers with a spoon so they are well soaked before covering the pan with a lid to prevent active constituents from evaporating.

Infusing the flowers in boiling water helps extract their active constituents

Leave to infuse for at least 15 minutes. You can leave longer if you want a higher concentration of these active constituents in your lotion.

Step 4

Once your infusion is ready, strain it and let it cool sufficiently to be able to use it without risk of burning.

That’s it — it’s ready!

I recommend transferring the lotion into a small spray bottle; this will make its use much easier while avoiding waste.

Also note that the colour and scent of your lotion will not always closely resemble those of the flower.

This preparation is also relatively delicate. The lotion will only keep for a few days, at most a week, in the refrigerator.

Which flowers for a tonic, soothing or purifying lotion?

Although many cosmetic products are made from plants sourced far away, many garden flowers can also be used to make lotions with various properties. Here are a few examples:

Damask rose, Rosa damascena, as well as musk rose, Rosa moschata, are reputed to slow skin ageing and the appearance of wrinkles.
Marigold, or Calendula officinalis, is known for healing and soothing properties for irritations.
Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile, is said to be soothing for skin, much like chamomile tea is for the nervous system.
Lime blossom, Tilia cordata and Tilia platyphyllos, are said to have soothing properties.
Elder, Sambucus nigra, is anti-inflammatory and can soothe irritations.
Daisy, Bellis perennis, can help restore tone to skin.
Lavender, Lavandula officinalis, is said to be purifying and regenerating.
Cornflower, Centaurea cyanus, is renowned for its soothing action on eyes. Exceptionally, boil the flowers for 1 to 2 minutes to properly sterilise the preparation since it will be applied to the eyes. Then make sure to let the lotion cool thoroughly before applying to avoid any risk of burning.
Nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus, is used as a hair tonic to slow hair loss and stimulate regrowth.