How You Can Make Potent Herbal Infused Oils To Use In Your Witchcraft
Herbal infused oils are some of my favorite things to make and use in my witchcraft practice and so can you!
Herbal oils infused with a magick and moon energy, are simply amazing and easy to make!
*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products that I use and find value in suggesting. You can make magickal herbal oils from just about any herbs in your apothecary. These can be used for:
Amplifying Spells
Manifestation
Anionting
Charging Candles
Shadow Work
God or Goddess Work
Meditation
Potions
Massage and Healing
Ointments, Salves, Skincare, and Lotions
They’re also safer to use and way less expensive than using essential oils and the best part is:
You don’t have to wait weeks for your oils to be finished and ready to use!
I like to infuse my oils with single herbs but you can make a blended infused oil as well that can meet any of your needs. However, I like making individual oils because you can pick and choose what you need at any given time.
So, what makes this oil different than typical infused herbal oils?
A bit of alcohol and heat. Oh, and magick of course!
For the magick, I use oil that I set out under a new moon, full moon, or dark moon depending on the energy I want in the oil. You can also create a crystal grid around the oil while it’s under the moon. Or, place a crystal on top of the jar that has the energy you want in the oil. You can also set an intention for what you want the oil to accomplish as it’s being used.
Making oil this way does take a bit of planning, but it’s so worth it. You can make basic oil without the magick and it will still be very healing. But the magick just adds that extra kick and you’re a witch after all!
So how this works:
I like my herbal oils pretty potent so I use a 1:4 ratio. Learn more about ratios here.
You’ll also need to use fractionated coconut oil. It can be found in most grocery stores. However, it’s labeled as MCT oil but it’s not a true MCT oil. It’s actually fractionated coconut oil but I like it because it stays liquid at cold temperatures. I like Better Body Foods* brand.
This is very important! This coconut oil stays liquid even when cold, has a longer shelf life, and is more heat tolerant. Don’t use regular coconut oil or it will become solid at room temperature. Other fractionated coconut oil can work because it will stay liquid at room temperature but will go solid when cold.
Can you use other oils?
Yes, but the reason I love and use this particular fractionated coconut oil is for the reasons stated above. Plus it’s clear with no odor so the color and aroma of the herbs really get to shine. Other oils tend to go rancid faster and olive oil imparts a lot of color and aroma. Avocado oil is another good choice because it’s very heat tolerant and stays liquid at room temp but does go solid when cold.
You’ll also need a kitchen scale.
If you plan on making oils, tinctures, and any other of the recipes and formulations, a scale is a must. You can get an inexpensive one on Amazon.
This is because you need to weigh herbs due to the fact that they have different volumes. An ounce of lavender flowers has way more volume than say, gentian root.
You’ll need to measure your oil by liquid volume. This means a measuring cup for liquid.
So, the alcohol bit.
You’ll need 100 proof alcohol. In this case it should be vodka so it doesn’t impart flavor or color. It doesn’t need to be the good stuff.
Why you ask? We’re using it as an intermediary solvent. The alcohol helps extract the chemical compounds in the herbs that we really want in a way that the oil on it’s own, can’t.
Don’t worry, the amount used is small and it evaporates out by the end. My favorite book that explains this process is The Modern Herbal Dispensatory.
You can skip the alcohol but you won’t get as potent of an oil.
Why the heat?
In addition to the alcohol, low heat helps pull out even more of the herbal compounds and chemicals. This is what make makes a very potent and healing oil. The trick is low heat. You’re not cooking the oil, just adding enough heat to create the potent oil.
You can skip the heat as well as the alcohol. You’ll need to set your oil in a warm spot for about a month. I always recommend making the oil both ways so you can see the difference.
What you’ll need to make the oil:
Herb/s of choice
100 proof alcohol
Clean glass jar with a lid. Large enough to hold all of the herb and oil
Liquid measuring cup
Crockpot
Sieve, coffee filters, or cheesecloth
Herbal Infused Oil Recipe 1:4 Ratio:
4 ounces Fractionated Coconut Oil
1 ounce of 100 proof vodka
This recipe is for 4 ounces of oil (This is typically the smallest batch I make). If you’d like to make 8 ounces, double the ingredients.
Day one: Place the herb/s in the clean glass jar. Add 1 ounce of alcohol. Stir really well. Make sure the herb/s are coated and moist. (If you hate that word, I’m sorry!)
The herb/s shouldn’t be saturated or super wet. There should be just enough alcohol to dampen it. If you need to add a touch more you can.
Screw the lid on and let sit for 24 hours. This gives the alcohol time to do its magic.
After 24 hours, add the oil. Give it a good stir.
Fill your crock pot with about an inch and a half of hot water. Set the temperature on low or keep warm if your crock pot has that option. We’re not trying to cook the oil. Just provide enough heat to extract the herb’s compounds.
Leave the lid off of the jar and set it in the crock pot water bath. It should be heavy enough that the jar doesn’t float in the water. If it does, remove some water from the crock pot.
Leave the lid off for an hour. This will allow the remaining alcohol to evaporate. After an hour, place the lid back on the jar. Let the oil sit in the water bath for 8-12 hours. Stir or shake it occasionally.
You may need to add more hot water to the crock pot to ensure there’s about an inch of water at all times. Don’t let the crock pot go dry.
After 8-12 hours your oil should be done. It should smell very fragrant and have absorbed color from the herb/s. The oil may be very dark, this is normal.
Some herbs may not produce a dark oil or take on a lot of aroma. They’re still very potent oils. This is due to their volatile oil compounds not extracting in oil as well as they would during a distillation process. Volatile oils are simply the aroma chemicals in a plant. What makes them smell a certain way.
Some oils this happens with are rose petals, jasmine flowers, and cinnamon. They will create light colored oils with subtle fragrance. This doesn’t affect the potency or magick.
Strain the oil though a mesh sieve, use a coffee filter, or cheesecloth. Squeeze as much oil as you can from the herb/s. Just be careful if using a coffee filter, it can pop! Then you’ll have to restrain the oil. If the oil has a lot of sediment, you may need to stain it twice. Decant the oil into a dark bottle such as amber boston rounds. Label and date.
You’re magickal infused oil is now ready to use!
