Infusing Witch Hazel

Witch hazel is a great ingredient to have in your natural beauty cabinet. It is anti-inflammatory, soothing and healing, great for acne and other skin conditions, balances pH, and can be used to cleanse the skin. It is most often used as a toner, the step between cleansing and applying serum and/or moisturizer, and can be mixed with other ingredients to create a more multidimensional product. I have shared a couple of toner recipes here already, this more basic one and this one with a glycerine infusion, but you can also infuse the witch hazel itself with herbs to customize it for your particular needs. I like to infuse witch hazel with green tea for toner concoctions, but for this tutorial I’m infusing healing herbs for after sun spray for a class I’m giving later in the month.

If you follow me on instagram, you might already know that I’ve chosen to infuse two herbs into witch hazel intended for after sun spray. Calendula and rose are both well-known skin herbs that add extra healing qualities to the witch hazel and essential oils (added later) for sun damaged skin. Either one would be a great choice, but since I happen to have both of the herbs in stock, I am using both. After the infusion sits for 2-4 weeks, I will strain the herbs from the witch hazel, pour the liquid into spray bottles, then add essential oils. It’s surprisingly easy to do, just like making a tincture, and really the hardest part is straining it without making a royal mess.

Here’s how to infuse witch hazel:

You will need the following:

• 1 clean glass jar
• dried herbs such as calendula, rose petals, lavender, and/or green tea (enough to fill the jar about half full)
• witch hazel (enough to completely cover the dried herbs and have at least an inch of extra liquid on top)

Fill the jar about half full with the dried herbs, cover with enough witch hazel so that the herbs are completely saturated and there is at least an extra inch of liquid on top. Push the herbs down (they will float to the top) with a wooden chopstick until they are completely covered. Put a piece of plastic wrap over the cover if using a metal lid, otherwise just cover with a plastic lid and shake gently. Let it sit in a cool dry place for 2-4 weeks. The longer it sits, the stronger the infusion will be so wait the full 4 weeks if you can. Strain and use as is or add other ingredients such as aloe and/or essential oils such as peppermint for cooling or lavender for skin healing (or both).

Store in a cool, dry place, preferably the refrigerator since it is specifically for over-sunned skin. It will feel especially cool and soothing if it is fresh from the fridge, and if you do put aloe vera gel or juice into the mixture, it really needs to stay in the refrigerator to last for about 10 days. If there is no aloe in it, it will last for longer, so you can count on it being potent for a good three months or more, assuming no stray germs got into it during the creation process.

Thank you for reading and enjoy the sun safely! Please share with anyone prone to over-sunning themselves in the summertime.