The ambition of the budding herbalist’s apothecary can quickly overwhelm the kitchen cabinets. It’s easy to make herbal remedies, the harder part is using them up before next year’s harvest. I have an easy solution for culling old (and new) remedies from your apothecary to make space for fresh extracts: DIY body care products!
In this article, we’ll explore how tinctures, glycerites, oils, and vinegars can elevate your body care recipes, both as carriers for your precious herbs and for the unique functional benefits they offer as raw solvents. Alcohol, glycerin, oil, and apple cider vinegar can support your remedies by increasing shelf life, adjusting pH, improving hydration, and softening the skin.
Beyond the benefits of individual herbs in your hair, skin, and nail remedies, the solvents themselves can impart unique traits to your body care creations.
Alcohol is the solvent used to make tinctures. It is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial, making it excellent at helping to preserve your body care remedies that contain a water phase. Alcohol is the most commonly used solvent in herbal extraction due to its strong ability to break down tough plant materials like berries and barks. It effectively extracts a wide range of compounds, including waxes, fats, resins, select volatile oils, and many alkaloids.
Hair rinses, facial toners, lotions, creams, and pre-hydrated masks are all great mediums for incorporating your herbal tinctures. However, as many an aesthetician will tell you, alcohol can be drying to the skin. Therefore, I tend to not use more than 5-10% tincture in my recipes.
Let’s say you are making 1 cup (240ml) of a facial toner and you plan to incorporate hydrosol, aloe juice, tincture, and some essential oils. To determine what 10% tincture would amount to, simply multiply [240ml x 0.1] = 24ml tincture. Therefore, 24ml tincture would be added to your recipe to both impart the supportive benefits of your herbal extracts and help preserve the toner’s shelf life.
Glycerin is the alcohol-free solvent of choice for children’s formulas and for those avoiding alcohol. It has a naturally sweet flavor that enhances taste, making it a gentle and pleasant option for herbal extracts. The sweet flavor also has the benefit of reducing the bitterness so often found in herbs, and helps to harmonize multi-herb extract blends.
Glycerin acts similarly to alcohol in extracting many herbal constituents. Plus, you can now find organic glycerins that are soy and palm-free, making them a cleaner, more sustainable plant-based alternative.
Topically, glycerin is widely used in skin care products around the globe for its humectant properties, meaning it draws moisture from the air to the skin’s surface, promoting soft, plump, and hydrated skin.
I have always loved incorporating herbal glycerites in my internal herbal formulas to improve flavor and client compliance, but once I started blending herbal glycerites into my skin and body care products, everything changed. The improvement in my skin was immediate: softer, more hydrated, and visibly healthier. I’ve been incorporating them into my formulations ever since. Like tinctures, glycerites are blended into the water phase of lotions and creams, and are miscible (meaning they homogenize) in any body care recipe that includes waters (aloe, hydrosol, water, etc.).
Oil is a lovely medium for infusing herbs. All of nature’s oils, which typically come from pressed nuts and seeds, are naturally emollient/occlusive, meaning that they are moistening and softening the skin. Plus, many oils have mild sun protective qualities. Infused oils are wonderful on their own. I always have a seasonal herbal body oil blend going in my bathroom, as I live in a dry climate and have naturally dry skin.
Herbs like St. John’s wort, calendula, and arnica are best extracted in oil, as their beneficial constituents, such as anti-inflammatory compounds and skin-soothing agents, are more effectively drawn out in this gentle, lipid-based medium. Colorful, antioxidant-rich anthocyanins and carotenoids found in many plants impart vibrant greens, reds, and oranges to your herbal oils.
On their own, infused oils are commonly used in topical applications for cuts and abrasions, bruises, sore muscles and joints, and to stimulate lymphatic movement. They can also be added to any body care recipes that have an oil phase, so salves/balms, butters, and emulsions. Take every opportunity to enhance your homemade body care with your herbal oils.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is the most common vinegar used for “acetum” remedies. It is acidic, has a pH of around 2-3, and when added to skin and body care products, it is beneficial in two ways: First, ACV contains about 4-6% acetic acid, which is a common preservative in many topical and food products and inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and molds.
Second, the low pH of ACV is complementary to the skin’s “acid mantle,” the thin, protective film on the surface of the skin which is made up of sebum, sweat, and beneficial microbes. Many common skin imbalances can be supported with diluted herbal vinegar-based products, which can help maintain this acidity.
Another exciting trait of apple cider vinegar is that raw, unfiltered ACV contains the “mother” culture, which is the living matrix of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that forms during fermentation. When incorporated into topical products, this naturally probiotic-rich vinegar can help support a healthy microbial balance on the skin’s surface. This makes it especially helpful for addressing bacterial imbalances associated with issues like acne, dandruff, dry flaky skin, and body odor.
Herbal vinegars are ideal for extracting minerals from herbs like nettles, horsetail, and cleavers. The natural mineral content in the vinegar itself helps draw out and preserve these nutrients, following the principle of “like attracts like.”
Understanding the unique benefits of each raw solvent is a game-changer when it comes to crafting effective body care products. Pair that with the plant wisdom infused in your herbal remedies, and your self-care game is about to seriously level up.
If you want to keep diving deeper into making potent, targeted herbal medicine, it all comes down to chemistry and polarity. Every therapeutic phytochemical has a solvent that best matches its polarity, and when you align the two, you get the most effective extraction possible.
Want to Learn More About Crafting Herbal Remedies?
Check out Colleen’s Herbal Remedies Intensive!
Topics: Aromatherapy, Specialty Ingredients
Colleen Bingham is a lifelong nature-loving nerd and the founder of Herb Nerd, a digital education hub for herbal medicine making and natural product development. She started her herbal journey in 2010 thanks to the writings of Rosemary Gladstar and an introductory herbal program with Jane Bothwell at the Dandelion Herbal Center, later deepening her knowledge at the California School of Herbal Studies, where she became core faculty and taught for a decade. Colleen is a Certified Herbalist, natural product formulator, and educator with 13+ years of experience in the wellness space. She’s taught hundreds of students how to make herbal remedies from scratch, combining traditional wisdom with scientific insight. At herbnerd.com, her deep love of solubility, extraction, and phytochemistry culminates in niche courses that deepen her students’ understanding of why and how plants heal.
The ambition of the budding herbalist’s apothecary can quickly overwhelm the kitchen cabinets. It’s easy to make herbal remedies, the harder part is using them up before next year’s harvest. I have an easy solution for culling old (and new) remedies from your apothecary to make space for fresh extracts: DIY body care products!
In this article, we’ll explore how tinctures, glycerites, oils, and vinegars can elevate your body care recipes, both as carriers for your precious herbs and for the unique functional benefits they offer as raw solvents. Alcohol, glycerin, oil, and apple cider vinegar can support your remedies by increasing shelf life, adjusting pH, improving hydration, and softening the skin.
Beyond the benefits of individual herbs in your hair, skin, and nail remedies, the solvents themselves can impart unique traits to your body care creations.
Alcohol is the solvent used to make tinctures. It is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial, making it excellent at helping to preserve your body care remedies that contain a water phase. Alcohol is the most commonly used solvent in herbal extraction due to its strong ability to break down tough plant materials like berries and barks. It effectively extracts a wide range of compounds, including waxes, fats, resins, select volatile oils, and many alkaloids.
Hair rinses, facial toners, lotions, creams, and pre-hydrated masks are all great mediums for incorporating your herbal tinctures. However, as many an aesthetician will tell you, alcohol can be drying to the skin. Therefore, I tend to not use more than 5-10% tincture in my recipes.
Let’s say you are making 1 cup (240ml) of a facial toner and you plan to incorporate hydrosol, aloe juice, tincture, and some essential oils. To determine what 10% tincture would amount to, simply multiply [240ml x 0.1] = 24ml tincture. Therefore, 24ml tincture would be added to your recipe to both impart the supportive benefits of your herbal extracts and help preserve the toner’s shelf life.
Glycerin is the alcohol-free solvent of choice for children’s formulas and for those avoiding alcohol. It has a naturally sweet flavor that enhances taste, making it a gentle and pleasant option for herbal extracts. The sweet flavor also has the benefit of reducing the bitterness so often found in herbs, and helps to harmonize multi-herb extract blends.
Glycerin acts similarly to alcohol in extracting many herbal constituents. Plus, you can now find organic glycerins that are soy and palm-free, making them a cleaner, more sustainable plant-based alternative.
Topically, glycerin is widely used in skin care products around the globe for its humectant properties, meaning it draws moisture from the air to the skin’s surface, promoting soft, plump, and hydrated skin.
I have always loved incorporating herbal glycerites in my internal herbal formulas to improve flavor and client compliance, but once I started blending herbal glycerites into my skin and body care products, everything changed. The improvement in my skin was immediate: softer, more hydrated, and visibly healthier. I’ve been incorporating them into my formulations ever since. Like tinctures, glycerites are blended into the water phase of lotions and creams, and are miscible (meaning they homogenize) in any body care recipe that includes waters (aloe, hydrosol, water, etc.).
Oil is a lovely medium for infusing herbs. All of nature’s oils, which typically come from pressed nuts and seeds, are naturally emollient/occlusive, meaning that they are moistening and softening the skin. Plus, many oils have mild sun protective qualities. Infused oils are wonderful on their own. I always have a seasonal herbal body oil blend going in my bathroom, as I live in a dry climate and have naturally dry skin.
Herbs like St. John’s wort, calendula, and arnica are best extracted in oil, as their beneficial constituents, such as anti-inflammatory compounds and skin-soothing agents, are more effectively drawn out in this gentle, lipid-based medium. Colorful, antioxidant-rich anthocyanins and carotenoids found in many plants impart vibrant greens, reds, and oranges to your herbal oils.
On their own, infused oils are commonly used in topical applications for cuts and abrasions, bruises, sore muscles and joints, and to stimulate lymphatic movement. They can also be added to any body care recipes that have an oil phase, so salves/balms, butters, and emulsions. Take every opportunity to enhance your homemade body care with your herbal oils.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is the most common vinegar used for “acetum” remedies. It is acidic, has a pH of around 2-3, and when added to skin and body care products, it is beneficial in two ways: First, ACV contains about 4-6% acetic acid, which is a common preservative in many topical and food products and inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and molds.
Second, the low pH of ACV is complementary to the skin’s “acid mantle,” the thin, protective film on the surface of the skin which is made up of sebum, sweat, and beneficial microbes. Many common skin imbalances can be supported with diluted herbal vinegar-based products, which can help maintain this acidity.
Another exciting trait of apple cider vinegar is that raw, unfiltered ACV contains the “mother” culture, which is the living matrix of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that forms during fermentation. When incorporated into topical products, this naturally probiotic-rich vinegar can help support a healthy microbial balance on the skin’s surface. This makes it especially helpful for addressing bacterial imbalances associated with issues like acne, dandruff, dry flaky skin, and body odor.
Herbal vinegars are ideal for extracting minerals from herbs like nettles, horsetail, and cleavers. The natural mineral content in the vinegar itself helps draw out and preserve these nutrients, following the principle of “like attracts like.”
Understanding the unique benefits of each raw solvent is a game-changer when it comes to crafting effective body care products. Pair that with the plant wisdom infused in your herbal remedies, and your self-care game is about to seriously level up.
If you want to keep diving deeper into making potent, targeted herbal medicine, it all comes down to chemistry and polarity. Every therapeutic phytochemical has a solvent that best matches its polarity, and when you align the two, you get the most effective extraction possible.
Want to Learn More About Crafting Herbal Remedies?
Check out Colleen’s Herbal Remedies Intensive!
Topics: Aromatherapy, Specialty Ingredients
Colleen Bingham is a lifelong nature-loving nerd and the founder of Herb Nerd, a digital education hub for herbal medicine making and natural product development. She started her herbal journey in 2010 thanks to the writings of Rosemary Gladstar and an introductory herbal program with Jane Bothwell at the Dandelion Herbal Center, later deepening her knowledge at the California School of Herbal Studies, where she became core faculty and taught for a decade. Colleen is a Certified Herbalist, natural product formulator, and educator with 13+ years of experience in the wellness space. She’s taught hundreds of students how to make herbal remedies from scratch, combining traditional wisdom with scientific insight. At herbnerd.com, her deep love of solubility, extraction, and phytochemistry culminates in niche courses that deepen her students’ understanding of why and how plants heal.
