Make your own - Skin Care - Daisy-infused oil

Hello dear Steemians!! 

Yesterday, I was having coffee in my garden, I looked at the lawn and thought it is time to cut the grass, but the blooming daisies that spread all over the grass look so beautiful, cutting them as well will be such a waste. My next thought was "can I do something with daisies??" and few minutes later, after realizing that daisies can be eaten as well as used as a herbal treatment, I was on my knees picking these flowers into a bowl.

Daisy is a very pretty little flower that grows in abundance on nearly every lawn in my neighborhood. Many people think that the good looks is all there is to this plant but this is far from the truth. Daisy is packed with beneficial ingredients such as flavonoids, saponins, tannins and essential oil, which makes it a great addition to salads, herbal tea and homemade skin care products. 

In, XVII century, herbalists used this plant as remedy for healing of wounds, reduction of bruises and as a treatment of the upper respiratory tract. Today it is known that daisy have diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties, it helps in removal of harmful metabolic products and it improves liver function. In addition, it seals blood vessels and soothes swelling which is why I have picked a whole bunch of them today in order to use this flower in an under eye cream and in bruises reduction and swelling reduction ointment.

I said that later on because in order to enjoy a full potential of daisies or any other plant (unless they are eaten), its active ingredients must be extracted and the best way to extract them is to macerate flowers in oil for couple of weeks. Maceration process is very easy and the only thing it requires is a bit of patience. 

Here is a recipe: 

1. Pick daisies. Choose an oil. – I use olive oil, but any carrying oil works.

2. Fill a sterilized, dry jar with daisies (insert the jar in a boiling water for 5 min to sterilize it).

3. Fill the jar with oil, making sure that all of the flowers are covered with it. Then close the jar and leave it on a window seal for minimum 2 weeks. Make sure to shake the jar at least once a day which will prevent spoiling of the daisies. 

4. When this time passes  strain the daisy infused oil and use it as needed.

Cheers 

Suzanah

Source where I read about the properties: Book: „Ziołolecznictwo, poradnik dla lekarzy” by prof. Ożarkowski