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Herbal Infusion Guide (Fresh vs Dried)

Infuse herbs into oils with confidence. Use these reference ratios to size batches consistently for balms, serums, and body oils—no guessing.

Why this matters

  • Corrects for water content differences in fresh vs dried herbs.
  • Scales cleanly to any batch size (e.g., 100 mL, 500 g).
  • Improves potency consistency across repeats.

How to use

  1. Pick your herb below.
  2. Decide dried or fresh.
  3. Calculate herb grams:
    Dried: grams = oil_mL × ratio
    Fresh: grams = oil_mL × ratio × fresh_factor

Reference Ratios

Herb Ratio (dried) Fresh factor*
Kawakawa 0.20 ≈ 1/0.35 (2.857)
Chickweed 0.20 ≈ 1/0.30 (3.333)
Calendula 0.20 ≈ 1/0.40 (2.50)
Chamomile 0.20 ≈ 1/0.40 (2.50)
Other (default) 0.20 ≈ 1/0.35 (2.857)

*Use the fresh factor only when using fresh (not dried) plant material.

*Fresh factor = how much extra fresh herb you need vs dried to get the same amount of plant solids into the oil.

  • Why it’s >1: Fresh herbs contain water. Less solids per gram → you must use more.

  • Formula:
    fresh grams = dried grams × fresh_factor
    fresh_factor = 1 / dry-matter fraction of the fresh herb

  • Typical examples:
    35% dry matter → factor ≈ 1/0.35 = 2.86
    30% dry matter → factor ≈ 3.33
    40% dry matter → factor ≈ 2.50

Quick calc: If dried ratio says 20 g herb per 100 mL oil and your herb is 35% dry matter:
20 × 2.86 = 57.2 g fresh herb.

Notes: Fresh herb = higher spoilage risk (water). Wilt or partially dry first, keep oil warm (not hot), and add antioxidants; avoid real preservatives in anhydrous oils.

Strength guidelines

  • Therapeutic balm: increase dried ratio slightly (e.g., 0.22–0.25) if tolerated.
  • Baby/gentle oil: decrease ratio (e.g., 0.10–0.15).
  • Always patch test; some botanicals can irritate at higher loadings.

Notes

  • Weigh herbs and oil; don’t rely on spoon measures.
  • Dry fresh-picked herbs (surface-dry) to reduce water and spoilage risk.
  • Use low-oxidation carrier oils (e.g., jojoba, high-oleic sunflower) for longer shelf life.
  • Add antioxidants (e.g., 0.05–0.1% mixed tocopherols) where appropriate.

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