Project: Dandelion oil

Having heard of the many benefits of dandelions, I thought of making use of these 'weeds' in the garden by infusing the flowerheads in oil. 

The process:

Once I'd picked a handful of dandelion flowers from the back garden, I placed them aside to allow for any insects to leave the flowerhead. After an hour or so, I washed them and let them dry near a windowsill for about a week. 

After they had become completely dry, I placed them in a clean glass jar. I decided to use moringa oil, as it would complement the dandelion, being moisturising and suitable for massaging onto tired muscles and joints, among other notable benefits. The oil was then poured to completely cover the flowers in the jar and then a chopstick was used to make sure there weren't any bubbles. 

The mouth of the jar was then covered with a cloth held in place with an elastic band. I used a brown paper bag to cover the entire jar to prevent sunlight reaching the oil (infusions like this would only need the sun's heat).  

I set a reminder 2 weeks from then to notify me when to drain the oil. 

Once the 2 weeks were reached, I drained the oil with a small sieve and used a spoon to push excess oil from the flowers. 

Just look at the colour of the oil! The infusion had been a success, alhamdulillah!

The finished product:

I had poured some of the oil into a spare dropper and added a label for the best before date (approximately a year from now). 

Now, it's ready! The smell of the oil has definitely changed! Moringa oil doesn't smell like anything to me really, so once I'd had a sniff of the oil, I realised that it smelled a lot like chamomile. It was a very subtle scent, slightly nutty, earthy. I use this oil when I feel my hands are dry and peeling, especially after washing them. I also use it as a moisturiser for my face (in addition to shea butter), and as an oil treatment prior to washing my hair.

I hope you consider using dandelions and other useful plants and herbs to improve your health and wellbeing! 

Praise be to Allah who has given us all that we need and more.