This past month, I’ve been doing a lot of teaching on the herb calendula in the June Herb Challenge here at Growing Up Herbal. I’ve been sharing a good bit of information as well as some great DIY recipes using this amazing herb, and today is no different.
Today, I’m sharing a recipe that I use for myself every single day, a DIY calendula infused facial toner.
A New Skin Care Regimen
Not long ago, my friend Christy of Windy Ridge Naturals gave me some of her homemade skincare products to try out to see if I liked them. I loved them! She let me try a foaming facial cleanser, a toner, and some moisturizing cream, all made from natural, organic, healthy ingredients. They were (are) amazing! I used them every night before bed, and the issues I’d been having with my face (dry, rough, uneven skin) disappeared! I was hooked on this new nightly skincare regimen.
Since I’m a DIY kinda gal, I decided to go exploring and see if I could come up with my own formulations. I wanted to be able to tweak my recipes and make as much or as little as I needed when I needed it.
Facial toner – check.
Moisturizer – check.
Facial cleanser… not so much.
Christy uses oils in her cleansers instead of soaps but somehow gets it to foam as soap would. Seeing as how I’ve not yet figured out how to do that, I’m still working on the facial cleanser part of my kit. For now, I need to get more of the goods from her.
Anyway, I’m loving taking some extra time for myself each night before bed. I can do a quick run-through of my skincare regimen or I can make it extra special… lighting a candle, diffusing some essential oils, taking a hot bath, and wrapping it all up with my skincare regimen. Whatever I have time for really.
So, since I’ve been doing all this teaching on calendula this month and because I told my Letters To Natural Mamas readers that I was gonna get a bit more personal as well as share some more herbal goodness for us moms, I decided to share the facial toner recipe I’ve been using here on the blog today.
Calendula Infused Facial Toner
Ingredients:
- 6 oz. distilled water
- 1/4 cup dried organic calendula flowers
- 1 TBSP. organic aloe juice
Directions:
First, make an herbal tea using 6 oz. of distilled water and 1/4 cup of dried calendula flowers. Let your tea steep for 20 minutes before straining and composting your herbs. Next, add 1 TBSP of aloe juice to your tea. Lastly, bottle and label it.
About This Facial Toner:
- Only a 25 minute prep time… most of which, you’re not involved in.
- This toner is not only hydrating to the skin, but slightly astringent, anti-inflammatory, and promotes healing of skin thanks to the calendula.
- It can be used for all skin types, except those with very dry skin as they don’t need astringents.
- Gentle enough to be used daily.
- Shake before use and follow with moisturizer
Storage:
Store in PET plastic or glass bottle in the refrigerator for one week before making a new batch.
Yes yes yes!!! I love calendula!!! I think I’ve already said this in another comment. I can’t wait to make this. I really need a facial cleanser, I’m out of the one I was using and just donned on me to start using something natural. Will you post that recipe sometime soon??? I know you said you’re in the middle of researching it.
Sure thing! It’s on my list of to-dos so I’m not sure when it will be, but I’ll definitely share it!
Hi Megan,
If I want a long shelf life what kind of natural persevative ai can use, also can I use Benzoin Resin?
Thanks,
Yvonne
I’m not super familiar with preservatives as I rarely ever use them. However, I don’t think resins will mix well with water so I don’t think the benzoin resin will work. There are some other natural botanical preservatives on the market these days that may work well, however. Just do a Google search for “botanical preservatives” and see what pops up. Also, the Herbal Academy has a great intensive out right now on using emulsifiers and preservatives in skin care products that may be the perfect thing for you! You can find it here until December 8th, 2019!
It would be interesting to leave calendula in ACV like an extract and add that to water for my usual toner which doesn’t need fridging.
Soap nut liquid is nice as a cleanser . Gentle too.
You make a great point Ioannka. That would work well and wouldn’t go bad. Plus, the apple cider vinegar would give it some extra astringent properties; however, it could be a bit too drying for certain skin types. The calendula infusion is really mild on it’s own. And that’s for the tip on using soap nuts for cleansing. I bet that is gentle. Thanks for your comment!
The ingredient list on your friend’s cleanser lists saponified coconut oil. It’s coconut oil that has been processed into a soap. You can buy it in liquid or bar form from Tropical Traditions. That’s how she gets it to foam. đŸ˜‰
Interesting! Do all oils have saponified versions? Is that how people can cleanse with oils rather than soap? I guess I’m just wanting to know if it’s a good healthy alternative. Thanks Joyce!
Saponification is the process of turning fats or oils into soap by adding a base, such as lye.
It’s a basic step of soap making. You can read a bit about it at the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saponification
Oh interesting! So I can’t really call this a soap-free cleanser then can I? I’ll have to go back and change that. Thanks for your help Joyce! I appreciate it!
I don’t use cleansers at all on my face. I use one product to clean and moisturize – Organic coconut oil. A jar lasts forever. I do use a bentonite/olive oil clay mask twice a month, but I found the best thing you can do for your skin is to leave soap and cleansers off your face. I’m 58 and have very few wrinkles.
Yes! I totally agree. I do love natural toners though. I think they’re really beneficial for those with oilier skin and larger pores as it helps to remove some of that oil and to shrink pores. I am a big fan of the oil cleanser I mentioned in the article though. It uses coconut oil in it!
Um I made this but didn’t follow directions very well it looks like! The tea smells rancid one day later. Is it supposed to stay in the refrigerator? I steeped the calendula in boiling spring water (not distilled), used fresh aloe instead of juice, and left both the aloe and calendula in the mixture without draining. : (
Hey Janie… Your water and fresh aloe are fine, but it is better to strain the herbs out of it when it’s finished steeping. And yes, it has to be refrigerated. Because of the water content, it will grow bacteria and go bad if left at room temp. Spring water turns quicker than distilled because it’s not purified. Hope your next batch turns out better!
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I thought about infusing calendula after I made a super awesome rose petal infused toner. I like this recipe, but I’m lazy so I want my DIY products to last longer than a week. I’m going to infuse the calendula in witch hazel instead, like I did with the rose petal toner, and add a few drops of vegetable glycerin to prevent over drying. So far my rose petal toner has lasted about a month, but I use it so much that it will be gone soon anyways.
That’s a great idea Jess. I chose to infuse the calendula into water so that it could be used as a mild astringent… adding the witch hazel will make it more drying, but I love that you’re adding the glycerin to hold in more moisture. Thanks for sharing.
Is calendula anti ageing?
Calendula is extremely good for the skin. You can learn more about it in the calendula herb challenge that I did last summer.
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Would adding witchhazel help with the shelf life? I’ve made a toner before but didn’t want to make my skin too dry.
Yes, Heather. Adding witch hazel will extend the shelf life, and you can definitely replace the water in this recipe with the witch hazel. Just know that it will smell like witch hazel which isn’t the most pleasant smell ever. And, witch hazel, because it’s distilled and mixed with alcohol, can dry your face out more than using plain water… unless you buy a pure witch hazel distillate that hasn’t been mixed with alcohol, but it will only last 30 or so days. Hope that helps!
Did you ever get to post the recipe for moisturizer? I love calendula and can’t wait to try the recipe!
I didn’t, Siena, but you could easily make a calendula infused oil and use that as your moisturizer. Just make sure you get a carrier oil that absorbs into your skin quickly. I love rose hip seed oil and pumpkin seed oil.
Really helpful information. Thank you so much for your sharing.
I am just wondering if I need to put the toner back to refrigerator after every time I use it .
Yes, Angela. That will help to prolong its shelf-life. Just remember, this toner is a tea and made of mostly water so it will go bad and will need to be made fresh weekly.
I wonder if you add a few drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract or Tea Tree Essential oil, if it would preserve it out of the refrigerator. I travel a lot and would love to make this and bring it with me in my suitcase, but it definitely would not be refrigerated the whole time.
Hi, Angela. You could definitely add GSE to it, but I’m not sure how long that would preserve it. I actually don’t use GSE so I can’t say. You couldn’t put tea tree EO in as it wouldn’t mix with the water, therefore, it wouldn’t preserve it well. If you’re okay with nature-derived preservatives, you could try Natapres, Leucidal Liquid SF, or Phytocide Aspen Bark. Just do a Google search for them to find out more about them and where to purchase them at. Hope this helps some!
Hi, just a quick question. I just purchased a bottle of calendula hydrosol from a very reputable natural company, to use in some DIY recipes. But I’ve heard it could be a great toner. I’m just wondering your opinion….would the calendula hydrosol be fine on it’s own as a toner, or would you add something else to it? (I have oily/combination skin).
Hydrosols are great on their own, but remember, to help them stay as fresh as possible, it’s best to store them in the refrigerator and use them quickly.
Hi, just want to ask the question…can i bland the calendule flower and aloe together and freeze into cubes?
If want to use just take 1 cube and rub in the face..
Yes, if you put the two in a blender and blend them before freezing them, that will work as well.
Any chance I could use organic calendula extract instead?I have some and it is low alcohol.Also,since going dairy and gluten free I started to get a couple of huge pimples on my chin (used to have flawless skin),so I would like to use witch hazel .Even though I get the pimples, my skin is a bit on the dry side.Thank you.
You could as long as it didn’t dry you skin out too much from the alcohol in it. You could also just infuse the calendula in some witch hazel and use that if you really want the witch hazel, though.
When you make your herbal tea with the distilled water and the dried calendula flowers, is the water heated up and if so how much (warm, hot, boiling, etc.)?
Yes, Cassie. Just bring your water to a boil, measure out 6-ounces, then add it to your herbs and let it steep. Hope that helps!
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