Flower Drying

When you want to incorporate dried flowers or any botanical in skincare products, it’s essential that they be dried sufficiently to eliminate water content so as to prevent any fungus or bacteria from growing in your skincare creation.  This specifically applies in regards to recipes where there is an oil content.  Oil and water generally do not jive unless you have a preservative incorporated into the formula.

I have found that some of the easiest botanicals to dry that are friendly to most skin types are calendula, roses, chamomile, geranium, yarrow, mint and lavender.  The drying process for botanicals is pretty simplistic when incorporating them into a skincare formula.  However, the process tends to be trickier when you intend to dry them in an aesthetically pleasing manner for ornamental purposes, such as crafts or potpourris.  The drying process for skincare creations isn’t quite as laborious.  

The process that I use to dry botanicals is pretty simplistic.  I either air dry them on a crystal platter or on a wood board for at least one month before I use them in anything, whether it be a skincare creation or an herbal tea.  For teas, I have found that dried botanicals add a deeper flavor than do fresh.  Similarly, the scent of the botanicals are deeper in skincare formulas when they are dried, rather than fresh, at least for the most part.  A possible exception would be rosemary.  It seems that rosemary is very aromatic both in a fresh and a dried state.  

When you air dry botanicals, you do tend to see them lose some of their color and become brittle, but that really isn’t something that can be avoided, if you want to go the natural route as far as preservation.  

Although the drying process doesn’t perfectly preserve the beauty of all that comes with the warmer months, it does to a certain extent, and that is enough. Who knows…God may have been intended that way so we can appreciate the fleeting nature of each season.  Undoubtedly, each season has its own unique beauty, but most botanicals, like skin friendly flowers, prefer the warmer ones.