Calendula lightens up gardens and the margins of roads with its bright orange or yellow flowers. Calendula cream makes the skin radiantly fresh, and it can be used for medicinal purposes. If you make your own cream, you don’t have to be afraid of harmful chemicals either.
What you will need to make calendula cream:
- 90 g dried calendula flowers
- 1 cup olive oil
- 60 g solid fat such as pork fat, margarine, lanolin or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon grated beeswax
- 150 g calendula oil
- 60 g distilled water
First of all, prepare the calendula oil. Place the dried flowers into a stainless steel pot. Pour on the olive oil and heat the mixture for 1-2 hours at low heat (50-70 degrees Celsius). Stir it occasionally; the mixture is ready when the petals have turned crunchy. Then, strain the oil through a dense, clean gauze or cloth. Allow the oil to sit for two weeks so the water can separate. After you pour the water off, and the oil will be good to use for several years. If you don’t use it up at once, store it in a cool, dry place.
To make the cream, melt the fat, the beeswax and the flowers over low heat until the mixture turns transparent. Remove the pot from the heat. Pour the distilled water in a blender and froth it up, then add the fat mixture. Mix until creamy. While still warm, pour the cream into small jars, allow it to cool and then close the jars.