Topical Fragrancing: How to make herbal tinctures using essential oils

Herbal tinctures. What do they have to do with aromatherapy? You might wonder. The connecting factor between aromatherapy and tinctures are – herbs. Preparing tinctures require attention to detail and knowledge in aromatherapy. This is because tinctures have both aromatic and therapeutic purposes and are inexpensive to make. But you need to properly store them to preserve them and use them for a indefinite period of time. You need to use a variety of aromatherapy related stuff for the making of these herbal tinctures. These include – herbs, dried herbs, alcohol or glycerin etc. Since tinctures are one of the best and quickest ways to make a place aromatic, you can use them with ease, without any issue of overuse or restrictions on safety.


Uses of herbal tinctures: Tinctures are more concentrated dosages of herbs. Though extracted from herbs (medicinal or otherwise), they are thicker than essential oils and can be made easily from home. Tinctures can be used for a variety of purposes. It is a great remedy for treatment of high blood pressure. A tincture made using Garlic, Hawthorn, Linden and Wood Betony can reduce high blood pressure symptoms. You can treat acne or other skin disorder with Calendula tinctures, while Echinacea can help cure sore throats. You can treat insomnia with a tincture of Lemon Balm, Chamomile, Hops, Passion Flower or Valerian at night. If you have mild to severe headache, you can use Chamomile, Willow Bark, Skullcap, Valerian and Wood Betony oils/herbs. Apart from all this, tinctures make good room fresheners and are often used in cleaning the air in the room – an aromatherapeutic way of doing things.

Topical fragrancing with herbal tinctures:
To make herbal tinctures for topical fragrancing, you will need the following supplies: sterilized containers, fresh herbs, dried herbs, vodka that is used for food recipes, cheesecloth or a fine grade stainer. You can use dried herbs only if you want to make the tincture more concentrated. Vodka should be of the high-proof, edible kind. Read all safety precautions before any sort of mixing. First, chop the fresh herbs and add them into air-tight sterilized containers. The herbs will start to release their aromatic oils as soon as you cut them. Then, fill the containers with vodka with enough room to mix both herbs and alcohol. When the blending is done, allow the containers to sit idle in a cool, dark and dry place. Shake every container at least once for over 30 days. Then, finally, after the period is over, filter the tincture with layered cheesecloth or fine grade stainer.

If you want to get a more concentrated, aromatic tincture, it is better if you keep it idle for 30 days. You can use this aromatic tincture as body spray, linen spray, facial toner and room mist.

Caution while using aromatic tinctures:
Follow all the rules of caution while using or making aromatic tinctures. Made out of herbs, tinctures are no different from essential oils except in concentration of liquid. So, check the list of hazardous oils and avoid all herbs that yield such oils. If you are allergic to alcohol or want to avoid it in your body, use Glycerin-based tinctures are used extensively in the personal care industry.