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23 Jun 2025

Experience Nature’s Gentle Touch With DIY Calendula Lotion

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Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is a cheerful, bright yellow- and orange-flowered herb that reigns supreme at soothing and supporting the skin and mucous membranes, among other things. When applied topically, it helps with minor scratches, severe wounds, and even bacterial imbalances. This plant ally is a powerful flower to incorporate into topical herbal formulas, such as with this gentle calendula lotion recipe.

While skincare can many times be neglected and sometimes be seen as unneeded or frivolous, it is an important part of health and wellness. Therefore, having vibrant, healthy skin is about feeling good and taking care of our largest organ.

Handmade lotions are a wonderful introduction to DIY skin care, and a step in the right direction in taking care of ourselves. When you make your own, you can avoid the unwanted additives, preservatives, and chemicals found in many commercial brands. The best part? You can also infuse your decadent creation with treasured botanicals to support healthy, glowing skin!

This Gentle Calendula Lotion is based on a recipe shared in the Herbal Support for Aging Skin lesson of the Healthy Aging with Herbs Unit of the Advanced Herbal Course, and is great for all skin types, including sensitive and mature skin.

Gentle Calendula Lotion

Ingredients

30 g (1 oz) lanolin or beeswax
90 mL (3 fl oz) calendula-infused oil
60 mL (2 fl oz) calendula tea
Natural preservative (optional)
3-5 drops essential oil of your choice, such as lavender, chamomile, rose geranium
5 drops vitamin E or 3 drops rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) extract (optional)

Directions
  • Add beeswax to a sanitized double boiler and heat gently until melted. (If using lanolin, you can add lanolin and calendula oil to the double boiler at the same time, and gently heat.)
  • Once wax is melted, stir in oil and melt together (skip this step if using lanolin). 
  • Remove from heat.
  • If using a natural preservative that needs to be added to the water phase, add to the calendula tea and stir well. If using an oil-soluble preservative, add it at the same time as the essential oil (in step 6). 
  • Allow the melted liquid to cool until you see the edges harden and turn white. Then, slowly add calendula tea, mixing vigorously with a sanitized whisk until it begins to thicken. 
  • Whisk in essential oil and oil-based preservative (if using). 
  • Whisk in vitamin E or rosemary extract, if desired, to act as antioxidants and help keep the lotion from going rancid.
  • Pour the creamy lotion into sanitized glass jars, label, and store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks (if using a preservative, shelf life will be longer).

To Use:

Apply this lotion vigorously to your hands, feet, legs, arms, face, and anywhere else that needs a moisturizing boost. It can be especially hydrating to apply lotions, creams, or oils after you bathe to help lock in moisture.

In Closing,

To celebrate calendula, we have a 10-minute video exploring and highlighting calendula’s incredible benefits. Both this calendula lotion recipe and the video are sneak peeks into our expanded Advanced Herbal Course, which includes dozens more of these delightful Plant Reflections videos—including additional videos by clinical herbalist and Herbal Academy instructor Erika Galentin on eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), black cohosh (Actaea racemosa), vitex (Vitex agnus-castus), maca (Lepidium meyenii), and more.

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About Post Author

The Herbal Academy is an online school of herbalism offering affordable herbalist training programs for students at all experience levels. Whether you are looking to explore herbalism as a hobby or personal endeavor or preparing for a career, the Herbal Academy has designed herbalist programs to suit your path and your educational needs! The Academy celebrates the community-centered spirit of herbalism by collaborating with a wide diversity of seasoned clinical herbalists, folk herbalists, and medical professionals to create an herbal school that presents many herbal traditions and points of view.

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