Long summer days mean more sunshine (I hope!), and to celebrate the summer sun I thought it might be fun to highlight a very sunny flower: calendula, more commonly known as marigold! Not only is calendula lovely to grow in your garden, it adds a number of wonderful properties to soap. The herb has a long history of being skin soothing, and is great for people who want gentle additives in their soap. Because of its folklore of anti-inflammatory and skin-soothing properties, it’s also used topically (as an infusion or an extract) in acne and diaper creme formulations. Calendula petals are particularly versatile too, and I’ve used it the Sunshine Soap Cold Process tutorial and in the Infused Lip Balm tutorial. It’s my go-to oil infusion for any massage oils or tender skin care products. You can learn how to make your own calendula oil infusion here.
If you’re looking for an extract, we’ve got you covered too! Using both the calendula petals and calendula extract, you can make a skin-soothing oil infusion or super gentle calendula lotion.  You can make most anything under the sun using this happy little flower =)
