Infusion or macerate: theory and practice

Herbal remedies are often used by people seeking strength and nourishment when it comes to natural hair care. The popular techniques of maceration and infusion are used to extract the health benefits of plants. Although these methods have been around for centuries, selecting the best one for your hair type requires knowing how they operate and what sets them apart.

Making an infusion is comparable to making tea. Herbs that are light or delicate are a great candidate for this method, which involves pouring hot water over them to rapidly release their active ingredients. When preparing hair rinses or treatments that must be made quickly, this method is frequently utilized.

On the other hand, maceration proceeds more slowly. For several days or weeks, herbs are soaked in a liquid—such as oil or alcohol—at room temperature. This process makes macerates perfect for producing rich, nourishing hair oils that can deeply penetrate the scalp and strands because it allows the beneficial compounds to dissolve gradually.

Depending on your hair goals, each method has a different set of advantages. Making the appropriate decision for your hair care regimen can be aided by knowing the distinction between infusion and maceration, regardless of your preference for a more intense oil treatment or a quick rinse.

Infusion	Macerate
Infusion is a method where herbs are steeped in hot water to extract their properties, often used for teas or light treatments for hair and skin.	Maceration involves soaking herbs in cold oil or water for an extended period, usually to extract oils or create a stronger concentrate for hair or skincare products.
Infusions are quick to prepare and usually take just a few minutes to an hour.	Maceration takes days or even weeks for the ingredients to fully release their benefits.
Best for delicate herbs and quick-use applications.	Ideal for stronger, long-lasting extracts.

Both infusions and macerates are well-liked techniques for obtaining the health benefits of herbs and oils for natural hair care; however, their methods and applications are different. Herbs are steeped in hot water to extract their properties quickly, while macerates are made by soaking herbs in oil for an extended amount of time to extract the properties more slowly and potently. Understanding which to use when and how can help you target particular needs like hydration, shine, or scalp health in your hair care regimen.

Features of terminology

To avoid confusion during the reading and other unneeded things, I advise explaining the terms as soon as possible.

Maceration

Maceration, which means to soften or soak, comes from the Latin maceratio and macero. These days, it refers to the division of cells within tissues. Furthermore, it makes no difference in what and how animal or plant cells are separated. The intercellular material dissolves and causes natural maceration. I would rather use the term "infusion" to refer to what will be covered below because I dislike this designation because, to me, it still has a negative connotation and is still related to medicine.

Infusion

The word "infusion" is derived from the Latin "infusum," which also refers to "decoction" at times. Broth is theoretically made by soaking bones in water.

Infusion

The more widely used term "infusion" in Russian refers to the same passive extraction or insistence-based actions. The term "tincture" in the English-speaking world refers to an infusion on alcohol or alcohol at a different concentration (like on vodka). In other words, alcoholic or aqueous-alcoholic extracts are what an infusion or tincture is (macerates).

Enfleurage

Moreover, there is enfleurage, which is the extraction of solid fat, usually animal fat. The process is essentially the same, but animal fat is used as the solvent and extracting substance instead of glycerin, alcohol, or vegetable oil. By the way, this is the same process that perfumers used in antiquity to extract fragrant oils from pricey materials, like rose oil from the petals of the queen of flowers. Although everything seems intricate, the technology is actually quite basic.

Remember the secrets, what was hidden in childhood? Two pieces of glass were taken, greased with fat, petals were sprinkled on the fat, and another piece of glass was covered. the same idea), and this entire peculiar construction was either fixed, set inside a container, or suspended above it. It would be wonderfully beautiful if you could reveal all of your secrets to the sun! Why was animal fat used? due to its affordability and accessibility.

Extraction

Another word for extraction is extraho, which means "I extract" in Latin. This technique is used to separate mixtures. In other words, practically speaking, this refers to any technique used to remove a material from a mixture or from a solution (dry, solid, poorly soluble, etc.). Different techniques can be used for extraction, which can be one-time or continuous. We will discuss oil extraction as one example, but there are many more.Examples include various forms of water, alcohol, ethereal, CO2 extracts, and more.

Having said all of this, maceration is a technique for obtaining active, beneficial substances—most commonly referred to as bioactive substances, or BAS—from any plants (or animal fragments) by passive extraction, or infusion. Since I oppose the use of animal parts for such purposes, I will only discuss plant materials from now on.

For maceration, any solvent can be used: glycerin, water, alcohol, oil, esters, and their mixtures, among others. As far as household chemicals go, I advise going the simplest route possible and using vegetable oil as an extractant. Unlike glycerin, distillation equipment, or bottles of hexane, vegetable oil is unquestionably accessible in every home.

Additionally, I like oil as a solvent because it extracts all fat-soluble vitamins from raw materials and many other substances that dissolve only in fats and not in water. Additionally, oil’s composition contains a vast number of beneficial compounds that nourish and care for skin and hair.

I suggest that you begin your experiments with oil and move on to other extractants if you find them interesting and enjoyable. Furthermore, oil is a household staple and is surprisingly less expensive than glycerin and alcohol. So, if you ever find yourself in a lab, make sure to observe how substances are extracted and separated within the apparatus. I still get excited even though I do this every day. :))

Depending on what you want to extract, how quickly you need your enriched oil, and how much you can tolerate, you can macerate or infuse hot or cold.

Cold method

My favorite approach is this one since it takes the least amount of work and works well for lazy, forgetful people. It involves gathering the required herbs, flowers, petals, and other plant materials in a clean container, adding any necessary oil, sealing it with a lid, wrapping it in cloth, foil, or an opaque bag, and putting it in a closet with constant temperature.

The primary drawback of the cold method is the requirement to eliminate moisture: use dry raw materials and completely dry the jar and lid. All living things, including mold and pathogenic bacteria and fungi, derive their existence from water.

It is not necessary to dry herbs that you purchase from a pharmacy; the most important thing is to avoid wetting them and keeping them in an area that encourages moisture. Pharmacies offer a wide variety of dried plant materials, which is convenient. You can purchase various plants, such as calendula petals, hop cones, kelp, and nettle, throughout the year. Simultaneously, you can be certain that the raw materials are devoid of contaminants and are clean and uniform. An added bonus is that pharmacy purchases don’t break the bank.

You can prepare the raw materials yourself, but you’ll need time, a dacha, and permission to leave town for this. And there’s only a specific place and time of year that work for this. Furthermore, the variety is restricted; kelp is not available in the Moscow area.

One drawback is that you have to know what to look for in an open field or among a clump of weeds, as well as where to look. Although this may not seem like much, many plants, especially small ones, have remarkably similar appearances. Additionally, you might be able to gather something entirely unrelated to what you require. Twenty years ago, I became a local legend in the emergency room because of the way I collected young hogweed instead of valerian.

Although I was unable to locate a comparable image of hogweed, this nasty, poisonous substance will do as an example.

The herbs must be gathered and dried for an extended period of time in a dry, dark, and well-ventilated area—the attic is a great place for this. For those who live in cities: place baking paper on a baking sheet, spread the ingredients evenly, and bake for a few hours at a temperature between 40 and 60 degrees. Overnight, I left it. A plus: this is a fun project that will make you happy because it’s something you worked hard to accomplish. If the oven has convection, the process is noticeably accelerated.

One more crucial point. It is best to select oil from those that won’t go rancid. This is challenging because you have to pay attention to the amount of saturated fatty acids in the oil, but a lot of people already know that linseed oil oxidizes much more quickly than sunflower oil—even those who haven’t taken a food chemistry course. As a result, I suggest using refining oils for your initial experiments since they are transparent and, moreover, you are probably familiar with them. Based on my personal experience, I can say that olive and sunflower oils are good.

Depending on how much is absorbed, how fine and light the raw materials are, and how much oil is poured, the raw material to oil ratio should be roughly 1:2–1:10. If you’re not sure, pour it in, check how it’s working after a few hours, and add more oil as needed. The golden mean should ideally be maintained, but I usually make all of my decisions visually.

You should let the vegetable raw materials sit in the jar for at least a week, preferably a month, after adding them. The infusion will become more saturated and absorb more fat-soluble vitamins, biologically active substances, and other beneficial substances the longer the jar is left open. Shaking the jar once a day is the best way to prevent the plants at the bottom from becoming compacted, but because I’m lazy, I forget to do that and after about three days, I end up with a strange plant clay that looks and feels like sculptural plasticine. This happens after a few months.

The oil must be filtered through gauze, linen, paper filters, or another material with a dense texture after you’ve left it for a while. The cloth ought to be completely dry; if you’re not sure, simply iron it. I prefer disposable medical masks for this reason because they capture even the tiniest particles, enabling you to receive a clear and attractive product at the exit.

The resultant oil should ideally be kept cold and dark, like in the refrigerator. At room temperature, if you are certain that not a drop of moisture entered the jar during the filtration process. not to mention in the dark. Ideally, it should be kept in a dark glass bottle as well, but as long as I store it in plastic jars, everything is fine.

The cold method works well for extracting material from petals, flowers, and other "NEEEE" plant parts.

Hot method

This is a good option for people who require an infusion immediately. Although there will still be a wait, it will now only take hours rather than weeks or months. maximum number of days.

It is typically advised to use heated oil and raw materials for hot infusion. In this instance, you can use fresh ingredients straight from the garden, but I still strongly advise starting with dry herbs for practice.

What does "heated raw materials" mean? Usually it is assumed that the herbs are slightly heated in a fermenter, multicooker or oven and combined with oil of the same temperature, after which they are kept at a certain temperature. I am lazy and usually take herbs that are stored at room temperature, oil that is stored at room temperature, I combine and then heat. No water bath, no multicooker, no oven or other devices that maintain temperature. Only a saucepan, only hardcore. In my defense, I will say that skill comes with experience, and I am not a newbie in this business. Train and, if possible, buy a thermometer.
So. Take the raw materials and oil of the same temperature in such a ratio that the oil not only covers, but is at least twice as large in volume. Put everything in a dry, clean jar and put it in a water bath, in the oven, on the stove or on the radiator for two or three hours. The temperature should not exceed 50 degrees.

I advise going the easiest route, which is to use an oven, if purchasing a thermometer is not feasible (or necessary), the radiators are not heating, or a water bath is too laborious and complicated. or a multi-cooker. After adjusting the temperature as needed, place two jars—one containing raw ingredients and the other containing oil—on a baking sheet. They will warm up eventually, at which point you can carefully mix the ingredients and return them to the oven to mature. Shaking the jar’s contents every 30 minutes is advised.

We let the jar cool for a few agonizing hours, ideally overnight so that the time will pass quickly. It is then ideal to reheat the oil in the jar at a low temperature once more. After that, let it cool and give it a few days to itself. Ideally, if you can endure it for a full week.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that raw materials need more heating cycles the more humid they are.

I’ve read that you can macerate hot in the sun by placing the jar in the sun and waiting, as opposed to heating it in an oven or water bath. Although I haven’t done it myself, I oppose it because sun radiation robs your body of practically all antioxidants and some beneficial compounds for the future.

But thick black fabric will help if that’s your goal. And have patience—you’ll be heating in the sun for a while. It’s best to put the jar away for a week—as it will only go through a few cycles of heating and cooling.

Use a paper filter, coffee filter, medical mask, cotton fabric, gauze, bandage, or any other material that can be used to separate suspended matter when filtering. You can strain the infusion through a sieve if it was made from some sizable plant parts and there isn’t a significant amount of "garbage" visible in it.

The hot method works well for extracting material from bark, rhizomes, and other tough, dense plant parts. I would classify hard seeds in this category, but from experience, they also readily lose their aromatic and useful components when extracted over an extended period of time using the cold method.

Important nuance. The oil tends to oxidize and go rancid, as I’ve already mentioned. Purchasing vitamin E makes sense if you want to make a big batch at once and keep the infusion for a long period. It is a potent antioxidant and preservative that keeps the product from going bad. Fat-soluble, which works well both on its own and when added to oil.

In case you missed it, vitamin E can be found in the compositions either as tocopherol, under this name, or with the code E306, which is for food additives. sold for one penny in pharmacies in the form of capsules. You can purchase a combination of vitamins A and E, as they are both antioxidants, fattening agents in their own right, and enhance the complementary effects of one another.

Your creativity and financial resources are the only limitations on the plants and oils you can use. I create both political and monosmes, like soaking vanilla in Jozhoba oil. The latter, which I find myself using for hair care the most frequently, prefers to combine oils (I feel like I practically squeeze them all out).

Although macerates and infusions sound complicated, they are just organic methods of drawing out the beneficial properties of plants. The preparation and usage methods are where the main differences lie. While macerates use cold or room-temperature liquids, like oils, infusions are made with hot liquids, like teas.

Depending on the ingredients you select, either technique may be excellent for your hair. Herbal infusions, for instance, can give your hair more strength and shine, and macerates are great for nourishing your scalp and encouraging hair growth. You have options to meet the specific needs of your hair by experimenting with both techniques.

It ultimately depends on what you’re looking for whether you decide to macerate or infuse. Knowing these techniques will enable you to use natural ingredients to elevate your hair care regimen.

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