“I just finished juicing the last batch of THE carrots”, I told my friend.
Back story of the carrot oil
I had bought 10-kg carrots and was out of ideas on what to make with them. So, I couldn’t have been happier when I finished the last batch because, at that point, I was done drinking carrot juice and eating carrot cake. Next time, I’ll stop buying veggies like someone with five children.
Anyhoo, my friend mentioned carrot oil during our discussion, and a light bulb lit in my head.
“I AM GOING TO MAKE CARROT OIL FROM THE CARROT JUICE PULP”, I declared.
Technically, it was only a thought in my head, nothing extra. I headed home and went straight to mixing.
Carrot oil is straightforward to make but before we head into it, let’s explore carrots and the benefits of its oil.
On searching with the keyword “carrot oil”, you may get search results showing “carrot seed oil”. Carrot seed oil is gotten from dried seeds of wild carrot, also known as Daucus carota, Queen Anne’s lace, and bird’s nest.
The carrot of reference in this post is the domesticated or cultivated carrots which are cultivars of subspecies sativus; hence, the name Daucus carota subsp. sativus. Both wild and cultivated carrots are from the same family.
Carrot, Daucus carota subsp. sativus, is loaded with beta-carotene, tons of antioxidants, and vitamins such as A, C, and K. Consequently, carrot oil is rich in antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients.
Carrot oil is a popular ingredient in expensive lotions, skin creams and even shampoos. It promises significant benefits to skin and hair. The benefits result from the vitamins and broad spectrum of antioxidants, not forgetting the carrot’s beta carotenes.
Benefits of carrot oil*
- It is suitable for all skin types (again, choose your carrier oil wisely)
- Anti-ageing properties: fights the dreaded wrinkles, large pores etc. (credits to its vitamins and antioxidants)
- For healing damaged skin, for instance, it can assist in the reduction of rosacea (thanks to the anti-inflammatory properties of beta-carotene)
- Protects the skin from the adverse effects of sunlight, weather, pollution etc.
- It can brighten and tone the skin
- Stimulates hair growth and strength and prevents breakage
- It contributes to creating luxuriously soft to touch hair
*based on general knowledge and internet search
Back to za glow DIY
The methods
You can create your natural beauty product in different ways. Two common techniques are cold and hot infusion. For cold infusion, you can choose to use grated carrot or dehydrated carrot, then let it steep for long hours (at least 24 hours to several weeks). You could use either a slow cooker/crockpot or a regular cooking pot for the hot infusion.
The carrier oil
The carrier oil you use matters. Coconut oil is one of the most widely used in this process. However, my skin thinks it is a foe because it causes it to look and feel dry and makes it itchy. So, it’s a no for me. Other oils that have been used are almond, sunflower, grapeseed, rice bran, avocado, argan, rosehip seed and sesame oil.
Some blogs recommend dehydrating the carrot before making the oil. This is where making the oil from the juice pulp proves beneficial since most of the moisture present in the carrot has been removed.
How to make carrot oil from the juice pulp
This method excludes the grating step thanks to juicing.
You’ll need:
- Non-stick pot or slow cooker
- Cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer
- Jar, bottle… get a suitable container, sterilised.
ingredients
- 2 cups Carrot pulp
- 2 cups Carrier oil
Instructions
- Place the carrot pulp in the non-stick pot.
- Pour in two cups of carrier oil. Note: I still used coconut oil but added extra virgin olive oil to reduce the effect of coconut oil on my skin #mixologist. You can use any oil of choice here.
- Turn on the stove to begin the infusion process. Once the mix is hot, reduce the heat and let it steep for 30 min. The essence is to reduce thermal effects on the nutrients. Stir periodically to avoid the carrot burning (I checked and stirred every 10 mins after lowering the heat).
- If using a slowcooker, set your temperature to low to maintain a warm setting and let it sit for at least 24 hours. You will notice the oil becoming orange in colour.
- Once the time’s done, take it off the heat and let it cool down for a while.
- Filter the oil from the mixture using cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. Discard the retentate.
- Store the oil in a cool dry place.
Your carrot oil is ready to be used.
You can add essential oils to it or even fortify it with vitamin E. You also can add carrot oil to your body lotion, your hair products.
Note: The melting point of coconut oil is 24°C so, the carrot oil will solidify at room temperature during colder seasons for those in the temperate regions. Not to worry, you can melt it by placing the container in hot water (⚠ for plastic containers, be careful, the heat may melt the plastic).
And that’s how to make carrot oil from the pulp. The advantage of using the pulp is that you get both freshly pressed carrot juice and carrot-infused oil from the same stock.
Share your carrot oil experience in the comment section. Happy extracting!!!
