3 Ways To Use Fresh Lilacs

May 26, 2020

Lilacs are among some of the most beautiful flowers that I know of! They are vibrant in their purple color, aromatic (the most beautiful scent ever) and they are also edible.

The medicinal benefits of lilacs are controversial but what I did find was that lilacs act as a astringent and can be used for skin ailments, like cuts or rashes. Eating the flowers raw could help with gas or constipation, and some studies showed that it stopped the disease of Malaria. The scent of the flowers leaves a calming feeling and most people would probably describe it as a strong perfume scent if used that way.

The most common reason for using these flowers would probably be infusing it into water or tea. Using it in your beauty products and just being able to savor that wonderful floral scent is the main reason I created this post.

Here are 3 ways that I used these flowers.

Oil Infused Lilacs:

To capture that wonderful smells that these flowers provide I soaked the flowers in my favorite carrier oil. Here's what I did..

Things you'll need:

Mason jar (any size will work) with a lid
Carrier Oil (I used Almond Oil but you could also use fractionated coconut oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, ect..)
Lilac flowers (stems removed)

Instructions:

Take your mason jar and fill it with as many lilac flowers as it will hold. I like to stuff it full to the brim (make sure to remove the stems off the flowers before placing in the jar.
pour carrier oil of choice over the flowers until they are completely submerged in the oil
Let them sit in a cool dark place for 2-3 weeks. Make sure that no mold forms on the top as they are infusing.
At the end of the 2-3 weeks strain the oil out and store in another mason jar. Use in all your favorite diy beauty products like lotions, or soaps.
Make sure before you use it to do a skin sensitivity test so that you don't have an allergy to it.

Lilac Infused Honey

The best news is that these flowers are edible! Make sure when you are using these that they haven't had pesticides or herbicides sprayed on them. Use a pesticide-free flower, you are going to be way better off!

The Lilac flowers can be bitter tasting when eaten by themselves so the sweetness from the honey adds another dimension and balances the flavor. Here's what I did..

Things You'll Need:

Mason Jar (any size works) with a lid, I used an 8 oz jar
Raw Honey
Lilac Flowers (stems removed)

Instructions:

Take your mason jar and place your lilac flowers in it, fill as many as possible that will fit, you can even stuff them full
Take your raw honey and just pour over the top of the flowers into the jar.
You'll have to do this in stages since the honey will run slowly down the jar, add enough honey until all the flowers are completely submerged
Once the flowers are submerged place the lid on top and store in a cool dry place.
You'll notice the longer the flowers are submerged in the honey that the flowers will float to the very top of the jar.
Infuse in the honey for up to 2 weeks. You can take the flowers out after they've been infused or you can leave them in the honey if you wish
Spread your lilac infused honey on your favorite toast or bread or use in whatever culinary dish you desire!

DIY Lilac Spray

Things You'll Need:

Spray bottle (any size works) I used a 1 oz spray bottle
7 drops Lavender Essential Oils
1 Tbsp Witch Hazel
1/4 c filtered water
Lilac flowers (stems removed)

Instructions:

Take your spray bottle and fill it with your witch hazel, 1/4 c filtered water, and your essential oils. Shake it really well so it's incorporated together
Add your lilac flowers (you can add as many as will fill the jar)
Now fill up the rest of the bottle with filtered water
Let the flowers infuse for as little as 1-2 days before use. The longer it is unfused the stronger the scent will be.
Store in the fridge for a longer shelf life, the spray will last about 1 week