Herbal Extracts for Natural Skin Care - Online Course 22-February 2025

Gain access to reliable, well-researched & tested practical information on the principles and methods of herbal extract making. Increase your confidence and make herbal skin care that is effective and sustainable. The course considers "skin care" in a wider sense by including generally any herbal remedies for topical use.

Date & Time

Second date of 2025 TBA (~July 2025) 

Format

Online live masterclass (2 hours). A link will be sent to you prior to the meeting. Recording will be available for 8 weeks after the course. A selection of downloadable digital resources will be shared.

Supporting materials - available for download - will include class notes and a table clearly detailing key chemical constituents of around 20 different medicinal plants with information on how to best extract them and what effect they have on the skin.

Synopsis 

Herbal skin care works with herbal extracts in place of synthetic active ingredients. Herbal extracts are an example of "whole-plant" medicine. This means you extract a mixture of various chemical constituents from your chosen herb instead of only one particular chemical. The trick is to know what constituents are present in which herb and how to get them out.

This online masterclass is a thorough introduction into the art & science (perhaps with emphasis on good science) of making herbal extracts for the use in natural skin care. We will focus on the chemistry of medicinal herbs and various solvents and methods for herbal extracts making. While the focus is primarily on the use of herbal extracts for skin care and topical herbal remedies, many of the taught principles are applicable across other uses.

Would you like to understand the difference between commercially available herbal extracts and home-made herbal extracts?

Would you like to learn how to make your own EFFECTIVE herbal extracts?

Would you like to avoid making common extracting mistakes?

Do you struggle with chemistry and would you like to learn some basic concepts relevant to herbalism and herbal skin care making?

If you answered YES to at least one of the above questions, then this masterclass on herbal extracts for skin care is for you!

Who is it for

The content of this course is primarily aimed at herbal medicine and skin care makers that have a prior experience, qualified or student naturopaths and herbalists. However, even if you are a budding herbalist or skin care maker, you will leave with plenty of useful information! 

TOPICS COVERED

• What are herbal extracts and how they work.

• Different types of herbal extracts used in skin care.

• Differences between commercially available & house-made herbal extracts.

• Types of chemical constituents present in herbs and their effect on the skin.

• Science of selecting an appropriate solvent system.

• Introduction to various extraction methods.

• Useful tips and tricks on extracting including:

  • Equipment

  • Fresh x dry plant material

  • Filtration

  • Stability

• Notes on sustainable herbal skin care practice.

• Q&A time

• You will receive class notes and a concise table detailing key chemical constituents of 20 different medicinal herbs, their effects on the skin and how to best extract them.

ABOUT THE TUTOR

Karolina "Kaja" Skraskova holds a Masters degree in Pharmacy from the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. During this course Kaja studied not only various forms of chemistry but also pharmaceutical botany, pharmacognosy and pharmaceutical compounding. Kaja further holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Kaja has more than 8 years of experience formulating and making award-winning herbal skin care, using the principles of Galenic formulation. She delivered several invited talks on the topic to naturopathy students at Australian universities. Kaja enjoys teaching qualified naturopaths and herbalists, BHSc students and the broad public at the interface of herbalism and cosmetic science. She revels in presenting information new and old from refreshing angles. More information about Kaja and her work can be found here.

Get in touch for more information.