Create A Unique Flower Display With TikTok's Clever Baby Oil Trick

By Clara Mucci
Set of herbarium vases on table Hannahrenaefilms/Getty

Flowers add beautiful charm to any home, but if you've been in the DIY floral game for a while, you may be ready for a creative challenge beyond the basic bouquet arrangement. If that's the case, you'll love this baby oil flower idea, courtesy of TikToker @janinegraffqvc. Yes, you heard that right: baby oil isn't just an old-school skincare product; it's also a handy material for arts and crafts projects. In this case, baby oil can be used as a preservative for dried florals. You don't need any fancy equipment or professional florist skills to quickly preserve a set of dried florals — whether you have flowers you dried yourself or a bundle you bought from the farmer's market, you can use any generic baby oil to keep them looking new. With this fun project, your end result will be a gorgeous herbarium.

An herbarium is a display of preserved dried plants and flowers. When used as a decorative object, it gives your home an earthy, apothecary aesthetic. Not only are herbariums a more original take on traditional floral arrangements, but they also last longer, with most herbariums surviving a year before deteriorating. This is thanks to the oil that surrounds the flowers and protects them from air and sun damage, which would otherwise cause the dried flowers to fad and crumble. This herbarium tutorial takes inspiration from a Japanese herbarium, a popular decor piece in Japan where dried flowers are suspended in oil and sealed into a container.

DIY a baby oil herbarium

@janinegraff

Herbarium Jars🌸 Preserve cherished memories and capture the essence of special moments using any jar with a cork or lid, dried, pressed flowers + plants and baby oil! I recently learned about Japanese Herbariums and the art of preserving dried flowers in oil for display. I chose to make a larger herbarium, but you can create all different sized displays using any type of jar or container that you can seal with cork or a lid. Directions- - Cut dried flowers to your desired length before inserting into your jar or bottle. Use dried flowers from your own yard or make a keepsake with dried flowers from weddings, funerals or special occasions. - Allow for some flowers and stems to vary in length, color and texture for a visually pleasing display. - Carefully add baby oil!! Be careful not to squeeze too hard or fast and have an accident like me! LOL I pressed a little too hard and ended up covered in oil! 🤣 - Use a wooden skewer to help position your florals before sealing. - TIP: if using a cork stopper, I recommend leaving a little bubble of air at the top or use a hot glue gun to cover the bottom of the cork as a barrier between the cork and the oil so it doesn’t absorb or deep oil. There is something magical and charming when the sunlight filters through your glass jar and all the petals and stems illuminate. If sealed properly you should be able to enjoy your herbarium for a year before it starts to fade. #lastingkeepsake #floralmemories #herbarium #herbariumjar #floraldiy #kaleidoscope

♬ Good to Go - LÒNIS

This DIY TikTok hack makes it super easy to create your own herbarium. To pull it off, you'll need a large vase with a narrow opening, a cork, dried flowers, and a bottle of baby oil. For a smaller decorative piece, use a mason jar and mini-dried florals instead. Start by trimming your flower stems — the stems should be shorter than the height of the vase so that they can sit comfortably inside. After your flowers are cut to size, you can start arranging them in the vase. Be mindful of how the arrangement will look from all sides, and prioritize putting the most eye-catching flowers along the outer edges, where they can be seen best. 

Once the flowers are arranged the way you like, you can begin adding the baby oil. Pour the baby oil into the vase carefully, pouring in between the stems, as opposed to directly over the flowers (dried flowers can be delicate, and you don't want to damage them before your herbarium is even done). Fill the vase up with oil, submerging all the dried florals. Finally, use your cork or jar lid to seal the container shut. And there you have it: a fabulous handmade herbarium. You can place it on a mantel, use it as a dining table centerpiece, or simply find a nice spot by a window where natural light can filter through the oil and serve as a brilliant floral display. 

Recommended