No they don't need to have holes. Your kawakawa balm will still do what is needed with or without holes

I used about 50pcs for 500ml. I noticed olive oil makes a greenish balm and denser than sweet almond oil.

Thanks for that. Maybe needs more time to seep the leaves. I used both methods cold then hot. Maybe the hot one which to put in thermos makes the leaves wilt and extracts better.

Yes keep the temp at 70 degrees C direct heat for an hour. Too much direct heat damages the bioactive compounds. Others they put it in the oven for 5 hours 125 degrees.

Hi. Are u in NZ? For the soap, I use the low sweat soap base then just add the kawakawa leaves from this project.

@@craftzbysydney6222 Yes I live in the beautiful Waikato. I make cold process soap so will try out the balm and make a small batch of soap using the leaves 🍃 and see how that goes 🙂

@@purplepentagram i found that it leaks a wee bit of oil from the infused leaves when i made it however, it smells so nice to use as a body soap. My daughter has eczema and these homemade skincare are so helpful for her. Maybe dried kawakawa leaves is another option if u are making a cp. For a ready made soap base, the infused leaves are fine. Please update me how you go with your project. I'd like to know which technique suits u.