# herbs in soap - technique?



## tentance (Aug 16, 2012)

Question - what's a good way to use fresh herbs from the garden to make a few unique bars as Christmas gifts?

My male bought me a paint mixer attachment for the drill for making soap, only a few dollars from Harbor Freight, hooray! and I was thinking about making some gifts for the ladies in the family this year. I am a beginning soaper, my first batch of plain olive oil/coconut oil came out great (even though i used a hand mixer), really good lather and everything. id like to use the herbs from the yard, because most will be nothing but rabbit food once the first frost hits.

My plan for the herbs is to gather the fresh leaves, then chop and cook them down, maybe straining and adding more fresh leaves a few times to get a really concentrated tea from the herbs. then using that as the water portion in the recipe. does that sound like it would work? then at the end of the mixing add a few handfuls of freshly chopped herbs?

what i have in the garden right now:
lemongrass
cardamom ginger
shell ginger
soap ginger
rosemary
red turk's cap hibiscus flowers

what do you think?


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

Cold Processed soap (CP), the lye will eat at the herbs creating a black ooze. CP is a very tough process for herbs to survive in. I'm not saying it can't be done, but scenting CP soap is not very effective this way. CP soap should be cured 4-6 weeks and should not be used until it is cured. (though I usually test it out after a week)

Hot Processed soap (HP), the lye and oils do their magic and after they are done there is a small chance herbs could survive without the black oozy mess.

Melt and Pour soap (MP) is a soap already processed and there is more of a chance that dry herbs (not a liquid solution) would survive the melt and pour process. (I've only done a small amount of MP--someone here will have more experience with this process.)

Remilling soap, CP for instance, since the lye and oils have already saponified, and liquids can be added (oil or water), you have a good chance of this working out. If it was me, this is the method I'd use to try that.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

The use of dry, ground herbs is best for cold or hot process soaps. Most will turn black or brown.

If you use the herbs as a tea for the lye solution, it is best to freeze the tea and treat it as milk in the lye solution.

Rarely will herbs used in either of these ways actually scent the soap.

Depending on the amount of liquid used in the lye solution, both CP & HP need to 'cure' for optimum results. The saponification is completed during HP, and if you force your CP soaps to completely gel, the saponification is complete when the soap cools. The 'curing' is used to evaporate excess water.

I'm sure your designees' will love their gifts!


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## JamieCatheryn (Feb 9, 2013)

You could get a really concentrated water based extract by making a hydrosol in a rigged up still on the stovetop (stockpot, bowl inside, inverted lid, lemme find a link... http://www.sustaincreateandflow.com/how-to-make-rosewater-and-other-hydrosols/ )

For whole herbs, it would be best to make your soap then grate and melt it (do you have a food processor?), remilled soap is supposed to be really good quality. Grabbing another link... http://www.soap-making-resource.com/milled-soap.html

Getting pretty involved here in both counts but great skills to learn. And you could also gift the hydrosol itself! Or use in lotions, body/room sprays, food, etc.


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## tentance (Aug 16, 2012)

Thank you. I've taken the advice above, and made the herbs into a tea, then used crock pot hot process. I had never tried hot process before, but I love it! The soap has no added fragrance, and smells like the mostly castille base with a hint of undefined herbs.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

Don't use fresh herbs in your soap. It will turn into black slime balls. Dry the herbs first and you'll be fine.


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

lathermaker said:


> Don't use fresh herbs in your soap. It will turn into black slime balls. Dry the herbs first and you'll be fine.


Isn't THAT the truth, you only have to do it once and then you never want the black slime balls again. 

Did you see her beautiful soap? It really turned out so nice!


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