# Best dried herbs



## *Cakes (Aug 9, 2004)

What are the best dried herbs for soaps? I don't think I'm ready to do infusions (or maybe I have to!) so which ones could be added as a dry powder?

Our Farmers' Market will only allow soaps made with something from our farm so even though I've never added herbs I better learn quick! I think lavender, comfrey, calendula petals, rosemary, and mints could be crushed. Chamomile?
How about lemon verbena? Dill weed (why is this herb good in soaps?)? Or are most herbs good as dried powder?

Or is it better to do the oil infusions? 

Thanks! Wish I could continue my tried & true soaps but actually the herbal soaps seem really interesting.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

calendula petals stay yellow/orange in soap. 

I'll make a strong chamomile tea and use that with cream for the liquid. ditto with comfrey.

Dill weed will stay green in soaps (until it turns a golden yellow after about 6 months)


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## Charleen (May 12, 2002)

Lavendar buds will look like a mouse visited unless you add them to hp soap after cooking, or coat the top of your cp bar with m&p and then add the lav buds.

I infuse calendula in EVOO, strain and use that in soap and add more petals to the top of the bar. 

Got a goat, sheep or cow? Use their milk, too.


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## Gailann Schrader (May 10, 2002)

tried to post yesterday, but I think my motherboard is going out again...

grrr...

Glad it's not MY computer...

Anyway, over the 30 years I've been soaping? I've used every herb and ground spice known. I know folks like Vicki McGaugh use infusions. I've not used a lot in that area? But I've used paprika (ground dried sweet red peppers) and it makes the soap red/pinkish, etc.

Just anything you would ingest can be used in soaps. I personally like ground rosemary, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, paprika, thyme, basil, chili powder, ground cayenne (warms), etc.

I use them in a swirl AND on top the bars.

You REALLY need to add lavender buds after the CP soap is mostly cool but still impress-able. Or they do look like mouse manure. 

Good luck, have fun, be ready to be surprised at the different colors/textures/whatever.

And remember that a lot of folks (me included) have to have a COLOR reference to "smell" i.e. Lavender soap needs to be purplish, mint soap greenish, etc. Or it needs to be well marked. I can't begin to tell you how many "I don't remember what this scent was" I've made over the years because I didn't mark it properly as it was drying...

Have fun!


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## Gailann Schrader (May 10, 2002)

Oh, and watch stuff like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.

It's gritty. Too much and you are making a pumice soap. 

AND you can put the whole stuff (like cloves) on top to help give it that "look"

Have fun!


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## kidsngarden (Mar 24, 2006)

I've used cinnamon before and found it very irritating, even though it was only a TB to a four pound batch.

I do put lavender buds in my soap and it's still one of my best sellers! The buds on the top still look like lavender, but the buds inside surely do look like mouse turds - still sells!


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