# Lemon Myrtle - using dried leaf?



## raywitt001 (Jul 22, 2014)

Hi fellow soapers,

I made my very first batch of soap 2 weeks ago and I am very impressed! It started as an experiment but I think this hobby will be a keeper. My first batch was 100% coconut oil (20% superfat), with eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils for an Aussie scent.
A friend of mine has suggested using lemon myrtle in my soap, and I have some dried lemon myrtle (100%) in the cupboard, so was wondering if it is going to work if I add some of this ground up herb into the CP soap? Will the scent come out in the soap? I know lemon myrtle can be irritating to the skin in large amounts but I was thinking maybe a teaspoon of herb to 1.5lb batch of soap? Would steeping or soaking the leaves in the warmed oil help release the scent?
I have seen some soaps for sale with little bits of lemon myrtle in them but do I need a lemon myrtle essential oil too? What blends work well with lemon myrtle - tea tree? eucalyptus?
After reading about lavender and the fact that the grinds don't add any scent to the soap I am unsure if this applies to all herbs.

Rachel.

So, after not getting any responses (I'm guessing there may not be many Aussie shapers on here), I decided to give it a go this afternoon.
I warmed up 400g coconut oil and added 4g dried lemon myrtle and allowed to steep for about an hour before mixing up he lye water and making the batch. I added Eucalyptus and Tea Tree (melaleuca) essential oils too.
I think it has imparted a slight lemony smell to the oil (just from my nose) but blended in the soap it has a pleasant Aussie Forest scent but nothing stands out. I will look at buying the essential oil in the future but I figure the dried herb looks cool if nothing else - a bit rustic looking.


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## Claudia (Aug 13, 2014)

You could add a little turmeric, to give it a hint of yellow too. I'll have to try Lemon Myrtle, thanks for the idea


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## karenbeth (Aug 13, 2014)

I've had a few people ask for lemon myrtle so I bought some essential oil. Research suggests 1% is a safe amount to add to soap so I added some eucalyptus as well. Smells great.


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