10 Best Herbs For Use in Soap
- Thread starter Zany_in_CO
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@QuasiQuadrant what is your favorite herb for use in lye based soap? hoping you perused this herbal article posted by @Zany_in_CO
@Zany_in_CO Thank you. Now I have an excellent idea for what to do with the marshmallow root I ordered too much of.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
You're welcome. 
EDIT: to say there are no 'best' herbs to use in soap. The list is truly endless.
Trying to get me to pin down a favourite herb / plant / tree - even confined to the arena of soap making - is like asking me to choose a favourite child or grandchild
They all have such amazing properties, they all have their own personalities - yes, I am dead serious - and how they 'behave' in various products is based on how we choose to harvest them, process & use them (teas / decoctions / tinctures / salves / lotions / liniments / soaps), as well as what form they might be in - dry extract / tincture / oil extraction / wax / liquid extract / you name it, AND what other plants / herbs we choose to combine them with as they then work synergistically. Kind of like a 'level up', even more so when we begin connecting with them on a personal level.In soaps, combining plants which have been incorrectly termed & written-off as 'weeds' & 'invasive species' is something I love. Every country around the world has their 'weeds' & plants which are viewed as 'useless' or a 'nuisance'. I hear people often say 'the soap washes off so the plants have no effect', yet I have experienced this to not be at all true. Dandelion, plantain (broad leaf / narrow leaf), dock (curly / bloody / yellow), stinging nettles (all nettles), cat's ears, cleavers, horsetail, creeping ivy (the proper name is escaping me at the moment), broom, gorse, wild daisies, yarrow, goldenrod...the list is endless. Not to mention their seeds! Every plant has specific properties, and they all do different things in soap batter. We know so little about plants. As a collective species who are surrounded by them, this fact is truly staggering.
Marshmallow root is amazing....what it does for the skin & hair, as well as in herbal water infusions (tea) and decoctions is beautiful. It is also very much medicinal & has been used in traditional medicine for a very long time. I have not yet used it in soap, but do intend on doing so. I do include it in salves of specific types which I sell through stores as well as privately for community members who ask. The root is quite fibrous, so I usually heat infuse it into olive oil for 3-4 hours over very low heat in a sealed glass jar, then let it infuse further for several more months before using it. Give it a good shake once in a while. Soaps like this I would market as 'limited edition' due to the time & effort which it takes to prepare the infused oil.
FYI you can also tincture marshmallow root, which will extract its alcohol soluble properties. Have fun playing with it & look into its many, many uses
