Do the properties of Nettle Powder make it thru Saponification?

[twaburds]

Hi!

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

I used to make Nettle Soap for Eczema and Psoriasis using a melt and pour base but have this year switched to cp base and I am wondering wither the properties of the powder carry thru the saponification process?

If you have any experience or knowledge or links to articles I would really appreciate it to help me to decide wither to keep it cp or move back to mp.

Thanks so much!

 

[Dahila]

I use it in soap but I do not think there is any benefit of that, after saponification. It is more for label appeal

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

You could also hot process so that the saponification is finished and then add it in

 

[Chefmom]

When I use my infused herbal oils in my soaps I always hot process the soap and add the infused oils after the cook is finished. I believe they make a difference based on my own personal experience and the feedback that I have received from testers that only know to talk about my "white" and "green" soaps. One girl in particular that is plagued with eczema outbreaks gave me the feedback that ...""while your white soap was really nice I preferred the green soap. When I used the green soap I didn't have any outbreaks, and my skin feels fabulous as well."" She is the daughter of a good friend of mine and they pay to ship my soap once a year to Australia based on her testing local soaps, prescribed medications from her dermatologist and my soaps and infused herbal balm.

 

[DeeAnna]

The problem with the oft-asked question, "Do the medicinal properties of XXX ingredient survive saponification?" is that it is expensive and time consuming to get decent answers, so reliable information about these additives is sketchy and inconclusive at best.

Anecdotal evidence just isn't sufficient, because there is no way to know WHAT is causing the perceived benefit or WHY there is a benefit for that particular person. Just because one person or even a few people say a soap with XXX ingredient is beneficial to them does not prove that ALL or even MANY people with similar problems will also see that benefit.

Take pine tar for example. Anecdotal evidence suggests some people with skin problems see some benefit from pine tar. Research studies to follow up on this idea have so far not found evidence that pine tar offers any measurable benefits. Even soap makers from 100+ years ago were not at all convinced pine tar was anything more than a selling point, so this conclusion is not just the result of modern scientific skepticism.

Is the benefit of pine tar simply from wishful thinking (the placebo effect)? Is it a benefit that would come from using any mild soap made with basic, classic ingredients? Or is there a real benefit that specifically comes from using pine tar? And if there is a benefit, what specific skin conditions will benefit most?

If the results of over a century of use is any indication, the jury is still out on pine tar. Pine tar is near the top of the list as common medicinal/beneficial additive for soap, and we've been studying and debating its benefits for well over a century -- and we STILL don't know if pine tar does anything more than make soap softer and smell like a campfire.

 

[redhead1226]

This is a huge pet peeve of mine and I touched on this subject the other day. There are so many new soapers in the community on facebook and they are putting "the kitchen sink" in their soaps and I always look and chuckle because I say to myself "What s THAT going to do'? I have always made my soap without too many additional additives as I just don't want to BS people about what a soap can do. Maybe nieve of me to be so honest. I use alot of different spices an herbs for natural colorants as I try to keep it on the more natural side but really just go by what the oil qualities bring to the soap. If I use activated charcoal as a black colorant I don't say the charcoal does anything. If I use Kelp powder for a green colorant I do not say the kelp does anything. In CP I just dont think much of these "therapeutic" qualities survive at all. I saw a Erno Laszlo Sea mud soap the other day online for $45.00 and thought to myself - WTH are people thinking that it does for that price. And whatever its going to do it better do it quick as your going to wash it off in a few minutes. Uggggg!