herbal tea follow-up

[renaissancemom]

thank you to everyone who gave tea advice. another question. what would you say is the benefit to using tea instead of plain water? is it the color in your final soap, or the scent, or something else? thanks for everyone's patience.

 

[JanO]

I personally like the different colors. That is usually what I'm after. But, some teas actually add some other properties as well. For instance blackberry leaf tea has some healing properties in it that my daughter swears helps with sunburn. (She's a lifeguard during the summer months, so she should be the expert, right?) I can't tell the difference, but she swears by it, so every spring I make a big batch of soap from blackberry leaf tea just for her.

 

[xyxoxy]

I don't have any scientific results but everyone loves my soap made with a very strong red Rooibos tea. It's a pretty color and a couple of people claim that it has helped clear up their acne and similar problems.

Rooibos tea by itself is high in anti-oxidants and is widely believed to have many healing properties including treatment of Rosacia. But of course there is still the age old debate of whether those healing properties survive the lye monster.

 

[7053joanne]

I'm not sure how many of the tea benefits survive the process but i also love the different colors you end up with from using the different teas.

 

[MikeInPdx]

I love the different colors.

 

[laVale]

I don't have any scientific results but everyone loves my soap made with a very strong red Rooibos tea. It's a pretty color and a couple of people claim that it has helped clear up their acne and similar problems.

Rooibos tea by itself is high in anti-oxidants and is widely believed to have many healing properties including treatment of Rosacia. But of course there is still the age old debate of whether those healing properties survive the lye monster.

that's very interesting, I just bought a batch of Rooibos tea on sale (I didn't think of soapmaking use, though).
Do you use it as water? how strong is it? I mean, one "envelope" of it infused in water, or more? for how many gr of fats?
What's the color you get?
thanks so much in advance!
Vale

 

[xyxoxy]

Since I like to drink Rooibos tea I buy it in regular tea-bag form. I mix up a strong tea, let it cool, then use that to mix my lye. I will probably change that in future batches to mix the lye with minimal water and then add the tea after the lye has cooled off. I think this might have a better chance of preserving the healing benefits of the tea.

I've only made it twice in large batches where I used a whole box for an 8 pound batch... so you could say between 1.5 to 2 teabags PPO.

In CP with gel the color is initially a dark red but over time it turns more of a brick color. I have never done it HP and have never prevented gel but I assume you could get a darker or lighter color by altering the process.

I also open up a couple of the used tea bags and add the loose leaves to the oils for texture and color. But a word of caution... like other botanicals, a little goes a long way and too much can be kinda scratchy. Some people like this and some don't... (I do).

I'll also tell you this works great for me with a spiced fig FO. To me this almost has a tea-like scent.

 

[laVale]

Hello!
Thanks so much for your answer!

I have never done it HP and have never prevented gel but I assume you could get a darker or lighter color by altering the process.

well, I'm still a newbie of soapmaking, so that's still not in my works

I also open up a couple of the used tea bags and add the loose leaves to the oils for texture and color. But a word of caution... like other botanicals, a little goes a long way and too much can be kinda scratchy. Some people like this and some don't... (I do).

Me too, I do like.
I sometimes make a "double layer" soap bar, the first part with botanicals, the second is the same, but without them, so you just need to turn the soap upside down to have a more gently one.

Thanks so much again for the tips!

Vale

 

[xyxoxy]

I sometimes make a "double layer" soap bar, the first part with botanicals, the second is the same, but without them, so you just need to turn the soap upside down to have a more gently one.

Thanks so much again for the tips!

Vale

That's a great idea! I do round PVC soaps so it might be a little more difficult to do layers... but I have managed to be creative.

If you do make some red tea soap please post pics and let me know how it turned out for you. It's been very popular for me.

 

[I love soap!]

just tried spearmint tea last night it looks great!