rosemary

[kwahlne]

Has anyone ever used dried rosemary leaves in CP soap? Is it too scratchy when you use it?

 

[Lindy]

I've used rosemary and mint in a bar and I ground both to a very fine powder to keep the irritation/scratchiness factor down.

I grind using a bowl & Pestle (I think that's what it's called) since I grow some of my own spices.

This combination makes a really nice soap and I didn't add any scent which was still nice.

Cheers

 

[android]

i just made a batch last night with ground rosemary. i used a mortal and pestle like the previous poster and felt it first to make sure it didn't feel sharp before i mixed it in. i read somewhere that whole leaves will scratch you.

 

[Lindy]

"Mortal" - that's what I was trying so hard to remember!! Thank you Android! Some days I think it's my brain that is soaping instead of the oils. And yes that was what I found too, that once it was ground to a powder there was no "sharpness" in it. That "Mortal" and Pestle was the best purchase I ever made, even when I can't get the name right.

I grow a lot of my own herbs here - well okay they were here when we bought the house, but I am going to add more - and I love drying them and then grinding them.

Cheers

 

[android]

sorry, i made a typo, it's a mortar, not mortal... oops!

 

[Lindy]

Okay - what you said - all I know is its a small marble bowl with a marble stick and you grind things in it. :?

 

[mandolyn]

I use my coffee grinder to grind all kinds of stuff for my soap. Works really well for getting a fine powder.

 

[kwahlne]

Yeah, I was wondering about the non-ground rosemary. I wanted that look in the soap. Oh well... I guess I won't use that since it would scratch too much. Thanks guys!

 

[Beachy12]

I put some rosemary in some MP. I loved the look, but it was way to scratchy! I didn't grind it, just chopped it a little.

 

[tincanac]

I wanted Rooibos tea in some M & P soap - so I ground it in the mill attachment of my food processor - it was still a bit poky-scratchy - so in my next attempt I used a mortar and pestle to crush it first, and then ran it for a long time in the mill - it didnt come out as powdery as I wanted, but it was fine enough that the next batch didnt scratch as much. Maybe you could try this with the rosemary as well.
tincan

 

[Lindy]

I used the "Mortar" & pestle and I was able to get it to a very fine powder that felt quite silky. I don't know if it makes any difference but the Rosemary was fresh from my garden, I had just dried it and then ground it up. Does anyone know if the freshness would make any diffference?

At any rate - I used Rosemary & Mint (also finely powdered ) and they feel wonderful in the soap.

Cheers

 

[Deda]

Just a thought, but if you are using for aesthetics only try letting it soak in oil, water or some other liquid for a few days. It make absorb enough liquid to soften it up a bit. I've no idea if it will actually work, but I just bought some artisan bread with whole rosemary and the rosemary was quite soft and pliable.

Might work? Let us know, GI Joe.

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Here is a picture of a Rosemary-Double Mint soap I did. I used rosemary and peppermint pieces on top and throughout the log.

It's not scratchy at all. It sure smells great. I used infused rosemary rice bran oil and peppermint and spearmint EO's.

Paul