Herbal Natural Soap Ingredients

Herbal natural soap ingredients are an easy and inexpensive way to add colour and texture to your soaps...many of these ingredients can be found right in your kitchen.

When I first started making soap, I was amazed that so many edible items can be incorporated into soap. These food items can add texture and colors like pink, yellow, orange, green, brown and beige to your bars.

There are also some ingredients available that you probably don't have in your pantry. Additives like Annatto, Alkanet, Comfrey, Indigo, Rattanjot and Silk make soap making feel a little more exotic.

Below you will find a list of many different soap making additives that can be incorporated into your bars. Many of the herbal natural soap ingredients can be added as they are or by way of oil infusions or teas.

TO MAKE A TEA:

Simply pour boiling water over the plant material and allow to steep until it reaches your desired strength. Strain the liquid and refrigerate. It is very important to make sure your tea is cold or at room temperature at the very least. Do not add lye to hot or warm liquid...bad things are said to happen!

TO MAKE AN OIL INFUSION:

Direct Heat Method - place your plant material into a crock pot or pan, cover with oil (Olive oil works great), put the lid on and heat on low for about 1 hour. Watch that the oil and plant material do not burn. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and let rest for about 12 -24 hours, the longer the better. Strain the oil through a coffee filter. To use, replace a portion of the regular olive oil in your recipe with the infused olive oil. Store any left over infused oil in a cool, dark location.

It's a good idea to take notes on how much of each herbal natural soap ingredient you use in your recipe as it's so very irritating to make a soap you absolutely love and aren't able to reproduce it!

Additives Used in Soap

Adzuki Bean Powder

• creates a dusty pink color. 
• used to gently ex-foliate.

Alkanet Root Powder

• creates a red to purple color. 
• to infuse oil, add 2 tablespoons per cup of oil or add small amount of powder at trace.

Annatto Seeds: whole or powder

• creates a yellow to orange color. 
• to infuse oil, add 1 tablespoon per cup of oil or add powder at trace.

Beer, Ale or Stout

• creates a golden to brown soap (depending on the type). 
• a rich creamy lather. 
• replace water with cold beer that has first been lightly boiled, allowed to go FLAT and then chilled.

Beeswax

• adds hardness and a little color to soap. 
• add between 1% - 2% of oil weight (ie. use up to 10 grams per lb of oils). 
• grate finely and melt with the hard oils.

Calendula Petals: whole or powder

• creates a pale yellow color and visual appeal. 
• add to soap at trace (ground or whole flower petals).

Candelilla Wax

• great vegan alternative to beeswax. 
• adds hardness and a little color to soap. 
• add between 1% - 2% of oil weight (ie. use up to 10 grams per lb of oils). 
• melt with the hard oils.

Carnuba Wax

• another great vegan alternative to beeswax. 
• adds hardness and a little color to soap. 
• add between 1% - 2% of oil weight (ie. use up to 10 grams per lb of oils). 
•  melt with the hard oils.

Carrot Puree or Juice

• creates an orange color.
• for puree, cook carrots and blend until smooth.
• for either type, replace a portion of the water.
• add with the oils or at trace.

Carrot Root Powder

• creates an orange color. 
• add to oils or to soap base at trace. 
• dehydrate finely grated carrot and grind in a coffee mill.

Chamomile Flower Powder

• creates a pale yellow beige color
• add to lye water, directly to trace soap or infuse oil.

Chocolate

•  creates a dark brown color. 
• melt the baking chocolate in a small amount of oil and add to traced soap.

Cinnamon Powder

• creates a brown color and adds texture to soap. 
• add a small amount to soap at thin trace. Too much can be quite rough on the skin.

Citrus Peel, ground

• creates an ex-foliating soap and adds visual appeal. 
• add at a thin trace. 
• dehydrate citrus zest and grind in a coffee mill.

Cocoa Powder

• creates a brown color. 
• add at a thin trace.

Coconut, shredded

• creates an ex-foliating soap and adds visual appeal. 
• add at a thin trace.

Coffee - ground

• adds a brown color and texture. 
• helps combat odours like onion and garlic. 
• add at trace or use liquid coffee in place of water.

Comfrey Leaf

• dried - adds a green color and/or texture. 
• is said to aid swelling, bruises and irritated skin. 
• make an oil infusion (1 cup comfrey : 2 cups oil), tea or add ground powder to soap base at trace.

Cornmeal

• adds texture and colour to soap. 
• add at trace.

Dill Weed

• adds a green color. 
• adds texture and visual appeal. 
• add at trace.

Flowers and Herbs (Rosemary, Lavender, etc.)

• adds texture and visual appeal. 
• caution - usually turns brown in soap. 
• add to soap at trace.

Honey

• increases lather and acts as a natural humectant. 
• add 1 teaspoon of heated honey per pound of oils to thinly traced soap.

Indigo Root Powder

• creates a blue color. 
• infuse oil or add to soap at trace.

Jojoba Spheres

• used as an exfoliant and come in plain or coloured with oxides and ultramarines. 
• add to thinly traced soap.

Loofah, ground

• used as an exfoliant. 
• add to thinly traced soap.

Milk Powders

• try goats milk powder, coconut milk powder, buttermilk powder, yoghurt powder, whole milk powder or skim milk powder. 
• hold back a small portion of the distilled water and heat. Add milk powder and mix well. 
• add to thinly traced soap.

Oatmeal

• adds texture and visual appeal. 
• add ground or whole to soap at trace.

Orris Root Powder

• used to fix a scent to soap. 
• add 1/2 teaspoon per pound of oils to thinly traced soap.

Paprika

• creates a peach to orange color and gives texture to soap if added directly. 
• infuse base oil or add powder directly at trace.

Parsley Powder

• creates a green color. 
• add powder directly at trace.

Poppy Seeds

• creates an ex-foliating bar and add visual appeal. 
• add up to 1 1/2 teaspoons of the seeds per pound of oils directly at trace.

Pumpkin Powder or Puree

• creates an earthy yellow to orange color.
• replace a portion of the water if using puree.
• either type can be added to the oils or at trace.

Rattanjot

• creates a lavender to purple color. 
• infuse base oil.

Red Sandalwood Powder

• creates a maroon to purple color. 
• add to thinly traced soap.

Rice Bran Powder

• creates an ex-foliating soap. 
• add to thinly traced soap.

Rosehip Powder

• creates a pinkish tan color. 
• add to thinly traced soap.

Silk Powder

• gives soap a smoother, silky feel. 
• add silk fibres, peptide, amino acids or powder to lye water.

Stevia Powder

• creates a green color. 
• infuse base oils or add to thinly traced soap.

Stinging Nettles Powder

• creates a green color. 
• infuse base oils or add to thinly traced soap.

Sugar

• increases lather and can speed up trace time. 
• when using confectioners sugar, add up to 1 tablespoon per pound of oils and add to thinly traced soap. Whisk in very well. 
• when using granular sugar, make a syrup of 2 parts sugar to 1 part distilled water and allow to cool. Substitute some of the lye water with up to 1 tablespoon syrup per pound of oils and add at trace.

Tomato Paste

• adds an orange peach colour.
• replace a portion of the water.
• add to the oils or at trace.

Turmeric Powder

• creates a yellow to orange color. 
• add to lye, infuse oil or add directly to thinly traced soap.

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