Herbal Natural Soap Ingredients

Take a look in your kitchen and you will find a multitude of herbal natural soap ingredients you can add to your soaps to make them beautiful.

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 specialty 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.

In the table below you will find a listing 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 and use in your recipe as you would normally.

Solar Heat Method - place your plant material into a glass jar and cover with oil, put lid on the jar and place in a sunny location. Shake and rotate jar daily for 1 month then strain the oil through a coffee filter

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

Some of the more difficult to find ingredients below have links that will take you to a company that sells them.

Herbal Natural Soap Ingredients

Alkanet Root Powder	- creates a red to purple color. - to infuse oil, add 2 tablespoons per cup of oil or add 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	- creates a golden to brown soap(depends on beer). - a rich creamy lather. - replace water with lightly boiled FLAT beer.
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 Root Powder	- creates an orange color. - add to soap base at trace. - dehydrate finely grated carrot and grind in a coffee mill.
Chocolate - baking	- 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 exfoliating 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 exfoliating soap and adds visual appeal. - add at a thin trace.
Coffee - ground	- adds a brown color and texture. - helps combat odors 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 to soap. - add at trace.
Dill	- adds a green color. - adds texture and visual appeal. - add at trace.
Flowers and Herbs (Rosemary, Lavender, etc.)	- adds texture and visual appeal. - caution - many turn brown in soap. - add to soap at trace.
Honey	- increases lather and acts as a natural humectant. - add 1 tsp. 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 colored with oxides and ultramarines. - add to thinly traced soap.
Loofa, ground	- used as an exfoliant. - add to thinly traced soap.
Milk Powders	- try goats milk powder, coconut milk powder, buttermilk powder, yogurt 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 tsp 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 exfoliating bar and add visual appeal. - add up to 1 1/2 tsp seeds per pound of oils directly at trace.
Rattanjot	- creates a lavender to purple color. - infuse base oil.
Red Sandlewood Powder	- creates a maroon to purple color. - add to thinly traced soap.
Rice Bran Powder	- creates an exfoliating 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 fibers 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 Tbsp. 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 Tbsp. syrup per pound of oils.
Turmeric Powder	- creates a yellow to orange color. - add to lye or to thinly traced soap.

This list of herbal natural soap ingredients should keep you busy for quite some time, experimenting and having fun. The homemade soap recipes page has many great recipes using some of these additives.

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