Teach Soap

I just discovered that my boyfriends grandmother has the motherlode of nettles growing in her flower garden (much to her dismay!).

I have used dried nettles in my hair care products, however I know there are people out there that put nettles in soap. How is this best accomplished? Do I make a tea out of the leaves and use the tea as my lye water? or add the water and pureed leaves at trace? do I use them fresh, or dried? If fresh is the way to go, is there a certain time of year they are best harvested, or can they be harvested as needed?
Petra

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Petra

You can make a nettle infusion and then replace the water in your recipe with the nettle tea. Or you can make a nettle infusion in oil (hot or cold) and use that to make the soap with. Either works great though the oil/nettle infusion probably will survive more than the lye water because the lye tends to demolish and destroy everything in its path.

Let us know how it turns out.

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com