| Today begins our second day of using kitchen spices in soap by using dill weed, which is the leaves and stalks of the dill plant.
Dill is typically used as aromatic flavoring for pickles, butters, fish, and breads. Dill is a popular herb in the Baltic region of Europe and used in gravlax, borscht and other soups. Collect needed items:
We are going to use the higher end of the water recommendations in the Lye Calculator so we can mix the dill in easily. We are also making this soap in dry weather so the soap will dry/cure quickly. If you are making this in a humid location, please use a dehumidifier to help dry out the soaps. Measure fixed oils on your scale. Warm the fixed oils on the stove or in the microwave. I melted the oils in the microwave. Add sodium hydroxide to the water. Mix well. Combine oils and lye solution. Stir until thin trace. Upon light trace, add the dill. Stir well. Pour soap into molds. I used the Rubbermaid Drawer Organizers #2915 as the mold. Allow to sit until soap is firm. The next morning cut into bars. Stack to allow good air circulation. Allow to cure for several days before using. Longer curing will result in a harder bar. Notes: After looking at the finished soap, I think the best scents for this soap would be either garden or herb-like scents to play off the speckled appearance and the fact that the additive is a common cooking herb. Several scents that I can think of off the top of my mind would be Lemon since lemons and dill are frequently paired together, Lemongrass, Basil, Black Pepper, Autumn Afternoon, Green Mango, Sweetgrass, or if you want a surprising twist then pair dill with Orange. The Dill soap samples have been sent to the Shipping Department to send out in orders. I really want to hear your comments about this or any of the other soaps with kitchen spices. I hope that anyone wanting a sample soap will request one and if we have any samples we will send them to you.
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 Cut soap after 24 hours.  Dill.  Adding the lye to the water.  The lye and water need to be mixed together.  Stirring the lye solution.  Adding the lye solution to the melted fixed oils. |
 Mixing the lye solution and oils together.  Adding 1 tsp Dill.  Completely mixed raw soap. |
 Continuing to mix until light trace.  Blending raw soap and Dill.  Raw soap into the mold. |
So does the dill add a fragrance to the soap? I would love to add some to my “Fresh Cut Grass” soap, but I’m a little worried it would smell like pickles.
I bet this would look nice in a Clary Sage batch, too. I think Andee mentioned that the dill did not contribute any scent to the soap and I bet it would look great with a Fresh Cut Grass scent.
~Robin
I think Green Clover and Aloe would work well with this color. Thanks for trying dill – it makes a pretty soap.
I got around to trying the soap with dill. I LOVE the results. I used the fresh cut grass fragrance oil, and it smells perfect. I ended up using one teaspoon dill for a three pound batch of soap. It looks just like little bits of green grass. Thanks for the demo Andee!
I was inspired by the beautiful colors that appeared due to the dill, and I just made a batch of soap – just olive oil, coconut oil and coconut fractions – a teaspoon of dill and two essential oils – thyme and dill. I’m thinking at Grandma’s garden when smelling it 🙂
I will share pics on the forum after cutting it – I do not have a wooden mould, but the empty milk containers always make my soap gel (especially if you keep them close to a heat source for a couple of hours 🙂 )