| Since Andee did that segment of kitchen spices in cold process soap, whenever I make something (anything for that matter), I wonder about using it in soap. Ack! She has corrupted me! Will I ever be able to cook in peace again? [Seriously, I keep wondering about sesame seeds, nori (sheets of seaweed), almond paste, yeast, mushrooms, wheat germ and even tapioca! What am I going to do? 😥 ]  Come with me to the kitchen so we can test parsley in cold process soap.
In testing parsley in cold process soap my hope is that the parsley will remain green instead of turning brown like the peppermint leaves do in cold process soap. Cross your fingers and let us see if this works! Normally, we don’t recommend using botanicals in as large of pieces as I did today. Most people don’t find like to find big leafy particles between their toes after they have had a bath. Sometimes though, those big leafy particles have a place compared to finely ground powders. Tina says “If you want a soap that looks like you cleaned out the lawn mower into your soap, go for it.” LOL. When I am making soaps for herbalists, gardeners or even the occasional cook, I like to play off of what they do and include it in their soaps. Not all people like to have large botanicals in their soap. If I wanted to make a soap with parsley for someone who really does not like leafy particles I would probably grind it up really really fine and swirl it into the soap. Then there would be a lovely green swirl in the soap. How would you add a botanical and avoid Tina’s dreaded lawn mower effect? Collect Needed Items:
Recipe:
Weigh all of the oils into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Add the lye to the water to for a lye solution. Mix the oils and lye solution and blend until a light trace is achieved. Add the dried parsley and mix well. Pour into a mold and allow to sit for 24 hours. Cut the soap. Allow the soap to cure. Longer curing time will result in a harder bar. Enjoy!
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 Finished Soap  Lye Solution  Heated Oils  Mixing Lye Solution and Oil  Mixing Soap  Adding Parsley  Soap in Mold |
So, did the leaves turn brown? My favorite botanical for green stuff is dill. It doesn’t seem to turn brown, even after months, and it colors the soap a very faint green. Another plus is that it’s already small, and I don’t have to grind it to make it it smaller. The small leaves are consistently the same size for the whole batch, so I don’t have any accidental big chunks anywhere. Did this impart any fragrance to your soap?