Make Homemade Herbal Soap: Fresh Aloe Vera and Nettle Leaf Soap Recipe

By Sandy Maine
Published on April 14, 2011
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Homemade herbal soaps are easy to craft and provide healthy skin benefits.

 A softening soap

Emollients are conditioners that soothe, soften, and protect the skin. Emollient soaps will leave your skin feeling soft, supple, and nourished.

Fresh Aloe Vera and Nettle Leaf Soap Recipe

Aloe (Aloe vera) is a very special healing plant–it’s kind to sunburned skin, and enriching and soothing to normal, oily, or dry skin. Aloe gel is best taken directly from the leaves, even though the softhearted may feel squeamish about amputating a limb of a favorite house plant. If you prefer, prepared aloe juice is available in natural and health-food stores.

Leaves of nettles (Urtica dioica), fresh or dry, impart a pretty green fleck to the soap. I prefer using the dried leaves, but if you gather this herb fresh, protect your hands with impermeable leather or rubber gloves and transport the herbs in disposable paper bags. The nettle’s “sting” is caused by a fine fuzz that carries formic acid, creating pain when it brushes against the skin. The acid dissipates, however, when the nettle leaf is dried.

Ingredients
• 1 cup glycerin soap base
• 1/8 cup aloe vera gel
• 2 tablespoons crushed dried nettle leaf

Mix together, pour into molds, and cool. Store in a dark, cool place.

Read the original article here:  How to Make Homemade Herbal Soaps.

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