Wild Soaps - Soapwort

In our constant race towards resilience, we eventually come to the point where we realize that there is more than just our food system at risk.

Today we’re going to discuss making soap from scratch from easy to find wild ingredients!

Why make soap?

Soap has become an essential part of everyday life for most of us.

Conventional soap has a long supply chain which could lead to issues in the future should we lose one piece of it. On top of that, soap is filled with all kinds of toxins and artificial compounds we either shouldn’t be putting on our skin or shouldn’t be reliant on.

Making homemade soap is not only toxin-free (today’s recipe has two ingredients) but it is very easy to make and is very easy to source for most people in the country (especially those in the Midwest)!

Traditional Soap

Traditional soaps have been made a variety of different ways throughout history, but are typically made with fats and oils, mixed with a basic compound.

Bar soaps typically contain lye which is a compound originally made from leeching wood ash with water (which creates a caustic liquid). This can be dangerous to attempt if you don’t know what you’re doing, so many people resort to using glycerin soap bases.

Plant-Derived Soaps

A number of plant-derived soaps exist which I will cover in this newsletter.

I try to look for plants that are high in saponins (or other similar compounds like terpenes or mucilage), that are to find, and ones that are safe to use on human skin.

Here’s just a few we can explore at some point:

• Yucca

• Soapnut

• Horse Chestnut

• Baby’s Breath

• Ginseng

• English Ivy (not safe for skin)

• Soapwort

Today we’ll be talking about soapwort although some of the others are prepared similarly!

Instructions

The first step is to find soapwort. It is in almost every state in the US and parts of Canada and comes originally from Europe, so it is very widespread and easy to find!

Typically, the flowers will bloom in early summer by me (usually June or so) which makes it easier to spot, but once you know what it looks like you can definitely pick it earlier if you like! The soap will be more concentrated after it flowers though.

The entire plant can be used, but the roots contain the highest saponin levels.

Here is the best way I have found to make it into soap:

• Chop fresh or dried soapwort coarsely (We usually do 1 cup or so)

• Boil some water in a saucepan (Roughly 1qt of water for every cup of soapwort)

• Once the water is boiling, steep the soapwort in it for 15-20 minutes

• Strain and let cool

• The resulting liquid can be used as soap!

The smell is rather mundane and vegetal, so add some essential oil or boil some citrus peel with it for scent!

We have found that the mixture lasts for about 1 and a half weeks when stored at room temperature, so I recommend drying a bunch at a time to store until you’re ready to use it.

We have found that this doesn’t work as well for getting intense grease off of dishes, but it is good enough for cleaning hands, hair, and using in the laundry!

The saponins are gentle enough that it can even be used on newborn skin!

There you go! Now you know how to make your own soap from scratch.

If you liked this practical recipe, be sure to let me know if you’d like to see more stuff like this in the future!

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