Alfalfa Leaf in soap?

[CatahoulaBubble]

Has anyone added alfalfa leaf to soap and if so what is the result? Does it add anything? I have 4 lbs of alfalfa leaf powder that I bought for a supplement for one of my dogs when he had cancer. He's passed on and now I have kelp powder and alfalfa leaf powder left and I'd love to use it in my soap if it's something useful to add.

 

[penelopejane]

Has anyone added alfalfa leaf to soap and if so what is the result? Does it add anything? I have 4 lbs of alfalfa leaf powder that I bought for a supplement for one of my dogs when he had cancer. He's passed on and now I have kelp powder and alfalfa leaf powder left and I'd love to use it in my soap if it's something useful to add.

Most botanicals go brown. i use seaweed that I collect, dry and grind myself. It starts out as beautiful green dots in the soap and changes to brown dots. Barely exfoliating.
I have seen much finer powdered kelp than mine that may, I imagine, create a swirl. It’s yellow now but I’m pretty sure it will turn brown in soap.
lavender looks like mouse poop in soap.
I imagine the alfalfa will turn brown.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I'm not worried about the color being brown, I just wondered if it actually adds anything to the soap. I never add lavender buds because they end up looking so ugly afterwards.

 

[penelopejane]

I'm not worried about the color being brown, I just wondered if it actually adds anything to the soap. I never add lavender buds because they end up looking so ugly afterwards.

Alfalfa wouldn’t add label appeal for me but I don’t know about others. Seaweed adds label appeal. I personally don’t like bits in soap unless they are so tiny they wash down the drain by themselves.

 

[atiz]

I once tried to make an alfalfa infusion to color the soap. I do not have very good notes about how much I used, but based on the result, certainly not enough (it did not get very green to start with and faded afterwards). You may have better results though.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I once tried to make an alfalfa infusion to color the soap. I do not have very good notes about how much I used, but based on the result, certainly not enough (it did not get very green to start with and faded afterwards). You may have better results though.

I'm not really going for color with it. More to see if it added anything to the soap properties. I was really just looking for ways to use this alfalfa powder but it looks like soap isn't the best option. I'll probably add it to my chicken feed.
Thanks!

 

[Kcryss]

I'm not really going for color with it. More to see if it added anything to the soap properties. I was really just looking for ways to use this alfalfa powder but it looks like soap isn't the best option. I'll probably add it to my chicken feed.
Thanks!

From a colorant perspective, I agree. Will likely turn brown. However, it's a great herb for both hair and skin. https://alituranaturals.com/amazing-alfalfa-extract-anti-aging-skin-revitalizer-and-protectant/

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Based on the nutritional information I can find on line, alfalfa powder contains approx. 25% carbohydrates/sugar, 25% fiber, 25% protein and the remainder is vitamins, minerals and probably water. It might add a little hardness and maybe some bubbles.

 

[MadScientist]

I read the OP and suddenly felt like a kid in a classroom who had the answer:
"I know! Ooo! Ooo! Pick me! C'mon!"

About a month ago, I did some research on a similar topic. I became curious about making my own plant-based shampoo. I dug into what made soap berries... soapy. Plant-based surfactants like those found in soap berries are known as saponins. This led to a deep and twisty rabbit hole of research.

I remember reading about alfalfa, which contains a significant portion of saponins. Per the chart in the link below, Alfalfa's saponin content is similar to soapwort's. Adding it to CP soap could theoretically increase foaming and detergency. YMMV as I don't know the exact pH range at which alfalfa saponins are active as surfactants.

If I had it on-hand, I would totally experiment with it. I'm not familiar with any particular extraction process for saponins but if ever in doubt, make tea.

I would brew up an extra strong batch of alfalfa tea with a long and low temp steep around 122F (50C) in distilled water. I would then replace the recipe water with the tea to see if it made any difference. You could also try it in powder form to see if that works also.

https://www.intechopen.com/books/ap...iological-active-surfactants-from-plants#tab1

Despite all the interesting research, I decided to go with Coco-glucoside to save myself time.