Spearmint 'tea' as water source for lye solution?

[Jorah]

We have spearmint taking over one of our flower beds, and I'm going to have to pull up a bunch of it soon. Naturally, now that I'm a soap maker (and I have some spearmint EO on hand), I was thinking of chopping it up some of the leaves, soaking the mash in distilled water for a few days, straining it, and using the 'tea' as my water source.

I figured I'd check in with y'all to see if there are any 'gotcha!s' you want to warn me about before I start chopping...

 

[artemis]

You don't have to steep it for that long. You can just brew it like any other tea and let it cool. Just know that it won't keep any color or scent.

I would dry all those leaves and use them as tea. It's nice in a sleepy bedtime blend.

 

[Obsidian]

Also, it can turn your soap a tan color since mint goes brown in lye. It won't hurt the soap, just won't add anything besides a not very pleasant color.

 

[Jorah]

Also, it can turn your soap a tan color since mint goes brown in lye. It won't hurt the soap, just won't add anything besides a not very pleasant color.

Thanks for that, it was the prospect of a rich green that made me think of it!

You don't have to steep it for that long. You can just brew it like any other tea and let it cool. Just know that it won't keep any color or scent.

I would dry all those leaves and use them as tea. It's nice in a sleepy bedtime blend.

I'll give that a try! I think my wife has a food dryer.

 

[Obsidian]

Thanks for that, it was the prospect of a rich green that made me think of it!

Most green plants turn brown from lye, same with purples and reds. Kelp stays green but will fade to a olive color after a couple months