A few posts back, we took a look at soapwort and its content of saponins (all-natural cleansing action). Today, we’re going to put this pretty plant to the test and see how well it lives up to its name.

The Process

I picked these on one of my walks and brought them straight home for processing. After allowing them to wilt for a short spell (so any residing ‘small visitors’ could make their escape), the plants were inspected and any less-than-perfect parts were removed. The one root that came along was lightly scrubbed under running water to remove any dirt. (FYI: it is the roots that contain most of the saponins so this root was a little bonus).

The 3 plants were then cut up and placed in the bowl you see above, covered with freshly boiled distilled water, then placed under a tight fitting lid to steep for an hour.

After straining, the liquid was weighed and the suitable amount of broad spectrum preservative was added (for this batch I used Euxyl PE 9010).

The soapwort ‘wash’ was then transferred to a foam bottle. Below is a picture of the foam (and bottle). It’s not long lasting lather like you would see in a commercially made product, but this foam stayed foamy long enough for me to position the spoon and bottle, check the lighting, find the angle I wanted to photograph, and take the picture.

Putting it to the Test

I tried this all natural ‘purist-style’ cleanser as a facial cleanser, body wash and even hair wash, and the results were so good I went back for more. At the time of writing this, I have been using soapwort infusion as my sole shampoo and body wash for 6 weeks. The only reason I haven’t also been using it for face is because I am testing some other cleansers for facial use.

The scent of this liquid is the only thing I have been trying to ‘adjust’ - not that the fragrance is bad - it’s just a bit ‘boring’. The scent is a combination of woodsy and herby all at the same time. The flowers have the most deliciously sweet and floral fragrance, but this unfortunately doesn’t transfer during an infusion.

I have made subsequent batches with combinations of herbs and flowers and will be sharing about these in future posts. Meantime, I can say that soapwort definitely lives up to its name. My hair has never felt so soft and clean without a trace of dryness.

Do Tell

Have you ever tried to wash your face and hair with a plant infusion? Please share in a comment below