Variety is the spice of life as they say, and spices can certainly bring variety to your soap and a whole lot more too. As well as the colour and texture that spices can add to soap there are also many skin benefits.
A Gift From Nature
Spices are another beautiful gift from nature (as well as essential oils and all the other natural goodness that we can make soap with) and have been highly prized for centuries.
The earliest written records of spices come from ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Indian cultures. Records from Early Egyptians describe around eight hundred different medicinal remedies for spices!
What Are Spices?
According toWikipedia“A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavouring, colouring or preserving food.”
But you don’t have to limit using the spices in your kitchen cupboard for cooking purposes only. Next time you are making soap make sure to open your spice pots and you will bring a whole new dimension to your soap creations.
Spices are available in several forms: fresh, whole dried, or pre-ground dried. For adding to soap buy the powder form or you can easily grind your own whole spices with a pestle and mortar or a fine grater.
Five Spices for Soap
Here are five spices that can spice up the soaps that you make:
Cinnamonpowder is a very nice addition to soap, and it can be gently exfoliating. The skin benefits of cinnamon include anti-fungal, antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties which are useful for skin blemishes.
Turmericis a powerful anti-ageing spice which is loaded with antioxidants. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial benefits so it can be helpful for skin conditions such as acne and eczema. Turmeric adds a lovely golden yellow colour to soap which will be neon bright to begin with but don’t worry it won’t be as vibrant once the soap is cured.
Paprikais another spice with many skin benefits as it can help to flush out impurities from skin and improve circulation for a healthy glow. It will add a nice orange/red colour to soap.
Gingeris not only spicy and warming its antioxidant can promote smooth and even skin tone. The antiseptic properties of ginger make it an effective remedy for dandruff.
Cloveis often recommended for oily and combination skin because it has antimicrobial properties that will purify and refresh. The properties of clove can re-energise and boost circulation to your skin.
All the above spices can be added to your soap in powder form and as a guide add one to two teaspoons per every 500g of oil in your recipe.
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