Hibiscus

I am an old fan of a Celestial Seasoning Tea known as Red Zinger… it was a zippy tea with a deep crimson red color, thanks to hibiscus.  But i am just learning that hibiscus has been used in more than just tea.

Hibiscus is one of the commonly known flowers of Hawaii – beautiful crimson petals, and a long stamen make this iconic to hawaiian culture.  But the hibiscus is edible, and most often used in teas for its sweet citrus like flavor.

In our ongoing research to learn more about using natural colorant we discovered hibiscus on the list…. when brewed into a deep crimson tea, the tea is used in leu of the water in the recipe for soap.  The soap can vary from a light pink blush to a deep red/brown depending on the strength of the tea, and the reaction to the lye during the chemical process.  But the best thing about using natural ingredients to color soap is that – no synthetic chemical colors, only natural.

We have not tried to work with hibiscus in our soap… still reading about it, and researching formulas, processes…  The next step is to test it on a very small batch of soap to see how it works out.  Hopefully we will have some photos and a story to tell when we try.