Hollyhock Flower Soap Recipe

three bars of soap stacked on a rock, fresh hollyhock flower

I know I say it about all of my soap recipes – but this hollyhock soap truly is another favorite of mine!

Hollyhocks have soothing properties similar to their herbal cousin, marshmallow, and the drawing power of the rose clay makes this soap another one helpful for itchy or inflamed skin.

Looking for more ways to use hollyhocks? Be sure to check out my article: 5 Things to Make with Hollyhocks for more creative ideas.

(This recipe has been reformulated from the original one published, in order to make it palm oil free.)

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fresh hollyhock flowers

Hollyhock Flower Soap

Liquid & Lye Portion:

  • 4.13 ounces lye (sodium hydroxide) (6% superfat)
  • 10 ounces hollyhock tea/infusion

Oil Portion (30 ounces total):

  • 17 ounces olive oil (57%)
  • 8 ounces coconut oil (27%)
  • 2.5 ounces shea butter (8%)
  • 2.5 ounces castor (or meadowfoam) oil (8%)

At light trace, add:

  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon rose kaolin clay (for pink color)
  • 1/2 to 1 tablespoon bergamot essential oil (optional, for light scent)

Here are a few brands of lye I use most often:

To infuse the water, add handfuls of fresh hollyhock flowers/rose petals to a jar and pour lukewarm water over them. Let this infuse for several hours.

You can also do a cold water infusion and let it sit overnight.

Strain, ensure that the water is room temperature or colder then add your lye and proceed as directed in the post Soap Making 101. (Make sure the tea isn’t too dark though, or it may affect the final color of your soap.)

This recipe is sized to fit my homemade wooden mold – the inner dimensions are: 8 inches by 3.5 inches by 3.5 inches. 

It will also fit a Crafter’s Choice Regular Silicone 1501 Soap Mold.

New to soapmaking? You may enjoy my Handmade Natural Soaps ebook collection and or Soapmaking Success e-course.

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10 Comments

  1. Pingback: Five Uses for Hollyhocks - The Nerdy Farm Wife
  2. I like the idea of the hollyhock infusion but am wondering why. What does it do for the properties of the soap as opposed to just using normal water? I also really like the idea of adding the red clay for color. Thanks.

    1. Hi Jim! The idea behind using herbal/floral teas and infused oils in soap making is the hope that some of the beneficial properties come through into the final bar of soap. In hollyhock’s case, it soothes, cools and tames inflammation so it would be a good choice for irritated, sensitive or eczema prone skin. Now, whether or not any of the benefits actually survive hasn’t been scientifically proven. Some people think they don’t. Or, if they do, then maybe some herbs make it out better than others. From personal experience with a kid that had severe eczema and my own sensitive skin, a plain homemade soap is quite nice, but a homemade soap loaded with herbs that are good for your skin and inflammation is exponentially better. So, while there’s no proof that it will or won’t matter, I’m pretty convinced that adding herbs to soap does something special to it.

  3. Thanks, That brings to mind a new question. Since the SH is such a powerful chemical, would it make sense to do an oil infusion with the hollyhocks that would be added to the oils late in the process as you do with the essential oils used for scenting? I am looking forward to trying this with my next batch. Perhaps turning the hollyhocks into a pesto like mix and adding it into the oils
    As a skin friendly soap I have really liked a mixture of lard, coconut and safflower oil. One of the nicest and best received soaps I’ve made.

    1. Hi Jim! I’ve started to prefer using infused oils over teas myself lately. I go through spells where I like to switch it up, but I’m thinking like you that the properties might have a better shot at making it through the soap making process in an infused oil than in direct contact with the lye.

  4. I have been so inspired making your soaps and am wondering if you have tried making a soap with a rosehips tea or infusion? Rosehips are in season here and I was thinking with all that vitamin C and the beautiful color they would be wonderful for soap. I was thinking this hollyhock soap could be a good base but what EO combination would be good for rosehips? I don’t have rose EO but I saw a recipe somewhere that used geranium and something else maybe lemongrass? Scents are one of the toughest challenges aren’t they?

    1. Hi Peggyrae! I’ve been pondering over making a rosehip soap too! :) I did a little digging though and it sounds like the beautiful rosehip infusion/tea will end up turning the soap more of a brownish-pink/red color. When I experiment with the idea, I thought I’d do a smaller amount of tea and add in some rose clay (or maybe some red clay?) so that I get more of a pink (or red), than brown tone. You can also add ground dried rosehip powder, but just a bit or it will be scratchy. (I will probably experiment with about 1/2 tsp to start.) I like the idea of geranium and lemongrass blended together! I agree that coming up with scents are tough! Here are a few links that might have some ideas for you too:
      https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/lori-novas-top-ten-essential-oils-2/
      https://soapteacher.blogspot.com/2010/10/suggested-essential-oil-blends-for-soap.html
      https://backporchsoap.blogspot.com/2010/01/top-five-essential-oils-for-soap-making.html

  5. Thank you so much for you suggestions and the links. I recently finished cutting a batch of Hollyhock soap I made from Hollyhocks from my own garden. I did add some Kaolin clay. They are so lovely!

    I decided to hold off on the rosehips and dry them. Too bad I accidentally broiled them to a crisp when I turned on my stove later that day to make a dinner for company. I do have some powdered rosehips and have just ordered some dark red Brazilian clay from Brambleberry. I may try a light tea from the powder and color with the clay… Planning to make another batch of Lavender soap today or maybe that Avocado Shampoo. I am so hooked. Looking at some Herbal medicine books currently to see what I have in my yard that I can put to use…. I am seeing lots of mallows, yarrow, and plantains. Anyway, love the weekends. Happy soaping!

    1. Hi Amy! I’ve used both before. I try to go with leaves more often, but only because my flower supply is limited these days. (The chickens decimated my hollyhock patch one year and it hasn’t been the same since!)

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