Preserving Soap Quality

[Rosie95!]

Hi Everyone!
I was hoping to get some advice, so I make soap and some of them have dried herbs on top, such as lavender, rose and chamomile. From my understanding if stored correctly the herbs should not go mouldy and should last a few years, however, my soaps have started to grow mould on the herbs which is not good. I've tried to cool the room down with a fan, I have a humidifier, and I have now brought the gel packs to try and absorb moisture.

Do you think it would be safe to add the gel packs into the soap packaging to keep out the excess moisture? Or any other recommendations?

Thank you

 

[Yooper]

Herbs will do that- they usually turn brown first, then will get moldy if exposed to air/moisture. I’ve never heard of herbs lasting ‘a few years’, but maybe shrink wrapped they might? They may last months, but not years without preventing moisture getting to it.

As a soap cures, it loses moisture (water), and you don’t want the dried herbs to absorb that moisture but I don’t know how you’d prevent that.

 

[Rosie95!]

Herbs will do that- they usually turn brown first, then will get moldy if exposed to air/moisture. I’ve never heard of herbs lasting ‘a few years’, but maybe shrink wrapped they might? They may last months, but not years without preventing moisture getting to it.

As a soap cures, it loses moisture (water), and you don’t want the dried herbs to absorb that moisture but I don’t know how you’d prevent that.

You just made a very good point! that when the moisture leaves the soap during the curing processes, it could potentially be absorbed into the herbs causing it to go mouldy. I have started to shrink wrap my soap now, but I didn't know if it was safe or not to add the little silica gel pack into the packaging with it?
Thank you for your feedback !