I'm a big fan of using powdered extracts to add some extra oomph to my facial cleansers. They tend to be inexpensive - for instance, $3 to $5 for 10 grams - and we only need a bit to go a long way. Let's take a look at these botanical extracts and see how they can fit into our facial cleanser!

There are a few ways to use botanical extracts, but the most common versions I see are liquid or powdered.

The powdered extracts I get from Voyageur Soap & Candle* are designed to be very soluble in water, and you only need a little to go a long way. I use 0.5% in the cool down phase (less than 45?C or 100?F) in a product to offer all the awesome power of that botanical ingredient, like grapeseed, green tea, rosemary, and more.

You can get liquid extracts, which we'll visit in a few minutes....
For this series, I suggested that you get a few extracts, so let's take a look at those, and a few others you might use in a cleanser. (Click on the bolded names to read more!) For the powdered extracts I list below, they are used at 0.5% in the water phase unless otherwise indicated.

Chamomile extract: I've recommended this for all skin types as it's a magnificent ingredient that can reduce redness and inflammation while reducing transepidermal water loss for up to 48 hours for all skin types. It will make your product a little yellow if you're using the powdered extract.

Rosemary extract: This is recommended for oily skin as it's an astringent ingredient that reduces oiliness and ac...