Make Soap from Yucca Leaves

Many people know that you can make soap from yucca root, but digging up a yucca plant is a lot of work and it kills the plant. The active ingredient in yucca soap is saponin. Saponin is the an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal chemical that foams when it is shaken up. High concentrations of saponin are found in yucca root, but saponin is also found in the leaves of the yucca.

Here’s how to make yucca soap and avoid killing the yucca plant:

Cut a handful of yucca leaves.

Use your knife to scrape the waxy, green skin off of the leaves.


Place the scrapings in a sealable container with some water.

Shake the container vigorously for several minutes.

Pour the liquid off into another container and discard the scrapings.


The liquid can be used as hand soap, shampoo, disinfectant wash, laundry soap, or dishwashing soap.