Alkenet soap V2

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Obsidian

Obsidian

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I went ahead and made another test batch, this time I kept better track of amount used. In batch made with 8.40 oz of oil, 1 oz was the infused oil. I made two small batches so I could test alkenet and indigo.
The indigo infused oil was considerably lighter so I ended up adding 1/8 tsp powder also, still wasn't enough to really color the batter. Alkenet infuses really dark quite quickly.

Here is a ounce of infused oils measured out, indigo is on the right.
nn1c92.jpg


No pictures of the individual batters but here is the finished soap. The light greyish is from the indigo. Not a pretty color alone but should look nice swirled.
ddhnhk.jpg


wanted to top with poppy seeds but I couldn't find them. Used amaranth seeds instead.
2uhbte0.jpg


No TD used this time, just the herbs. Hopefully gelling will intensify the colors some but I'll be happy if it stays purple lol.
 
Here is the finished soap, the colors actually worked this time! The purple is really dark, seems that it doesn't take much alkenet at all. I'm amazed the indigo went blue, the batter had virtually no color and on the outside of the loaf where it didn't fully gel, its still a pale greyish color, weird.

bhelhi.jpg

2zqfvr8.jpg

11b3zvn.jpg
 
Very beautiful, I never used them. I use mica; do you think they are non-bleeding?
 
Good looking soaps. I quit playing with the natural colors for that exact reason. Seems like I could rarely reproduce the effect. haha
 
Obsidian said:
These are then only ones I have trouble with. All other herbs I've used have had predictable results.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's cause I was always trying for the reds, blues and purples. :) Still, you're showing more continuity than I did. Great work.
 
Woohoo! Those are gorgeous!! I'd be ecstatic if they were mine!

I too thought my indigo was going to be too light based on the color of the batter, but it came out a blue-gray slightly more gray than yours. I added the indigo directly to the lye water which was pretty easy to deal with. But then I was stuck with it in all parts of my soap. I did split off part of the oils and added some micas to make a second shade from the indigo water. But at cut time, the indigo came out stronger than I thought it might based on the batter color, and it pretty much overpowered the micas. So that wasn't really bleeding, it was more like swamping!

The only swirl I've done with alkanet did not bleed, at least not in 2 months. I'd wager that your beautiful swirls are going to stay put! I still have a couple solid alkanet bars that seem as purple as when I made them, so it doesn't seem to fade easily, either.
 
I am very happy with these ones. The colors aren't exactly like I envisioned but the swirls are great. I'm thinking about doing a tilted dandelion swirl using natural colorants.
 
hud said:
That's nice, how much you use pp?
Thank you for letting me know.
Click to expand...

Honestly? I have no idea.

I take 3 ounces of alkanet and put it into a quart mason jar then fill the jar up with olive oil to infuse. I heat infuse it for a couple of hours then let it settle. I filter it through a coffee filter.

I don't replace a portion of the olive oil in my recipes with the alkanet, I add it on top of the oils already in it.

I will try to get a picture tomorrow when the light is better, but it usually comes out a greyish purple color.
 
houseofwool said:
Honestly? I have no idea.

I take 3 ounces of alkanet and put it into a quart mason jar then fill the jar up with olive oil to infuse. I heat infuse it for a couple of hours then let it settle. I filter it through a coffee filter.

I don't replace a portion of the olive oil in my recipes with the alkanet, I add it on top of the oils already in it.

I will try to get a picture tomorrow when the light is better, but it usually comes out a greyish purple color.
Click to expand...
Thank you:smile:
 
What type of indigo did you use? I've ordered some indigo root powder which I knew would be green. Instructions online say should turn blue when mixed with water and left to stand but is still green?
 

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