Cucumber Puree Soap?

[CraftyRedhead]

I see the soaps for sale everywhere, and I've found tons of beautiful pictures on pinterest, but I can't find a recipe to save my life!!
Okay, so I did find one recipe that involves 45% palm oil (which I don't use) but didn't explain how to incorporate the cucumber into the actual process. Does it replace water? Do I need more than the recommended water amount since it's not fully liquid? Should I peel them or puree the peels in? Does the cucumber color the soap? Or just speckle it? I have a green color that I used recently in cp and it turned purple, so I have no green, lol.
Anyway, I don't have any palm, tallow, or lard on hand, and I'm wanting to make this soap badly - and our garden is exploding cucumbers faster than we can eat and sell them.
While I'm on the subject, has anyone ever put zucchini in soap? I have a lot of that lying around here, too..

 

[Obsidian]

You can use any recipe you like. I'd replace half the water with the puree, add at trace. I would peel and seed the cucumber unless you plan on straining the puree.

 

[Moody Glenn]

Sorry, I have nothing to add any relevant info for you but at this point with the over abundance of both cucumbers and zucchini in my garden (as well as all the neighbors gardens) and having tried almost every known recipe that contains them.... adding them to my soap will most certainly send me over the edge of sanity. :crazy: Alas... if only the tomatoes will ripen. Oh well CraftyRedhead, I hope you find a great recipe for making soap using them. Right now I can't stand the sight (and taste) of them! :smile:

 

[Sinful7]

As obsidian said you can use puree in any recipe. (At least I do) I replace half the water with puree, added at trace. I do not seed nor peel my cucumbers but puree the whole thing until there is nothing but pulp left.

 

[Obsidian]

Anyone tried a greek salad? Mix equal parts chopped cucumber and tomato, toss some Italian salad dressing over it and add feta cheese to taste. Its really yummy and so simple. You can also toss in some green onions.

 

[CaraBou]

Yum, Greek salad!

I recently soaped with cucumber for the first time and I absolutely adored it. It smelled and looked soooooo-ap good all the way through the process! I used the whole cucumber too; a food processor does an amazing job reducing seeds, peel and all to a thin juice. What little pulp I got was easily strained.

From what I understand the beautiful natural green color of the juice won't stay in CP soap, so I added a colorant. Too bad because it is really gorgeous!

I haven't used the soap yet, but it would probably have to give me hives before discouraging me from using cucumber again. I'd say that so far, it is my favorite additive to work with. It just felt right to me!

I only wish I had a cucumber problem. They just don't grow well where I live. :-(

 

[lsg]

I have used frozen cucumbers to make the soap. Freeze just enough chopped cucumber in each portion for a batch of soap and use it next winter when the garden is gone. Puree the frozen cucumber and add it at trace.

 

[AsylumFarm]

I know this is an older thread but I got wondering - since most of the recipes add the cucumber puree at trace, would it be possible to add the puree to soap that is being rebatched? Or would that change the texture of the soap too much? Thoughts?

 

[MySoapyHeart]

I know this is an older thread but I got wondering - since most of the recipes add the cucumber puree at trace, would it be possible to add the puree to soap that is being rebatched? Or would that change the texture of the soap too much? Thoughts?

Start a shiny, new thread, that will get you more replies : )

But to give you some input now - since your soap has already done reacting with the lye, adding fresh puree of cucumber to an already saponified batch of soap, I would think it will make your soap produce mold after short time. So that is a no-go in my book.

But, if you add it from the start, it will totally work.

Why not try that as your next adventure? And instead rebatch this with distilled water for now?