Fresh additives soap - need help

[volya]

I want to make the CP soap with fresh strawberry puree and coconut cream (ingredients from the label: water, coconut flesh and guar gum). I never did a soap with fresh additives and have no idea when and how I should add them. If the recipe needs 10 oz of water, should I replace partially (I think 5 oz?) with pureed strawberries and coconut cream? If yes, what ratio is the best? I wish I could skip the water and have only strawberry and coconut to play with but I'm afraid that mixing it with lye (without water) will dramatically thicken the mass and the lye crystals will not be dissolved. Should I prepare the lye solution with plain water first and then after mixing it with oils add the strawberry puree and coconut along with scent?
Also, will this soap have a pleasant scent (I assume it will loose the strawberry and coconut aroma but maybe some nice pleasant hint will be left?) if I decide to not add any fragrance?
Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[nebetmiw]

Is the Co cream liquid or is it thicker? I would do the lye/water and ass the others when you are near trace. This will have too benfits. One if it traces fast you can still get it poured and two you will keep most of the good stuff. The strawberry will also turn color as soap ages from red to brownish.

 

[Tmgm1215]

I'm still learning also I tried to use coconut cream in the lye don't do it! It became a hot sticky ball of sugar. Mine was a big batch I had to toss 12 oz of lye! Second try I plugged the cream into the lye calc as fraction coconut oil and used coconut milk as my liquid it gave me a nice bar. I haven't used strawberries yet but I picked a bucket yesterday and will attempt it today. From what I've studied you put them in at trace, I'm wondering and will try to purée them strain off the juice use it as the liquid and add the pulp at trace. Hope this helps, let me know your thoughts also!

 

[volya]

The coconut cream semi liquid, about the consistency of regular heavy cream.
I forgot to say that it will be whipped soap, so I don't afraid all the raw soap will thicken eventually.

 

[volya]

From what I've studied you put them in at trace, I'm wondering and will try to purée them strain off the juice use it as the liquid and add the pulp at trace. Hope this helps, let me know your thoughts also!

That's what I'm afraid of - it will burn and harden the lye and coconut cream.:think:
I can't strain the str. puree (I wish I could) - I mixed the strawberries in a blender and it's like baby food now - very smooth, oh, smoothie like

 

[Hazel]

The scent from coconut and strawberries won't make it through saponification. I haven't used fruit puree but I've made unscented batches and I think the smell of plain soap is pleasant. Also, some fruit turns brown from a reaction with lye.

From what I understand from what people have posted about using fruit puree in batches is the puree is added at trace. Also, the puree makes up a small percentage of the total liquid amount.

You can do the lye solution either way - use enough water to dissolve the lye and the rest of the liquid amount be made up of the coconut cream or just use the coconut cream to dissolve the lye and add the puree at trace. If you decide to use coconut cream, you want to make sure it's really cool so the lye doesn't scorch it. Also, make sure you stir it really well to make sure all the lye is dissolved. I haven't had a problem dissolving lye when I've used coconut milk. However, the fat in the CM started to react with the lye and formed small globules. Nobody had warned me about this so I got a little upset wondering what I had done wrong. Also, there was a color change - I think it turned a yellowish orange but I don't remember for sure since it's been awhile back. But this color change didn't seem to affect the oils. The batch still turned out a light cream color.

This might help you. http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f11/how-put-fruit-puree-my-cp-recipe-26508/

I see why I was piddling around you already got some answers.

eta:

I'm still learning also I tried to use coconut cream in the lye don't do it! It became a hot sticky ball of sugar. Mine was a big batch I had to toss 12 oz of lye!

I'm sorry this happened. I'd be really upset, too. This is generally why we recommend starting with smaller batches so if there is a problem, you don't waste a large amount of supplies.

 

[volya]

Thank you, Hazel, for your thoughts and advice!

Now I'm thinking about changes. If the recipe needs 10 oz water and I mix the lye with those 10 oz of water and add the starwberry and coconut cream at the trace at the same weigh - 10 oz for both, do you think it will be too much? I will remind that I want to make whipped soap, so major part (around 70%) will be hard oils, so I guess the extra semi liquid additives at the trace shouldn't affect my soap making it too soft, right?..:roll:

 

[Hazel]

You're welcome!

I need more info to answer your question about the 10 oz of water. What is the amount of lye for the recipe?

Also, it's a good thing you mentioned you're doing whipped soap. I've been posting on another thread and I had it in my mind you were using a recipe with a higher amount of unsaturated oils. Why yes! I am a natural blonde. How did you know?

 

[volya]

You're welcome!

I need more info to answer your question about the 10 oz of water. What is the amount of lye for the recipe?

Also, it's a good thing you mentioned you're doing whipped soap. I've been posting on another thread and I had it in my mind you were using a recipe with a higher amount of unsaturated oils. Why yes! I am a natural blonde. How did you know?

You are funny!
Oils 670 gr
Lye 90.44 gr
Water 234 gr
35 % water discount and 5% SF
First I planned to mix lye with about 120 gr of water and add 114 gr of strawberry and coconut cream. Now I think maybe I should mix lye with almost full percent of water - 180 gr and add about 180 gr of str-coconut puree.

What do you think, guys?

 

[Hazel]

Whoops! I'm back! I wandered off to take care of some laundry. It seems like it's never ending. :roll:

I'd say go with whatever you're comfortable doing with the lye solution. Since you have to use a very cool solution for whipped soap, you could use frozen coconut cream for almost the entire amount of liquid. Then use the strawberry puree for the remainder and add at trace.

Since I like to make things as easy as possible when I make soap, I normally use enough water to dissolve the lye and add milks after I've blended the lye solution into the oils. I think I'd go with the 180 g of water with 90 g lye since that would be 33% lye concentration. Then I'd add the chilled blend of CC/strawberries after I'd blended the lye solution into the hard oils. I'd blend some more to whip and then add the soft oils. I prefer to use more liquid with whipped soap but this is just personal preference. However, I wouldn't use 180 g of water and 180 g of CC/strw because I think that would be too much liquid. I'd probably only add a combined amount of 75 g for it. Again, just personal preference.

Okay, I have to run off again to check on the laundry. I'll be back in a few.

 

[volya]

Thank you Heather for sharing your thoughts! Quite helpful. I decided to put Coconut cream in oils (since it's high in fat) and strawberry puree at trace.
I am also thinking putting some natural strawberry flavor oil (I have it for lip balms). I don't have any fragrances and essential oils available right now.
Have anyone used natural flavors to scent the CP soap?

 

[Hazel]

You might want to check the info on the strawberry flavor oil before you use it. I'm not sure how well the scent would work in soap since flavor oils really aren't manufactured for soap. But it might work in soap, too.

 

[hoegarden]

Hi Volya, you may want to consider using the re-batching method to add in your puree and cream. I did that to mine using strawberry and yogurt. As it is rebatching, the strawberry smell did not really get destroy by the lye.

You need to discount the water used in the lye if you are adding puree and cream.

 

[volya]

Hi Volya, you may want to consider using the re-batching method to add in your puree and cream. I did that to mine using strawberry and yogurt. As it is rebatching, the strawberry smell did not really get destroy by the lye.

You need to discount the water used in the lye if you are adding puree and cream.

why rebatching is better for this type of soap?
Do I need to reconstitute fruit puree to water in 1:1 ratio or more for puree?
Thank you!

 

[hoegarden]

why rebatching is better for this type of soap?
Do I need to reconstitute fruit puree to water in 1:1 ratio or more for puree?
Thank you!

Hi Volya, I am suggesting rebatching because it retained the natural smell. So you need not really use FO for the strawberry scent.

the nice natural smell is not lasting in the CP soap.

As for the puree, I do not think you need that much of water. 2:1 will be okay. Just that for rebatching, you need to take note not to over add the puree, if not the soap will take a longer time to harden. so need to trial and error.

there is a lot of tendency for people to over add water/puree in rebatching. I am still guilty of it too. haha.

 

[BananaBee]

The strawberries will become brown in the soap - the red color is not lye resistent. All red natural colorants from fruit become brown in soap, just some yellow flowers keep yellow .