Getting the natural colour look out of Kiwifruit soap

[Jono Hislop]

Hello all,

I made a kiwifruit batch recently - I'm no fan of fluro colours, but I was attracted by this picture of kiwifruit soap


It seemed to me that the brown colour would be a natural result of the kiwifruit puree changing colour over time.
What I was surprised by was that my soap (using hard white oils) came out very white, with a few seeds popping up here and there... Its been 8 weeks, and white it has stayed.


So now I'm guessing that brown is the result of a fragrance oil (vanillin perhaps)..

Attached is my ingredients list + puree amount.

Any help in achieving a nice natural colour such as theirs is wonderfully appreciated !
Have I been wrong to assume that purees can add colour to soap?

 

[KiwiSoap]

Hey Jono, I don't have any experience using purees in soap but other people here should be able to advise on that. I did do a search for 'kiwifruit fragrance oil' and found that Candle Creations offer one, and sure enough it mentions vanilla so that could be the cause of the discoloration. The one review says that the FO 'behaved well in CP soap', perhaps it doesn't accelerate. If it's discolouration, it has done it favourably, hope you find the secret to it!

 

[earlene]

I have never used Kiwi in soap, but I also would have expected more discoloration. However, it may also depend on how much you use. So many people told me tomato would make my soap red and using tomato paste in my soap gave me no color at all except the green mica I used in a portion of the soap. The non-mica portion was almost white, not even a tinge of pink or orange. So, I am sure it has a lot to do with how much you use.

You might find this blogpost about adding fresh food to soap interesting: https://inmysoappot.co.nz/2017/09/06/adding-fresh-ingredients-to-soap/

 

[lsg]

I don't know about kiwi puree, but when I use cucumber puree it starts out a pale green and fades over time.

 

[Obsidian]

I've never had purees give much color to soap. I think you would have to use a lot of kiwi to get that much brown.
Maybe try some black tea to make your lye water. It should turn brown.
Or just use a FO that discolors.

 

[Jono Hislop]

Thanks for the advice. If kiwifruit fragrance has vanillin in it, Im sure thats the secret !
Black tea is something id have never thought of too. Thanks for the natural recommendation.

I would assume that using too much puree would just break the soap (for lack of a better technical term). I used 28 grams in a 660gram recipe, as a tutorial I followed suggested only 1 ounce per 1 pound. Seems a bit on the safe side to me.

PS: After using this soap in the shower I can say that kiwifruit seeds are so hard/sharp i felt like I was about to cut myself rather than exfoliate myself. I think in future I'd go for something that looks like kiwifruit seeds but is softer.

 

[earlene]

Thanks for the advice. If kiwifruit fragrance has vanillin in it, Im sure thats the secret !
Black tea is something id have never thought of too. Thanks for the natural recommendation.

I would assume that using too much puree would just break the soap (for lack of a better technical term). I used 28 grams in a 660gram recipe, as a tutorial I followed suggested only 1 ounce per 1 pound. Seems a bit on the safe side to me.

PS: After using this soap in the shower I can say that kiwifruit seeds are so hard/sharp i felt like I was about to cut myself rather than exfoliate myself. I think in future I'd go for something that looks like kiwifruit seeds but is softer.

Some of us are really susceptible to the scratchiness of some additives. I put dried used tea in soap (not the kind from a tea bag, but the kind you use in a tea ball) and it became so scratchy after cure that I limit to only a foot soap. Way too scratchy for tender body parts!

 

[Obsidian]

I can't even use fine things like cinnamon or paprika, its too scratchy for me.
Thought smooth poppy seeds would be ok but it was so bad, I had to throw it out.
As much as I like the look of speckled soap, its just terrible to use.

 

[lsg]

You might try adding some jojoba beads next time.

 

[Jono Hislop]

I can't even use fine things like cinnamon or paprika, its too scratchy for me.
Thought smooth poppy seeds would be ok but it was so bad, I had to throw it out.
As much as I like the look of speckled soap, its just terrible to use.

Roasted oats I love - Ive had great success with them. They are slightly scratchy, but so soft that its pleasant.