Shalora
Member
So, I got lucky and got to swap some excess soap I had curing (I had WAY more than I could possibly use, which is rare) for a ton of soapmaking supplies. Lots of oils, some loaf molds with cutting guide, lots of EOs, and tons of powdered herbs to use as natural colorants. So I got all inspired to try some seasonal things.
This is my first time using color since I switched from MP to CP, and my first time ever using natural colorants. For my "autumn" soap, I divided the batch into roughly 2/3 and 1/3, using powdered nettle leaf in the 2/3 for a soft green and turmeric in the 1/3 for orange. I know it's touted for yellow, but I found a webpage where someone experimented with natural colors, and she found that if you add more turmeric, it turns a nice orange.
I decided to use the ginger EO - which may have been a mistake. I didn't know how incredibly powerful the smell is. That stuff is *nasty* on its own! And I adore ginger - I love the taste, I love the smell, I'm a huge fan. Like a moron, I still used the regular amount I would of most other EOs and now my soap kind of reeks. I'm hoping that several weeks of curing will tone it down some, but this may be a personal-use only kind of batch.
I had intended to try swirling the colors, and I did everything wrong, lol. I thought you'd need a fairly good trace, to keep the colors from just running and blending - and of course it got way too stiff, especially since I was using palm oil. And on top of that, I layered the colors vertically - a flat layer of green on the bottom, then a flat layer of orange on top of that, then another layer of each... and then realized that there would be no way to swirl that. roblem: I of course found Newbie's tutorial on swirling about 2 hours later.
So, it's just stripey layers. I pried the sides of the mold off yesterday (it comes in pieces) and it's still pretty wet. I sliced it today anyway, and got the bars pried off the base to dry and cure. Honestly, I think the colors came out rather nicely. The scent isn't any more ginger-y, really, but at least it's less offensive. Probably still won't be giving this to anyone, but hey, it was a good learning experience. :smile:
This is my first time using color since I switched from MP to CP, and my first time ever using natural colorants. For my "autumn" soap, I divided the batch into roughly 2/3 and 1/3, using powdered nettle leaf in the 2/3 for a soft green and turmeric in the 1/3 for orange. I know it's touted for yellow, but I found a webpage where someone experimented with natural colors, and she found that if you add more turmeric, it turns a nice orange.
I decided to use the ginger EO - which may have been a mistake. I didn't know how incredibly powerful the smell is. That stuff is *nasty* on its own! And I adore ginger - I love the taste, I love the smell, I'm a huge fan. Like a moron, I still used the regular amount I would of most other EOs and now my soap kind of reeks. I'm hoping that several weeks of curing will tone it down some, but this may be a personal-use only kind of batch.
I had intended to try swirling the colors, and I did everything wrong, lol. I thought you'd need a fairly good trace, to keep the colors from just running and blending - and of course it got way too stiff, especially since I was using palm oil. And on top of that, I layered the colors vertically - a flat layer of green on the bottom, then a flat layer of orange on top of that, then another layer of each... and then realized that there would be no way to swirl that. roblem: I of course found Newbie's tutorial on swirling about 2 hours later.
So, it's just stripey layers. I pried the sides of the mold off yesterday (it comes in pieces) and it's still pretty wet. I sliced it today anyway, and got the bars pried off the base to dry and cure. Honestly, I think the colors came out rather nicely. The scent isn't any more ginger-y, really, but at least it's less offensive. Probably still won't be giving this to anyone, but hey, it was a good learning experience. :smile: