Pumpkin Seed Oil Soap

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Hello everyone!

I'm thinkin of making a Pumpkin Seed Oil soap. You might have guessed that from the thread title and the forum that it was in, though.

I'm thinking -

HP
15% CO
44% Palm
11% Rapeseed
30% Pumpkin seed

10% SF

The palm and the rapeseed are in a mix of 80/20, so need to be changed in that ratio.

Numbers are -

Soap Bar Quality
Your Recipe
Hardness
40
Cleansing
10
Conditioning
58
Bubbly
10
Creamy
29
Iodine
75
INS
130


So I was thinking maybe 1tsp sugar per 500g to up the bubbles.

What are your thoughts?​
 
I actually just threw in 5% castor with the Pumpkin Seed at 25% - gives me a 15 on the bubbles, with only a 1 point drop on the hardness. I might do that instead of the sugar, then I don't have to worry about it playing silly buggers in my soap.
 
Okay, I've been playing -

HP
15% CO
40% Palm
10% Rapeseed
15% OO
15% Pumpkin seed
5% Castor

10% SF

OO and Pumpkin have similar figures, so I can keep the cost per bar down using that and putting a higher & Pumpkin as superfat. Depending on the colour, though, I might add more in future - hopefully it keeps a nice green, but I'm not holding out much hope, just in case.

I will add a tsp of sugar and SL in this 560gram batch to help with the bubbles and the hardness.
 
I might do that instead of the sugar, then I don't have to worry about it playing silly buggers in my soap.

Silly buggers?? I don't dare ask. LOL I always dissolve both the sugar and the SL (mine is the powder kind) in the water before adding lye and have never had any problems. If you wanted to go all out on bubble enhancers, you could also add some coconut milk powder to your oils before you add the lye. Your recipe looks totally okey dokey!

Oh! You do know we'll all be expecting pics real soon, right? :D

Addendum: I've read you go up to as much as 1 Tbsp sugar per pound of oils. Beware of heating issues, though!
 
Last edited:
Hmmm, I don't do HP, just rebatching, so I don't know, but I wouldn't think so. Maybe you could add it after the cook in a little bit of water. I'd better let the HP experts chime in on that.
 
I'm far from an expert, but I dissolved sugar in my lye water and then HP'd my shampoo bar and it worked out just peachy - soap is nice and bubbly.
My recipe had a bit of water discount and I added the sugar after the lye and it wouldn't dissolve completely until I added another tablespoon of water, I strained out what didn't dissolve.
 
Are you going to add puréed pumpkin as well? I like the look of the second recipe better, IMO I'd go heavier on the pumpkin seed oil just to see how it would turn out :). Post pictures please!
Cheers!
Anna Marie
 
I was gonna suggest pureed pumpkin too. Fresh pumpkin (not canned) gives you a really lovely pale orange that stays true. I add mine at trace, thinned with milk. Probably hard to get your hands on fresh pumpkin this time of year... I love what pumpkin does for soap, and keep enough frozen to use it all year. Would be fun to do a super pumpkin soap with pumpkin seed oil and fresh pumpkin (pumpkin FO will darken your soap, I like a mix of patchouli and sweet orange EOs). I like your recipe too, eager to see pics!
 
can you already see and feel the difference with adding SL? should make the batter lots more workable.
 
Probably hard to get your hands on fresh pumpkin this time of year... I love what pumpkin does for soap, and keep enough frozen to use it all year.

I have never tried using pumpkin in soap but I'd like to! I still have 7 or 8 pumpkins in the basement and they keep just fine down there where it's cool and dark, but they won't last until next season I'm sure, so... my question is, how would you go about freezing pumpkin? Do you just freeze raw pieces or does it have to be baked first and then purëed or?
 
I roast halved and seeded pumpkins brushed with olive oil. I then scoop out the flesh and freeze. I also rinse the pumpkin seeds well and roast them for snacks- yummy!
Cheers!
Anna Marie
 
Chopped up, cooked with onions and cream, served with rice - lovely. Or as a soup - also really good.

But anyway - it's moulded up! Was so strange, such an odd consistency with the SL. It has gone back to a lovely green colour with the SF pumpkin seed oil mixed it. It's dark now, so the colour doesn't really show on pictures - I'll get some cut shots tomorrow and post them up.

It also has a wee whiff of the oil, too - a little bit nutty. Hope it keeps for a while, as I don't think any FO can get it (but if you know of one, please let me know!)
 

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