Rose infused cp soap

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
May 8, 2019
Messages
77
Reaction score
80
Location
Nova Scotia
Hi everyone! I've been offline for awhile and I'm playing catch up now. I found an old thread about using roses in cp soap, but it didn't address the question of using pureed rose petals in cp soap. This is what you might call a"What I'm planning to do, but please stop me if you think it is soap suicide." type of post. LOL So, it's July and I have a very healthy abundance of wild roses, miniature reds and other large roses. I have already made a small batch of rose water (1 quart) and am planning to make an oil infusion for cp soap. Normally I would use whole rose petals for the hot oil infusion and then strain them out. But after doing some research, I think it might be possible to finely grind up the petals (food processor) with the oil, heat infuse it and use it in my soap recipe without straining it. I would use the rose water for the lye/water, as well as the rose puree infusion for the liquid oils in my recipe. However, the ground roses will likely increase the weight of the oil, which might throw off the lye amount when I run the recipe through the lye calculator. Should I pre-weigh the needed amount of oil for the recipe before adding the roses? And, how will the ground roses affect the colour of the final soap? Given that it is possible to add fresh food puree at a rate of 1 oz per pound of oils, I'm thinking I may be able to pull it off without worrying about rancidity etc. But a horribly discoloured soap would be disappointing, to say the least. Does anyone have any advice or thoughts on using rose petal puree? (my recipe will include some kaolin clay, but I have yet to formulate my final recipe.) Thanks so much!
 
I would dry the petals first or be sure to use it quickly as the water in the petals could cause mold growth. Also, adding the petals ground up will likely just turn brown. Most all botanicals turn brown with a couple exceptions and some look like mouse droppings like lavender. I would strain the material out to measure the oil then add them back in. I’ve only ever used calendula petals dried and infused. Someone else may pop in with more information.
 
Thanks for your advice, shunt2011! I have never used fresh botanicals for the very reasons you've mentioned, so this would be a first for me..if I actually do it. It would be a test batch, for sure! But, if it seems likely that it will turn brown anyway, I'm not sure I want to waste my materials and time on a theory. Love your idea of straining out the roses and adding it back in later. I might try that method with my Pear Baby soap. Thanks again! ;)
 
Thanks for the heads up, Obsidian! I'm glad to know that in advance. Probably won't try the rose puree after all. What about the dark pink rose water(for the lye/water )....will that retain any of it's pinkness after saponifcation? Is it likely to turn brown as well?
 
Last edited:
I had a beautiful pink infusion from rose hip tea (no tea in it just rose hips) and it turned brown. I’d be really surprised if your rose infusion kept its colour or scent.
 
The natural reds are hard to begin with. I don't think it will keep any color.

I would not discourage you from trying, though. That's part of the fun of soaping! I would make a small batch (16 oz oils) with all the rose things and see what happens.
Thanks for the encouragement. Artemis! I may give it a try....or add some mica just in case. Hopefully the infused oil will retain some of the skin loving properties after saponification. Dried calendula has always worked well for me when infused into the oil and then soaped with. Fresh roses are uncharted waters, though, so I may experiment just to say "I did that!" LOL! Thanks again!

I had a beautiful pink infusion from rose hip tea (no tea in it just rose hips) and it turned brown. I’d be really surprised if your rose infusion kept its colour or scent.
Thanks penelopejane! How do you feel about the qualities of your soap? Did the brown colour disturb you? Do you think it retained any of the rose properties that feel so nice on the skin? I'd be willing to attempt a colour "cover up" if the soap was even a little therapeutic. :)

Unfortunately, no. Rose in all forms will just turn brown, same with beet powder and purple cabbage juice.
Natural colors can be a pita
I'm glad to have so many good tips! At least I know what to expect now. It's almost as if the "beautiful rose" is trying to keep us from harnessing it's beauty! "You can love me, smell me, you can even pick me and boil me...but don't you dare soap with me!" LOL! Oh well, at least I have my rose water facial spray. Might have to leave it at that. Thanks again Obsidian, for the wise words.
 
Thanks penelopejane! How do you feel about the qualities of your soap? Did the brown colour disturb you? Do you think it retained any of the rose properties that feel so nice on the skin? I'd be willing to attempt a colour "cover up" if the soap was even a little therapeutic. :)
You won't find much therapeutic qualities in herbal products that you add to your soap. Most of those qualities are destroyed by the lye. I don't want to discourage you from trying but I have a lot of exotic oils and I never used them because I couldn't find any studies that said they work.
 
I'm glad to have so many good tips! At least I know what to expect now. It's almost as if the "beautiful rose" is trying to keep us from harnessing it's beauty! "You can love me, smell me, you can even pick me and boil me...but don't you dare soap with me!" LOL! Oh well, at least I have my rose water facial spray. Might have to leave it at that. Thanks again Obsidian, for the wise words.

Well, you could always use rose EO if you really, really want natural rose scent. Its crazy expensive though and honestly, would be a huge waste in soap.
 
I make a 'rosehip' soap and a 'vintage rose' CP soap. Agree with all comments above - I only use dry botanicals for all oil infusions and then strain before use. For the colour of the vintage rose soap I use purple clay and finely ground rose petals hence calling it vintage :) The ground rose petals do go brown but they look nice with the purple clay. In terms of scent a top, middle and base essential oil option that I love is Orange, Geranium and Patchouli. These also are fixed a little by having the ground petals and clay in them.
 
Thanks penelopejane! How do you feel about the qualities of your soap? Did the brown colour disturb you? Do you think it retained any of the rose properties that feel so nice on the skin? I'd be willing to attempt a colour "cover up" if the soap was even a little therapeutic. :)
I decided I don’t like brown soap - doesn’t look clean to me. No therapeutic properties whatsoever, sorry.
 
Yes, rose turns brown in soap. If you want to flowers that keep their color, go with calendula petals. They give a nice yellow color and the petals won't turn brown.
Oh that's great. I'm planning to make an unscented baby soap with calendula petals. Could you please suggest how much petals to be added per pound of oils?? Will the soap have a mild calendula smell after a cure of 2 to 3 months??
 
I do a rose peddle infusion each summer and make a rose soap.
my roses hold the scent in my oils without any problem.
I colour my rose soap with madder root
20180626_130736.jpg
20190304_090613.jpg
 
Back
Top