Will cucumber puree turn brown?

[AshleyR]

I have a nice cucumber FO that I want to use in my CP soap. I'm thinking about adding fresh cucumber puree and aloe vera juice to this soap.

Are either of these going to turn brown in the soap? If so I won't use them because I'd like the soap to come out a nice, light "cucumbery" green.

:?:

Thanks!

 

[Jody]

Hi Ashley,

I made cucumber soap about 5 weeks ago and it is mostly a nice greenish colour with little tiny green flecks. A few of them are slightly tan on the edges but most of them are not. I love mine.

 

[ChrissyB]

I think it will stay green as long as your puree the cucumber properly so that the lye can penetrate through it, therefore preserving it.

 

[Etelka]

The only herb I know, will stay green in cp is parsley, my try with cucamber turned a yukky brownie gray
Etelka

 

[MsBrenda]

I use cucumber puree with my crockpot soap 2 different ways.
1. I sub water with cucumber for the lye solution and it turns brown.
2. I add the puree after saponification and it's light green.

I made these soaps last summer with fresh cuc's from my garden and I'm saving one bar of each so I know what they do over the course of a couple years. So far, 7 months later, the light green bar is still the same color.

Hope this helps.

Brenda

 

[IanT]

very helpful ... My luck is pretty much anything i add with lye turns brown or nasty... (and again prob my luck and technique...always learning! )

I have tried doing an ice bath at first etc... i think that the reaction of the lye is just too strong to preserve any color or medicinal nutrients through the process, so i think im going to try to start working more with additives at trace instead of in the beginning

 

[Barb]

it will eventually turn a transclucent color with a slightly yellow tinge to it. and the flecks from the skin will not stay green either.

mine as never turned brown over time.

to combat this i'll just give it a slight boost with green oxide.

cucumber in soap is wonderful.

 

[AshleyR]

Thanks everyone!

So I'm thinking I might attempt the cucumber soap tonight. I'll add the puree at trace so it doesn't go brown. How do you suggest pureeing cucumber anyway? I don't have a food processor - just a stick blender and a regular blender. Does it need to be creamy like applesauce before I add it to the soap?

 

[Barb]

i do skins and all in the blender, just liquify it.

i use it for all of my water amount to dissolve my lye. ( i freeze it cubes and just add the lye all at once and stir the p-willies out of it till they all melt). like i said i have never had the soap turn brown. it starts out a nice shade of green with dark green flecks but will eventurally turn the translucent yellowish color. it may take 6 months for this to happen but it does eventually fade out.

 

[Jody]

I do the same thing as Barb. I puree in the blender, skins and all, and use it in place of the water with my Lye.

 

[AshleyR]

i do skins and all in the blender, just liquify it.

i use it for all of my water amount to dissolve my lye. ( i freeze it cubes and just add the lye all at once and stir the p-willies out of it till they all melt). like i said i have never had the soap turn brown. it starts out a nice shade of green with dark green flecks but will eventurally turn the translucent yellowish color. it may take 6 months for this to happen but it does eventually fade out.

Okay, I think I'm gonna try this method! Since I have to freeze the pureed cucumber I'll probably have to make it tomorrow night! I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the help!

 

[IanT]

now ive done that before and had trouble with getting all the lye to dissolve...was i doing something wrong??

 

[Barb]

now ive done that before and had trouble with getting all the lye to dissolve...was i doing something wrong??

you didn't do the stand on a chair in front of your kitchen window with your tongue hanging out your mouth to one side, standin on one leg in soaping gear so your neigbhors can see ya method now did ya

i do my milk soaps, coffee and aloe juice this way also, i've never had any trouble not getting the lye to dissolve. you just have to sti,r stir and stir some more contantly until all the cubes have melted.

 

[IanT]

hehe thanks i will be sure to try that next time !