I didn't set out to make an orange soap. I have been wanting to do a yellow one since early this year. I was longing for spring and wanted the warm golden yellow that I got from Annatto once. So I infused Annatto seeds and expected them to turn the oil a golden yellow overnight. It didn't. I'm still waiting. Then I thought of the left over unrefined palm oil that is in my cupboards and decided to use that. I just had to try palm oil once so I bought it even if the environmental effects are questionable. Since I bought it I might as well use it up, there is no reason to waste it.
And then, as I was selecting my ingredients I looked at the infused rhubarb oil and decided to blend it in and see if I would get orange. So thus this orange soap. It was fall after all.
It is a rather small recipe, 500 g / 18 oz. 5% super fat, water 38% lye 70 g / 2.5 oz (but run through a calculator be be sure)
Coconut oil 26% 130 g / 4.6 oz
Rapeseed oil 20% 100 g / 3.5 oz
Lard 20% 100 g / 3.5 oz
Palm oil 14% 70 g / 2.5 oz - Unrefined yellow
Olive oil 10% 50 g / 1.8 oz
Cocoa butter 4% 20 g/ 0.7 oz
Castor oil 3% 15 g/ 0.5 oz
Sunflower oil 3% 15 g/ 0.5 oz - Rhubarb infused
The water was yellow from infusion with Weld, a well known dye plant. I added Sweet orange, Ylang ylang and Litsea cubea for scent. It traced really quickly and I had to jam it into the mold. It also heated up quite a bit so I threw it into the freezer after I decorated it with some dried plant material that was lying around in the kitchen.
It has cured now and it looks like a really nice hard soap. The lather is rich and creamy and soft. I have found that the soaps that I put lard in are my favorite soaps. I also like to put a bit of castor oil, so that I can use it for my hair if I want to. And that makes for a nice soft lather.
The soap has retained it's orange colour except on the top which has turned a bit pink. The Rhubarb will not be subdued :).
The soap has retained it's orange colour except on the top which has turned a bit pink. The Rhubarb will not be subdued :).
The soap is So pretty! You've inspired me to try out soap malking. I've purchased ingredients and made some rhubarb infused oil. Only need to gather the courage now :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it. It's very addictive. And this is the perfect time to make soap for giving as a gift this Christmas :) It really is no more complicated than baking. Just have healthy respect for the power of caustic soda and you'll be fine. Have fun with it!
ReplyDeleteTurned out to be quite the colourmix! Really nice combination. I like it.
ReplyDeletePetra
The top of your soap is so pretty. They are even more pretty cut =)
ReplyDeleteSo pretty!! You often mention that you use the Rhubarb Root infused oil. I just moved some of my rhubarb plants and dug up a few root pieces. Can I use these to make some infused oil and if so how do I go about doing so? I would love to learn more about this method. I have not tried making cold pressed soap but am eager to learn. I've made some oatmeal soap in my crock pot with good success but just love how you are able to decorate your soaps. They are amazing! I would be so grateful to get your advice on this.
ReplyDeleteAmbra - I am going to try infusing some Olive Oil with Rhubarb Root (we just moved some of my plants to a new spot and some of the roots came loose in the move). Do you peel the roots before putting them into the oil? Your soaps are the prettiest I've ever seen!
ReplyDeleteRosella, I have infused the root with and without peeling. If the roots are big and the outside is very dark, then I prefer to peel them. But i'm not even sure that it makes a difference. I just chop them up or slice them and then pour whatever oil on top and let it sit at room temperature. You can usually reuse the roots. Just pour off the colored oil and pour some more on the the roots.
ReplyDeleteAnd, thank you all for your compliments on my soaps :)
Thanks - I ended up peeling them (they were huge and had very black skin. I can't wait to make my next batch of soap with this!!
ReplyDelete