Soap Makers Help!

[Backyard Buddies]

I finally had a moment to take a picture of the Rosemary & Lavender batch. I'm not real excited about the color which took on a brownish tinge due to the rosemary tea I made in the water/lye mixture. Perhaps I should have stuck with the rosemary infusion I did in the OO as well.

Anyway, here it is:

And, for the fun of it, here's a picture of the chamomile infusion. I just love the chamomile flowers.

I was given a single plant 15 years ago and now have them all over my yard - and I'm not complaining!

 

[cheeptrick]

I'd purchase some of that chamomile...it does not grow well here in zone 5!

YOUR soap is gorgeous...

 

[Backyard Buddies]

I'm not going to laugh, chiknwhisperer! We newbies are in this together, with much patience by the experienced folks who're walking us through. I'm cutting by hand so mine aren't all fancy and pretty, either. In fact, my second batch is downright funny looking! But, they smell good and they'll work just the same, right?

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Quote:
Thanks!

Won't it even grow as an annual there? They are extremely easy to grow and seed themselves continually here in zone 9/10. Maybe I should send you some seeds so you can give it a try in the Spring.

If you can get them to grow one year, just save some seeds each year and scatter. No fussing and mussing needed at all.

 

[cheeptrick]

WhooHOOO....a soap and SEED exchange! This just keeps getting better and better!!

I LOVE this thread!

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Quote:
Hey! That's a good idea! We could just send seeds along in the soap exchange. I'd really like some calendula (which is also supposed to reseed easily) and some comfrey (which is a root cutting if I remember correctly, right?)

I would really like to do more of the natural infused soaps, especially using items grown in the church garden. That's where I got the rosemary to do the rosemary infusion for the bars shown above.

 

[cheeptrick]

OY...now you've got me looking up plants.

Chamomile does well here as an annual...german chamomile sounds good...because it is taller. (my chickens won't eat as much since it grows to 2-3 feet off the ground

)

I just got my shipment of palm oil...my micas and oxides are in indiana still...but I'm going to be making 4 batches this weekend. I'm so happy NO family is coming for Thanksgiving...just me and my children and DH. We can relax...snap a photo and email it to the fam...and eat a FAT dinner! T-day is one of my favorite holidays.

I'll post photos of my bars....I'll try to come up with something different!

Red...here is a list from teach soap for 'natural' soap colorants...
Yellow - Annatto, saffron, Turmeric, Carthamin
Green - chlorophyll
Brown - the cocoa bean (pods, shells, stems), cocoa powder, fermented tea
Red - Paprika (may be irritating)
Purple - Alkanet Root (for CP)

Here is a good article about colorants in soap...join the soapers forum while you are there. They have been super helpful to me..

http://www.teachsoap.com/colorants.html

 

[cheeptrick]

Better List...
I've only used alkanet root powder and chlorophly (sp??), pumpkin, carrot oil (use juice also), paprika, coffee, cinnamon, beet juice, spinach juice, and all kinds of tea. I can make a batch of chlorophyl this weekend and post photos...it is lovely green!!

List as promised..
Alfalfa – medium green
Alkanet – steep in oil first - deep purple to muted blue
Annatto Seed – steep in oil first - yellow orange
Beet Root – muted pink to red
Ground Calendula Petals - yellow
Carrots, shredded or ground - yellow to orange
Ground Chamomile – yellow-beige
Chlorophyll - medium greens
Cinnamon - tan to brown – can be an irritant
Cloves, ground – brown
Cochineal powder– deep red
Cocoa powder– brown
Coffee/coffee grounds - brown to black
Comfrey Root – light milky brown
Cucumber – bright green
Curry powder - yellow
Elderberries – steep in lye solution – light brown
Henna, ground - olive to deep drab green - brown
Indigo root - deep blues - caution, can stain
Kaolin Clay - white
Kelp/seaweed - green
Madder root - rosy red - purple
Milk (goats or cow's) - tan to brown, depending upon sugar & fat content
Morrocan Red Clay - Brick Red
Paprika – light peach to salmon - can be an irritant
Poppy Seeds - Blue-grey to light black specks
Pumice, ground - grey
Pumpkin, pureed - lovely deep orange Example
Rattanjot – lavender to purple
Rose Pink Clay - Brick red
Rosehip seeds, ground - light tan to deep brown
Safflower Petals- yellow to deep orange
Saffron - yellows
Sage - green
Spinach – light green
Spirulina/Blue-Green Algae – blue-green
Titanium Dioxide- bright white
Tumeric – gold to amber

 

[chiknwhisperer]

Buttermilk batch,, please don't laugh

they are pretty ugly.

Sorry so pic heavy but I figured I would give you plenty of angels to see my not so pretty soap. MP and NP what do you use to cut your soap so nicely or is it just from doing it so long.

 

[cheeptrick]

Quote:
THOSE are huge bars...they would last like a month at least! LOL I love them...the rustic bars are my favorite. GREAT JOB...my first batch had DOS!! You'll see after a few batches that your first bars are usually your best....you follow all the rules precisely.

What is your next batch going to be?? Hooked yet??? Addicted yet???