Lavender Soap with Alkanet

So I have tried to make soap with alkanet twice, and I have yet to get good results with it.  It is not the alkanet’s fault, really.

The first time, it was my fault and Bulk Apothecary’s fault.  (Yes, I am partially blaming them because they do not disclose their fragrance vanilla content on their fragrance description and they seem to block reviews that may disclose negative feedback on a fragrance, I still shop from them though, just not for fragrance oils, they have good pricing on the shea butter bucket, for example).  Anyway, that soap discolored to a dark brown!  (It was the wine fragranced soap).

This second time, it was mostly my fault, I suppose, though I could have also been misguided.  One blog I read suggested to add 15% of the Olive oil portion of your recipe.  Another one suggested 15% of all our your oils.  I followed the advice of the first blog, and perhaps I should have followed the latter (15% PPO).  Something interesting that I noticed though, was that if exposed to direct sunlight, the bars will yellow around the edges.  I discovered this by accident as I left a bar in the window sill after taking pictures.  This could be a reaction to the sunlight by the alkanet, or maybe to the calendula infused oil.

As usual, you will benefit from hindsight, as I am writing the recipe the way I would if I was making it again after learning my lesson.

GIVEAWAY:

If you want to get one bar of this soap, see details below for a chance of winning one.

LAVENDER FLOWERS AND ALKANET SOAP

Soapmaker level:  Intermediate

Tools Needed:

• Standard soap making tools and protective equipment
• 3 lb Loaf mold
• Small Flower embeds mold  (I made my own, but something like this would work)

Soap Ingredients:

Ingredient	Gram(s)	Ounce(s)	Pounds(s)	Oil %
Karite Butter (Shea)	94.66	3.34	0.21	10%
Tallow, Beef	331.31	11.69	0.73	35%
Rice Bran Oil	94.66	3.34	0.21	10%
Ricinus Oil (Castor Oil)	47.33	1.67	0.10	5%
Coconut Oil, 76 deg	236.65	8.35	0.52	25%
Olive Oil – All Grades- Infused with Alkanet	141.99	5.01	0.31	15%
Ingredient	Gram(s)	Ounce(s)	Pounds(s)	Batch %
Lye – NaOH 100% Purity (5% Superfat)	132.06	4.66	0.29	9.70%
Water (33% Lye + 67% Water Solution)	268.11	9.46	0.59	19.70%
Total Oils	946.59	33.39	2.09	69.56%
Soap Weight (Pre-Cook)	1,360.87	48	3	100%

• 2 oz of Lavender Fragrance.  I used the one from Lone Star Candle

Additives/ Colorants for Infusion:

• 1 or 2 oz of Alkanet  (Optional, without you will get a creamy off white soap)

For Decorations:

• 1-2 oz of Purple or lavender soap dough
• 0.5 oz of Yellow or white soap dough (optional for flower center)

PROCESS:

Infusion:

You can either infuse the olive oil weeks before you make the oil, or hours.  The warm method is the one you do hours before, and it it is like if you were making tea, instead of water, you use the oil.  I have never attempted this myself, but if you do a google search with “How to make oil infusion for soap” or something along those lines, I am sure you will find plenty of advice.

The “cold” method is just to put the alkanet in a jar, pour the olive oil on top and close the jar,  Every few days you shake the jar.  And the longer it sits, the more infused it will be.  Allow 2-3 weeks at least.  (Keep away from sun light)

For the flowers

Just take a small piece of pink soap dough and squeeze it and play with it until soft, then form into a ball and press it against the flower mold cavity.  Wait about a minute and then pop it out.

If using yellow soap dough in the center:  If your mold has a “core” where you could put the tiniest bit of yellow soap dough, do that, before adding the purple.  Or you can add a small ball of yellow soap dough to the center of your flower after unmolding it.  (Wet with brush dipped in water for better adhesion)

MAKING THE SOAP

1. In a well ventilated area (outside or by a window), add the lye gradually to the distilled water.  Do not breathe the fumes.   You can freeze your water ahead to avoid fumes, and weigh the ice cubes. You need to wear your safety gear.  Lye burns! You can prepare this several hours ahead, keep it properly covered.
2. While you wait for the lye water to cool down, you can weigh and melt your oils, and weigh your fragrance oil into a glass container (fragrance oils can dissolve thin plastics)
3. When your oils and lye solution are below 110°F (37.77°C) or cooler, add your lye solution to the oils slowly, to avoid splatters pour it on the blender shaft.
4. Stir with the blender on Off position initially, then blend for 15 second periods, alternating with stirring, until it is almost emulsified.  This takes about 50 seconds to 1 minute with this recipe.
5. If your fragrance accelerates, like most florals do,  take a moment now to make sure you have your mold and spatula ready.  I did not have any acceleration with the Lavender fragrance from Lone Star though, and I have not experienced it either when I used Essential oil Lavender 40/42.
6. Add the fragrance to and blend for about 15-30 seconds until well distributed or until you reach light trace (if not achieved earlier).
7. Pour the soap into the mold.
8. Smooth the top if needed, you could use a ruler or a straight edge tool like an icing spatula, to run across the soap, and pour any leftover bits into a smaller mold
9. Once the top is solid enough, put the flower embeds on top.
10. Take pictures!  Insulate the soap by putting a box on top of it (it should not touch the soap) then a blanket on top. and around.  In case you have an accelerating fragrance, it is best not to insulate though.  (It can overheat and crack in the middle)
11. After 14-24  hours start checking for hardness.  Try releasing from one side of the mold, and if nothing sticks back, it is ready to be removed from the mold and cut.

You can watch the video of the making below:

 

GIVE AWAY:
For US residents (contiguous States):

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. ONLINE ENTRY ONLY
I am giving away one bar of this soap.  For your chance to get it, do one of the below:
* Leave a comment below with the word “lavender” on it
* Like my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/soapsbyglenda or if you have already done that, like the post for this soap

* If you are in instagram, Follow my page there and leave comment with the word “lavender” in this picture post.

* Leave a comment in the youtube video above,  with the word “lavender”

Winner will be announced/contacted on 2/20/19
Contest closes on 2/20/19 at 8:00 a.m. US Central time (Chicago)

 

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