PROCESS: I added 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda to the lye mixture. I thought it would dissolve but it didn’t.
RESULTS: The photo actually shows this soap a little darker and bluer than it really is. In reality it is a speckled bluish grey, with a mauve tinge. The speckles obviously come from the baking soda which never dissolved. I kind of like the speckles! The last three experiments, I have not opened the mould to swirl, nor have I peeked at all, so I think Amy was right in that the white stuff on top (soda ash?) can be caused by exposure to air.
CONCLUSION: Baking Soda affects alkanet colour in soap and adds white speckles.
CONFESSION: This will be my last experiment with Alkanet colour for a while for my Lavender soap. I may start again when it turns colder here. I may post pictures in a month or two to see how the colour was affected over time.
TEASER... I will be using some Alkanet in my Sea Salt bar shortly. That bar tends to turn just the purple I would like in a Lavender bar. It will be interesting to see if the weather affects that soap as well!! Also, maybe in the end I combine them both and instead of having a Mediterranean Sea Salt Bar and a Mediterranean Lavender Bar, maybe I should have a Mediterranean Sea Salt Lavender Bar!!
INVITATION... I want to keep this blog about soap. I also wanted to share some photos and other personal stuff so I started another blog. I invite you to come check it out at: http://enjoyingtheroute.blogspot.com/
6 comments:
I was right about something??? Unbelievable! LOL! I really like the speckles in the soap too! This might be a fun experiment for other soaps as well...hmmm.
Well Jen, I think I will go ahead and try to do another Alkanet. I don't know if i can be as methodical as you, but I'll at least post the results. BTW I loved your post about your dad on the other blog :)
Hi Jen, the speckles look great, would love to see your sea salt bar when you do it. The testing thing is contagious, you've got me thinking about doing some as well:)
Great info! I'll give a tip, about the soda ash: if you lay a sheet of freezer paper (plastic-coated side down) on the surface of your mold, you won't get the ash. It is an air exposure thingy :-) I am going to try some alkanet in a lavender soap this week, wish me luck!! I am going to steep some powder in a oil and add it to a portion of my recipe @ trace so I can do some marbling. I'm excited!
Wow.... I admire your patience! I still find alkanet unpredictable, but it's always fun to play with!
Well done for trying and all your soaps look gorgeous!
I have made a log of soap this morning using alkanet and it's a lovely shade of pink but I can bet the next one will be a dull grey/bluish colour even though I won't have done anything different..
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