Alternative Liquids Soap Challenge

Alternative Liquids Soap Challenge

This month's challenge was to replace the liquid in cold process soap with another liquid by 100%. I have used 100% goat's milk liquid in my soap with great success so I wanted to experiment with something different. I searched the local produce aisle and found this amazing, beautiful, red fruit, the pomegranate. 

This fruit has the most wonderful skin benefits such as:

 1. Cell Regeneration
 2. Sun Protection
 3. Anti-Aging
 4. Youthful Skin
 5. Dry Skin
 6. Oily Skin/Combination Skin

You can read more about each of these topics here.(1)


After peeling and extracting the little arils from the fruit, I crushed them to release the juice.  I then strained them through a cheese cloth, ending with a beautiful red juice.

I made a tea with the juice and placed it in the freezer.



After adding the lye to my frozen pomegranate tea it immediately turned a sickening brown color.

I was hoping that this black cacoon would morph into a colorful red soap, however, it was not to be.  

My soap ingredients: 
Pomegranate tea
Olive Oil
Palm Oil
Coconut Oil
Rice Bran Oil
Beet Root Powder
Kaolin Clay
Orange Valencia 5X, Patchouli Blend Essential Oils

My conclusion is that the pomegranate juice is much better utilized as an oil. This site (2)
explains the benefits of using the juice or oil directly on the skin. I could not find any proof that the pomegranate tea benefits survived the cold soap process so my pomegranate soap is strictly for label appeal.

Creating a leave on product with pomegranate oil would be amazing!
Can you imagine a product that prevents skin cancer, or helps protect against aging?

Although disappointed in my creation, this was a great learning experience! I only wish I   had more time to try another liquid.

Thanks for reading about my pomegranate soap.

Marlene

Credits: 

1. Summers,G. "The Skin Care Benefits of Pomegranates, A Healing Ingredient for  Skin of Color."                                             http://multiculturalbeauty.about.com/od/Skincare/a/The-Skin-Care-Benefits-Of-                                                  Pomegranates.htm                        

2. Palmer, A. "7 Ways to Use Pomegranates on Your Skin."
                       http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/how-use-pomegranates-on-your-skin/

Clyde Slide Soap Challenge

Clyde Slide Soap Challenge

The Clyde Slide Soap Challenge

I know, not the traditional Christmas colors, right? The greens and blues are beautiful though, they remind me of the sweet smell of pine and spruce trees.

So, for the Clyde Slide Soap Challenge I thought a Christmas soap in blue and green, add a little snow white and top it off with Home for the Holiday's Fragrance from Mad Oils, awesome!

I totally enjoyed this technique, pouring the colors in the pot and then in the mold, makes for some beautiful unexpected swirls.

Mad Oils Colorants

This Fragrance Oil worked great!

Mad Oils Fragrance Oil

Holiday Bliss

Thank you to Clyde Yoshida for sharing your technique. Also, thank you to Amy for organizing another fun challenge! 

Great Cakes Soapworks Swirling Soap Challenge

Blue Jean Swirling Soap: By Marlene and Kellie

Here is our entry for the Swirling Soap challenge:

Our inspiration for this challenge was our favorite pair of jeans, soft, worn, and comfortable. 

We used ultramarine blue, pillowcase grey and snow white as our colors. We lightened the ultramarine blue with the snow white to represent the worn color in the jeans, the grey represents the metal parts and the white represents our skin peeking through the bare threads, and of course, scented with Brambleberry’s Crisp Cotton fragrance oil.

This was our first soaping challenge, also our first four color pour, first lye/water combination (We have only used goat’s milk soap in our previous recipes),  first time using the slab mold, and our first blog!

Thank you Amy for nudging us to give this a try.

We used Amy’s first suggested slow moving recipe. Our first attempt was a big fail. We did not blend it long enough. It was very easy to pour and it swirled beautifully but it was covered in soda ash and crumbled when cut.

Our second attempt was the same recipe and we made sure to blend it longer, maybe too long.  It was a little too thick this time so the swirls were not blended as well. We sprayed it with alcohol and covered it with saran wrap and no soda ash! Yeah! 

The final soap was very creamy and smooth with small bubbles.

What a wonderful experience! Hope you enjoy our Blue Jean Swirling Soap.