Fruits and vegetables add an innovative flair to soap creation while acting as natural preservatives.
Organic soap bars featuring the highest concentration of naturally occurring saponin found in soapberry trees provide gentle pampering and nourishment for skin, while its signature scent of blooming Southern magnolias awakens all five senses.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables offer natural color, fragrance, emollience, and cleansing when used in soapmaking. Common additions include cucumber, carrots, strawberries, kiwis, avocado, kale, and lettuce as examples of such ingredients; ultimately, the selection depends on both the type of soap being created as well as consumer needs – using natural items ensures that finished products are both gentle on the skin as well as environmentally-friendly.
Fruits and vegetables are integral components of a nutritious diet, but their journey from farm to table often includes stops at grocery store floors where germs and pesticide residues may reside. Soap may help remove some dirt and germs; however, its residue may pose health risks for people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation, consumers should wash produce with clean water prior to consumption.
Kaye had purchased commercial fruit-washing soap at her grocery store to keep her produce sanitary, having heard it could help reduce germs and pesticide residues; however, she became concerned that using such products might increase her risk of getting sick in order to obtain additional insight, Kaye decided to consult a nutritionist regarding this matter.
Dietitians at universities in Maine reported to the CDC that dish soap contains chemical surfactants, while fruit washes contain plant or animal-derived surfactants. While dish soap could theoretically serve as an adequate replacement for fruit wash, its use should be discouraged because ingestion could leave behind soapy residues which could irritate our gastrointestinal tracts, possibly leading to nausea or diarrhea; furthermore, such exposure could interfere with good bacteria that help us digest food – this is why it is not advised that foods and vegetables be washed using soap, detergent or commercial produce washes.
Purees
Fresh or dried fruit purees, such as carrot puree, can add texture and color to soap for their natural orange tint that pairs beautifully with various fragrances. Tomatoes provide another realistic option, especially when combined with essential oil from fresh tomato leaves, for an earthy scent.
Keep in mind that adding food items to your soapmaking recipe can alter all aspects of its production, from the initial lye solution formulation to the finished bar of soap. If you use something liquid-like in nature, however, your lye water may need to be decreased to account for added moisture; otherwise, the chances of glycerin rivers appearing may increase due to too much liquid present.
Food purees may accelerate trace, especially those containing high amounts of sugar. Furthermore, they may raise your soap’s temperature enough that the gel phase may occur more frequently; in such instances, it would be wise to add an additive such as Optiphen, Phenonip, or LiquaPar Optima when using vegetable or fruit purees in your soapmaking process.
Cold process soaping using purees should always begin at a thin trace to ensure more effortless blending and avoid creating thick masses that are difficult to cut and lather with.
Melt, pour, and rebatch soap using purees will go bad more quickly due to not going through the saponification process with lye, leading to mold or bacteria growth in your final product.
Before adding food items to your soap, they should first be finely ground to ensure even distribution throughout. This also helps ensure attractive bars. Incorporating herbs will enhance their look in the final soap product.
Fragrance
Liquid soaps, foams, and gels may have taken over traditional bars as the preferred form of personal hygiene products; however, handmade soap made with natural fruit ingredients has made a comeback. Anyone – experienced soapmakers as well as novices – can create handmade soap scented with fruit aromas, from fresh fruit to herbs and flowers, that will stimulate all senses!
Fragrance adds the perfect finishing touch to a bar of soap, but it’s important to keep in mind that fragrances do not correspond directly with essential oils. Essential oils come now from plant roots, bark, or leaves during their natural production processes and must be extracted and purified carefully in order to retain all their natural oils.
However, fragrances are produced synthetically to produce various scents, often without color – making them suitable for adding to a wide range of soap products such as shampoo, body wash, and hand soap.
When selecting the fragrances for your soaps, it is essential to remember that certain scents may alter their composition by reacting with air and water molecules in the atmosphere, darkening their hue over time. As a result, it is recommended only to use them sparingly when creating new batches of soap.
Citrus scents such as lemon and lime are popular choices among consumers looking for lighter-scented products, while their versatility allows for creative combinations with other citrus fruits to produce unique and appealing aromas – imagine mixing mango, orange, and strawberry, for example, to create something truly exceptional and irresistibly cute!
Another popular aromatherapy choice is lavender, known for its ability to ease both mind and body stress. When combined with other soothing elements like chamomile or other botanical extracts, soft soaps can transform any bath or shower experience into an aesthetically pleasing space that relieves anxiety.
If you prefer something with more of a masculine scent, natural fragrance oils such as lemongrass can offer the perfect solution. Lemongrass boasts a refreshing citrus scent similar to that found in lemon and also acts as a natural insect repellent, helping keep fleas and ticks at bay from their pets.
Water
Soapers who use too much water may encounter issues with their soap: softness post-saponification, separation in the mold, and weepy liquid “glycerin rivers.” To determine how much water to add, practice three identical recipes while changing only settings related to alkali concentration, water: lye ratio, and water discount (also called “water as % of oils”). Alkali weight will remain consistent, but altering this setting will change its outcome significantly.
Kaye found washing her produce tiresome, yet essential, as it allowed her to rid it of pesticide residue and germs that might contaminate a salad she was planning for a potluck lunch. If only there were an easier way of cleaning them without damaging or polluting the environment with chemicals.
Kaye discovered in reading a soapmaking magazine article that natural saponin from the soapberry tree could provide her with the solution! She learned that its organically produced saponin contained high levels of organic soap saponin that is biodegradable, non-toxic, and mild in its effects – something Kaye quickly put to practice by crafting soapberry soap herself to use on fruits and vegetables at her local farmer’s market.
Today, soapberry products have become a trendy choice among both home and professional soapers due to their gentle yet effective cleaning properties. Furthermore, these natural preservatives inhibit bacterial growth while providing essential glycerin.
When adding vegetable or fruit purees to a soap recipe, I advise using a lower water percentage in order to offset any additional moisture that the added purees might add and help the soap cure faster. Lowering the water percentage means unmolding sooner as well as less time until its maturity and hardening are fully reached. However, suppose your fragrance accelerates more quickly, or intricate designs require slower trace rates. In that case, a higher water percentage may be necessary in order for trace lines and patterns to develop appropriately in your soap bar.
