Friday, September 21, 2018

Soapy Friday: Halloween Soaps

I've been having such a blast over the past couple of weeks making my Classic Monsters Halloween soaps...



Friday, September 07, 2018

Soapy Friday: The Vanilla Villain

Happy Friday everyone! Why is it that short, holiday weeks always feel the longest? I swear...this week went on FOR-EVER! But first, some beautiful "Toasted Vanilla" soap:

"Toasted Vanilla" 
I was out-of-town last week for work, but I did manage to make a loaf of vanilla-only scented soap when I got back. I usually blend vanilla with other fragrances, but I just bought a big bottle of "Vanilla Bean" fragrance oil (FO) and wanted to see how it stood on it's very own.

Most people have been taught to believe that vanilla - whether scent or flavor - is white or off-white. But it is NOT; it really is a dark brown in its natural state. The fragrance compound "vanillin" within vanilla scents or flavors oxidizes and eventually turns brown when it is exposed to air. Vanilla scents or flavors are typically blended with what is called "vanillin stabilizers" to keep a product from turning brown. The problem is, at least in the skin-care world, this only lasts for a few months, maybe up to a year.

When I initially made this soap, it was a creamy, off-white color - exactly what you would THINK a vanilla color should look like - but as the vanillian oxidizes with the air, my soap is slowly turning a dark brown. Eventually, each bar will turn completely dark brown throughout.

The vanillin villain going to town!
My philosophy is: Don't fight it. I think it looks like gilded chocolate cake, and IT SMELLS SO FRIGGIN' GOOD!

Good enough to eat!

 

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