# Alkenet soap V2



## Obsidian (Dec 16, 2014)

I went ahead and made another test batch, this time I kept better track  of amount used. In batch made with 8.40 oz of oil, 1 oz was the infused  oil. I made two small batches so I could test alkenet and indigo. 
The indigo infused oil was considerably lighter so I ended up adding 1/8  tsp powder also, still wasn't enough to really color the batter.  Alkenet infuses really dark quite quickly.

Here is a ounce of infused oils measured out, indigo is on the right.






No pictures of the individual batters but here is the finished soap. The  light greyish is from the indigo. Not a pretty color alone but should  look nice swirled.





wanted to top with poppy seeds but I couldn't find them. Used amaranth seeds instead.





No TD used this time, just the herbs. Hopefully gelling will intensify the colors some but I'll be happy if it stays purple lol.


----------



## Obsidian (Dec 16, 2014)

Here is the finished soap, the colors actually worked this time! The purple is really dark, seems that it doesn't take much alkenet at all. I'm amazed the indigo went blue, the batter had virtually no color and on the outside of the loaf where it didn't fully gel, its still a pale greyish color, weird.


----------



## Sonya-m (Dec 16, 2014)

OMG!! I love it!!! Beautiful colours


----------



## hud (Dec 16, 2014)

Very beautiful, I never used them. I use mica; do you think they are non-bleeding?


----------



## Obsidian (Dec 16, 2014)

I don't know about these ones but I've never had herbs bleed exactly but the edges do soften a bit over time.


----------



## JustBeachy (Dec 16, 2014)

Good looking soaps. I quit playing with the natural colors for that exact reason. Seems like I could rarely reproduce the effect. haha


----------



## Obsidian (Dec 16, 2014)

These are then only ones I have trouble with. All other herbs I've used have had predictable results.


----------



## xraygrl (Dec 16, 2014)

Gawjus!


----------



## JustBeachy (Dec 16, 2014)

Obsidian said:


> These are then only ones I have trouble with. All other herbs I've used have had predictable results.



Maybe it's cause I was always trying for the reds, blues and purples.   Still, you're showing more continuity than I did. Great work.


----------



## DWinMadison (Dec 16, 2014)

JustBeachy said:


> Good looking soaps. I quit playing with the natural colors for that exact reason. Seems like I could rarely reproduce the effect. haha



Totally, agree; however, this far I've had really good short-term success with both alfalfa and goldenseal.  Been soaps on the shelf for 2 months with no bleed nor fade.


----------



## CaraBou (Dec 17, 2014)

Woohoo!  Those are gorgeous!!  I'd be ecstatic if they were mine!  

I too thought my indigo was going to be too light based on the color of the batter, but it came out a blue-gray slightly more gray than yours. I added the indigo directly to the lye water which was pretty easy to deal with.  But then I was stuck with it in all parts of my soap.  I did split off part of the oils and added some micas to make a second shade from the indigo water. But at cut time, the indigo came out stronger than I thought it might based on the batter color, and it pretty much overpowered the micas. So that wasn't really bleeding, it was more like swamping!  

The only swirl I've done with alkanet did not bleed, at least not in 2 months.  I'd wager that your beautiful swirls are going to stay put!  I still have a couple solid alkanet bars that seem as purple as when I made them, so it doesn't seem to fade easily, either.


----------



## Obsidian (Dec 17, 2014)

I am very happy with these ones. The colors aren't exactly like I envisioned but the swirls are great. I'm thinking about doing a tilted dandelion swirl using natural colorants.


----------



## CaraBou (Dec 18, 2014)

^^^Yep, show us when you're done!


----------



## houseofwool (Dec 18, 2014)

I use alkanet all the time and it doesn't bleed.


----------



## CaraBou (Dec 19, 2014)

Thank you mods, those were pretty nasty posts you deleted!


----------



## hud (Dec 19, 2014)

houseofwool said:


> I use alkanet all the time and it doesn't bleed.



That's nice, how much you use pp?
Thank you for letting me know.


----------



## houseofwool (Dec 19, 2014)

hud said:


> That's nice, how much you use pp?
> Thank you for letting me know.



Honestly?  I have no idea.

I take 3 ounces of alkanet and put it into a quart mason jar then fill the jar up with olive oil to infuse.  I heat infuse it for a couple of hours then let it settle.  I filter it through a coffee filter.

I don't replace a portion of the olive oil in my recipes with the alkanet, I add it on top of the oils already in it.

I will try to get a picture tomorrow when the light is better, but it usually comes out a greyish purple color.


----------



## KristaY (Dec 19, 2014)

Beautiful job Obsidian! Love the swirls and the colors. Very soothing and calming. Thanks for sharing!


----------



## hud (Dec 20, 2014)

houseofwool said:


> Honestly?  I have no idea.
> 
> I take 3 ounces of alkanet and put it into a quart mason jar then fill the jar up with olive oil to infuse.  I heat infuse it for a couple of hours then let it settle.  I filter it through a coffee filter.
> 
> ...


Thank you:smile:


----------



## Sonya-m (Dec 24, 2014)

What type of indigo did you use? I've ordered some indigo root powder which I knew would be green. Instructions online say should turn blue when mixed with water and left to stand but is still green?


----------



## Obsidian (Dec 24, 2014)

I used indigo root powder. I never tried mixing it with water but when I first mixed it with oil, it was green. It turned blue in a couple hours.


----------



## Sonya-m (Dec 24, 2014)

Ok will try that. Did you warm the oil?


----------



## Luckyone80 (Dec 24, 2014)

Looks great!


----------



## Obsidian (Dec 25, 2014)

Sonya-m said:


> Ok will try that. Did you warm the oil?



No but I let it infuse for a couple weeks in a warm spot.


----------

