# Lemon Slice in Soap?



## jackznanakin (Mar 13, 2018)

I've tried to find the answer in the forums and online, but I can't seem to find an answer. Can I put lemon slices in my MP? What are the rules on that? Would it make it gross and moldy, would it need to be dehydrated? I was thinking it would look so pretty in a glycerin and my daughter requested the lemony scent. Please advise, thanks in advance.


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## shunt2011 (Mar 13, 2018)

I wouldn't recommend it.  I would be hugely worried about mold and gross stuff growing.   Even dried I would be concerned with.  What about using MP to make lemon slices?  There are molds available for things like that as imbeds or on top.   I make raspberries, strawberries, orange slices, snowflakes out of MP but use it in my CP.


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## jackznanakin (Mar 13, 2018)

Thank you!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Mar 13, 2018)

The idea of m&p insets would be the best option


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## dixiedragon (Mar 13, 2018)

I have seen dried lemon slices and they looked nice. IIRC, I think somebody somewhere talked about rehydrating the dried slices in glycerin?


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## toxikon (Mar 13, 2018)

I wouldn't want lemon slices, fresh or dehydrated, in my soap! They'd either be scratchy or weird mushy protuberances. Bleck.

I agree that doing some soap-based lemon embeds would be a nice option.  Check out this cute lemon bar design by Sorcery Soap: https://i0.wp.com/sorcerysoap.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/shadowlemons72.jpg


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## jackznanakin (Mar 13, 2018)

toxikon said:


> I wouldn't want lemon slices, fresh or dehydrated, in my soap! They'd either be scratchy or weird mushy protuberances. Bleck.
> 
> I agree that doing some soap-based lemon embeds would be a nice option.  Check out this cute lemon bar design by Sorcery Soap: https://i0.wp.com/sorcerysoap.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/shadowlemons72.jpg


Thank you!


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## lsg (Mar 13, 2018)

Why not make M&P lemon slices to embed in your M&P soap.?  I have made M&P lime slices to embed in salt scrub and that was a hit.  Here is where I got the idea:


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## SunRiseArts (Mar 13, 2018)

Slices made with melt and pour YES!

Real lemon slices NOpe!  They will turn brown in a couple of weeks.  Everything turns brown on melt and pour soap except for calendula or poppy type seeds in my personal experience.  Even dry herbs.


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## jackznanakin (Mar 15, 2018)

Thank you all for your advice. Will be ordering molds for the MP slices. I will NOT be putting real lemon slices in my soap! lol


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## lrpolillo (Mar 22, 2018)

SunRiseArts said:


> Slices made with melt and pour YES!
> 
> Real lemon slices NOpe!  They will turn brown in a couple of weeks.  Everything turns brown on melt and pour soap except for calendula or poppy type seeds in my personal experience.  Even dry herbs.



I have put lemon zest in my Shea butter M&P and it stays yellow and colors the soap naturally no mold problems either. I love it. You do need to add a lemon fragrance oil to boost the scent up but it’s wonderful


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## Michele50 (Sep 14, 2019)

This is the closest topic to a question I had regarding real fruit. I'm trying an experiment which I figure will eventually end up molding; but, I'm a kid a heart, and enjoy the testing. I also wanted to see my liquid soap break so I lowered the pH until it separated into oils and lye water. Very cool to see it go in the opposite direction. Anyway, I used dehydrated orange slices to decorate my soap to see how long before they mold. Very dry and brittle when inserted but I figured the liquid in the soap will be absorbed by the dried slices. I have a fan on them right now and they're in a backroom closet with my dehumidifier running. Six days from when they were cut into bars, I'll update later in case others have a hankering for using real fruit (dried) as decoration.
 I knew there were fruit molds but the real things look so cool--not  when molded, however. I wish they'd behave though, they'd make nice gifts for daughters-in-law.












This one reminds me of an early morning sunrise breaking over a mountaintop. I held it up to our kitchen lighting so the 4 light fixtures would be behind the slice. The orange slices would (if they were to survive...questionable though) be pulled out before using to wash; that's my hope anyway.


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## Hollybrooke (Sep 15, 2019)

Please keep us updated on this.  I’d like to try it to, but am scared of the mold.  Glad you were brave enough to try it and hope it works out.  They look fabulous.


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## cmzaha (Sep 15, 2019)

I would not give these away. Dried orange slices are incredibly scratchy and can even lacerate if a person cannot completely remove the slice. M&P is much much safer. If these are for your own personal use that is your decision, just do not risk giving away or selling them.


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## Michele50 (Sep 15, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> I would not give these away. Dried orange slices are incredibly scratchy and can even lacerate if a person cannot completely remove the slice. M&P is much much safer. If these are for your own personal use that is your decision, just do not risk giving away or selling them."


 
Thanks, yes, I'd remove it 'completely' after gifting to my two daughters-in-law. I made these more out of curiosity to see how quickly (or slowly) they might mold.  If they do survive the humidity in the air and moisture in the soap w/o ruining the bars then I'd use them. The slices are only intended for 'looks' .....providing they COMPLETELY behave. I appreciate your advice and concern; everyone in this forum is so kind as to advise against things that could be damaging or hazardous. 

A week b/4 Christmas I'll cut one in half and examine the inside of the soap to determine whether these will become gifts or not. It could be that things 'appear' to be fine and dandy and then I discover a moldy mess inside the bar. 

I don't sell what I make, just love the creative end of soap making. I can't use commercial bars; I haven't since age 15. Shampoo (back then) seemed less drying & my skin didn't feel as tight after showering. I actually started making our own to escape asthma attacks and bad headaches during and after my husband showed. The bathroom door must stay closed for an hour or so until the air clears; I can even taste the soap and his hairspray when he opens the door to exit.  Between my hyperosmia and uber-sensitive skin, I'm enjoying using 'real' soap; no more asthma attacks, severe headaches or steering clear of the bathroom after hubby showers--I'd use it b/4 he needed to shower to avoid becoming ill. B/4 several years of allergy injections trying to make a pot of coffee for my husband was quite a joke; now all I have to do is hold my breath during the steps to make it.

Oh, definitely GREAT advice NOT to sell these to anyone. 'If' I did sell my stuff, anything I made as an 'experiment' wouldn't be sold. I couldn't sell anything that I hadn't tested against nasties or that someone would use w/o removing and then sue because their skin got scratched and irritated. Both my daughters-in-law (one's an RN and the other's a cosmetologist) are fantastic in providing feedback so not too worried about gifting these first and then removing the slices. In essence, I'll be ruining the aesthetics but making it safe to use; but, only after presenting it as a small piece of art........then I'll demolish it and hand the broken pieces to them.

I wanted to post my experiment, with updates, for others who might want to decorate their soap with real dried fruit. My hope--they'll not spoil--but I won't be surprised if they mold. Over the years, I haven't found anywhere online where using slices (not for use but for decoration) was tried and failed......or was successful. 

Again, thanks for sharing your wisdom and knowledge.


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## Marilyn Norgart (Sep 15, 2019)

I dehydrate a lot of food and in my experience if things aren't wrapped up they collect moisture, so it will be interesting from that aspect to see how much moisture it will take on


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## Michele50 (Sep 15, 2019)

Marilyn Norgart said:


> I dehydrate a lot of food and in my experience if things aren't wrapped up they collect moisture, so it will be interesting from that aspect to see how much moisture it will take on



Yes, exactly, so when I had oranges that tasted awful I decided to use them for something I was curious about. These were dehydrated about a year ago and stored in mason jars. I have a FoodSaver unit which allows me to remove the air from my jars, they were still brittle when I broke the seal and removed them; this is how I store our jerky. I knew they'd begin to rehydrate as soon as they hit our humid air here in Oklahoma. 

BTW, dehydrated banana slices are delicious, tastier than fresh ones; watermelons, on the other hand, are way too sweet for my liking. So far they haven't taken on 'much' moisture, but I have them in a small closet with my dehumidifier running.


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## Marilyn Norgart (Sep 15, 2019)

Michele50 said:


> BTW, dehydrated banana slices are delicious



peaches are the bomb and cinnamon apples


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## Michele50 (Sep 16, 2019)

Hollybrooke said:


> Please keep us updated on this.  I’d like to try it to, but am scared of the mold.  Glad you were brave enough to try it and hope it works out.  They look fabulous.



This might end up being a complete flop, and that's ok; however, if keeping them in small quarters exposed to a dehumidifier were to prevent mold growth it'd be a great surprise. I went into this with little expectation of success but do enjoy seeing for myself. I've even taken a small amount of liquid soap that I made and lowered the pH to the point it 'broke'.......the chemical reaction that is. I knew it would revert to oils and lye water; I'm a kid at heart and wanted to see things revert myself; it was interesting.

Over a year ago the kid in me surfaced regarding lye water from hardwood ash; we burn wood to heat our home so I had an abundance of this. I had read about the process for several months--everything I could get my eyes on from online research. My 1st attempt (boiling it on our cookstove) was a success, whether I'd be able to repeat it is another story (lol). 

Having no chicken feather to check the strength of my solution I used and egg. It floated perfectly and crowned enough to prove strong enough for soap making. I have no family to whom I can draw experience from so I had no clue how much oils to use. I added some, cooked it for a while and then added more. I ended up with a VERY crude soap that did bubble and wash a pan. I was very pleased with myself.

I added these photos and will update as the soap cures just in case others desired to use real fruit for decoration but don't want to waste money--soap isn't a cheap craft. Curiosity killed the cat and curious about this overthrew my desire not to waste time and money--I just HAD to know. I will post a photo here and there as well as when I cut it in half in December to see what lies beneath the surface.



Marilyn Norgart said:


> peaches are the bomb and cinnamon apples


 
Oh my gosh, yes!! Peaches are TERRIFIC. I bought a huge bag of frozen mangos, since they were out of season, in hopes I'd like them--yuck, y-u-c-k, YUCK!! I dried them and took them with us to pawn off on the grandkids and they LOVED them, how funny to see just how much they did.

When our grandkids were visiting with us in our RV--took a trip out to Utah for 2 months to visit family there--they were eating dehydrated bananas and mangos when mom came to pick them up.  During the trip, they what mangos I had brought with me and wanted more. Mom couldn't believe they were eating dehydrated fruit and asked them why they didn't eat what she bought from the store. The storebought ones are nothing like real fruit that's been dehydrated. When we visited them at their home (4th of July fireworks display at their home) and we stepped into the house (lol) the first thing out of their mouth was, "did you bring more mangos?" Too funny, I had to tell them, 'next trip' because the rest were in our home/home--real home, not RV. At age 2 and 5 they'd get the two mixed up since our RV is a home of sorts too. Mom bought a dehydrator once she saw how much they really loved fruit this way.

A couple of years ago I dehydrated a bunch of apples, some with cinnamon and some w/o and I liked the extra flavor of those with it.



Marilyn Norgart said:


> peaches are the bomb and cinnamon apples



I like tomatoes but they make my sandwiches mushy and I DON'T like mushy bread. I use our dehydrated tomatoes sometimes instead.

Our son and his wife run a community garden and have all kinds of veggies. They grow jalapenos, dehydrate them, grind them to a powder and then sprinkle them onto their fresh tomatoes and dehydrate them. Too hot for me, even the very mild ones that had little jalapeno powder. I am so stinking sensitive to tastes, smells, etc. Pureed mixed fruit the other day and held my arm over the hole to prevent blackberry juice from spewing and staining things--couldn't find the veggie-feeder-thing that goes in it. The time it took me to put the pureed mixed berries in a bowl and sit to eat them I had developed a pretty bad circular welp that was almost a perfect circle. I only noticed it because it was itching like crazy! LOL, dimwit me couldn't figure what I had brushed up against; showed my hubby and we both were bewildered. It hit me, hobbled over to the sink and lay my arm over the hole and immediately began to laugh at myself. My husband asked what was so funny; I shared the joke that was on me.

Dehydrators are a wonderful thing to have; I hate to waste.

10-day update: (correction, 13 days since cut into bars)

So, I'm happily surprised that no mold is growing (yet) on my dried oranges; again, just an experiment. I'm interested in seeing the inside area of the orange slice in a couple of months. It'll get cut in half at the orange to reveal the inside; I'll post pics when I do this. Not for use with the slice in it, just dying to find whether it molds (outside or inside) so I figured I'd find out myself.


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## Thesdelights (Jan 4, 2021)

Michele50 said:


> This might end up being a complete flop, and that's ok; however, if keeping them in small quarters exposed to a dehumidifier were to prevent mold growth it'd be a great surprise. I went into this with little expectation of success but do enjoy seeing for myself. I've even taken a small amount of liquid soap that I made and lowered the pH to the point it 'broke'.......the chemical reaction that is. I knew it would revert to oils and lye water; I'm a kid at heart and wanted to see things revert myself; it was interesting.
> 
> Over a year ago the kid in me surfaced regarding lye water from hardwood ash; we burn wood to heat our home so I had an abundance of this. I had read about the process for several months--everything I could get my eyes on from online research. My 1st attempt (boiling it on our cookstove) was a success, whether I'd be able to repeat it is another story (lol).
> 
> ...


I just starting following.. did you notice any mold? I just added dried oranges to my CP soap and now im concerned


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## cmzaha (Jan 4, 2021)

Thesdelights said:


> I just starting following.. did you notice any mold? I just added dried oranges to my CP soap and now im concerned


I am sorry but there is 0 point in adding dried fruit slices to cp, mp, or any type of soap for that matter.   If you want fruit slices make them out of m&p and embed them.


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## God~Given Gifts (Jan 5, 2021)

Michele50 said:


> This is the closest topic to a question I had regarding real fruit. I'm trying an experiment which I figure will eventually end up molding; but, I'm a kid a heart, and enjoy the testing. I also wanted to see my liquid soap break so I lowered the pH until it separated into oils and lye water. Very cool to see it go in the opposite direction. Anyway, I used dehydrated orange slices to decorate my soap to see how long before they mold. Very dry and brittle when inserted but I figured the liquid in the soap will be absorbed by the dried slices. I have a fan on them right now and they're in a backroom closet with my dehumidifier running. Six days from when they were cut into bars, I'll update later in case others have a hankering for using real fruit (dried) as decoration.
> I knew there were fruit molds but the real things look so cool--not  when molded, however. I wish they'd behave though, they'd make nice gifts for daughters-in-law.View attachment 41487
> View attachment 41488
> View attachment 41489
> ...


Gorgeous. I love to garden and my plan is to combine my love for gardening and soapmaking. This is great!


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## Thesdelights (Jan 15, 2021)

Michele50 said:


> This might end up being a complete flop, and that's ok; however, if keeping them in small quarters exposed to a dehumidifier were to prevent mold growth it'd be a great surprise. I went into this with little expectation of success but do enjoy seeing for myself. I've even taken a small amount of liquid soap that I made and lowered the pH to the point it 'broke'.......the chemical reaction that is. I knew it would revert to oils and lye water; I'm a kid at heart and wanted to see things revert myself; it was interesting.
> 
> Over a year ago the kid in me surfaced regarding lye water from hardwood ash; we burn wood to heat our home so I had an abundance of this. I had read about the process for several months--everything I could get my eyes on from online research. My 1st attempt (boiling it on our cookstove) was a success, whether I'd be able to repeat it is another story (lol).
> 
> ...



And? Im curious did they mold? Because I also just made soap with orange slices


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## cherizee (Oct 17, 2021)

Michele50 said:


> This is the closest topic to a question I had regarding real fruit. I'm trying an experiment which I figure will eventually end up molding; but, I'm a kid a heart, and enjoy the testing. I also wanted to see my liquid soap break so I lowered the pH until it separated into oils and lye water. Very cool to see it go in the opposite direction. Anyway, I used dehydrated orange slices to decorate my soap to see how long before they mold. Very dry and brittle when inserted but I figured the liquid in the soap will be absorbed by the dried slices. I have a fan on them right now and they're in a backroom closet with my dehumidifier running. Six days from when they were cut into bars, I'll update later in case others have a hankering for using real fruit (dried) as decoration.
> I knew there were fruit molds but the real things look so cool--not  when molded, however. I wish they'd behave though, they'd make nice gifts for daughters-in-law.View attachment 41487
> View attachment 41488
> View attachment 41489
> ...


Any update?


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## The_Phoenix (Oct 18, 2021)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> The idea of m&p insets would be the best option


I initially misread this as "insects."   

Carry on...


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## Michele50 (Oct 24, 2021)

Thesdelights said:


> And? Im curious did they mold? Because I also just made soap with orange slices



Sorry for dropping out of sight and giving no updates and not responding to those  who have inquired—my apologies.

I’ve not been on the forum due to major hip surgery and now I’m up for, as the surgeon put it, not only a new tire but also a realignment of my right knee—November 2. At the age of 47 The neurosurgeon For my spinal surgery said I was too young to be falling apart. LOL, I husband says I’ll be the bionic woman when I’m done with all my surgeries. 

I’m happy to report no mold whatsoever. I hope you have a great  success with the soap you have made having also put real orange slices in it. I’d love to see photos of your soap!!

I have only given these special gifts to my daughters in law and sisters. I explained the need to cut the bar down the middle and remove the orange slice and they did follow that instruction.

I wanted to try real fruit that was dehydrated because I like the look of it as a decoration  much more than the orange slices that can  be made from M & P.

cherizee, sorry for not responding sooner.

God-Given Gifts, If you should decide to combine your love of gardening with your love of soap making, share photos and info on what you did. I would be interested in seeing and reading about it.

I might dehydrate cucumber slices and put them in soap that has been sent it with cucumber melon. Again, just as many have  stated in this forum, they wouldn’t chance selling soap with real dehydrated fruit, I wouldn’t either. However, they make for cute gifts for close relatives who DO follow direction AND understand  that the orange slice MUST be removed to prevent abrasions to the skin. The same would go for dehydrated cucumbers or anything else I decide to make as special gifts for them.

During the whole time curing, I used my dehumidifier to pull the moisture out of the air, which is bad here in Oklahoma. I then used shrink wrap bags to wrap them in to prevent the slices from pulling moisture back into themselves.


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