# What is the best vanilla color stabilizer for CP?



## foresthome (Jul 15, 2011)

People always ask me for vanilla soap, but I try to steer clear of anything containing vanilla, because of the brown discoloration. Can anyone recommend a product to help with this?


----------



## carebear (Jul 15, 2011)

The only one for CP that I know of is from Bittercreek. But it's not reliable - creates grit I. Some soaps, and it only delays browning, doesn't stop it entirely.


----------



## Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

The one from WSP doesn't work, either.


----------



## foresthome (Jul 17, 2011)

So I guess I will just make a brown vanilla soap and call it Vanilla Bean.


----------



## scouter139 (Jul 17, 2011)

Hello Foresthome, 
I have used the WSP stabilizer for Cold Processed soaps and got varying degrees of success.  You must follow the directions exactly.  If it tells you to wait xxx amount of minutes between mixing it and using it then do it.  I did find when I either didn't wait long enough or waited too long (had another problem to tend to and let the mixture sit awhile) then I had less than successful results.  I made the same soap recipe, the same fragrance oil which was nectar I think, my first attempt was dark brown, beautiful fragrance, wonderful soap but ugly.  I did the same recipe after I got the WSP stabilizer and I ended up with a very light peachy color.  So, it wasn't white but light peach is definately better than dark, dark brown.  I can work with peach...adding some titanium probably would be even better. 
I just wish I had mixed the Black Canyon I made recently with it...cause my Black Canyon is now an aweful brown/grey color. 
I have probably used the stabilizer on 4 or 5 different scents and each was much better than the original.  So, I say try it and see if it works for you.


----------



## Cashie (Jul 17, 2011)

Embrace the brown.  

It isn't an ugly brown, is it? I think that many times, the discoloration turns out pretty... maybe you can put some cocoa powder swirls in it!


----------



## Hazel (Jul 17, 2011)

scouter139 = 

I did follow the directions exactly and my soap still turned brown. It took awhile but eventually it became dark brown. When I asked WSP about it, I was told to use twice the recommended amount.  :shock: 

IMO, if you're selling something (which is also very expensive), it should work as stated when using the recommended amount and following the instructions. 

This is why I said it doesn't work.


----------



## scouter139 (Jul 17, 2011)

I don't have the directions in front of me but it's either 1:1 or 1:2 depending on the amount of vanilla in the fragrance.  Hazel, maybe that's what the person from WSP meant by doubling it?  Do you remember which fragrance it was? I'd be curious.  I do know that there also was a percent guideline of some sort and I couldn't find the % of vanilla in the fragrance I used so I just used the 1:1.  I'll have to go see if I can find a sample of both of the Nectar fragrance soaps to show everyone the difference.  This second one is more than 6 months old and still peachy colored.  I have to check my notes to see which other fragrances I used it with, I know one was a Christmasy smell and one was a fall fragrance.  I'm wondering what other fragrance ingredients would turn soap to brown...anyone know?

I love brown and can embrace it with no trouble cept when it was supposed to be girlie pink with sprinkles and stuff for my nieces.  You should have seen the looks on their faces...didn't matter how nice it smelled. 
No, this is an ug-a-lee brown...kinda greyish brown....not a pretty cocoa brown which I could have worked with by adding pink decos to....


----------



## Hazel (Jul 17, 2011)

It was Vanilla Bean Noel from WSP which does have a really high % of vanilla.

I gave up on VS so I have to agree with Cashie - embrace the brown.  


edited because of typo.


----------



## Dragonkaz (Jul 18, 2011)

I think the colour vanilla turns soap is gorgeous!  

I'm tell people, if they buy a vanilla product that's not turned brown ... it's got 'extras' added to it!


----------



## calico21 (Jul 18, 2011)

Birthday cake turned mine brown, not so bad except the pretty purple swirl I did is really hard to see. That makes it ugly, if I had just left it as is it would have passed.


----------



## lovethyscent (Jul 18, 2011)

Has anyone tried vanilla white from natures garden? I have some, but haven't tried it yet. I'm afraid to lol.


----------



## soapbuddy (Jul 18, 2011)

I think I've tried them all. Over time the soap still darkens.


----------



## newbie (Jul 18, 2011)

Scouter, I don't know that anything would help Black Canyon. I'd have to look, but I'm not even sure it has vanilla in it- I think something else causes the discoloration. It is the ugliest- that bile green/brown is something. However, it's so well loved that people seem to have no problems overlooking the color. I've made some with black accents (swirl or layer) but it doesn't help altogether that much.


----------



## scouter139 (Jul 18, 2011)

My next batch of Canyon I'm going to try the stabilizer and see if I can't make part of it a little lighter... you are right newbie..good thing it smells good.


----------



## carebear (Jul 19, 2011)

Be aware of a couple of things - 

Vanilla stabilizer is not "forever" - brown will creep back in.
Many FOs have colors of their own.  Pink Sugar, for example - goes bright yellow if the browning is temporarily prevented.  Not a pretty bright yellow, though.


----------



## DMCC (Jul 20, 2011)

I have a vanilla sugar cookie FO that turns brownish black. I call it Vanilla Bean Butterscotch because of the dark brown color and the slight butterscotch top notes.  I leave a portion of the raw soap unscented, put that on the top and it stays white.  It's a nice contrast of colors...brown bottom with off-white top.  Over the years I've really learned to just embrace the discoloration.


----------



## Woodi (Jul 21, 2011)

What great ideas for naming brown vanilla soap! Great suggestions, gals. I dislike adding whitener to my soaps, as I try to keep the number of extra ingredients to a minimum if at all.....but a good name will sell even the ugliest of colors!

I remember one time using alkanet for purple and it came out almost black....so I named the soap "Casseiopeia" and it sold quickly. Another black-purple one, I called "Purple Rain" and made all the print on the label a purple color. People told me they thought that soap was purple, not black (I saw it as black....) = the power of suggestion is strong!


----------



## scouter139 (Jul 23, 2011)

Finally got to take pictures of the same fragrance oil, Sweet Nectar, one without WSP stabilizer and one with the stabilizer, same recipe, some coloring...bottom is without color, the top is/was pink...the bars are close to a year old.  On the brown one, you can kinda see the "pink" part, especially the top photo.


----------

