# Extracts can you use them for anything other than baking?



## tmar22 (Jul 5, 2016)

Has anyone tried using extracts in anything? I have heard not to use them in soap... so I haven't, but I am wondering about everything else? Including, but not limited to: Bathbombs, Body Butter, Lotion, Lip Balm etc... 

This has come up considering my family owns a grocery store, we have a surplus of extracts ( vanilla, coffee, anise, almond, etc) that are just going to waste and I would like to incorporate them into something!!! 

Please!!! if you have ever tried anything, and it did/didn't work comment. If you have pictures post them!

There is no reliable sources online of using them for anything and I trust you all the most about this.

I know this is going to be fun, somebody is bound to comment. "No" so prove me wrong and let's figure this out...


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## shunt2011 (Jul 5, 2016)

You could try them for personal use. However, they aren't considered skin safe ingredients for those who sell. Wouldn't work in anything that is oil based like Shea body butter or lip balm due to the alcohol


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## topofmurrayhill (Jul 5, 2016)

tmar22 said:


> Has anyone tried using extracts in anything? I have heard not to use them in soap... so I haven't, but I am wondering about everything else? Including, but not limited to: Bathbombs, Body Butter, Lotion, Lip Balm etc...
> 
> This has come up considering my family owns a grocery store, we have a surplus of extracts ( vanilla, coffee, anise, almond, etc) that are just going to waste and I would like to incorporate them into something!!!
> 
> ...



I don't know if they do a useful thing, but nothing prevents you from trying them in transparent soap, liquid soap and maybe even HP. It's not an experiment I would begin with CP, because that's where they're most likely to cause difficulties or just get clobbered by lye.


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## reflection (Jul 20, 2016)

shunt2011 said:


> You could try them for personal use. However, they aren't considered skin safe ingredients for those who sell. Wouldn't work in anything that is oil based like Shea body butter or lip balm due to the alcohol



is the concern that anything with alcohol will evaporate? i can't seem to remember right now why it's not recommended. i used a vanilla absolute, which from what i read sounds like a very concentrated version of vanilla extract, added it to my cold shea butter batter right before whipping and it worked great. a few weeks later i even remelted the body butter to add some beeswax and surprisingly the vanilla scent didn't diminish at all. the arrowroot powder on the other hand didn't seem to survive the remelt.


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## soapygoat (Jul 20, 2016)

This is probably a boring answer, but if they aren't skin safe, could they be used in something like a reed diffuser? I was going to suggest making incense, but alcohol based fragrance + fire may not equal a good idea.


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## shunt2011 (Jul 20, 2016)

Absolutes are different than extracts.  Absolutes are not alcohol based.   Unless it is produced and stated for use in Soap, Bath or Body products it should not be used for that purpose.  As I stated, for personal use, go for it.  Those that sell, I wouldn't.  Alcohol based extracts will cause your soap to sieze.


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## dixiedragon (Jul 20, 2016)

If you're a hunter I have a recipe for a body spray that uses (I think) vanilla, almond and anise extract.

I haven't tried it but I am curious to see! I would think that they could work in bath bombs - some people spray those with alcohol anyway?

Honestly, for large quantities, can they donate it a church or a food kitchen?


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## reflection (Jul 26, 2016)

shunt2011 said:


> Absolutes are different than extracts.  Absolutes are not alcohol based.   Unless it is produced and stated for use in Soap, Bath or Body products it should not be used for that purpose.  As I stated, for personal use, go for it.  Those that sell, I wouldn't.  Alcohol based extracts will cause your soap to sieze.


i guess it is the extraction method of an absolute that may use alcohol as the solvent then if i am understanding correctly. mine isn't this brand but you can see the vanilla absolute contains 25% ethanol and was solvent extracted with ethyl alcohol. i take it that it shouldn't be used in making soap then. it's a little confusing with vanilla oil, vanilla extract and vanilla absolute.


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## topofmurrayhill (Jul 26, 2016)

reflection said:


> i guess it is the extraction method of an absolute that may use alcohol as the solvent then if i am understanding correctly. mine isn't this brand but you can see the vanilla absolute contains 25% ethanol and was solvent extracted with ethyl alcohol. i take it that it shouldn't be used in making soap then. it's a little confusing with vanilla oil, vanilla extract and vanilla absolute.



Alcohol will seize up cold process batter, but it's compatible with soap that's already made. It's used in some transparent and liquid soap techniques because oil and soap dissolve in alcohol. You could experiment with putting extracts or perfumes in some MP base to see what they do.


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## reflection (Jul 26, 2016)

topofmurrayhill said:


> Alcohol will seize up cold process batter, but it's compatible with soap that's already made. It's used in some transparent and liquid soap techniques because oil and soap dissolve in alcohol. You could experiment with putting extracts or perfumes in some MP base to see what they do.


i have to admit i'm rather confused about the absolutes at this point. some seem to say all the alcohol from the extraction is burned off and others, like the site i listed, say it is still in the absolute or maybe theirs is different. i thought the absolutes aren't supposed to be oil soluble, at least my vanilla absolute isn't, but people use them anyway in products like butters & balms. can you use absolutes in the crock pot method after trace? mostly, i just don't want to start a fire but seizing doesn't sound good either.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 27, 2016)

You could add it after the cook (not after trace!) in hot process. But alcohol does odd things to soap even if it's not seizing- transparent and/or m&p soaps have alcohol in them,  so even adding alcohol after the cook might make a difference


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## reflection (Jul 27, 2016)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> You could add it after the cook (not after trace!) in hot process. But alcohol does odd things to soap even if it's not seizing- transparent and/or m&p soaps have alcohol in them,  so even adding alcohol after the cook might make a difference


newbie question alert: what is the difference between after the cook and after trace? i thought they were the same thing.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 27, 2016)

Trace is in cp and hp, when the soap batter is getting thicker - it's easier to see than just emulsion as the thickening batter leaves 'traces' when stirred. 

The cook is in hp, when you heat your traced batter until it is fully saponified and no longer zaps. 

At/after trace the lye is still very much active. After the cook there is (or should be!) no more lye


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## reflection (Jul 27, 2016)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Trace is in cp and hp, when the soap batter is getting thicker - it's easier to see than just emulsion as the thickening batter leaves 'traces' when stirred.
> 
> The cook is in hp, when you heat your traced batter until it is fully saponified and no longer zaps.
> 
> At/after trace the lye is still very much active. After the cook there is (or should be!) no more lye



thanks so much for explaining this! when people refer to the 'emulsion' does that mean when the oils & lye solution are mixing in the early stage? i've been meaning to ask the difference between emulsion & trace but i didn't even realize 'after the cook' was yet another stage too. soapmaking truly is an art.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 28, 2016)

Trace is easier to know because it can be seen. Emulsion is the point where the oils and the lye solution are mixed enough that they won't separate out again (all things being equal) - it's harder to recognise which is why most people refer to trace and aim for that point. For some swirls and so on, emulsion is preferred as it gives you more time to work. 

Newbie recently posted a video on how to spot when you're at emulsion. Well worth a look


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## reflection (Jul 29, 2016)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Trace is easier to know because it can be seen. Emulsion is the point where the oils and the lye solution are mixed enough that they won't separate out again (all things being equal) - it's harder to recognise which is why most people refer to trace and aim for that point. For some swirls and so on, emulsion is preferred as it gives you more time to work.
> 
> Newbie recently posted a video on how to spot when you're at emulsion. Well worth a look



thanks again! ack, i thought that video was supposed to be showing trace and was wondering why the batter looked a bit thin to me. i just discovered the abbreviations thread also has definitions but it doesn't have emulsion, trace, or the cook/after the cook. maybe good ones to add to the definitions for the real newbies?


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## joy. (Aug 19, 2016)

I've tried using vanilla extract and almond extract in HP after the cook. They did make it seize up a bit, but that may have just been because the extracts were cool and I was adding them to the hot batter. There was no scent left in either of them after a day. I don't think alcohol-based flavors/scents last in soap.

I've used vanilla co2 (which is different than an extract, absolute or oleoresin) in body butter and shampoo/conditioner base and it works really well. Blended smoothly in both, and smells delicious. It's pretty pricey though.

You may be able to make some sort of alcohol-based room/linen spray with your extracts. Just be careful of staining.


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## miheypete (Aug 19, 2016)

I think I remember that the doctor who introduced adding glycerin to lye in the long thread on another board used to add orange extract to his olive oil liquid soap in his crockpot after dilution.  IrishLass may remember it better than me. I think he may have tried a second extract too but offhand I can't remember what it was. I do remember thinking I'd rather use the orange extract because of the more pleasant fragrance. 

Let us know how your experiments work.  

Mary


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