Pumpkin Seed Oil Soap

The Efficacious Gentleman · Feb 19, 2014

Hello everyone!

I'm thinkin of making a Pumpkin Seed Oil soap. You might have guessed that from the thread title and the forum that it was in, though.

I'm thinking -

HP
15% CO
44% Palm
11% Rapeseed
30% Pumpkin seed

10% SF

The palm and the rapeseed are in a mix of 80/20, so need to be changed in that ratio.

Numbers are -

Soap Bar Quality

Your Recipe

Hardness

40

Cleansing

10

Conditioning

58

Bubbly

10

Creamy

29

Iodine

75

INS

130

So I was thinking maybe 1tsp sugar per 500g to up the bubbles.

What are your thoughts?

shunt2011 · Feb 19, 2014

You could try adding sugar . Your bubbly is pretty low. You could also up your CO a bit to increase it too.

The Efficacious Gentleman · Feb 19, 2014

I actually just threw in 5% castor with the Pumpkin Seed at 25% - gives me a 15 on the bubbles, with only a 1 point drop on the hardness. I might do that instead of the sugar, then I don't have to worry about it playing silly buggers in my soap.

The Efficacious Gentleman · Feb 20, 2014

Okay, I've been playing -

HP
15% CO
40% Palm
10% Rapeseed
15% OO
15% Pumpkin seed
5% Castor

10% SF

OO and Pumpkin have similar figures, so I can keep the cost per bar down using that and putting a higher & Pumpkin as superfat. Depending on the colour, though, I might add more in future - hopefully it keeps a nice green, but I'm not holding out much hope, just in case.

I will add a tsp of sugar and SL in this 560gram batch to help with the bubbles and the hardness.

Saponista · Feb 20, 2014

Looking forward to seeing the finished bars.

Tienne · Feb 20, 2014

The Efficacious Gentleman said:
I might do that instead of the sugar, then I don't have to worry about it playing silly buggers in my soap.

Silly buggers?? I don't dare ask. LOL I always dissolve both the sugar and the SL (mine is the powder kind) in the water before adding lye and have never had any problems. If you wanted to go all out on bubble enhancers, you could also add some coconut milk powder to your oils before you add the lye. Your recipe looks totally okey dokey!

Oh! You do know we'll all be expecting pics real soon, right?

Addendum: I've read you go up to as much as 1 Tbsp sugar per pound of oils. Beware of heating issues, though!

The Efficacious Gentleman · Feb 20, 2014

I was thinking of doing it HP, so is that an issue with sugar?

Tienne · Feb 20, 2014

Hmmm, I don't do HP, just rebatching, so I don't know, but I wouldn't think so. Maybe you could add it after the cook in a little bit of water. I'd better let the HP experts chime in on that.

Seawolfe · Feb 20, 2014

I'm far from an expert, but I dissolved sugar in my lye water and then HP'd my shampoo bar and it worked out just peachy - soap is nice and bubbly.
My recipe had a bit of water discount and I added the sugar after the lye and it wouldn't dissolve completely until I added another tablespoon of water, I strained out what didn't dissolve.

AnnaMarie · Feb 20, 2014

Are you going to add puréed pumpkin as well? I like the look of the second recipe better, IMO I'd go heavier on the pumpkin seed oil just to see how it would turn out

. Post pictures please!
Cheers!
Anna Marie

Lin · Feb 20, 2014

puree would change the color, it causes a bright orange.

AnnaMarie · Feb 20, 2014

Lin said:
puree would change the color, it causes a bright orange.

I guess that wouldn't quite work with keeping the color a nice green, would it

The Efficacious Gentleman · Feb 22, 2014

So far, it is a rather sad brown colour

will update

paillo · Feb 22, 2014

I was gonna suggest pureed pumpkin too. Fresh pumpkin (not canned) gives you a really lovely pale orange that stays true. I add mine at trace, thinned with milk. Probably hard to get your hands on fresh pumpkin this time of year... I love what pumpkin does for soap, and keep enough frozen to use it all year. Would be fun to do a super pumpkin soap with pumpkin seed oil and fresh pumpkin (pumpkin FO will darken your soap, I like a mix of patchouli and sweet orange EOs). I like your recipe too, eager to see pics!

The Efficacious Gentleman · Feb 22, 2014

Well, first time using sugar and SL, too - so I'm looking at it and stirring it thinking "what the devil is it doing now...........?"

seven · Feb 22, 2014

can you already see and feel the difference with adding SL? should make the batter lots more workable.

The Efficacious Gentleman · Feb 22, 2014

Aye, but it looks like it's cooked but still fluid - bloody weird! I'm leaving it in, maybe too long, but just to be sure

Tienne · Feb 22, 2014

paillo said:
Probably hard to get your hands on fresh pumpkin this time of year... I love what pumpkin does for soap, and keep enough frozen to use it all year.

I have never tried using pumpkin in soap but I'd like to! I still have 7 or 8 pumpkins in the basement and they keep just fine down there where it's cool and dark, but they won't last until next season I'm sure, so... my question is, how would you go about freezing pumpkin? Do you just freeze raw pieces or does it have to be baked first and then purëed or?

AnnaMarie · Feb 22, 2014

I roast halved and seeded pumpkins brushed with olive oil. I then scoop out the flesh and freeze. I also rinse the pumpkin seeds well and roast them for snacks- yummy!
Cheers!
Anna Marie

The Efficacious Gentleman · Feb 22, 2014

Chopped up, cooked with onions and cream, served with rice - lovely. Or as a soup - also really good.

But anyway - it's moulded up! Was so strange, such an odd consistency with the SL. It has gone back to a lovely green colour with the SF pumpkin seed oil mixed it. It's dark now, so the colour doesn't really show on pictures - I'll get some cut shots tomorrow and post them up.

It also has a wee whiff of the oil, too - a little bit nutty. Hope it keeps for a while, as I don't think any FO can get it (but if you know of one, please let me know!)

Pumpkin Seed Oil Soap

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